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.”

His eyes turned dark. It was obvious he didn't like my remark. He turned to me and said, “Is it necessary to be sarcastic everytime? Didn't my Mom clear it to you that Emily and I are just friends? You know I don't like your over possessive attitude. You always make me lose face in front of my friends.”

“Do I?” I narrowed my eyes, “You blame me for everything. Do you ever notice what your friends talk about me? Your friend was addressing you as Emily's husband. Was that right?”

“They always do this, shipping you with her and making me feel like a third wheel.”

He sighed defeatedly and said in a tone which looked like he was admitting defeat just to avoid the argument, “I’m sorry on behalf of my friends. But, they were only kidding. You shouldn't take them seriously. Don't be jealous of Emily. It will impact your child. You don't want him to born as a jealous kid, do you?”

He then pulled me in a casual hug, placed a soft kiss on my cheeks and went to bed, saying, “Don't overthink. Just sleep.”

I remained still in my place. His words ‘It will impact your child’ continued echoing in my mind. I just realized I hadn't told him about my miscarriage. He didn't notice it either. Was my four months baby bump too little that he didn't even notice it when it was suddenly gone?

I swallowed the rage I had been feeling since the last day and went to bed. I maintained a certain distance from Ryan and curled myself on the edge of the bed. Just then my phone beeped with a notification. Someone had mentioned me in a post. It was Emily who did this. She had posted a picture in which she and Ryan were kissing Ned on his cheeks from both the sides. All three of them had dyed their cheeks with colors and were looking cute together. It was the same picture that Ryan used as his phone’s wallpaper. At least he had the decency of cropping her out of the picture before applying it on his phone’s wallpaper.

There was also a caption on Emily’s post that read. [The guardian angel for me and my son. He loves Ned so much that he let him paint his whole face despite having an allergy to chemicals.]

I smiled ironically and typed a comment [Such a cute family]. I placed a heart emoji along with my comment and liked her post. The post was then immediately deleted.

A few days passed by. I was busy in my work while Ryan late night parties with clients and over time on their new project remained constant. He didn't have time for me but Emily continued posting their pictures of hanging out together. When I asked him about those pictures in which he seemed quite relaxed with his friends and Emily, chilling out together. He would reply it was just a small break between their long working hours.

Day by day, his arrival time got delayed. There were also a few days when he didn't come home the whole night. If I asked him about it, he would only make excuses of overwork. Slowly, I stopped asking questions.

One day I was picking his coat for laundry and I found a receipt in his pocket. A hotel bill, dated last night. Emily’s name was printed on it along with Ryan.

I had seen his friends coupling them together. I disliked Ryan for never stopping it and continuing to give his childhood sweetheart more importance than me. However, I had never caught him cheating on me. At least, he had maintained the decency of our marriage. However, seeing that receipt my world crumbled.

“Ryan, Can I talk to you?” I asked with trembling lips.