16
KAI
Husband. That word was supposed to be mine. I let her slip into someone else's arms. I let her give someone else the title that she always wanted for me, and it feels like my chest is breaking with every syllable.
I didn't know how long I stood there. Long enough for the shock to settle into something colder. Something that felt like grief.
I had to go over. Had to say something. Had to know.
I walked. Each step heavier than the last.
Lucien saw me first. Those dark eyes lifted, met mine, and went… blank. Not hostile. Not curious. Just… nothing. The kind of nothing that said I see you, and you're not a threat.
I reached them. Forced a smile.
"Selena."
She turned. Her eyes widened, just for a second, and then settled. Calm. Composed.
"Kai."
Just my name. Nothing else. No warmth. No anger. Just… acknowledgment.
"You look…" I trailed off. What could I say? Beautiful felt cheap. Different felt obvious. Happy felt like a knife in my own chest.
"Thanks," she said simply. Her hand found Lucien's sleeve. A small gesture. A silent anchor.
I extended my hand to him. Didn't know why. Habit. Performance. Something.
"Kai Frost."
He looked at my hand. Then at my face. Then, briefly, at Selena, checking her reaction. She was pale. Just slightly. Just enough for him to notice.
He took my hand.
"Lucien Thorne."
The grip was firm. Not aggressive. Just… present. The kind of handshake that said I'm not threatened by you.
"I didn't know you were married," I said to her.
"We kept it quiet. Small ceremony. Just family."
Just family. Meaning not me. Meaning she hadn't wanted me there. Meaning she'd moved on so completely that I wasn't even a footnote.
"Well. Congratulations."
"Thank you."
Silence. Heavy. Uncomfortable.
Lucien's arm tightened around her waist. Just a fraction. Just enough for me to notice. He leaned down, speaking quietly to her like I wasn't even there.
"Love, your aunt is waving at us. The one with the red hair who's been staring for the last five minutes."
She laughed, that easy, unguarded laugh I'd never heard from her. "She's been waiting to interrogate you since she found out about you."
"Should I be scared?"
"Terrified. She'll ask about your job, your family, your intentions, and then decide if you're worthy."
"And if she decides I'm not?"
She rose on her toes and kissed his cheek. Casual. Familiar. Like she'd done it a thousand times. "Then I'll remind her that I'm the one who gets to decide. And I already did."
He grinned. "What about the dentist?"
She burst out laughing. "Oh my God, I forgot about the dentist. Aunt Carol is going to bring up her son's dental practice within the first thirty seconds. I'm calling it now."
"Thirty seconds? That's optimistic. I give her fifteen."
"You're on."
"What do I win if I'm right?"
She pretended to think. "I'll let you pick the movie tonight."
"Deal. But I'm picking something with subtitles."
"Lucien."
"You agreed to the terms."
They laughed together. A private joke. A whole world I wasn't part of.
I watched the exchange like a man watching a life I'd never have. They hadn't forgotten I was there. They just… didn't care.
Lucien glanced in my direction, not even really looking at me, and said, "Nice to meet you, Kai."
That was it. Polite. Dismissive. The kind of thing you say to a stranger you'll never see again.
He guided her away, his hand on the small of her back, her head tilted toward him, still laughing at something he'd whispered.
I stood alone in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by people, and felt more invisible than I'd ever felt in my life.
She'd moved on. Not just from me, from the idea of me. From the hope that I'd ever change. From the girl who waited by doors and guarded my secrets.
She was someone else now. Someone's wife. Someone's choice.
And I was just the man who took her for granted.