Unmatched Wife: Not His To Claim Anymore novel Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Chapter 68

MATTHEW

And I’d watched through the mirror as Theo had slowly begun to process it, to consider the possibility that maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t responsible for his mother’s death.

“So it’s not my fault?” he’d asked, his voice full of desperate hope.

“It’s not your fault,” Dr. Fisher had confirmed. “Your mama’s body was sick, and it couldn’t fight anymore. That’s very sad, and it’s okay to be sad about it. But it’s not your fault. You were just being a normal four–year–old boy having normal four–year–old feelings.”

“But I should have told her I loved her more,” Theo had insisted. “I should have been nicer. I should have-”

“Should have is a very heavy thing to carry,” Dr. Fisher had interrupted gently. “And it’s something adults struggle with too. But Theo, your mama knew you loved her. Every time you hugged her, every time you laughed at something she said, every time you asked her to read you a story or tuck you in or kiss a boo–boo better–those things told her you loved her much more loudly than words ever could.”

She’d pulled out a piece of paper and some crayons.

“Can you draw me a picture of a happy memory with your mama? Something you did together that made you smile?”

Theo had hesitated, then reached for a blue crayon.

And over the next thirty minutes, I’d watched him draw a surprisingly detailed picture of Bianca pushing him on a swing at the park, both of them smiling, the sun shining overhead.

“We went to the park sometimes,” Theo had explained as he drew. “When Mama wasn’t working. She pushed me really high on the swings, and I felt like I was flying.”

“That sounds like a beautiful memory.”

“It was.” His voice had gone soft. “Mama laughed a lot at the park. She looked happy.”

“Do you think she was happy because she was with you?”

“Maybe.” He’d added more details to the drawing–birds in the sky, flowers in the grass. “She said I made her happy. Even when I was being difficult.”

“Then she knew you loved her,” Dr. Fisher had said with gentle certainty. “Because spending time with you, playing with you, made her happy. That’s how she knew.”

The session had continued for another hour, with Dr. Fisher guiding Theo through memories of Bianca, helping him separate his grief from his guilt, teaching him that loving someone and being angry at them could exist at the same time.

By the end, Theo had been exhausted but lighter somehow. Like a weight he’d been carrying had been reduced, even if not entirely removed.

Dr. Fisher had given him homework–to draw one happy memory of his mama each day, to talk about his feelings instead of holding them in, to remember that it was okay to be sad and angry and confused all at once.

And then she’d brought him to the waiting room where I sat, my eyes red from crying, my heart in pieces from watching my son’s pain.

“Daddy!” Theo had run to me, throwing his arms around my neck. “Dr. Fisher says it’s not my fault that Mama went away. She says my words didn’t have magic powers to make people disappear.”

Chapter 68

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“That’s right, buddy.” I’d held him tight, breathing in his familiar scent of soap and little boy. “Dr. Fisher is absolutely right. None of this is your fault.”

“But Dr. Fisher says you need to tell me something. About why Mama really went away.” He’d pulled back to look at me, his eyes so trusting. “She says you know what happened, and I need to hear it from you so I can understand better.”

I’d looked at Dr. Fisher over Theo’s head, and she’d nodded encouragingly.

This was the homework she’d assigned me during our consultation. To tell Theo the truth—or at least, an age–appropriate

version of it.

“Can we talk about it tonight?” I’d asked Theo. “After dinner? Just you and me?”

“Okay.” He’d seemed satisfied with that, already distracted by the prospect of getting ice cream on the way home.

But now it was night, and Theo sat on his bed in our temporary apartment in BloodMoon City, looking at me with those trusting eyes, and I had no idea how to begin.

“Dr. Fisher says you’re going to tell me what really happened to Mama,” Theo prompted when I’d been silent too long.

Right. No more avoiding.

I sat beside him, pulling him onto my lap, and tried to figure out how to explain the inexplicable.

“Your mama was a healer,” I started. “She had special magic that could help sick people feel better.”

“I know. She was a doctor.”

“Right. And a few weeks ago, Aunty Mia got very sick. So sick that regular doctors couldn’t help her.”

Theo’s expression had gone wary. We hadn’t talked about Mia much since arriving in BloodMoon City, and I suspected he still

associated her with Bianca’s death.

“Your mama was the only one who could help Aunty Mia. But your mama was already very tired. She’d been working a lot, using her magic a lot, and her body needed rest.”

“But she helped Aunty Mia anyway?” Theo guessed.

“She tried to. Because Daddy-” My voice broke, and I had to take a breath before continuing. “Because Daddy made a very big mistake. I asked your mama to help Aunty Mia even though I knew she was too tired. Even though she told me she couldn’t do it

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