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THE EMPTY SEAT
publish date:
2026-08-05 18:12:17
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MARRIED TO THE MAFIA KING THE THING THE EMPTY SEAT DIDN'T FIX
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN: “I hated it.”Theo said it standing in the kitchen doorway the next morning, still in the clothes he had slept in, hair flattened on one side. No buildup. No warning.Dimitri turned from the coffee maker. Lyra looked up from the high chair where she was wiping bananas off Anna’s hands. June froze with a spoon halfway to her mouth.“Hated what?” Dimitri asked.“The empty seat.” Theo’s voice was rough. “I asked for it. I got it. I still hated it. And I hate that I hated it. And I hate that you’re looking at me like that sentence is supposed to make everything easier.”Lyra set the washcloth down. “No one is saying that.”“You don’t have to say it.” Theo stepped fully into the room. “It’s in the air. Like if I admit the game felt wrong without him, then I have to stop being mad and go back to normal. I’m not normal. I’m still mad. I’m just also… whatever this is.”June’s eyes moved between them, worried. Anna offered Theo a sticky piece of fruit like a peace treaty
MARRIED TO THE MAFIA KING THE EMPTY SEAT
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX:“He’s not looking for you.”June whispered it like a warning as she climbed into the stands beside Lyra. Down on the court Theo was already warming up, face set, eyes nowhere near the bleachers.Lyra adjusted the baby in the wrap and kept her voice low. “He asked your father to stay home. He’s allowed to mean it.”“I know. It just feels weird. Like the whole gym is missing a piece.” June glanced at the high left section where Dimitri had sat before. The space was empty on purpose. “Do you think he’s okay at home?”“He’s with Anna and Elena. He’s fine.”“He’s sad.”Lyra didn’t argue. “Yes. He’s sad. And he’s still at home because Theo asked.”The game started hard and fast. Theo played like someone with too much electricity under his skin — quick, aggressive, a little reckless. He missed an early shot and shook it off with a sharp movement of his head. He didn’t look up.Lyra felt every empty second of the seat behind her.At home, Dimitri stood in the kitchen with
MARRIED TO THE MAFIA KING THURSDAY NIGHT
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE:“I don’t want you there.”Theo said it the second the plates were cleared, before anyone could stand up from the table. June’s fork froze halfway to her mouth. Anna kept chewing. The baby kicked in the bouncer like she could feel the temperature drop.Dimitri set his glass down carefully. “Okay.”“That’s it?” Theo’s voice climbed fast. “Just okay?”“You told me to decide before we leave the house.” Dimitri kept his hands visible on the table. “You’re deciding. I said I’d respect it.”“You’re doing the calm thing again.” Theo shoved his chair back. “The version where you take the hit and look steady and everyone acts like you’re the reasonable one.”Lyra’s eyes flashed. “Theo—”“No.” He stood. “I’m allowed to say I don’t want him there. I’m also allowed to hate how quiet he gets when I say it. It makes me feel like the bad guy for needing space.”June’s voice came out small. “You’re not the bad guy.”“Feels like it,” Theo snapped.Dimitri stayed seated. “You’re not
MARRIED TO THE MAFIA KING SMALL MOVEMENTS
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR:Theo came down for breakfast on his own.He didn’t announce it. He just appeared, took a bowl, and sat in his usual chair like the last week of distance had been a temporary arrangement he was willing to revisit for cereal. June watched him with open relief. Anna offered him a sticky piece of banana. Dimitri stayed at the stove and didn’t make a speech about it.“Morning,” Lyra said, keeping her voice even.“Morning,” Theo answered.That was all. But he stayed at the table until the bowl was empty, and when Dimitri set a glass of juice near his hand he drank it without comment. Small movements. Easy to miss if you were looking for a breakthrough.After the older kids left for school, Lyra leaned against the counter and looked at Dimitri. “He sat.”“I saw.”“Don’t build a whole story on it.”“I’m trying not to.” Dimitri rinsed a plate, eyes on the water. “It still felt like air coming back into the room.”“It was a bowl of cereal,” she said, not unkindly. “Let it b
MARRIED TO THE MAFIA KING THE DAY AFTER THE BLEACHERS
CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE:Theo didn’t come down for breakfast.June reported it the same way she reported weather. “He’s awake. He’s just not coming.”Lyra set a plate aside without comment. Dimitri poured coffee he didn’t drink. Anna banged a spoon and said “Theo” twice like the name itself might summon him. The baby watched everything from the bouncer with solemn eyes.“Do I go up?” Dimitri asked.“No,” Lyra said. “Not unless he asks.”He nodded once and stayed where he was.The morning moved in small, careful pieces. Elena took June to school. Theo left ten minutes later with his backpack and a short, general goodbye that didn’t land on anyone in particular. When the door shut, the house felt wider than it should have.Dimitri stood at the front window until the car disappeared, then turned to Lyra. “He looked for me when he fell. Then he hated that he did. Then he came home and still couldn’t sit in the same kitchen with it.”“Yes,” Lyra said.“That’s a lot for a twelve-year-old to ho
MARRIED TO THE MAFIA KING THE BLEACHERS
CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO:“If you come, don’t sit where I can see you.”Theo said it in the car on the way to the gym, eyes fixed on the window, voice low enough that June almost missed it. Lyra’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. Dimitri, in the passenger seat, didn’t turn around.“I thought you said I could come,” Dimitri said.“I did.” Theo’s reflection in the glass looked older than twelve. “Then I spent all day wishing I hadn’t. So if you’re coming, stay out of my sightline. No waving. No standing up when I score. Just… be there without making me feel you.”June twisted in her seat. “That’s impossible.”“Then maybe he should’ve stayed home,” Theo muttered.Lyra’s voice cut through, sharp. “Enough. We are not doing another version of this fight in a moving car with your sisters listening.”“Why not?” Theo shot back. “It’s the only place anyone tells the truth.”Dimitri finally spoke, quiet and controlled. “I’ll sit high and left. You won’t have to look at me. If that still feels li
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