I stepped away from his touch. "I'm not interested in being your substitute for Olivia."

I could see the flash of anger in his eyes, but before he could respond, the doorbell rang.

"That must be our guests," Margaret said. "Theo has been so excited about this party. Don't ruin it for him, Emma."

Without waiting for my response, she swept out of the room. Caleb gave me one last warning look before following her.

I took a few minutes to compose myself, trying to cover the burns with makeup as best I could. When I finally made my way downstairs, the party was already in full swing.

Pack members filled the living room, mingling with Theo's school friends and their parents. Theo's face turned sour when he spotted me.

"Look, Theo, your mother is here," one of the adults said to him.

Theo scoffed loudly enough for everyone to hear. "She's not my mother!"

I stood frozen as Caleb sighed deeply and approached his son.

"We don't talk like that, Theo. Emma is your mother now, and she's been taking good care of you,"

Theo's face contorted with rage. "No! She can never be my mother. Everyone," he announced to the room, "this woman is a fake. She's just pretending to be mom because she's jealous she wasn't the one Dad chose!"

Whispers immediately filled the room as the pack members all stared at me. I kept my face blank, used to the judgment. None of them knew what I'd sacrificed.

The front door opened, and the whispers stopped.

Selena walked in, her honey blonde hair styled perfectly, blue eyes sparkling. Caleb's mistress had arrived.

"Selena!" Theo squealed with delight, running toward her with pure joy on his face.

She bent down and hugged him tightly. "There's my favorite boy! Happy anniversary dinner, sweetheart."

Theo clung to her hand as they walked back to the dining room. "I'm so glad you're here. I hate when she tries to be my mom," he said loudly, pointing at me.

"Theo, honey, be nice," she said, but the smile never left her face.

Caleb cleared his throat. "Emma, come take a photo of us."

I stood frozen as Caleb handed me his phone. The three of them posed together, Caleb's arm around Selena's waist, Theo in front of them.

"Say cheese," I managed to whisper.

As I took the photo, Caleb leaned down and kissed Selena deeply. Theo grinned at me over his shoulder.

A perfect family. The family I could never give them.

"Aunt Emma," Theo suddenly called out. "I want to apologize for earlier."