Chapter 3

3.

I drove to The Grand Bistro.

As soon as I stepped inside, I saw them. Silas was holding Leo's hand, and he had his arm draped protectively around Seraphina.

They looked like the perfect, happy family. It was the kind of scene that would make anyone envious.

But for me, it was a knife in the eye.

During our years together, Seraphina was often away for work, but I thought our bond was unbreakable.

I believed every lie she ever told me.

When she said she was busy, I trusted her.

When she took frequent trips to London, claiming she had international brand deals, I believed her.

Now I realized the truth. She was hiding in another country to give birth to Leo!

And I was back home, playing the part of the supportive, idiot husband.

I clutched my chest, the pain so intense I could barely breathe.

I managed to steady my hands enough to snap a photo of the three of them. Then, I sent it to her.

Twenty minutes later, my phone rang. It was Seraphina.

"Caleb, listen to me. Please, just calm down. That was just a scene for a movie!"

Her voice was trembling. She sounded panicked.

If I hadn't met Leo today, I might have fallen for it again.

She was a brilliant actress, after all. She had spent seven years making me believe she truly loved me.

"Seraphina, I saw everything."

My voice was hoarse, barely a whisper.

"It really is just a movie! We're filming a scene about a family dinner today. I swear!"

It was pathetic. Even now, with the evidence in front of her, she was lying.

"Leo showed me the photos, Seraphina. The private ones. From your home in London."

"He told me you're his mother. He told me Silas Crawford is his father."

My voice cracked as the tears started to burn.

"Seraphina, I want a divorce."

The moment I said it, a cold realization washed over me. We didn't have a marriage license.

Back then, she told me that as a rising star, she needed to remain officially single. She said her agency would drop her if they found out.

I had believed her.

Now I knew why we never went to the courthouse.

She was already legally married to Silas Crawford.

I wasn't the husband. I was the mistress. I was the guy she kept on the side.

I didn't even have the legal right to ask for a divorce.

"I forgot," I choked out, my throat tight with grief. "We aren't even legally married."

"I don't even have the right to leave you, do I?"

Being betrayed by the person you love most is a fate worse than death.