Unmatched Wife: Not His To Claim Anymore novel Chapter 120

Chapter 120

Chapter 120

MATTHEW

I broke every traffic law on the way to Theo’s school, my hands white–knuckled on the steering wheel, my mind cycling through worst–case scenarios.

Mia had approached my son. Had tried to convince him to leave school property with her. Had grabbed him hard enough that he’d felt scared.

The phone call with Theo had lasted less than two minutes, but his voice–small and frightened and trying so hard to be brave— had activated every protective instinct I possessed.

I should have seen this coming. Should have anticipated that Mía’s increasing desperation would drive her to do something reckless.

But approaching a child at school? Trying to lure him away?

That crossed a line I hadn’t imagined she’d cross.

I screeched into the school parking lot at 2:35 PM and was out of the car before the engine had fully stopped. The main office was easy to find—I’d been here dozens of times before for parent–teacher conferences and school events back when Bianca had been alive and we’d functioned like a normal family.

Back when I hadn’t been the kind of father who had to race to school because his son was being targeted by his ex–girlfriend.

The secretary recognized me immediately. “Mr. Morrison, Theo’s in the principal’s office. This way.”

She led me down a hallway I’d walked before—cheerful bulletin boards covered in student artwork, the faint smell of cafeteria food and floor cleaner–but everything felt sinister now. Wrong. Like the normal veneer of elementary school had been stripped away to reveal something dangerous underneath.

Principal Davis was waiting outside her office, her expression professionally concerned.

“Mr. Morrison. Thank you for coming so quickly.”

“Where’s my son?”

“Inside with Mrs. Patterson, his teacher. He’s safe, I assure you.” She gestured for me to enter. “But we need to discuss what happened during recess.”

I pushed past her into the office and found Theo sitting in an oversized chair, Mrs. Patterson crouched beside him, speaking in low, soothing tones. My son was clutching his backpack to his chest, his eyes red–rimmed but dry.

“Daddy!” He launched himself at me, and I caught him, holding him so tightly he squeaked in protest.

“I’ve got you,” I said into his hair. “You’re safe. I’ve got you.”

“I didn’t go with her,” Theo said, his voice muffled against my shirt. “She wanted me to but I said no. I did what you and Dr. Fisher said–I listened to my gut feeling and it said no.”

“You did perfect,” I told him, pulling back to look at his face. “You did exactly right, Theo. I’m so proud of you.”

Principal Davis had followed me into the office and was now standing with Mrs. Patterson, both women wearing expressions that told me this was about to become official.

Legal. The kind of situation that involved incident reports and police and permanent records.

“Mr. Morrison,” Principal Davis said carefully. “Can you tell us about your relationship with the woman who approached Theo

Chapter 120

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today? Mrs. Patterson says she introduced herself as ‘Aunty Mia.“”

I set Theo down but kept my hand on his shoulder, needing the physical connection to ground me.

“Her name is Mia Roberts. She’s-“How did I explain this? “She was a friend. Someone I was involved with. But that relationship ended several weeks ago, and I’ve asked her to stay away from my family.”

“Did you have a custody arrangement with Ms. Roberts? Was she authorized to pick up Theo from school?”

“No. Absolutely not. Mia has no legal relationship to my son. She shouldn’t have been here at all.”

Mrs. Patterson spoke up, her voice tight with what might have been guilt. “She told me she needed to apologize to Theo. That she’d been part of a difficult family situation and wanted to make amends. I thought-” She stopped, looking at Theo. “I thought it would be therapeutic. A chance for closure. I stayed nearby the entire time to supervise.”

“Did you see her grab him?” I asked, keeping my voice level with effort.

“Not at first. But when I noticed Theo trying to pull away and Ms. Roberts holding his hand too firmly, I started walking over. She released him immediately when she saw me coming.”

Principal Davis was taking notes. “Mr. Morrison, I need to ask–do you believe your son is in danger from this woman?”

Did I?

I thought about Mia’s desperation. The threatening messages she’d been receiving. The vandalism at her apartment. The way she’d looked the last time I’d seen her–haunted, cornered, barely holding together.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But I know she shouldn’t be approaching my son without my permission. I know she tried to convince him to leave school property with her. And I know Theo felt scared enough to call me.”

“That’s sufficient for us to file an incident report and ban Ms. Roberts from school grounds,” Principal Davis said. “I’ll also be contacting the district security office to add her photo to our restricted persons list. If she attempts to come here again, we’ll notify the police immediately.”

“Thank you.” I looked down at Theo. “Buddy, did Aunty Mia say anything else? Anything about where she wanted to take you or why?”

“She said we could go to the coffee shop across the street. To see more pictures of Mama.” Theo pulled something from his pocket–a photograph. “She gave me this one.”

I took the photo, my chest tightening. It was Bianca and Theo at the park, one of the candid shots I’d taken on a random Saturday afternoon two years ago. One of the photos I’d thought had been deleted permanently.

“She said she has more,” Theo continued. “Lots of pictures of Mama. She said Mama would want me to have them.”

Using Bianca as bait. Using Theo’s grief and desperate need for connection to his dead mother to manipulate him into leaving with her.

The rage that swept through me was white–hot and consuming.

“Mr. Morrison?” Principal Davis’s voice seemed to come from very far away. “Are you alright?”

“No,” I said honestly. “But I will be. Can I take Theo home now?”