Bab 2: Ch 2: The Disaster of the dinner - Part 2
Anabella's disappointment at the dinner left an awkward mood.
Her empty seat was right in the middle, beside her husband, and was a place everyone had their eyes on.
Especially since everyone knew that it would not remain empty for long.
Everyone sitting at the table had noticed the looks Daniel had been sending Sharon, the only other non-family/ friend invited to the family dinner.
His relationship with Sharon was also not a secret. And even if it were, one look at Sharon's face and pheromones (that resembled Daniel's previous wife) would be enough to tell them what happened.
Moreover, unlike Anabella, Sharon was covered in his alpha pheromones, which told everyone just how possessive he was over Sharon.
So, it was only a matter of time before that empty seat got filled.
But what surprised everyone the most was the person who initiated this situation.
"Daniel, your guest looks uncomfortable sitting alone at the table. Why don't you ask her to sit with you? I am sure she would enjoy it much more than sitting alone."
Anabella's mother and Daniel's mother-in-law spoke up from where she sat. Her eyes looked at the empty seat with a ferocious glare to eat her alive.
Her husband sent her worried and questioning gazes, but the older omega only had eyes for her son-in-law.
"No way! How can I accept such a gesture? That seat belongs to Daniel's wife and partner. How can I occupy-"
"Don't be shy! As you can see, Daniel does not have a partner right now, so you can sit there. My daughter would understand all this. Besides, it's not like this marriage happened because they both liked each other."
That marked the end of any agreement that could have taken place.
Daniel did not say anything, but his son, James, looked at Sharon beggingly.
"Mother, please sit with us. I want to spend more time with you."
There was an awkward silence around the table when James addressed Sharon as 'mother.' Forced smiles appeared all around the table as people suppressed their expressions.
What else can they say to a child with his father's support behind him?
"W-Well, if you insist, then I will change my seats. I hope no one else has a problem with this."
Sharon spoke, but her smug smile said it all - no one else could say anything to her as long as Daniel was here.
No one else objected, but two disapproving eyes looked at this whole exchange. They belonged to Daniel's father and his father-in-law.
The two alphas had a lot to say, and as the people who decided (forced) Daniel's match with Anabella, they felt responsible for stopping this.
But their wives had already shown their approval, and James looked eager to have his mistress sit with him; how could they say anything?
They could only suppress their anger and disappointment while sitting down. They would talk about this later…or so they thought.
But it was too late by the time dinner ended, and people began to head back home.
...
Anabella had a general idea of when her husband and stepson would come home. It was almost time for her to get up, but she pretended to keep sleeping in the living room.
She was well aware of the eyes looking at her. Her husband and stepson looked at her, lying in the living room with disdain.
"Father, should we move her to her bedroom? The sofa must be uncomfortable for her to sleep in."
James asked in a kind voice.
He was a good kid, and Anabella liked him…when he was not being a dick or rude to her. Unfortunately, under the influence of his husband, these times were hard to come by.
James was young enough not to remember his mother but old enough to know the scent of her pheromones.
And that made him even more attached to Sharon.
Anabella knew all that beforehand and protested this marriage because of it. However, she was ultimately ruled against because of her mother's insistence and her brother's negligence.
'It is my fault for letting my family bully me into this marriage. I should have thought better than to expect my mother to have my good-will in her mind.'
Anabella sighed as she continued to pretend that she was asleep. Sooner or later, her husband would leave her alone.
He did not like to touch her after all.
"Leave her alone, James. You don't have to worry about 'that thing' freeloading on us. Let's head to our room now."
Daniel's voice sounded annoyed, and his gaze felt heavy. Anabelle pretended she did not feel any of it until she felt him leave.
She breathed a sigh of relief and eased her expression only after he was gone. She also opened her eyes to take a look around.
Thankfully, she was alone in the lobby.
"So, he did leave me all alone here. I expected this, but this does suck. I wish I had someone to listen to me."
Anabella wished she had more friends. But realistically, she knew that was not a feasible solution to her problem.
Even if Anabella had people she could talk to, her personality had melded into one in which she could not open her mouth when she was in front of people.
No matter how much she tried, words refused to leave Anabella's mouth when she was in front of a crowd of people.
She knew it was a condition she had been forced to adapt to. But knowing and doing something about it were different things.
"Well, I guess there is nothing I can do about it. At least my husband has the decency not to cheat in front of me. I should count my stars where I can."
It was not a good way of thinking, but it was the only one that kept Anabella going.
She closed her eyes for one final time and allowed sleep to consume her. Tomorrow would be a new day; hopefully, it would be better than the one that passed.
But Anabella should have known better than hope for the impossible.
The sun rose, and nothing changed. The reality was still as shitty as it had been for Anabella.
If anything, she felt even worse since her body felt the pain of sleeping in such an uncomfortable position the whole time.
But since she was awake now, Anabella found it impossible to fall asleep again.
She headed toward her side of the house. It was a segregated section made especially for her so that her pheromones would not mix with the rest of the house.
But the joke was on her husband.
Anabella has been taking pheromone suppressants for a long time now. She would not stink up this house even if she wanted to.
But her husband had never paid attention to Anabella, so he could not know it.
When she reached her room, Anabella smelled the soft scent of a young alpha. It immediately alerted her that James was in her room and he was going through her stuff.
It was rare for that kid to come to her for anything, so it surprised Anabella.
She hesitated, wondering whether she should head in or leave him alone. But her curiosity ultimately won over her senses, and she decided to push her door open and enter the room.
When the door opened, the young boy looked startled, but he managed to maintain his dignity and stand up straight.
"Excuse me, but do you want something from me? If not, then I would like to leave now. I need to head to school now."
As Anabella had said, James was cute and respectful for the most part. He was a little awkward, but that just added to his charm.
But even if Anabella liked it and wanted to be close to him, she did not know how to. All her efforts had been exhausted in the past year. Now, she could only look at the kid before her, and he awkwardly looked back at her.
Anabella did not say anything, but her phone rang, breaking this moment, and James ran away quickly from her room.
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