Our eyes met in shock and recognition.
Neither of us had expected to encounter each other here.
Careline, always the gracious hostess, introduced us,
Tlizabeth, this is my son, Len. Leo, this is Elizabeth, the talented girl I’ve inld you about.”
The air was thick with tension as Leo and I stared at each other, both taken aback by the unexpected meeting
I could see the hesitation in Leo’s mes
He seemed unsure of how to navigate this new revelation in front of his mother.
I took the mitiative, extending my hand to Leo in an attempt in play along as if we were meeting for the first time.
Leo, however, made a surprising declaration that left me speechless.
“Mother.” Leo said, has voire steady but intense, “Elizabeth is the Lana I once told you about. She’s my mate.
Caroline’s reaction was one of shock, followed by a burst of laughter.
“Oh my goodness! I had no ideal This is a surprise!”
She was visibly thrilled and quickly excused herself to the kitchen to prepare a special dinner for us.
I was left in a state of confusion, unable to understand why Lee had chosen to reveal the truth now.
We hadn’t had a proper wedding ceremony, and Leo had never mentioned much about his real mother before.
As Caroline busied herself in the kitchen, Leo sat beside me and leaned into whisper.
told my mother about our marriage three years ago, but she believed I was forced into it by my father’s authority,
She didn’t know the fall story, and I didn’t want her to be hurt.”
His plea was clear
He wanted me to maintain the pretense of being happily married, especially since Caroline seemed so happy now
I couldn’t bear to hurt her either, so agreed to go along with the charade.
Damer was a lively affair.
Caroline was overjoyed her eyes sparkling with happiness as she reminisced about our past.
“Tremember when you first came to me, Fazabeth,” she said, her voice choked with emotion.
“You were so vulnerable, so alone. Seeing you now, with Leo, it warms my heart
reso
As Caroline described my days of struggle with my family, Leo’s frown deepened. He hardly absorbed Caroline’s words.
He was clearly surprised that 1 had never mentioned my family to him
He had only seen the loving, supportive side of my parents and sister, not the truth of their cruelty,
Leo and I played our roles as a long couple, exchanging smiles and affectionate glances.
Caroline’s happiness was palpable as she watched us,
She recounted the pain of her past, her voice quivering with emotion as she spoke of her failed marriage and her son’s estrangement.
“I just want to take sure you’re happy, Elizabeth,” she tilil, her eyes wet with tears. “Lon your need to irrati
the world, Caroline looked at hoth of us and then towards Lon
“I always wanted you to be a better person. To be a person who is loving and giving unlike your father who is just a cold her anything for pe
She stopped when she mentioned him and then asked again?
“BTW how is Andrew doing?”
She canally mentioned Lee’s father’s name, as if he doesn’t matter knymité.
“He is contesting as an elder in werewolves council.” Leo replied while looking down.
Caroline sneered and said.
The was always so full of ambitions, back then when he gave me up in becce Alpha, and it amazes me that he ha’t asked you to sacrifice your Luna for a woman who can better help his campaign my
Leo and I were both silent.
The mood shafted slightly when Caroline noticed that I wasn’t wearing my wedding ring
“Where’s your ring, dear she asked her voice laced with concern
Thesitated, unsure how to explain.
Before I could respond, Leo reached into his pocket and produced the wedding ring I had sold.
He placed it back on my finger with a solen expression.
“Elizabeth must have forgotten to bring it back last night,” he said. “I made sure to get it back for her.”
The gesture was intimate and deeply meaningful.
Leo’s eyes held a gaze that almost made me believe in the reality of our supposed love.
As the evening came to an end, Caroline bids farewell with a warm kiss on the cherk
“I’m looking forward to the next time we can all be together,” she said, her voice filled with hope
In the car, the atmosphere was heavy with silence,
my concerns.
I finally broke it, voicing my
*Leo, you should have t
told Caroline the truth. It’s going to be difficult for her when she finds out we’re separating”
And with that I took off the ring to put it on the dashboard.
