Chapter 5

Tatum is sitting on Carmela’s bed in the dark, with Carmela on his legs, her head resting calmly on his chest, with one of his arms around her waist while the other slowly runs up and down her hair.

As his Luna and bearer of his mark, the mindlink gives Leila access to all of Tatum’s physical senses and what she sees in her vision cripples her heart, forcing the tears she has been holding back to run down the corner of her eyes.

Whatever hope she held out that she meant something to him instantly shatters and an unbearable pain rips through her.

A pained smile curves up Leila’s lips and she is about to cut the mindlink when Tatum’s voice barrages into her head.

‘What is it?’

The coldness of his voice hurt her even more than the image in her vision. It’s like this man feels absolutely nothing but irritation towards her since Carmela returned.

Before Leila can even form words in her head, Carmela notices the glow in Tatum’s eyes and guesses it’s Leila mindlinking him.

She jumps down from his legs, knowing Leila can hear and see her through Tatum’s senses.

“You should go to your wife Alpha, I didn’t mean to keep you from her,” She says in a pitiful tone, bowing her head. 

“Please forgive me Leila.…..I just find it hard to sleep alone, two years abandoned in a dark confined room has made me- has made me-” she starts to heave and sob, tears cascading down her pretty brown eyes and she clutches her top against her chest, amplifying her act.

Tatum is on his feet almost immediately, pulling her into his arms tightly.

“Shhh….you’re safe now my dear, no one will harm you ever again. I promise,” He says in a calm and soothing voice, running his fingers down her blonde hair.

Leila purses her lips and sobs silently, seeing the intimacy between her best friend and her husband. She feels pity for Carmela who sacrificed herself for her years ago but at the same time, the loss of the man she loves breaks her heart.

She has to make an impossible choice. A selfish one or a selfless one, to fight for him or to let her have him.

‘Prepare a room for her in the house tomorrow, She’ll be moving in with us.’ 

Tatum’s curt voice reminds her that the choice is not hers to make but his.

She sniffs and wipes her face with the back of her hands, a crippling ache stabbing at her heart and she cuts the mindlink.

There is only one choice she has to make, actually two. Get rid of the baby and get a divorce, this was never meant to be her life.

—

“Tatum…..please help me-” 

Leila heaves a sad sigh and opens her eyes, the empty space beside her on the bed reminds her that her husband spent the night in the arms of another woman. The sorrow and emptiness she feels in her heart is palpable and she purses her lips together, promising herself not to let the tears stinging her eyes fall.

She knows what she needs to do, she needs to put an end to her misery before she becomes too miserable, this pain of loss that she feels for what was never hers has to go, before it completely consumes her.

Tonight, she will make the first move and tell him that she wants a divorce before he tells her. She’s not sure that her poor heart can take it hearing those words from him, no matter how much she expects it, so she will take the initiative and save herself the pain by rejecting him first.

She opens the mindlink but quickly closes it, the intimate moment of Alpha Tatum and Carmela returning to her memory as vividly as she saw it last night, sending a pang of pain through her heart. 

The way his arms tenderly wrapped around Carmela, the softness of his voice, the affection in his eyes as he spoke to her, it hurt her Leila over again but she has to remind herself that she is the impostor in this love triangle.

She shudders and grabs her phone from the dresser, only to freeze and stare blankly at her wallpaper, her heart clenching with pain and she sniffs, throwing her head up to stop herself from crying, because no matter how much tears she sheds, the huge smile of the handsome man on her phone screen is something that she will never see again or rather, something he will never do for her sake again.

[Good morning, when you get some time, there’s something I want to talk about.] She texts him.

The door to the room suddenly opens and Alpha Tatum steps inside, making Leila’s heart pound at his sight, wondering when he got back.

Tatum glances at his phone and shoves it in his pocket, holding a mug of hot brewing coffee, showing off his ripped and naked upper body with his joggers hanging low on his waist, sexily displaying how his adonis V shape disappears into it and Leila looks away.

“You wanted to discuss something?” Tatum asks, walking over to the bed and handing her the mug of coffee, his eyes raking over her figure.