Noah tugged at my sleeve, confused but excited. “Mommy! Is Daddy giving Auntie Lily a present? Can I go too?”
I couldn’t breathe. Then, as if she had just noticed me, my mother’s smile faltered. The applause faded.
One by one, their gazes turned to me. Jason slowly rose to his feet, locking eyes with me. There was no guilt. No shame. Just the same mild irritation he always had when I inconvenienced him.
Lily, on the other hand, had the audacity to look annoyed.
Jason crossed his arms, exhaling like I was exhausting him. "Emma, let’s not do this here."
"Do what, Jason?" My voice shook with barely contained rage.
"Make a scene," he cut in, rolling his eyes. "God, you’re always so dramatic—"
The slap echoed through the plaza.
For a moment, everything froze. The sting on my palm was nothing compared to the burning rage in my chest.
Jason's head snapped to the side, his jaw tightening. When he turned back, there was no shame, no remorse—just irritation. "Really, Emma?" he scoffed, rubbing his cheek. "Was that necessary?"
The sheer audacity left me breathless. The sting of betrayal wasn’t just in Jason’s eyes—it was in the shocked gasps of my family, the disapproving frown on my father’s face.