TRADING MY CHEATING HUSBAND FOR THE LYCAN KING novel Chapter 80

: THE HYPOCRITE EXPOSED–2

My breath stills. I feet the trap getting ready to snap shut around me.

+25 Points

“No,” I admit, and I can feel the case slipping away with that single word. “I–I didn’t think about

documentation. I still considered him my husband. I–I didn’t want to make him angrier. He- I loved him—”

“So there’s no physical evidence,” Elder James interrupts. “No third–party verification. No testimony from

medical professionals who treated your injuries. We have just… your word.” There is a small chuckle in the

last part.

“Yes, but the word of someone who survived-”

“The word of someone who has already been proven to lie,” Elder James cuts in, and his voice sharpens

into something cruel. “The word of someone who fabricated a fated mate claim to deceive this council.

The word of someone who entered into a transactional sexual arrangement and then tried to dress it up

as destiny. Given that context, Omega Crawford, why should anyone in this chamber believe anything you

say?”

The question hangs in the air like a guillotine blade.

I don’t have an answer. I don’t have anything except my truth, and my truth isn’t worth anything anymore.

“Perhaps,” Elder James continues, settling back in his chair with the satisfaction of a cat playing with prey,

“we should hear from someone who knows you better than anyone. Someone who can provide context for

your… behavioral patterns.”

A figure stands in the gallery.

My mother.

Her expression is carefully constructed concern, the kind of maternal worry that looks genuine if you don’t

know her well enough to see the conniving snake underneath,

“If I may address the council,” Devika says, her voice dripping with wounded–mother sympathy. “As Ember’s mother, I feel obligated to provide context that might be relevant to these proceedings.”

She approaches the stand, and I can see she’s been preparing for this moment.

Every word she’s about to say has been rehearsed. Every piece of evidence has been manufactured. This is the performance of her life, and she’s going to give it everything she has.

“My daughter has a history of emotional instability,” Devika begins, and her voice catches on the word

daughter like it causes her pain to say it. “As a mother, it’s been heartbreaking to watch. She was

diagnosed with borderline personality disorder as a teenager and has struggled with emotional regulation

her entire adult life.”

What?

© CHAPTER 50 THE HYPOCRITE EXPOSED–2

+25 Points+

“have documentation,” she continues, producing a folder that looks official and terrifying. “Psychological evaluations conducted during her adolescence. Records of a suicide attempt when she was twenty–one.

Documentation of her voluntary commitment to a psychiatric facility for treatment.”

None of it happened. None of it is real. But the documents look authentic–the right seals, the right

language, the kind of bureaucratic legitimacy that councils like this worship.

“After her diagnosis, I struggled with how to help her,” Devika says, and her voice is perfect–just the right

amount of maternal anguish. “I eventually made the difficult decision to establish some distance between

1. us. Tough love, I suppose you’d call it. I hoped that forcing her to stand on her own would make her confront her mental health issues. But it didn’t work. When I learned about the Summit scandal, I knew I

had to intervene. Not to punish her. But out of genuine concern for my daughter’s wellbeing.”

She’s selling it beautifully. The council is buying every word. I can see Elder Catherine’s expression shifting from sympathy to concern.

Even Elder Rothschild, who looked moved by my testimony, is now studying me with clinical assessment.

“I believe,” Devika concludes, “that Ember would benefit from a comprehensive psychological evaluation

before being allowed to make any major life decisions. After all, if she’s not mentally competent, her

choices might not be entirely valid. She may have latched onto the Lycan King not out of genuine feeling,

but as an escape from her own psychological difficulties. It’s a pattern I’ve observed throughout her entire

life–seeking validation from powerful men because she doesn’t have a stable sense of self.”

“This testimony is completely fabricated,” Knox says, on his feet before Elder James can stop him. “Devika

Aragon disowned her daughter eight years ago. She has had zero contact with Ember since. She’s not a concerned mother–she’s an opportunist who appeared the moment Ember became associated with

someone powerful. The documents she’s presenting are forgeries designed to-”

“The Lycan King will refrain from interrupting witness testimony,” Elder James snaps, and his voice carries the kind of authority that makes even Knox pause. “Or he will be removed from this chamber.”

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