Chapter 7 Chapter 0007
•CASSANDRA•
“Divorce papers?” My voice came out thin and shaky. “After everything we’ve been through… Mason, you’re divorcing me now?”
“You and I have outgrown each other, Cass. You know that.” His tone was calm, too calm for what he was doing. He set a pen beside the papers on the table. “The divorce will be for the best.”
My stomach twisted. We didn’t start with love. That was true. But we were mates. We knew the moment our eyes met.
The pull between us had been strong enough to change everything in my life.
He stood in front of the pack and declared me as his Luna with confidence in his voice and pride in his posture.
I thought it meant he wanted me. That we could build a real life together. That the marriage would someday feel less like a duty and be something more.
But even after having his son, even after all our years together, Mason never once told me he loved me. The pack didn’t even know we were mates. I never understood why.
They all thought we were an arranged married couple who chose each other.
“Fine,” I answered, pushing myself up, though my legs trembled. “If you want a divorce, then I’m taking Rowan with me.”
“Over my dead body.” He didn’t hesitate. “Rowan is my son. He’s staying. I’m not letting his image or reputation be damaged because of your secret dealings.”
I blinked at him. “My secret dealings? What are you talking about?”
“Don’t act dumb with me, Sandra.” His voice was sharp and cutting. “This marriage ends today. And Rowan stays with me.”
“He’s my son too,” I retorted, feeling my throat tighten. “You can’t take him from me. He still needs me.”
Mason didn’t argue, and he didn’t even look back. He turned, opened the door, and walked out as if I were nothing but a task he’d finally finished.
When his footsteps faded down the hall, the backyard porch became silent.
I sat on the couch and let out a long, shaking breath. It felt like a weight had been dropped on my chest, heavy enough to make it hard to breathe.
My hands trembled as I pressed them against my face, trying to stay quiet even though my heart was pounding.
I don’t know how long I stayed like that.
Eventually, I wiped my eyes and took the divorce papers onto my lap.
My hands shook as I held the paper that reduced all the love I had poured into Mason into nothing. Everything we had shared suddenly meant nothing.
He wanted someone else, and though I didn't want to admit I was hurting, I was.
The signature line stared up at me. Empty and waiting.
“I guess this is it,” I whispered.
I pressed the pen to the paper. My name came out uneven, the lines wobbly because my fingers wouldn’t stop trembling. When it was done, when the ink settled, it felt like something snapped inside me.
I needed to see Rowan. I needed at least one small piece of comfort before I packed my things.
I walked back to the house with the papers in the envelope and went to his room. My hand reached for the doorknob, but then I froze.
Voices came from the other side. Soft, but clear enough.
It was Nadia’s voice and Rowan’s. My stomach tightened.
“Are you going to leave with your mother when she leaves?” Nadia asked quietly.
There was a slight pause, and then Rowan answered. “No. I don’t want to go with her.”
The words hit me so hard I felt as if I were dying.
“Are you sure?” Nadia asked.
“Yes.” Rowan didn’t even hesitate. “I don’t want to leave the pack. And… I don’t want to leave you.”
My eyes stung instantly. My throat burned.
“I love you, Nadia,” Rowan continued, voice soft but so sure it hurt. “I wish you were my mother.”
A sharp ache spread across my chest. It felt like my heart was being squeezed.
I covered my mouth to stop myself from making a sound. Tears gathered fast, spilling down before I could hold them back.
My son… my little boy... He didn’t want me. He wanted her.
I stepped back from the door before my knees could give out. I couldn’t listen to another word.
I turned away and walked down the hall blindly, each step unsteady, as if my body couldn’t hold up under everything I had just heard.
I reached the main bedroom—the one Mason used to share with me. The same room he had slept in last night with Nadia.
I stopped in the doorway. The scent lingering in the room made my stomach turn. I swallowed hard, trying not to break again, but the pain was too heavy and too real.
I walked to the bed and sat, then slowly slid down until I was on the floor beside it.
I pressed my hands to my face as sobs shook through my entire body. Hot tears ran down my cheeks and dropped onto my top. I tried to breathe, but every breath felt sharp.
I stayed there for a long time, crying quietly, hurting in a way I didn’t know was possible.
Eventually, I forced myself up. I wiped my face with the back of my hand, though the tears kept coming in small waves. I opened the closet and pulled out my suitcase.
If they wanted me gone, then I would go.
I packed slowly. I folded clothes with trembling hands as I placed my perfume, my brush, my shoes, and all my outfits in the separate sections.
When the suitcase was full, I pulled the zipper closed. The soft sound of the zipper sliding along the fabric felt final.
I picked up the handle and turned to leave. But before I could take a single step, the door creaked open.