Seraphine laughed softly, brushing his hair. “Sweetheart, Vivienne isn’t really your mommy. You know that, right? It’s me. I told you to keep it a secret so she wouldn’t get hurt… or me. Do you understand? You wouldn’t want to separate me and Daddy, would you?”
My breath hitched.
Adrian’s voice followed. “We told you, son, it’s just what people believe. You did a great job pretending, remember? You’ll have to keep doing it until we say otherwise.”
Elias giggled. “I know, Daddy. You said to be nice so Mommy Vivienne wouldn’t cry.”
My hand clenched the doorframe. The world seemed to tilt beneath me.
Seraphine leaned closer to him. “Good boy. You’re smart. Once you’re better, we’ll live together—just the three of us, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy,” Elias said happily, his little voice bright. “I love you more than her anyway.”
They laughed together—Adrian, Seraphine, and the boy I had believed was mine.
Something inside me twisted painfully. My heart sank. He loved her more. More than me.
I edged the door open just enough to see them fully. Elias sat on the bed, smiling at Seraphine as she gently wiped his face with a towel.