Unmatched Wife: Not His To Claim Anymore novel Chapter 89

Chapter 89

Chapter 89

THEO

He gathered up our blanket and my toys, keeping one arm around me the whole time. Other families were staring at us— probably because I’d been shouting and crying–but I didn’t care.

Let them stare. They all had their mamas. They didn’t understand.

The walk back to the car felt really long. Dad kept his hand on my shoulder, like he was worried I’d run off again. I wouldn’t, though. There was no point in running. Mama wasn’t here. She was gone, and I needed to stop looking for her.

But that was easier to think than to actually do.

In the car, Dad didn’t start driving right away. He just sat there, his hands on the steering wheel, staring at nothing.

“I’m sorry,” he finally said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save her. I’m sorry I made choices that hurt both of you. I’m sorry you have to grow up without your mama.”

I didn’t answer. Didn’t know what to say.

Sorry didn’t bring Mama back. Sorry didn’t make the hurt go away. Sorry was just a word that grown–ups used when they’d done something bad and couldn’t fix it.

“Dr. Fisher is going to want to talk about this,” Dad continued. “About you thinking you saw Mama. About what that means and how we can help you process it.”

More therapy. More talking about feelings. More trying to make sense of something that would never make sense.

“Can we just go?” I asked quietly. “I don’t want to talk anymore. I’m tired.”

Dad started the car without another word.

On the drive back to our temporary apartment, I stared out the window and thought about the woman in the blue sweater. How much she’d sounded like Mama. How for just a few seconds, I’d really believed Mama had come back.

But she wasn’t Mama. Mama was dead and cremated and gone forever.

I would never hear her real laugh again. Never feel her real hugs. Never have her read me real bedtime stories or make me real special sandwiches or tell me she loved me in her real voice.

All I had were memories. And toys she’d bought me. And the crushing knowledge that I’d never see her again no matter how hard I wished or how much I looked.

At the apartment, Dad made dinner–grilled cheese and soup, my favorite. But I barely ate anything. The food tasted like nothing

“You should eat, buddy,” Dad said gently. “Dr. Fisher says it’s important to keep your strength up.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Just a little bit? A few bites?”

I took two bites of sandwich to make him happy, then pushed my plate away.

Dad didn’t push it. He just cleaned up quietly while I went to my room.

I lay on my bed with my wolf, staring at the ceiling, and tried not to think about the woman in the blue sweater. Tried not to think about how much I’d wanted her to be Mama. Tried not to think about how stupid I’d been to believe, even for a second,

that Mama could come back.

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Chapter 89

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Dad knocked on my door an hour later. “Theo? Can I come in?”

“Okay.”

He sat on the edge of my bed, his hand resting on my leg. “I called Dr. Fisher. She wants to see you tomorrow for an extra session. To talk about what happened at the park.”

Of course she did.

“And Theo,” Dad continued carefully, “I need you to understand something. I know you miss Mama. I know you wish she was still here. But you can’t keep looking for her in every woman you see. It’s not healthy, and it’s going to keep hurting you.”

“I wasn’t looking for her,” I protested. “I just heard her voice-”

“You heard a voice that sounded similar to hers. And your brain, because you miss her so much, filled in the rest. Made you believe it was really her.” Dad’s voice was gentle but firm. “But Theo, even if you heard someone who sounded exactly like Mama, it still wouldn’t be her. Because Mama is gone.”

The finality in his voice made my chest hurt.

“What if she’s not?” I whispered. “What if she’s alive somewhere and just doesn’t want to come back to us? What if we weren’t good enough and she left on purpose?”

“Oh, buddy.” Dad pulled me into a hug so tight it was hard to breathe. “No. No, that’s not what happened. Mama loved you more than anything in the world. She didn’t leave on purpose. She didn’t choose to go away. Her body just couldn’t fight anymore.”

“Because you made her help Aunty Mia,” I said, the accusation slipping out before I could stop it.

Dad went very still. “Yes. Because I made her help Aunty Mia. Because I chose wrong and it cost your mama her life.”

The admission hung in the air between us.

“I hate Aunty Mia,” I said quietly. “I know Dr. Fisher says it’s not her fault, but I hate her anyway. Every time I see her, I think about how Mama’s gone because of her.”

“That’s… that’s fair,” Dad said after a long moment. “And Theo, I need to tell you something. Aunty Mia isn’t going to be living with us anymore when we go back home. She’s going to find her own place.”

I sat up, surprised. “Really?”

“Really. It’s not fair to you to have her there when she reminds you of everything you’ve lost. And it’s not fair to her either–the pack is being very unkind to her, and she needs space to figure out her own life.”

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