Unmatched Wife: Not His To Claim Anymore novel Chapter 102

Chapter 102

BIANCA

“There’s a possibility,” Rivera admitted. “Maybe twenty percent, according to the medical records Klaus obtained. The dissolution requires both parties to be conscious and in relatively stable condition for the magical severance to complete properly. If you were unconscious or heavily medicated for most of the thirty days-”

“Then the bond might not have broken.” I finished, my voice flat.

“Might not have fully broken,” Rivera corrected. “The paperwork is filed, the legal dissolution is complete. But the magical component–the actual mate bond–that might still be partially intact.”

I stood up again, this time moving to the window to stare out at the morning light.

Still bonded to Matthew. After everything he’d done, after he’d tried to kill me, after I’d built an entire new life here—I might still be magically tied to the man who’d destroyed me.

“Is Mia here too?” I asked, not looking at Rivera.

“No. According to Klaus’s information, Matthew came alone with Theo. No mention of Mia accompanying them.”

Small mercies, I supposed.

“So let me understand this situation,” I said, turning back to face Rivera. “My ex–husband and my son are in this city, receiving therapy to process my death. They believe I’m dead and cremated. But there’s a chance I’m still magically bonded to Matthew, which means if he somehow discovers I’m alive, he could potentially use that bond to–what? Drag me back to Silver Moon? Force me to return to a marriage I legally dissolved?”

“Pack law is complicated,” Rivera said carefully. “If the mate bond is still partially intact, and if Matthew claimed he was deceived about your death, he could theoretically petition for the dissolution to be invalidated. It would require a pack council hearing, evidence, legal challenges-”

“But it’s possible.”

“It’s possible,” Rivera admitted. “Which is one of the reasons I was terrified to tell you they were here. Because I didn’t want you to feel like you had to hide, but I also didn’t want you to accidentally expose yourself and lose all the safety we’ve built.”

I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to think through the exhaustion and emotional overload.

“A part of me wants to see them,” I admitted quietly. “Wants to run to wherever they’re staying and scoop Theo up and tell him none of this is his fault. That his mama loves him and never wanted to leave him.“.

“I know.”

“But I also know that seeing them would be incredibly stupid. Would risk everything–my new life, my job, my safety. Would potentially drag me back into a situation where Matthew has legal and magical authority over me.”

“Yes.”

I lowered my hands and looked at Rivera- at this man who’d kept massive secrets but was now being honest about the

consequences.

“You should have told me they were here,” I said. “As soon as you found out. I deserved to know my son was this close, that I was potentially passing him on the street without realizing it.”

“I know,” Rivera said, his voice rough “I know, and I’m sorry. I was scared and selfish and I made choices that weren’t mine to make. I should have trusted you with this information weeks ago.”

Chapter 102

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“Why didn’t you?”

He stood, moving closer but not touching me. “Because I was terrified you’d realize that your real son matters more than the child you’ve been helping. That biological bonds would override the family we’ve been building. That I’d lose you and Louis would lose you and we’d be back to just the two of us, alone again.”

The honesty in his voice made my chest ache.

“Lucian,” I said gently, using his first name deliberately. “Louis is not a replacement for Theo. I don’t love him because I’m trying to fill some maternal void. I love him because he’s Louis–this bright, funny, resilient kid who decided I was his mother and gave me the gift of being exactly that.”

“I know-”

“But Theo is my son,” I continued, my voice breaking slightly. “I gave birth to him. I raised him for four years. I loved him with everything in me, and leaving him behind was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And yes, knowing he’s here, knowing he’s struggling, knowing he thinks my death is his fault-” I stopped, wiping tears I hadn’t realized were falling, “It’s destroying me. Absolutely destroying me.”

Rivera moved to pull me into his arms, and I let him, pressing my face against his chest.

“What do I do?” I whispered. “How do I choose between protecting myself and helping my son?”

“I don’t know,” Rivera admitted. “But Bianca, whatever you decide, I’ll support you. If you want to find a way to see Theo, to let him know you’re okay, we’ll figure out how to do it safely. If you decide the risk is too great, that protecting your new life is more important, I’ll help you with that too.”

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