The Day He Lost Me Forever

Isaac brought Serena and Leo into the house like they belonged there, like they were home. He smiled more in those days than I’d seen him smile in years. They laughed together, played games, and ate dinner like a picture-perfect family.

Meanwhile, I was fading. Slowly, piece by piece, I felt myself disappearing.

Serena didn’t make it any easier. She mocked me with her every move—taking over the kitchen I’d once ruled, sitting in my chair at the dinner table, even humming while she folded laundry. She made sure I saw her every time she whispered something to Isaac that made him laugh or kissed Leo’s forehead as if he were her own.

But tonight… tonight was the final straw.

I walked into the bedroom I used to share with Isaac, and there she was. Serena. Standing in front of the mirror, wearing my wedding dress.

The dress I’d worn when Isaac and I said our vows.

“What the hell are you doing?” I hissed, my voice low and shaking with rage.

Serena turned, a smug smile on her face. “Oh, this? I figured I’d use it for my wedding to Isaac. No point in buying a new one, right?”

My blood boiled. “Take it off.”

She shrugged, the smile never leaving her face. “Why? It’s not like you’ll need it anymore.”

I snapped.

Before I could stop myself, my hand connected with her cheek, and I grabbed the dress, yanking it off her. Serena stumbled back, gasping dramatically as tears spilled down her cheeks.

“You’re insane!” she screamed, clutching the torn fabric to her chest. “You’re beating me! Oh my Goddess, someone help!”

The door flew open, and there stood Isaac, with Leo by his side, holding a soccer ball.

Leo’s eyes widened at the sight of Serena crying, and he turned to me, his face contorted with rage. “You’re a bad witch!” he screamed, running toward me. “Die! Die!”

His tiny foot kicked at my legs, and I stumbled, nearly falling.

“Leo!” Isaac barked, but instead of pulling him back, he rushed to Serena, who was sobbing like I’d just tried to kill her.

Isaac gently cupped her face, his thumb brushing away her tears. “What happened?”

“She… she hit me,” Serena sobbed, clutching Isaac’s arm. “All because of a wedding dress. I didn’t mean to upset her, Isaac, I swear.”

Isaac’s gaze snapped to me, cold and hard. Without a word, he stepped toward me and slapped me so hard I saw stars.

“You’re pathetic,” he said, his voice dripping with disgust. He turned back to Serena, his tone softening. “Don’t worry, love. I’ll buy you a new dress. Something beautiful and dashing, just like you deserve.”

I stayed on the floor, trying to catch my breath as the sting of Isaac's slap still burned on my cheek. My ears rang, but I could hear Leo’s small voice, sharp and innocent, cutting through the silence like a blade.

“Dad, when will that witch go away from our house?”

Isaac’s answer came swiftly, cold and unfeeling. “Soon, son. Very soon.”

Tears blurred my vision, but through them, I saw Serena glance back over her shoulder. Her lips curled into a smug smile, her eyes glinting with triumph as if she had won some twisted game.

I touched my face, my fingers coming away sticky with blood from my nose. The pain in my body was nothing compared to the ache in my chest.

I was nothing to him now. Not a wife. Not a partner. Not even a person. Just a shadow in the home that used to be mine.

Sitting alone in the dark bedroom, I scrolled through my phone aimlessly, trying to push down the ache in my chest. But then, like a slap to my already bruised face, I saw it.

Serena’s social media post.

She stood in a stunning wedding dress, posing in a boutique, her face lit with pure joy. The caption hit like a dagger: “I’m so excited to finally marry my one true love and mate, the man who waited for me all these years.”

I couldn’t breathe.

As if that wasn’t enough, I noticed she’d tagged me in the comments. I hesitated but tapped to read her words: “You should’ve come to watch the fitting, Blaise. It would’ve been nice to have your support.”

Support? My hands shook as I stared at the screen. The pain from Isaac’s slap throbbed in my cheek, but this? This hurt so much worse.

The phone slipped from my hand onto the bed, and I sat there, hollow, tears spilling over silently. Then something snapped.

I grabbed my suitcase and threw it open, yanking clothes from the closet and drawers. My movements were frantic, the sound of hangers clattering and zippers buzzing filling the silence.

Then I saw it—the picture frame on the nightstand.

It was a photo of me, Isaac, and Evy from happier times. Evy was in the middle, smiling so big it lit up the whole image.

My heart cracked open all over again. I ripped the photo from the frame, my fingers trembling as I tore Isaac’s part off, leaving just Evy and me. I crumpled his face and tossed it into the trash bin.

Every photo of us I could find—our wedding picture, candid shots from pack events, even one from our first date—I shredded with scissors, the pieces falling like confetti around me. Even my wedding ring and all the gifts he gave to me.

By the time I finished, my chest was heaving. But it wasn’t enough.

I grabbed Evy’s favorite stuffed animal, the tiny blanket she always carried, and packed them carefully alongside my clothes. I threw in a few essentials—enough to last until I could figure out where I was going.

Finally, I zipped up the suitcase and wheeled it to the door.

I didn’t look back. Not at the house, not at the shattered pieces of my life.

At the airport, the flight attendant smiled as she checked my ticket. “Have a safe trip,” she said.

I gave her a weak nod, clutching Evy’s blanket in my hand like a lifeline. As I boarded the plane, I told myself one thing over and over again:

I was done. Done with Isaac. Done with the pack. Done with pretending I had anything left to fight for there.

It was time to leave. Time to start over. For me. For Evy. For the life we should’ve had.