Ex-Mate Wants Me Back (Seraphina and Mortimer) novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Seraphina’s POV

“It’s okay. We’re just talking, like we did on the plane. You can tell me whatever’s on your mind.”

Tabitha’s voice was soft, like a warm spring breeze wrapping around me.

Combined with her harmless, friendly face, I found myself finally starting to untension.

I told her everything about the avalanche.

I tried to keep my voice clinical, but a slight tremor betrayed me as I walked her through the moments the snow swallowed me.

For a soul healer like Tabitha, dealing with PTSD was standard procedure.

But I realized my problem had a much darker layer.

“So, you’re saying that since the incident, every time you see your mate, you feel this instinctive repulsion? Even irritability?”

I didn’t hide anything. I gave her a heavy nod.

“I know something is wrong with my reaction, so…”

“No, it’s actually perfectly normal.”

Tabitha cut me off. “Maybe you didn’t notice, but your emotional spikes are relatively low when you talk about the actual avalanche. The thing triggering your stress response is your mate. Because he’s important to you, he’s become the root of the trauma. When you see him, you don’t just see a man-you see the avalanche. You feel the cold and the despair of being buried all over again.”

She hit the nail on the head. I went numb, staring at her for a long time without saying a word.

Tabitha didn’t push me for an answer; she just sat there, waiting in the silence.

Finally, my voice came out raspy. “So… what do I do?”

“Try to face the root of the problem with total indifference. Then, when the time is right, walk away from it. Everything will get better.”

At first, her advice felt too simple, almost vague.

But one thing clicked: she was right. Mortimer was the root. My obsession with him was the only thing keeping me trapped in that snowbank.

+15 Bonus

We talked for a while longer, and the crushing weight on my chest actually started to lift.

Tabitha wrote me a few prescriptions for supplemental soul healing elixirs, and I headed out.

I hadn’t even made it a block away from the building when a familiar, surprised voice called out behind me.

“Seraphina?”

My brow furrowed at the sound. But out of habit, I turned around.

Mortimer was standing a few yards away, side-by-side with Vivian. He was holding a bag of medication, his eyes looking at me with a complicated mess of emotions.

I instinctively hid my own meds behind my back. Before I could say a word, Vivian jogged over and grabbed my hand. “Seraphina! I feel so terrible about Morty leaving you in Alaska because of me. I was actually planning on coming to apologize to you properly. Please, don’t be mad at Morty.”

I felt a frown tugging at my face.

I knew exactly what she was doing. Every time she mentioned Alaska, she was marking her territory, reminding me that she was the priority.

Honestly, she didn’t need to repeat it. I got the message.

When Vivian saw that her words didn’t trigger/any anger or tears, her eyes darkened for a split second. She flicked a glance at Mortimer and then back to me. “I’m here for a check-up today, and my parents are out of the country, so I asked Morty to come with me. It’s not what you think… you really don’t have to… well, follow him in secret.”

Hah. So that was the endgame.

She thought I was stalking him?

No wonder Mortimer was looking at me like I was a puzzle he couldn’t solve.

“Miss Davis, do you know any good healers?” I asked.

“Huh?”

Vivian blinked, totally thrown by the question.

r

She went back to her default “fragile” mode, looking wounded. “I wish I did, but I’m not smart like you, Seraphina. I can’t be a healer. My body is just so weak, I…”

Her eyes started to well up.

I wasn’t in the mood for the performance. I cut her off mid-whimper. “If you do know one,

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