"Everyone, please—eat, drink. Ruth, it's been ages since we've seen each other. I had no idea you'd be here at my home. Tomorrow's New Year's Day—how perfect that we can all celebrate together."
The silence that followed was deafening. You could've heard a pin drop.
Every bite of food turned to ash in my mouth, but I kept eating. I stuffed myself until my stomach ached.
They couldn't take it anymore.
Ray grabbed my wrist and yanked me up from my chair.
"Fine. Yes. It's exactly what it looks like."
His voice turned sharp. "Lottie, if you have something to say, just say it. Stop with the passive-aggressive act—you're making Ruth uncomfortable."
He stepped in front of her, shielding her. As if I were the threat.
I hadn't done anything. I'd just eaten dinner.
I looked at my in-laws. They shifted awkwardly but positioned themselves protectively around Ruth too.
Like she was family.
Like they were the real unit here.
My mind replayed what I'd heard before I walked in. They'd called her daughter-in-law.
My throat tightened, but I kept my smile fixed in place as I swept my gaze across all of them.
"Making her uncomfortable? How?"
"I heard Dad call her 'daughter-in-law' before I even opened the door. I thought I must have misheard."
"But I didn't, did I? I've been sitting here all this time, and not one of you has said it was a joke."
The older couple's faces flushed with embarrassment.
Ray guided Ruth to the sofa, tucking a cushion behind her lower back with careful hands.
Then he poured her a steaming cup of chrysanthemum tea and placed it gently in her palms.
In all our years of marriage, Ray had never once treated me like that.
I had never been on the receiving end of such tender, meticulous care.
Yet here it was, lavished on another woman without restraint.
I watched for a moment, then asked casually, as if making small talk, "When did this start?"
Ray shot me a glance, irritation flickering across his face. "Just say what you mean."
"Fine. When did the two of you start?"
My soul was tearing itself apart, and my voice rose sharply before I could stop it.
Ruth's hand jerked. Scalding tea sloshed over the rim.
The water splashed across her fingers. She let out a pitiful yelp, and the cup slipped, shattering against the floor.
Ray's gaze cut toward me like a blade.
"Lottie, it's New Year's Eve. What the hell are you trying to do?"