TRADING MY CHEATING HUSBAND FOR THE LYCAN KING novel Chapter 202

CHAPTER 140: THE UNFORGIVABLE

EMBER’S POV

The laughter dies. Everyone’s eyes slide to Knox, who shrugs without a trace of shame.

“Not much of a secret if you all already know.”

“You could have at least tried to be mysterious about it,” Rayana sighs. “Where’s the fun in confessing things everyone already knows?”

“You said write a secret. You didn’t say it had to be a good one.”

“Fair point. But disappointing nonetheless.” She draws the next card and her expression flickers, briefly, before smoothing back into amused neutrality. “I destroyed the best thing I ever had for something that

didn’t matter.”

The room goes quiet.

Rayana’s voice doesn’t waver as she reads it, but I catch the slight tightening around her eyes, the way her fingers grip the card just a little too hard.

She doesn’t look at Knox, which is almost more telling than if she had.

Knox’s jaw is granite. He’s staring at the fire like it holds the secrets of the universe.

“Well,” Queenie says brightly, trying to fill the awkward silence. “That’s… relatable? In a sad way? I think

we’ve all-”

“Next card,” Nathaniel interrupts, his voice flat.

Rayana clears her throat and draws again.

“I’ve faked an orgasm with someone at this table.”

Queenie chokes on her wine.

Nathaniel goes rigid beside her, a flush creeping up his neck that he’s clearly trying to suppress through sheer force of will.

The fact that they’re mated – actually married – makes this approximately ten thousand times worse. “Oh my GOD,” Queenie wheezes, coughing. “Who wrote that?!”

“Anonymous means anonymous, darling.” Rayana is grinning now, the earlier tension dissolving into wicked delight. “Though I have to say, the reactions in this room are absolutely fascinating. Especially from the married couple.”

“It wasn’t-” Nathaniel starts, his composure, for once, cracking.

Knox chuckles, not the least helping.

“Don’t” Queenie holds up a hand, still coughing, her face flaming red. “Don’t even. We are NOT discussing this, Moving en. Immediately. Next card. NOW”

Knox catches my eye across the table, a flicker of genuine amusement cutting through his brooding, and I have to press my lips together to keep from laughing. At least that’s one problem we’d never have between

1. US.

“I’ve pretended to be on a phone call to avoid talking to someone in this room.”

“Okay, that one’s definitely me,” Queenie admits, raising her hand, clearly grateful for a confession that

doesn’t involve her sex life. “Sorry, babe. That morning after our fight about your mother’s visit. You kept trying to apologize and I wasn’t ready to hear it yet.”

“I knew you weren’t on the phone,” Nathaniel says dryly. “Your screen was off.“”

“And yet you kept TALKING.”

“I was trying to fix things.”

“At SEVEN. IN THE MORNING. After you said my lasagna was ‘adequate.”

“I said it was adequately seasoned-”

“ADEQUATE, Nathaniel. You called my grandmother’s recipe ADEQUATE.”

“That’s not-”

“We’ve been married for five years and you still don’t understand that adequate is an INSULT when it

comes to food.”

Rayana draws another card while they bicker, her smile sharpening.

“I’ve lied to protect someone who doesn’t deserve protection.”

The bickering stops.

I see Queenie’s hand tremble slightly as she reaches for her wine glass. I see Nathaniel go very, very still, his shoulders even more rigid.

My stomach tightens. It has to be them.

“Heavy,” Rafael murmurs. “Though I suppose we all have people we’ve protected beyond reason. Love makes fools of us all.”

“Does it?” Knox’s voice is cool. “I find that love usually makes us honest. It’s fear that makes us liars.”

Their eyes meet across the table, and the temperature drops several degrees.

“Next card,” I say, before someone throws a punch.

“I’ve googled ‘am I the toxic one‘ and didn’t like the answer.“”

Knox actually snorts. “That one could be anyone here.”

* CHAPTER 40 MARI

“Including you?” Rafael asks innocently.

“I don’t need Google to tell me what I already know.”

“At least you’re self–aware.”

“I try.”

“I once cried at a dog food commercial,” Rayana continues.

Silence. Everyone glances around, waiting for someone to claim it.

“No one?” Rayana raises an eyebrow. “We have a coward in our midst. Someone in this room sobbed over a golden retriever waiting for his owner and won’t admit it.”

“Maybe the owner never came back,” Queenie says softly. “That would be sad.”

“The owner DIDN’T come back,” Rafael says, and everyone turns to stare at him. He shrugs, looking almost embarrassed. “What? It was a very effective commercial. The dog kept waiting by the window. It was… emotionally manipulative.”

“Oh my god,” Queenie breathes. “Rafael Montenegro cries at dog commercials.”

“I said it was emotionally manipulative. I didn’t say I cried.”

“Your face says otherwise.”

“My face says nothing.”

“Your face says you wanted to ADOPT that dog.”

“Moving ON,” Rafael says firmly, gesturing at Rayana.

“I’ve done something unforgivable to protect someone I love.”

Queenie’s glass wobbles in her grip, wine sloshing dangerously close to the rim.

I watch them both carefully, my heart beating faster. Will I ever be able to summon the courage for this

r conversation? Beyond just confronting her, I’m not sure how I’ll react.

On one hand, I’m almost certain she didn’t do it of her own free will. But on the other hand, I wonder what could possibly be worth sending me back to my abusive ex–husband.

What could have been so heinous that my life was the acceptable trade? I would have died. Gale would have killed me eventually – we both know that.

It sears a pain in my chest that I’m trying so damn hard not to feel.

I keep telling myself to understand, to be reasonable, but understanding is different from justifying. I understand that she might have had no choice.

But goddess, am I angry.

I’m terrified that if I tread on those grounds, I’ll burn down everything – whatever little of our friendship

3/4

was ever real. I might find that I have no room for second chances.

Perhaps I should have written on one of the confession cards: Queenie, I fucking know what you did.

Perhaps that would have been a great place to start.

Perhaps it’s best we end here. Because it’s becoming a lot harder to look at her with every passing

moment.

“That could be anyone,” Rafael says smoothly, breaking the tension. “We all do unforgivable things for the

people we love. It’s practically the definition of devotion.”

“Some things should remain unforgivable,” Knox says quietly, and he’s not looking at Queenie but I could

swear she flinches anyway.

“I love you.”

Rayana reads it simply, three words hanging in the air like something fragile.

Knox’s eyes find mine across the table, and the intensity in them makes my breath catch.

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