Unmatched Wife: Not His To Claim Anymore novel Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Chapter 58

BIANCA

Twenty minutes later, Rivera returned fully clothed–thank God–but still damp from his shower. He’d thrown on a simple t- shirt and jeans, but somehow even that casual outfit managed to look unfairly good on him.

He moved to the coffee maker, preparing a fresh pot with the ease of long practice. “How’s the homework going?”

“Almost done!” Louis announced proudly. “Mummy explained it in a way that actually makes sense, not like your boring real- world application stuff.”

“My boring real–world application stuff,” Rivera repeated with mock offense. “I’ll have you know that understanding how multiplication works in practical situations is extremely important for-”

“See?” Louis looked at me with exasperation. “This is what I’m talking about. He can’t just say ‘twelve apples.‘ He has to make it about grocery shopping efficiency or something.”

I couldn’t help laughing at the interplay between them, at the easy affection that underscored their bickering. This was what a family looked like. What it felt like. The casual intimacy of daily life, the comfortable rhythms of people who knew and loved

each other.

I’d never had this with Matthew. Even in our best moments, there had always been distance, formality, the sense that we were playing roles rather than actually living together.

A knock at the front door interrupted my thoughts. Rivera’s expression shifted immediately–not quite concern, but heightened

alertness.

“Stay here,” he said, already moving toward the door. “I’m not expecting anyone.”

I heard him speak to someone in low tones, heard the rustle of paper, then his footsteps returning.

He held a package, medium–sized, addressed to me.

“Delivery,” he said, handing it over. “From BloodMoon General Hospital.”

My hands shook slightly as I opened it, aware of both Rivera and Louis watching with curiosity.

Inside was an official–looking document folder and a letter on hospital letterhead. I scanned the contents, my eyes widening

with each line.

“What is it?” Rivera asked, moving closer.

“I’ve been approved.” My voice came out breathless with surprise and hope. “To take the board certification exam. The hospital reviewed my credentials, verified my medical license transfer, and I’m cleared to test in two weeks.”

The board certification exam was the final hurdle to practicing medicine in BloodMoon City. I’d submitted my application three weeks ago, hopeful but not optimistic. Medical licensing was notoriously bureaucratic, especially for doctors transferring from

other territories.

But here it was. Official approval. A real chance to rebuild my career, to practice medicine again, to be more than just a woman recovering from trauma and hiding from a past that thought she was dead.

“That’s amazing.” Rivera’s voice was warm with genuine pleasure. “Congratulations, Bianca. When you pass —

“If I pass,” I corrected automatically.

“When,” he repeated firmly, his eyes holding mine. “When you pass, we should celebrate properly. Dinner at Meridian, maybe. It’s the best restaurant in the city, and they have this dessert menu that Louis has been begging to try for months.”

“Can we, Mummy? Please?” Louis bounced in his seat with excitement. “Dad never takes me to fancy restaurants because he says I have the table manners of a raccoon, but if you’re there, he can’t say no because it would be rude to refuse on your celebration night!”

“Your table manners are improving,” I said diplomatically, though I’d witnessed Louis’s enthusiastic approach to spaghetti and could understand Rivera’s hesitation.

“See? Mummy thinks I’m ready for fancy dining.” Louis turned to his father with pleading eyes. “Please, Dad? When Dr. Bianca passes her exam? Please?”

Rivera looked at me, and something in his expression made my breath catch. “What do you think? Ready to risk fine dining with a five–year–old who once tried to eat soup with chopsticks just to see if it would work?”

“That sounds like a story I need to hear,” I said, smiling despite the nervous flutter in my stomach. Because this felt like more than just dinner. It felt like a promise, a future I wasn’t sure I was ready to imagine.

“Then it’s settled.” Rivera’s voice was soft but certain. “When you pass–and you will pass–we’ll celebrate. All three of us. As a family.”

The word hung in the air between us, weighted with implications neither of us was quite ready to examine.

Louis, oblivious to the undercurrents, cheered and immediately began planning what he’d wear to this hypothetical fancy

dinner.

But I caught Rivera’s gaze over Louis’s head, saw the question in his eyes, and felt my carefully constructed walls begin to crack.

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