Unmatched Wife: Not His To Claim Anymore novel Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Chapter 76

MATTHEW

Dr. Grace Martinez’s office was nothing like Dr. Fisher’s child–friendly space. No toys, no soft colors, no comforting distractions. Just two chairs facing each other, a small table with a box of tissues, and windows that overlooked a gray courtyard where nothing grew.

The starkness felt appropriate.

“Tell me why you’re here,” Dr. Martinez said during our first session, her dark eyes sharp and assessing.

I’d given her the sanitized version. My wife had died during a medical procedure. My son was traumatized. Dr. Fisher had recommended I seek therapy to better support Theo’s healing.

Dr. Martinez had listened to this carefully constructed narrative, then set down her notepad and leaned forward.

“That’s a nice story,” she’d said. “Now tell me the truth.”

Something about her directness, her complete lack of sympathy or gentle bedside manner, had cracked my defenses.

So I’d told her. Everything.

About forcing Bianca into the ritual. About choosing Mia’s life over my wife’s autonomy. About using my Alpha authority to override Bianca’s medical judgment and her desperate pleas to stop.

About killing my wife to save my best friend.

Dr. Martinez hadn’t flinched. Hadn’t gasped or shown shock or offered empty comfort.

She’d just written something in her notebook and said, “We have a lot of work to do.”

That had been three weeks ago.

Now I sat in her office twice a week, each session leaving me more raw and exposed than the last.

“Let’s talk about control,” Dr. Martinez said during today’s session, settling into her chair with the calm of someone about to perform surgery without anesthesia. “You’ve mentioned several times that you ‘needed‘ to force Bianca into the ritual. Let’s examine that word. Needed.”

“Mia was dying,” I said automatically, the justification I’d been using for weeks. “Without the ritual, she would have—”

“Was she dying?” Dr. Martinez interrupted. “Or was she sick in a way that scared you?”

“Dr. Hartwick said- “I

“Dr. Hartwick, who is now dead under suspicious circumstances, who performed an illegal ritual, who had financial motivation to recommend extreme measures.” Dr. Martinez’s voice was clinical, detached. “What did other doctors say about Mia’s prognosis?”

I opened my mouth to answer and realized I didn’t know. I’d never sought a second opinion. Had taken Dr. Hartwick’s word as absolute truth because it aligned with what I wanted to believe.

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

“You didn’t ask.” It wasn’t a question. “You had a diagnosis that justified what you wanted to do–be with Mia, save Mia, choose Mia over your wife–and you didn’t question it. Why?”

“Because I trusted Dr. Hartwick–”

Chapter 78

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“Try again.” Dr. Martinez’s gaze was relentless. “Why didn’t you seek other opinions? Why didn’t you have Mia evaluated by multiple specialists before deciding your wife needed to sacrifice herself?”

The truth sat heavy in my chest, ugly and undeniable.

“Because I wanted it to be true,” I whispered. “I wanted Mia to be dying so I’d have a justification for what I was already doing. For choosing her over Bianca. For prioritizing the woman I actually wanted over the wife I was obligated to.”

“There it is.” Dr. Martinez made a note. “You used Mia’s illness as an excuse to act on desires you’d been suppressing for years.

Tell me about those desires.”

“I don’t-”

“You’ve been in love with Mia for how long?”

“Since before I married Bianca.” The admission came easier now, after weeks of Dr. Martinez systematically dismantling my defenses. “We dated in college. She was my first love, my—everything. But she left me for someone else, and I was devastated.”

“And then you met Bianca.”

“No. I married Bianca four years ago because my pack needed a Luna and she needed pack protection. It was a business arrangement that was supposed to become something real.”

“But it never did,” Dr. Martinez said. “Because you never got over Mia. You married Bianca while emotionally committed to someone else, then spent four years comparing your wife to a fantasy you’d been nursing for years. Is that accurate?”

“Yes.”

“Did you tell Bianca this? That she was second choice, that you married her out of obligation rather than love?”

“No. I tried to make it work. I tried to-”

“To what? Feel something you’d already decided you couldn’t feel?” Dr. Martinez’s voice went sharp. “Matthew, you entered a marriage you never intended to honor emotionally. You kept Bianca at arm’s length, refused to build genuine intimacy, maintained emotional distance because you were waiting for Mia to come back. And when Mia did come back, sick and vulnerable, you had the perfect justification to finally choose her openly.”

Each word hit like a physical blow because they were true. All of it was true.

“I didn’t mean to hurt Bianca,” I said weakly.

“Didn’t you?” Dr. Martinez tilted her head. “You used your Alpha authority to force her into a dangerous ritual despite her medical expertise telling you it could kill her. You prioritized another woman’s life over your wife’s autonomy and safety. You literally chose Mia’s survival over Bianca’s. How is that not intentional harm?”

“I thought she’d survive-”

“You hoped she’d survive. There’s a difference. Hope is passive, something you wish for without taking responsibility. You hoped Bianca would survive a procedure you forced her into, but you didn’t actually prioritize her survival. If you had, you would have listened when she said it was too dangerous. You would have found another solution. You would have protected your wife instead of sacrificing her.”

My hands were shaking. “I know that now. I know I failed her-

“Failed implies you tried and fell short. Matthew, you didn’t try. You made a deliberate choice to value Mia’s lite over Bianca’s, then convinced yourself it was necessary rather than a preference.” Dr. Martinez leaned forward. “And the real question is why. Why was Mia’s life worth more to you than your wife’s?”

“Because I loved her.” The words came out broken. “Because Mia was the one I actually wanted, and Bianca was just-

“Just what?”