The Other Family

The sun was already high, golden light pouring through the windows, but to Leona, it still felt like night, like the darkness hadn’t left, not from the sky, not from her heart, everything still felt cold and heavy, like the weight of the day before had followed her into the morning.

She hadn’t slept, not even for a second, her body was tired, her eyes burned from crying, but her chest burned more.

She stood in the living room, arms crossed over her chest, her bare feet freezing against the tile, her eyes staring at the cold tea on the table, the cup she didn’t touch last night, the one her mother-in-law drank from.

Her heart beat louder the longer she stood there, like it was warning her, like it knew something was about to happen, and then it did.

The front door opened.

She didn’t move, didn’t breathe, the sound of the door swinging shut echoed through the house like a slap

Then she heard footsteps, and voices. Then she saw them

Dorian stepped into the house like it belonged to him, like nothing had happened, like he hadn’t broken her heart into a thousand sharp little pieces just hours ago, but it wasn’t just him.

He wasn’t alone. Beside him stood a tall woman. Selene. Her skin flawless, her hair done, her heels clicking softly on the floor like she belonged there, and her face, Leona would never forget that face, not after seeing it pressed against her husband’s in his office.

Her smile curled like a snake, smug and soft, like she had already won something, like this wasn’t new to her, like she had stood in this living room before, even if it was only in her mind.

But that wasn’t what made Leona’s stomach twist.

No, it was the little boy standing between them.

He couldn’t have been older than seven.

His tiny hand held tightly onto Selene’s, his small eyes looking around the house with curiosity, not fear, just wonder, like he had never been there before but had heard about it, and now he was here, finally seeing it for himself.

Dorian reached down and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, soft and gentle, the way he never was with her.

“Go upstairs, buddy,” Dorian said, voice low and sweet, “We’ll join you soon."

The boy looked up at them, eyes big and innocent, he glanced at Leona, like he was trying to understand who she was, but she couldn’t even smile, she couldn’t move, she couldn’t breathe.

He nodded slowly and started walking up the stairs, one small step at a time, dragging his backpack behind him like it was too heavy for him to carry. And just like that, he was gone.

Leona’s eyes didn’t leave the stairs until the last sound of his feet disappeared and she turned back.

Her hands were shaking, her throat tight.

She had guessed this much, maybe even knew it deep down, if Dorian had been cheating on her for nine years, then of course there could be a child, it made sense, but knowing something in your head was different from seeing it, from watching that child walk into your home holding the hand of the woman who destroyed your life.

Dorian didn’t even look sorry. He didn’t look ashamed or nervous or even quiet. He looked calm and confident.

Selene leaned closer to him, her hand resting lightly on his arm like she owned him, her body brushing against his like they were used to being that close, her eyes were locked on Leona, that same smug smile still there, like she had won the game and now wanted to watch the loser fall.

“I won’t pretend anymore,” Dorian said, his voice steady, his chin high, “Selene is the woman I love."

Leona blinked, the words felt like sharp stones hitting her chest. But he didn’t stop there.

“She understands me,” he said, stepping forward, “She fits into my life, she makes me feel alive, something you never did.”

Leona’s breath caught in her throat

“Excuse me,” she said, her voice soft but cracking, like it was breaking under the weight of everything he just said

Dorian didn’t back down, in fact, he stepped even closer, his voice louder now, harsher, “You held me back, Leona, you were useful once, but now, now you don’t match my lifestyle anymore.”

Her body went cold, because he didn’t just say he didn’t love her, he said she was useful, like a tool, like something he picked up when it helped and threw away when it didn’t.

She had built everything with him, the brand, the company, the vision, she stayed when no one else believed in him, she gave him her inheritance, her time, her name, her life

And now he stood there, with his mistress and their child, acting like she was the one who never fit in.

Selene smiled wider, like she enjoyed every second of it. And that was it, that was the last straw, something snapped inside her.

Her body moved before her mind even caught up, her feet pushed forward, her arms reached out, and before she knew it, she was grabbing Selene by the hair.

“You snake!” Leona screamed, her voice raw, her hands tangled in that perfect hair, dragging Selene forward, smashing her head against the wall without thinking twice.

Selene screamed, clawing at Leona, trying to push her away, but Leona didn’t stop, not after everything.

Dorian rushed forward, yanking her back with force.

“Are you crazy,” he yelled, grabbing her arm, pulling her away like she was the one who didn’t belong here. And then he slapped her.

Smack!

His hand hit her cheek, loud and hard, her head turned to the side, her face burning, her ears ringing, but her chest burned more.

She stood there, frozen, not from fear, but from shock.

“You hit me,” she said, her voice low, broken, shaking, “after everything I did for you, after all the years I gave you, after all the nights I stayed up working, praying, hoping, building, you hit me.”

But he didn’t stop, he didn’t even look sorry.

“You were always loud,” he said, “always too much, always emotional, always talking, always trying to be more than you are, this,” he waved his hand around the house, “was never you, you were just pretending to be someone important”

Something inside her cracked, her hand lifted before she even knew it was happening and it landed across his face, hard and fast, the slap echoing through the living room.

He stumbled back a little, stunned. But she wasn’t done, her eyes landed on the lamp beside the couch, a sharp glass.

Her fingers wrapped around it like it belonged to her, and without thinking, without asking herself if this was too far, she swung it at his head.

It shattered against his skull, pieces flying everywhere, his body crashing into the couch, a deep groan leaving his throat as blood started to trickle down his forehead.

Selene screamed, her hands flying to her mouth, her heels backing up quickly against the floor.

Leona stood there, chest rising and falling fast, her hands shaking, her legs weak, her heart pounding so loud she could barely hear anything else.

She didn’t know what came next, she didn’t care, because for once, she didn’t feel small.

She didn’t feel silent, she felt alive.

And she wasn’t sorry. Not anymore.