Clear
Cedric Cincinnati sat at the head of the table like he always did. My mother-in-law took her usual place on his right, and Cyrus went to sit on his father’s left. Naturally, I assumed Bella would sit next to her husband, so I slipped into the seat beside my mother-in-law.
We were already seated when Cullen walked into the dining room with Bella and Caesar. Cullen was carrying the baby, and Caesar was looking up at him with the kind of innocent joy that made it impossible to miss how close they were. He jiggled and giggled in his uncle’s arms, clearly delighted. Bella trailed behind them, and as expected, went to sit next to her husband.
What I didn’t expect was for Cullen to sit right beside her, still holding the baby.
I frowned.
My eyes darted across the table, searching for any reaction from the others. Did no one else think this was strange? Did no one care that Cullen, my husband, sat beside his brother’s wife like it was second nature?
That was when Margaret, the nanny, came into the room and quietly took Caesar from Cullen’s arms. But even after the baby was gone, Cullen stayed right there beside Bella.
I couldn't stop glaring at the two of them, but then I noticed something else, Cyrus was glaring too. His eyes were sharp and cold, trained not only on Cullen but on his own father. I couldn’t read the meaning behind the look, but it felt heavy with something unspoken.
No one said a word. The silence was suffocating. I took another long sip of my wine and welcomed the distraction. When the food was finally served without hesitation, I poured myself another generous glass. Maybe I was trying to blur out the awkwardness, or maybe I just needed something to fill the void inside me that this dinner had only deepened.
Because, truly, I didn’t understand what the fuss was about. Everyone had talked about this Sunday dinner like it was something special, something meaningful.
But all it did was show me what I already feared: Cullen still only had only eyes for Bella. His attention, his warmth, his presence, none of it was for me. I might as well have not even been at the table.
There was something else that became painfully, undeniably clear at that dinner table: everyone in the family knew about Cyrus’s feelings for Bella. Whether it was a crush, love, obsession... I didn’t know. But whatever it was, they all knew.
Cyrus hated it, that much was obvious. But he also accepted it. He tolerated it.
And that night, I got a front-row seat to it all.
The Cullen poured her water, gently, like it was natural. The way he leaned in close to ask if she needed more of this or that. The quiet murmurs he shared with her. The small smiles he coaxed from her, even when she nervously glanced at her husband with a smile.
Bella tried to ignore Cullen, tried to act normal but it was hard to ignore something that obvious, especially when he was sitting right next to her.
And I? I just sat there, watching it unfold like I wasn’t even there.
If that dinner had ended right there, it would’ve just been another painful reminder that my husband still had feelings for his brother’s wife and that I was invisible in this marriage. That alone would’ve been enough.
But then my mother-in-law decided it was time for dinner conversation.
“Cullen,” she said, her voice soft but firm, “we miss you at home. You’re never here for breakfast. You’re never here for lunch. You’re never here for dinner or anything else. It’s almost like you don’t live here at all.”
She paused. “I’m sure your new wife doesn’t appreciate that.”
All eyes shifted to Cullen. I turned too, just in time to see how tightly he was gripping his utensils—how tense he’d become. The muscles in his jaw clenched, and his shoulders stiffened.
“I’m busy,” he said, his voice low, tight. “I have a lot of work. You know this.”
“Yes, I do,” my mother-in-law replied calmly. “But Cyrus has a lot of work too, and he still finds time for his wife. He has dinner with her every night. He spends time with her at lunch when he can.”
She leaned in slightly. “I’m sure you could do that too.”
Cullen inhaled sharply, then set his utensils down with deliberate motion. I could feel the shift in the air. Whatever he was about to say… it wouldn’t be kind.
“Well, here we go,” Cullen snapped, his voice tight with sarcasm. “Unlike my perfect, almighty brother, I’m going to be the Counsigliere. This means I have to read thousands of books, learn everything about family traditions, navigate relationships, uncover secrets, handle blackmail, things that might actually save Cyrus’s life when he becomes Don. So no, I don’t have the luxury of time like he does. His only job is to throw his weight around and remind everyone he’s Cedric Cincinnati’s son.”
“That is no way to talk to your mother,” Cedric cut in sharply, his voice low but firm, full of warning.
But my mother-in-law didn’t flinch. She pressed on calmly. “Yet somehow, every single day, you find the time to wake up, go to your brother’s house, and spend time with his wife and child. So explain to me again why you don’t have time for breakfast with your own family?”
My breath caught in my throat. That was news to me.
Cullen… going to Bella’s house every morning?
And Cyrus isn’t there in the mornings. Which meant… they spent that time alone. Together.
So when Bella came to the house around ten, sometimes even earlier.... was that because she’d just come from Cullen’s place? Is that what had been going on all this time?
For three weeks, I’d been spending every day with her, laughing, talking, thinking maybe I had a friend. I never knew she was already spending her mornings with my husband. While I never got even five minutes with him.
It felt like something I should have known.
My stomach twisted. The wine I drank earlier turned bitter in my throat.
I stared across the table, eyes locked on Bella. Accusation burned in my gaze, and I couldn’t hide it, not even if I tried. I didn’t even realize I was glaring until I caught her flinch slightly under my gaze, eyes darting toward her plate.
What the hell was this?
And why did everyone else seem to know… except me?
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