Left For Another Man

"I'm in love with another man."

That was my congratulations for bringing our child into the world.

I shifted on the mattress, wincing as a sharp ache shot through my lower half. My arms were heavy, trembling from exhaustion, but I didn’t dare loosen my grip on the tiny, warm bundle resting against my chest.

She let out a soft, mewling sound, her little nose scrunching as she slept. I brushed a thumb over her cheek, a tired smile pulling at my lips.

Julian had walked in five minutes ago looking immaculate. Not a hair out of place, his designer coat brushed free of lint, a stark contrast to my sweat-dampened hospital gown and bird nest hair.

He didn’t walk toward the bed. He stopped near the foot of it, keeping a deliberate distance between us.

“You’re finally here,” I breathed, the relief heavy in my voice. “The doctor said we can go home tomorrow. She’s perfect, come look at her.”

He didn’t move. His hands were stuffed deep into his pants pockets. “I’m not going home with you, Zosha.”

The words didn't register at first. My brain, clouded by twenty hours of labor, struggled to process them. “What do you mean? Did you forget the car seat?”

“I’m leaving you.”

The room went completely still. Even the hum of the air conditioning system seemed to vanish.

“What?” My voice cracked. I pulled Briar a little closer to my chest. “Julian, stop. I’m exhausted. This isn’t a funny joke.”

“I’m not joking.” His voice was eerily calm, devoid of the joy of a new father. “I can’t do this anymore. The marriage. The pretense. I don't want to be a father. I don't want to be a husband. Honestly... I don't want to be a man anymore.”

I stared at him, my pulse fluttering like a caged bird against my ribs. “What are you saying?”

“I’m transitioning,” He lifted his chin, his expression hardening. “My name is Juliet now. And I’m moving on to live my life. The one I was supposed to live in, before you tied me down with marriage and your fat body.”

This was my husband of three years. He was the one that proposed to me six months after he met me working at a mart.

A cold numbness started at my fingertips and rushed straight to my chest. It was a lot to process. Too much to process. But before I could even force a word out of my dry throat, the hospital door pushed open a little wider.

Someone stepped out from the hallway, moving to stand right beside Julian.

My throat became tight.

My younger brother wouldn't look at me. He kept his eyes locked on the floor, shifting his weight awkwardly.

“Elian?” I whispered. “What are you doing here? Tell him to stop. Tell him he’s making a mistake.”

Julian pulled a hand out of his pocket and reached out. Elian hesitated for a split second before sliding his hand into his. They laced their fingers together right in front of me.

“Elian is my partner now,” Julian– no–Juliet—said, a hint of defiance in the tone.

This wasn't happening. After trying for a child for three years and we finally got our miracle, this was the last thing I was expecting.

“No.” I shook my head, my voice rising. “No, no, no. Elian, look at me! Look at me!”

My brother flinched, finally dragging his gaze up to meet mine. He had the nerve to look defensive. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be, Zosha. We didn't plan for this to happen. It just did.”

“Didn't plan for it?” A raw, ugly sound tore out of my throat. “I dropped out of high school for you! I scrubbed floors and worked double shifts for four years to pay your college tuition. I sacrificed my own education so you could graduate and get a good job. And you repay me by sleeping with my husband?”

“Don't guilt-trip him,” Julian snapped, stepping slightly in front of Elian as if to shield him. “Your sacrifices were your choice. Neither of us asked for it..."

"Why him?" The word came out before I could stop it. "Of all the people in the world Julian, why did you have to cheat on me with my brother?"

"I already warned you didn't I? I told you how much fat people disgust me and you still did nothing about it. Week after week, I watched you blow up like a balloon..."

"But... but we made love..."

"You call those love making? I had to get tipsy for each of those times. Do you know what it's like being sandwich between the thighs of a fat pig like you?"

"Babe that's enough," Elian called out, rubbing his back while I stared with wide eyes.

"Let me talk," my husband swatted his hand away. "With you I never knew what real pleasure felt like until I met him. For the first time in three years, I got hard without having to beat my meat to corn."

Tears rolled down my cheek as I remembered everything. The late nights I spent brainstorming sales pitch ideas, the nights I cooked and waited till his was home, the day I sold one of the diamond necklaces I got as my inheritance. I had done everything possible for this man.

Before I could say another word, the nurse walked in, ready to cut the umbilical cord.

"We’re done here, Zosha. The joint accounts have been closed. The apartment lease is up next week. Don't contact us.”

“You’re abandoning your daughter!” I yelled, not caring who heard me. Briar stirred, letting out a sharp cry at the sudden noise, and I immediately ducked my head to hush her, my hands shaking so much.

“She’s yours,” he said coldly. “Goodbye, Zosha.”

Without another backward glance, they turned and walked out. He didn't even wait to cut the cord.

"So, who's going to do the honours?" The nurse asked but stopped when she saw I had broken into an uncontrolled sob.

I snapped, pulling at my IV lines, reopening my stitches in the process of trying to get my husband. It was a mistake, I told myself. it had to be.

They eventually had to sedate me and patch me up for the second time.

An hour after I woke up, a nurse walked in holding a clipboard, offering a polite smile. “Ms. Zosha? Your husband left before settling the remaining hospital fees. We need to clear the balance before discharge tomorrow.”

She handed me the slip. I stared at the bolded number at the bottom of the page then grabbed my phone from the bedside table and opened my banking app. The balance couldn't even afford my meal for the next day. Julian had taken everything. He had completely wiped the accounts before walking through that door.

“I…” I swallowed hard, my throat feeling like sandpaper. “Can I pay in cash?”

“Of course.”

When she left, reality slapped me in the face. By tomorrow, I would have barely enough left over to buy diapers and formula.

I had no degree. Because I dropped out of high school to pay Elian’s tuition, I had no qualifications. No corporate office was going to hire a high-school dropout with a newborn baby. I couldn't do retail; daycare would cost more than what I’d make at a register.

I needed money and I needed it fast.

Five Years Later

"Zosha! Can you grab the door? I'm getting Briar into the bath!"

"Got it!" I yelled back to Cleo.

I wiped my wet hands on my dish towel. My best friend and roommate was a godsend, helping me raise Briar in this tiny, cramped two-bedroom apartment. We barely made rent every month, but we made it work.

I unlocked and pulled the front door open, expecting the landlord.

My blood instantly ran cold.

Standing in the dingy hallway of my apartment building were Julian and Elian.

Julian looked exactly the same as he did five years ago. He never actually went through with transitioning—the doctors had warned him his body couldn't handle the hormones. But he and Elian stayed together.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I demanded, moving to slam the door in their faces.

He shoved his shoe into the doorframe, stopping it and held out an envelope.

"You've been served," he said, his voice as smug and cold as the day he abandoned me.

I stared at the envelope, refusing to take it. "Served for what?"

"Full custody of Briar," Elian spoke up quietly from behind him, not quite meeting my eyes. "Julian and I are getting married next month. We want to give her a proper family."

"Are you insane?" I hissed, my hands shaking with rage. "You walked out on her five years ago! You told me you didn't want to be a father!"

"Things change," Julian replied, shoving the envelope against my chest. "And you have no leg to stand on, Zosha. The Pack Council already reviewed my petition this morning. They agree that an un-bonded, poor female living in a dangerous neighborhood is unfit to raise a pup."

"You bastard," I whispered, the hypocrisy burning my throat.

A cruel, victorious smirk appeared on his face. "The Council granted you a standard thirty-day grace period. You have exactly thirty days to legally bind yourself to a high-ranking Alpha with the wealth and territory to match mine. If you don't? Briar is ours."

He pulled his foot out of the doorframe, adjusting his cuffs. "Start packing her things, Zosha. No Alpha in this city is going to risk crossing my business empire for a used, plus-sized high-school dropout."

They turned, leaving me paralyzed by the door.

I tore open the envelope. The official Pack Council seal stared back at me. It was real. They were going to take my little girl.

I needed a lawyer. The best lawyer in the city. But the retainer f*e alone would be at least fifteen thousand dollars—money I absolutely did not have. And even if I got a lawyer, I still needed an Alpha's name on a marriage certificate to satisfy the Council.

I closed the door, my breathing turning shallow and ragged.

I walked into my bedroom, past the closet with my worn out clothes and reached under the bed, pulling out a locked box. Inside lay a pink corset, sheer stockings, and a rhinestone mask.

I didn't want to go in tonight. But to save my daughter, Zosha had to disappear for a few hours.

I needed to become Lilith.