Chapter 133: Chapter 133 Betrayed Heart
Julian’s POV
Consciousness hit me like lightning splitting through darkness. My blood burned with fury so intense it nearly consumed me whole.
I stared down at Seraphina’s sleeping form, hoping her peaceful face might soothe the savage beast clawing at my insides. Instead, the sight only fed my rage.
Every memory of her torment under Dorian’s hands blazed through my mind like wildfire. Each bruise he’d left on her skin, every cruel word he’d whispered, every moment she’d believed death was coming for her. The images carved themselves deeper into my soul with each heartbeat.
"Dorian," I breathed his name like a curse, tasting blood and ash on my tongue. "I’ll make you suffer for every second of pain you caused her."
I slipped from our bed without disturbing the sheets. Seraphina had endured hell itself and deserved this rest. But I couldn’t lie still while her tormentor walked free.
My hands trembled slightly as I dressed, pulling on clothes with mechanical precision. Dorian remained out there, a threat that needed ending. Today.
The sounds of laughter drew me from our room toward the main living area. I found my parents sprawled on the carpet with Theo and Elena, constructing an elaborate fortress from building blocks.
I ran my fingers through Theo’s hair, painting on my most convincing smile.
Then I crouched beside Elena, calling her name softly.
She glanced up, toy clutched against her chest. Her eyes sparkled with momentary joy, but I recognized the shadows lurking beneath. She missed Roxanne desperately, and part of her believed her mother had simply vanished.
"Come with me, sweetheart," I said gently. "We need to go somewhere together."
Theo’s head snapped up, worry creasing his young features. "Where?"
I forced my smile wider, brighter. "Elena seems sad today. I want to do something special to cheer her up."
Relief flooded through me when Theo simply nodded without jealousy or suspicion. I winked at him before lifting Elena into my arms.
But as we walked toward the door, Elena’s head resting trustingly on my shoulder, dread crashed over me like a tidal wave.
Seraphina would feel betrayed when she discovered what I’d done. She’d wake to find I’d taken Elena back to the woman who’d stolen her away. I understood this, accepted it. But Roxanne remained our only path to Dorian.
I’d rather face Seraphina’s anger than lose her to Dorian’s violence.
The pack hospital loomed before us, sterile and unwelcoming. My heart hammered against my ribs as we approached Roxanne’s room.
The door stood slightly ajar. I couldn’t stop what happened next.
"Mommy!"
Elena tore herself from my grip and burst through the doorway like a missile seeking its target.
I lingered in the threshold, watching their reunion with ice forming in my stomach.
Roxanne lifted her arms despite her obvious weakness. "Elena! My precious girl!" She crushed Elena against her chest, covering her face with theatrical kisses.
Elena’s laughter rang through the room, a sound I hadn’t heard from her in days.
"Mommy, I missed you so much! Where did you go? Are you hurt?"
Roxanne offered her most pitiful smile, stroking Elena’s hair with practiced tenderness. The picture of devoted motherhood, perfectly crafted and completely false.
Cold fury surged through my veins. This was wrong on every level. Seraphina deserved those embraces, that title. Seraphina, who’d given birth to Elena, who’d die protecting her. Seraphina, who loved her with every fiber of her being.
But Elena was too young to understand the difference between the mother who’d raised her and the mother who’d abandoned her. Too innocent to grasp how Roxanne had ripped her away from Seraphina’s arms.
"Elena," I said, my voice cutting through their reunion like steel. "Go wait outside. Your mother and I need to talk."
Shock painted Elena’s features. Her lips quivered dangerously. "No, Daddy! I don’t want to leave Mommy! I missed her too much!"
"You’ll see her again later," I said, stepping fully into the room. "But you need to go outside now."
Elena’s sobs filled the air as she clung tighter to Roxanne. Roxanne simply stroked her hair, shooting me a triumphant look that said she’d already won.
I ignored Roxanne completely. "Outside. Now."
Elena reluctantly pulled away, tears streaming down her cheeks. Once she’d gone, I slammed the door with enough force to rattle the frame.
Roxanne’s sweet facade crumbled instantly. The fake tears vanished, replaced by cold calculation.
"That was heartless, Julian," she snapped, struggling to sit upright. "Couldn’t you let us have one moment?"
I moved to the foot of her bed, crossing my arms. "Drop the act, Roxanne. You know exactly why I brought her."
"I genuinely missed her," Roxanne insisted, though her voice carried no real emotion. "I can’t survive without my daughter."
"Save your lies," I cut her off sharply. "You missed her so much you were willing to let Dorian attack us rather than reveal his location. Don’t insult my intelligence. If you truly missed her, you wouldn’t be using her as a bargaining chip."
I leaned closer, letting my rage show. "I brought her because you demanded it. You see Elena, you tell me where Dorian is hiding. That’s the only reason. This is the first and last time you’ll ever see her."
Her eyes narrowed to slits. She’d won this battle, but she understood the war was over.
"Fine," she hissed. "I’ll tell you everything."
I nodded once. "Holden will take your statement."
I didn’t wait for her response. I turned and walked out, leaving her alone in her sterile prison.
Elena was already falling apart. The moment she saw me, another tantrum exploded from her tiny frame.
"I want Mommy! I hate you! I hate you, Julian! Why did you take me away?"
I scooped her up immediately. She screamed and kicked with surprising strength, her fists pounding against my chest. I held her tight, ignoring the stares from passing hospital staff.
"Shh, sweetheart. We’re going home now," I murmured.
"No! I want my Mommy! Roxanne is my Mommy!" she wailed, her voice raw with anguish.
I held her tighter and headed home, guilt eating me alive. This would destroy Seraphina even more.
By the time I reached our front door, my shirt was soaked with Elena’s tears and exhaustion weighed on me like lead. I pushed the door open, prepared for more crying and the impossible task of explaining myself to Seraphina.
I didn’t have to wait.
Seraphina stood in the center of our living room, still as carved stone. She wasn’t crying or shouting. She was simply there, radiating an icy fury I’d never felt from her before.
She knew. She knew everything.
"Julian," she said. Her voice was flat, sharp, deadly calm.
Elena continued whimpering in my arms. When she spotted Seraphina, she squirmed away from me.
Seraphina’s expression softened instantly, her maternal instincts overriding her anger. She moved toward us, reaching out with gentle hands.
"Oh, sweetheart, come here. Come to Seraphina. What’s wrong?"
But Elena recoiled violently, scrambling behind my legs and glaring at Seraphina with surprising venom.
"No!" Elena screamed, her voice hoarse from crying. "I don’t like you! You’re mean! I only want my Mommy!"
The rejection hit Seraphina like a physical blow. Through our bond, I felt her heartbreak slam into me, so sharp and deep it stole my breath.
"Elena, that’s enough," I commanded, reaching for Seraphina desperately.
I needed to hold her, to explain that Elena was confused and hurting, that Seraphina was her real mother.
"Don’t touch me," Seraphina whispered, stepping back like I’d burned her.
Her eyes locked onto mine, blazing with betrayal.
"How could you?" she asked, her voice shaking with barely controlled rage. "How could you take her back to that woman? To Roxanne? After everything she did to us, everything she put us through?"
Elena continued crying softly behind me.
"And you didn’t even tell me," Seraphina continued, disbelief written across every line of her face. "She’s my daughter. Our daughter. And you took her to see her kidnapper without saying a word?"
"Seraphina, please listen," I pleaded, trying to move closer. "I had no choice! It was the only way to get Dorian’s location from her. It was for our protection, Seraphina! I did it for all of us!"
She raised her hand, stopping me cold. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she fought for control.
"I don’t want your explanations," she choked out. "I don’t want to hear your justifications, Julian. Not now."
She looked at Elena one final time, devastation written in every line of her face, then turned and walked away.
She didn’t storm toward our bedroom. She didn’t hesitate. The front door opened and slammed shut with finality.
Seraphina was gone, and I stood there holding her sobbing daughter, completely alone with the weight of my choices crushing me.
