Seeing William protecting me as he brought me back, Rita’s eyes flashed with a hint of jealousy.
But she quickly smiled and greeted me:
“Sister-in-law, I misunderstood you about the puppy. I’m sorry. I specially organized this pool party to apologize to you.”
“Thank you, you guys have fun.”
I turned to leave, and immediately, dissatisfied boos rose up around me.
William grabbed me.
“Dear, everyone is waiting for you.”
I looked at him in disbelief.
It’s not that I don’t want to, but he has always disdained bringing me to play together.
One time, I insisted on joining their game of Spin the Bottle.
Rita’s friends tacitly made sure the bottle always landed on me.
I refused to drink alcohol because of the pregnancy, so someone dared me to get down on the ground and bark like a dog instead.
I looked at William for help.
But he just frowned and said, “You lost the bet. If pregnancy has made you slower, maybe you shouldn’t be playing these games at all. I can ask them to change your punishment, but only if you stop making excuses and take it properly.”
And so I was humiliated, pinned to the ground and doused in beer, becoming a laughingstock.
After that, I never joined in that kind of fun again.
But this time, William insisted that I participate.
I was forced to put on a maternity swimsuit that Rita had prepared for me.
But the moment the towel was pulled away, everyone around the pool burst into laughter.
I looked down and saw it was a frog swimsuit with a big belly!
Someone shouted, “Look, she’s getting angry! Her belly bulging in and out makes her look even more like a toad!”
Amidst the laughter, William’s face darkened, his expression turning grim. He sharply interrupted:
“Enough. That’s enough.”
The atmosphere fell silent at once.
I turned to leave, and Rita’s eyes instantly turned red:
“Sister-in-law, is there anything I do that you don’t like? You despise me for being an adopted daughter and have always wanted to drive me away…”
William quietly walked over to me and said, “You’re both omegas born in remote forests; please try to understand Rita…”
I looked at William, who just wanted to smooth things over.
It’s hilarious.
Rita bullies omegas like us at will, relying on the power of William’s family.
She has been granted power by the Moonstone crafted by William’s family.
How can she be compared to an ordinary omega?
If William truly understood the hardships of being a lowly omega—
He would know that my dad forced me to abort the bastard child in my womb who had no father.
My mother lowered her head before William’s mother and begged for days, just to win their approval for our mating ceremony.
William wouldn’t understand, and I don’t want to explain anymore.
Climbing out of the pool, my head suddenly buzzed.
The mat under their feet was actually the quilt that Grandma had painstakingly taught me to sew by hand before she passed away.
It was a gift I had planned to give William on our wedding night!
Now it’s covered in mud and grime.
Someone is using it to wipe their feet, complaining:
“This rag bleeds color and stained my feet red!”
I trembled as I stroked the crooked stitches, tears welling up in my eyes.
Over the past six months, starting as a complete novice, I painstakingly stitched the quilt one stitch at a time.
I lost count of how many times the needle pricked my hands, but I never complained.
The thought of this quilt covering the bed William and I would share made every pain worth it.
The day the quilt was finished, Grandma shed tears of relief and pride.
Her last words to me were, “I am looking forward to your mating ceremony, but Grandma knows my Julia
