My world crumbled after reading the text. At that moment, I realized over vows had become meaningless and my care and sacrifices meant nothing to him. He could easily break everything for a moment of pleasure with his childhood sweetheart.

Ryan was still sleeping when I got ready for my office. Today, I walked into the office with a sense of determination. My personal life was crumbling, but I refused to let it affect my work.

As I settled at my desk, my werewolf colleague, Rachel, approached me with an unexpected surprise l. "Jenna, remember what you told me a few days ago?"

I was confused while she continued, “That you were brought to this pack from Los Angeles. I told you I have connections there and guess what? I have found your real family. You are not an orphan, Jenna. You have a family in the Blue Moon Pack.”

“I know you didn't want to find your family but I kept looking for it. But, don’t you want to visit them once?” She added in an excited voice, “I have heard our company is opening a branch there. If you want I can recommend you working in that branch.”

I nodded without hesitation. "I'd be grateful for the opportunity."

Rachel was surprised with my quick response. It's because I was never interested in looking for my real family before. I was happy with my life with Ryan. Since they abandoned me in childhood, I no longer cared about them in my adulthood. But, at this moment I wanted to escape from the situation I was currently in no matter how.

Rachel looked up at me suspiciously as she asked, “Jenna, is everything okay? How did your Anniversary celebration go? You worked over time for three days just to get leave early last night. I thought you would come late in the morning but you came earlier than usual. Did you fight with your husband?”

Fight?

For a fight, two people needed to be present at the same time. But, Ryan was never available for me to even have an argument with him.

I forced a smile, saying," We are just fine. Don't worry about me."

Just then my phone buzzed, breaking the moment. It was my husband, Ryan.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked in a casual tone.

"Just work," I replied in a flat voice.

"Did you forget our anniversary dinner plans?" he asked, his voice tinged with guilt.

I bit my lips to hold myself back. Ryan had forgotten our last three anniversaries. His mentioning of our anniversary was a surprise to me.

"No, I didn't forget," I said flatly. "But I did see the photo of you and Emily on social media."

Ryan didn't say anything for a while. He then replied, as if coming up with a good excuse, "That was just a client dinner, Jenna. Don't misinterpret it into something else."

I sighed before speaking in a sarcastic voice, "I believe you, Ryan. The client teased you two as a couple and in the heat of a moment you two became too close to get clicked intimately with each other. But, it was only to impress the client. I know"

The line went silent. Having nothing to say, he hung up. That was how he was. He never bothered explaining himself or seeking forgiveness. He would just walk off the conversation, leaving me stressed the whole day thinking about it.

The same day, Ryan''s mother invited me to dinner. I was surprised with her sudden invitation. She never liked me because I was just an orphan. She always wanted to see Emily as her daughter-in-law because of her Alpha blood. But, it was a calculated move to ease tensions.

As soon as I reached there my gaze fell on Emily who was standing in the kitchen, laughing with Ryan’s mother. Ryan was also there, laughing along with them, looking like a family of three.

I stared at them from afar until Ryan noticed my presence. He walked up to me and said, "Hey, sorry about last night. I got you a gift."

He handed me a small box. There was a beautiful ring shining brightly inside. The pattern and the color of the ring reminded me of the necklace Emily was wearing in the picture she shared on social media. It had the same design. The ring was probably a set with the necklace. Ryan gifted the necklace to his sweetheart and chose to coax me with the ring that came along with it for free. I smiled ironically before saying in a hollow voice, "Thanks. It's as beautiful as Emily’s necklace.”

My words left Ryan in a daze. He immediately moved his eyes off me, trying to hide his deception.

The dinner was ready and the guests were waiting in the dining hall. I excused myself to help Ryan's mother. But, she stopped me, saying,"Oh, Jenna, let Emily serve. She's practically a family."

So, I was not?

Emily began putting dishes on the dining table. Without saying anything, Ryan stood up and began helping Emily. His friends winked at them, teasing them for being too caring to each other. One of his friends even dared to say, “ I wish I had a husband like Ryan who helps his partner in household chores.”

I smiled sarcastically at this before adding, “ Then you shouldn't wish your husband to be like Ryan because he never helped me in household chores.”

My words shut everyone’s mouth, making them realize he was my husband, not Emily's.

Sensing the awkward tension among the guests and me, Ryan's mother turned to me

She added with feigned innocence, "Oh, Jenna, I never introduced Emily to you, Have I? She's the daughter of the Pack's Alpha. She and Ryan have been close to each other since childhood. She is like his sister. You really shouldn’t worry about their closeness—it’s perfectly natural! In fact, there's no need to worry about Ryan when he goes out. Emily always takes care of him?"

Just then Emily pulled a seat next to Ryan while saying with a faint smile. "Yes, Jenna, you always doubt my closeness with Ryan. It makes me feel uncomfortable, you know? I’m just one of his friends like others. None of us wants to see Ryan into trouble."

Alan Walker, one of Ryan’s closest friends and the creator of office romance story between Ryan and Emily out of his imagination, jumped into the conversation. Adding to Emily's words he said,"Besides, we’re just working on a new project. It's exhausting. We have to work more than others. Emily even ended up in the hospital after working overtime for a week. And if those two ever had feelings for each other, they would’ve been together ages ago. You had no chance with Ryan considering your background. No need to worry, Jenna."

My eyes narrowed. What background? What did he mean by saying I had no chance with Ryan?

Ryan's friend just mocked me for being an orphan in front of everyone while Ryan remained silent on this, not uttering a single word to defend me.

“Yeah, I was just Ryan's mate, not his childhood friend. I guess it's not enough to get married to someone.” I mumbled while stealing a glance with Ryan.

Realizing he’d said too much, Alan instantly fell silent, exchanging uneasy glances with the others as the room went quiet.

Dinner at Ryan's mother's house was a carefully crafted illusion. Emily's effortless charm and Ryan's family's warmth toward her made me feel like an outsider.

As we began to eat, Ryan's mother placed a hand on Emily's shoulder. "Dear, you're too thin. Eat more."

Emily smiled. She said while glancing at Ryan,"Thanks, Auntie. I've been busy with work."

I forced a smile, feeling like a prop in their warm family scene. After dinner, Ryan's friends began discussing their new project. Alan's earlier slip-up hung in the air, but no one acknowledged it.

After dinner, Emily voluntarily began doing dishes. I didn't offer her help as I was refused by Ryan's mother earlier. However, Ryan's mother didn't want her favorite girl doing manual work. She instantly remarked, “Emily is such a sweet girl. Even after being an Alpha blood, she has no shame in doing dishes. She is not like those girls who eat and do nothing.”

Clearly her taunt was hinted at by me. I gazed at Ryan, hoping to say something to defend me. He was present there when his mother had stopped me from serving dinner. But, he forced a smile and then moved his eyes away to avoid me. I then pursed my lips and took my own stand by saying, “After being discarded by your family, teach many things to you. You don't mind doing things you haven't done before.”

Ryan's mother was sharp enough to understand the meaning behind my words. If I was an orphan, Emily was also discarded by her family. How could she be any better than me?

Maybe Ryan's friends and his mother didn't like me because I never took their shit and always paid them back. I didn't need Ryan's support and he never offered it either. I was all by myself. To ease the tension between me and his mother, Ryan stood up and said to his mother, “Emily is doing dishes alone. I’ll go and help her.”

Ryan then walked up to the kitchen and began doing dishes along with Emily. I watched them from afar. I was surprised with my own realization. They indeed looked like a perfect match who were made for each other. Maybe I was a third wheel in their lives who should have never come between them.

After dinner, we were preparing to leave. Ryan walked up to me and he said in a hesitant voice, “Jenna, it's too late at night. It will not look good if we let Emily go all alone. I think I should drop her home."

He added in a concerned voice,"It's getting late, and the roads can be tricky at night."

I narrowed my eyes before asking, "You're leaving me here alone?"

He held my hands and said politely, "Just for a little while, I promise. I'll be back soon. Wait for me."

I looked straight into his eyes and asked,"Why can't she find someone else to take her home? Why didn't your friends drop her before leaving for their homes? Why only you?"

Ryan's expression softened as he requested,"Please understand, Jenna. Emily's alone, and I want to make sure she's safe."

I mumbled in a low voice,"And what about my safety? What about us?"

He looked deeply into my eyes, saying, "You're my priority, Jenna. But this is just a favor for a friend.".

"A friend?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Don't be jealous, Jenna. I love you." He added, “Don't worry, I'll come back soon and pick you up.”

“ No need. I’ll hire a ride and leave. I’m tired and want to sleep.” I replied flatly.

He hesitated for a moment, maybe wanted to coax me with a few more words. But seeing Emily leaving alone, he left me without any words and went to drop Emily. I watched them sitting in Ryan's car from afar. They left.

I hired a cab and came home. I took a shower first and came to bed. My gaze fell on the ring Ryan gifted me. I stared at it for a while and realized it was loose on my finger. I was slightly thinner than Emily. This realization of the ring not being bought for me in the first place hit me harder. Wearing it on my finger would only hurt me more. I stared at the ring for a while, then took it out and threw it aside. I recalled what my colleague told me in the office. I took a long sigh of relief and began packing my clothes. Maybe looking for my biological family was a better escape plan for me.

After a few minutes, Ryan arrived. While walking inside the room, he complained, “I told you that I would go back to pick you up. But, you just don't listen to me.”

I didn't reply to him. I noticed his cheeks being painted. He noticed my gaze on his cheeks and instantly replied, “Actually, Ned asked me to help him draw paintings. I couldn't refuse him.”

He then put his phone on the side table of our bed and went to take a shower. Suddenly, his phone buzzed with a notification and the light flickered on his phone which showed his phone screen. I couldn't help picking up his phone and look into it. He had set his picture with Ned on the phone screen. They were painting each other's cheeks, looking like a duo of father and son.

Ryan came out of the washroom and his gaze fell on me, holding his phone in my hands. He rushed up to me and immediately snatched the phone from my hands. He laughed nervously while saying, “Ned forced me to put his picture on the phone’s screen. I’ll delete it.”

“No need of deleting it. You two are looking cute together,” I said flatly, ‘Like father and son’ remained inside me.

While snatching the phone from my hands he noticed that I wasn't wearing the ring he gave me earlier. He couldn't help asking, “Why did you take off the ring?”

“It didn't fit to my fingers. Maybe it was not made for me.” I replied flatly. He was startled and quickly protested with a forced smile, “Maybe you have lost weight. You should eat more.”

I couldn't help smirking on his deceitful answer. I immediately added in a pretentious voice, “Why don't you gift it to Emily? I think it will fit on her. Besides, this ring will match perfectly with her necklace.”