Chapter 7

Emma

Luke and the others stared at the cell phone resting on the table. Then Luke looked at me. A smug smile was present on his lips.

“How dare you,” he said. “You’re the one keeping the Alpha from seeing Jessica, and yet—”

“Am I?” I challenged. “I’m literally giving you the chance to call him right now and ask him yourself. But instead, you keep insisting I’m the villain here. So tell me, are you really defending Jessica, or just looking for another excuse to throw blame at me?”

The room went still. Luke's smirk disappeared, and he glanced away. Jessica said nothing. She didn’t even glance in my direction. The truth was, Jessica never needed to defend herself. It was always the rest of my family who did it for her

Even at times, they didn’t have to. Just like now.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Mom finally declared. She stepped in between Luke and me and fixed her eyes on me, as if I were the one who needed to be pacified. “Luke was just joking. Don’t take everything so seriously. Maybe a plate of food will help you cool off.”

I didn’t respond. What was the point? Of course. It was always a joke when it was about me.

My mother turned toward the kitchen, and a few minutes later, she returned with plates of food and placed one in front of me. “Here, eat this.”

If this happened on a normal day, I would be jumping up and down. This was the first time Mom did something for me. But the moment I stared at the food she served, my heart sank deeper into my chest.

Creamy pasta. Roasted vegetables with squid. That citrus dressing that no one loved except for her…

Every single dish on my plate was Jessica’s favorite.

A knot formed in my stomach. I swallowed hard and forced a tight smile on my face. This wasn’t just about food. It was about the obvious difference in how they loved Jessica as to how they treated me.

It was in the way they listened to her silence but dismissed my words. The way they shrugged her mistakes and scrutinized my every move.

Heck, no one even knew I was extremely allergic to squid. And yet, my mom offered me some food that had it and expected me to finish it like it was no big deal.

Does she really care about me? Does anyone in this family think about me?

Obviously, no one. 

After a while,  I noticed they were being quiet. I stole some glances at them and noticed they were all talking with their eyes. There was something that they were trying to communicate that somehow, involved me. 

I already had a bad feeling about it. Soon, my dad finally broke the silence and spoke up.

"Emma, considering you and Andrew have been married for three years and still don’t have a child..."

He was not even finished, but I already froze. I was deciding each second whether I should tell them about my pregnancy or not. But I decided to let them speak first before announcing the news.

"Andrew’s father and I have decided that Jessica should move in with you two. This is to ensure Andrew’s line will continue despite your… inadequacies."

“W-What did you say?” I asked with my jaw dropped on the floor. Dad’s forehead creased. 

 "Which thing about what I said did you not understand?” 

My father continued chewing his food like what he said was just a normal thing to say. I was dumbfounded by his indifference. 

He was literally suggesting my husband impregnate another woman inside our household. My adopted sister to be exact. And he was expecting me to just swallow everything like it wasn’t a big deal?

Heck! He wanted Jessica to be my husband’s mistress! 

“Are you suggesting that I share my husband with Jessica?!" I finally uttered. I looked at the rest of the family on the table. They were all silent like this was already decided and I had no say in this matter. 

“Dad! Are you out of your mind? Why do you think I would agree with this—” 

"Sit down! You have no right to criticize me inside my own house!” he demanded. He stared at me with scrunched brows and a deathly glare. Meanwhile, Luke was smirking while Mom was crossing her arms on her chest. “Jessica is practically a Beta’s daughter too. A part of the family even before you came. She was even Andrew’s first love and had been in a relationship with him for so long before you two got married. What’s the problem of she carries Andrew’s child?"

“What’s the problem? Are you seriously asking me what the fuck is the  problem with this?” I shouted. 

Before anything else could be said, a voice cut through the chaos.

“What’s going on here?”

Everyone turned around.

Andrew stood at the entrance, dressed in his usual calm authority. His eyes narrowed slightly as he approached us. His presence seemed to silence the room instantly.

My mother’s expression changed in a heartbeat. She put on a sweet smile and stood and gestured toward the chair beside her.

“Alpha, we were just talking,” she said smoothly. “Jessica hasn’t been feeling well lately, and since your house is near the infirmary and Emma doesn’t have anything else to do, we thought it might be best if Jessica stayed with the two of you for a while to recover.”

My throat burned with the thought. That wasn’t what they were talking about at all. Of course, no one here would dare say the truth. Not in front of Andrew. Not when they could keep up appearances.

I looked at my husband… hoping…praying…he would see through it. That maybe, just this once, he would side with me. That he would say no knowing about his past relationship with Jessica and how it would keep me uncomfortable. 

But he didn’t even pause.

“Of course, that’s fine with me,” he said simply as if it was the most reasonable thing in the world.

Jessica’s face lit up like fireworks. She practically jumped from her seat and said, “Thank you, Andrew.” 

I felt my chest tighten as if something inside me cracked. My hands trembled at my sides, and though I wanted to scream, I couldn’t speak.

I felt hollow. Helpless. 

First, there’s Ruby.

Now, there’s Jessica. 

Seriously, though. When would Andrew learn to prioritize me?

To prioritize us and our unborn child?