Married To My Ex-Husband’s Rival

Third–Person Pov

The air in Elena’s office was quiet as she scribbled notes on a pad, her gaze fixed on her current patient, Kayden. His presence in her office had been unexpected, but not entirely surprising.

She already knew that whenever Kayden showed up unannounced, it could only mean something that weighed heavily on his mind, and he wanted to come and vent about it to her. It was also sometimes a case of wanting to taunt her with stories about how he had hurt her brother, just because he believed she would never act on whatever he said to her.

Kayden was seated across from Elena, his expression tense and a furrow marring his brow as he struggled to voice his concerns.

After a moment of silence, Elena cleared her throat, breaking the tension that hung in the air. “Kayden, you mentioned that someone has been scaring you. Can you tell me who it is?”

Kayden’s gaze drifted into the distance, a haunted look clouding his eyes as he spoke. “It’s Marlene; she’s the one that’s scaring me lately. But besides Marlene, there’s something else that’s scaring me. I’ve been having these terrible nightmares for days now, and I can’t shake off the fear that comes with them.”

Elena studied Kayden intently, her brow furrowed with concern. “Before we delve into why you’re scared of Marlene, can you tell me more about these nightmares you’ve been experiencing?”

A heavy silence settled in the room, punctuated only by the sound of Kayden shifting in his seat. Elena’s gentle prodding prompted him to speak, his voice tinged with unease. “I keep seeing my father in my nightmares. Every night, as soon as I close my eyes and drift off to sleep, he’s the first thing I

want to see. He was the scariest person I knew before Marlene came into my life, and I hate that he’s still haunting my dreams, even in his death.”

Elena’s expression softened, and there was a note of empathy in her voice as she spoke. “Do you think that perhaps your father’s recent/passing is contributing to these dreams?”

Kayden scoffed, adding a bitter edge to his tone as he responded. “Of course it is. That’s exactly why he’s appearing in my dreams. He’s probably pissed at me for various reasons.”

Elena leaned forward, her gaze unwavering as she broached the topic calmly. “Kayden, don’t you perhaps think that you might be grieving for your father? Your emotions may be manifesting in your dreams, and coupled with your resentment for him, your nightmares are just a reflection of how you really feel”

“What if you’re wrong. Elena? What if my reasons for seeing my father in my nightmares aren’t just because of the master–slave relationship I had with him at some point?” Kayden asked, staring at Elena with an intense look on his face.

Elena sighed. “If there’s really another reason why you think you keep seeing him in your nightmares, why don’t you share that reason with me, Kayden?” she encouraged, trying not to sound pushy and curious, even though she was.

Kayden’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his features. Before he could respond, a shadow of doubt crossed his face as he posed a question to Elena. “The problem now is that I don’t know how trustworthy you are. I mean, I’m aware that you’re a psychologist and all, but you’re still Richard’s sister,” he pointed out.

Elena rolled her eyes. “You knew I was Richard’s sister when you walked into my office for the first

time, Mr. Black. You came in here on purpose to taunt me using my brother, but when I didn’t react as

you expected, you made me your permanent doctor, despite the fact that I’m only available in the

country for two days and won’t be at your beck and call,” she said to him, maintaining a rather calm

expression on her face.

“If you suddenly have a problem with me being Richard’s sister, then you’re free to leave and find

yourself another doctor, Mr. Black. What do you say?” She suggested it calmly.

Kayden chuckled a little, the expression on his face dark and almost lifeless. “Are you sure you can keep a secret, Elena?” he questioned.

Elena met his gaze evenly, her voice firm as she assured him. “Remember, Kayden, that everything we

discuss in this office is confidential, which means that it stays between us. However, if you’re

going to keep making statements like this, then I suggest that we make this our final session. Your trust is paramount to our sessions, but if I don’t have your trust, then I shouldn’t be your

doctor.

Kayden would simply sigh before relaxing his back into where he was seated, and with a sigh, he’d

finally start talking, much to Elena’s amusement.

“I watched my father die, Elena. He died right in front of me, and I couldn’t stop it, nor did I want

to stop it,” he admitted.

His words caught Elena off guard momentarily, but she was quick to pull herself together. “Do you

mean that you watched him kill himself and you didn’t stop it?” she asked.

“It would have been so much better if he was actually the one who killed himself,” Kayden responded

with a dry chuckle. “Remember when I said Marlene scared me? Well, it all started with my father’s

death. That was when I realized that I was married to someone who was just like me but ten times worse

And that realization–seeing myself in her and knowing that I had no control over her–made me feel

scared of her,” he explained.

“What does your wife have to do with your father’s death and the nightmares you have about him,

Kayden? In what way are they connected?” Elena questioned.

Kayden would hesitate to respond at first, and Elena would choose to be patient until he was ready. She had a feeling that he was about to say something unexpected, and she figured that this would likely be the last time she’d need to talk to him.

“My father didn’t kill himself, Elena. It was Marlene who killed him, and she did it with a satisfied

smile on her face. I was happy she did what I couldn’t do out of fear, but when I saw how coldly she stared at my father’s body with blood splattered all over her face, that was when it hit me that I married a monster–a monster scarier than my father,” he responded, and Elena almost couldn’t believe

her ears. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Richard stared at his phone that hadn’t stopped ringing, contemplating whether or not to pick up the call from his elder sister, Elena. He had been thinking of getting in touch with her, but he was too busy dealing with Angela and wanting things to end once and for all, especially now that Amber was expecting their baby.

When he realized that she wasn’t going to stop calling anytime soon, he decided to pick up her call and hear her out.

“You really need to start picking up your damn calls, Richard!” Elena hissed, almost as soon as Richard picked.

“I thought we had a silent agreement not to call each other? Why do you keep calling, especially when

“You really need to start picking up your damn calls, Richard!” Elena hissed, almost as soon as Richard picked.

“I thought we had a silent agreement not to call each other? Why do you keep calling, especially when

you know that I won’t pick up your calls unless I actually have something to say to you?” Richard

retorted, and Elena simply scoffed.

“As much as I want to put you in your place, now is not the time, Richard. I called you because

there’s something you and your wife need to do, and you need to do it quickly,” she responded, the

urgency in her tone evident.

“What are you talking about, Elena? What is it you need me to do?” he asked.

“I need you to save someone’s life, and I know you’d be surprised when I tell you who, but it’s for a

good reason, I promise you,” Elena replied, and Richard could feel his patience wearing thin.

“Since when did you start to beat around the bush, Elena? If you have something to say, just get

straight to the point and don’t waste my time,” he hissed impatiently.

“Whose life do I need to save, and why?” he asked.

Elena replied. “You need to save Marlene, Amber’s sister, because Kayden wants to kill her, and he

will do it very soon.”

Comments for this chapter

Continue Reading