Unmatched Wife: Not His To Claim Anymore novel Chapter 129

Chapter 129

THEO

“I’m sure. Healing from grief doesn’t mean forgetting the person you lost. It means learning to carry their memory in a way that doesn’t hurt quite so much.”

The session ended, and Mrs. Davies walked me back to class for afternoon lessons.

We were doing art–drawing pictures of our families–which was the kind of assignment that made my stomach hurt now.

I drew Dad and me. Just the two of us. Because Mama was gone and Aunty Mia wasn’t family anymore.

Sophie, who sat next to me, was drawing a big family with lots of people.

“That’s a lot of people,” I observed.

“My whole family,” she explained. “My mom, my dad, my two brothers, my grandma, my grandpa, my aunt, my uncle, and my three cousins. We’re all going to the beach this summer.”

“Oh.”

“What about your family? Do you have brothers or sisters?”

“No. Just me and my dad.”

“What about your:

mom?”

The question I’d been dreading.

“She’s-“I stopped. Dr. Fisher’s words echoed in my head: *Real friends don’t leave just because something sad happened to you.*

“She died,” I said quietly. “A while ago.”

Sophie’s eyes went wide. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” It wasn’t okay, but I didn’t know what else to say.

“My goldfish died once,” Sophie offered. “I was really sad.”

I wanted to be mad that she was comparing my mama to a goldfish. But she was trying to be nice, trying to understand.

“Yeah,” I said. “It’s like that but bigger.”

“Do you miss her?”

“All the time.”

Sophie nodded seriously. Then she went back to her drawing, and I thought she was done talking about it.

But after a minute she said, “I’m still your friend. Even though something sad happened.”

The relief I felt was so big I almost cried.

“Thanks,” I managed.

“You’re welcome. Hey, want to play on the swings at recess?”

“Okay.”

Chapter 129

+25 Bonus

Recess was the best part of the day. Sophie and I went on the swings, then played a game where we were dinosaurs escaping

from a volcano.

I was a Triceratops (obviously) and she was a Pteranodon (which was technically not a dinosaur but I didn’t correct her because that would be rude).

We were in the middle of our escape when Mrs. Patterson walked over.

“Theo? Can I talk to you for a minute?”

My stomach dropped. Adults only pulled you aside for bad things.

“Am I in trouble?”

“No, sweetheart. You have a visitor. Someone who wants to apologize to you.”

A visitor?

Mrs. Patterson led me away from the playground to a quieter corner near the school fence. And there, standing by the gate, was Aunty Mia.

My whole body went cold.

“I’ll be right over there,” Mrs. Patterson said, pointing to a bench about twenty feet away. “You can wave if you need me, okay?”

I nodded, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Aunty Mia.

She looked different than I remembered. Thinner. Sadder. Her eyes had dark circles and her smile looked fake.

“Hi, Theo.” She knelt down so we were the same height, trying to seem nice and safe. But I remembered what Dad had said- Aunty Mia wasn’t living with us anymore because it wasn’t healthy.

“I know you don’t want to see me,” she continued, her voice shaky. “But I needed to tell you I’m sorry. For everything.”

I didn’t say anything. Dr. Fisher had told me I didn’t have to respond if I didn’t want to. That my feelings were valid even if adults didn’t like them.

“I never meant for your mama to go away,” Aunty Mia said. “I never wanted that to happen. And I’m so, so sorry that you’re hurting because of me.”

My stomach hurt. Looking at Aunty Mia made me remember the day Mama died. Made me remember thinking I wanted Aunty Mia instead and then Mama was gone forever.

“I don’t want to talk to you,” I said quietly, the way I’d practiced with Dr. Fisher.

Aunty Mia’s expression changed. The sad, apologetic look turned desperate, almost scary.

“Please, Theo. Just five minutes. I brought you something–your mama would have wanted you to have it.”

She pulled out a photo from her pocket. And when I saw it, my heart broke all over again.

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