Chapter 98 The Day He Hates Most
Emilia’s POV
I waited in the living room for a while, got bored, then walked into the kitchen. I wanted to cook dinner for everyone. Ever since I married Sebastian, I hadn’t stepped foot in the kitchen. Not because I was lazy, and not because I couldn’t cook. It was because Mila wouldn’t let me.
The moment I tied on an apron and started washing vegetables, the two servants in charge of cooking panicked.
"Luna Emilia, please go out. Let us handle this." One of them said nervously.
"It’s fine. You two can take the night off. Go rest." I waved my hand.
"We can’t do that. Madam will blame us ..."
"Don’t worry. I’ll explain it to her. It has nothing to do with you. I insisted on doing this myself."
The two servants exchanged a look. Seeing that I wasn’t going to back down, they finally let me be.
If I was a treasure in the Silver Moon Pack, then back in my father’s house, I was nothing more than unpaid labor.
In this house, I had servants bringing me meals three times a day. In my own home, I was the one serving three meals to the entire family.
The kitchen staff here could barely believe their eyes when they saw me chopping, stirring, and seasoning with the kind of precision that only comes from years of practice.
In less than an hour, I had a full, lavish dinner laid out. The colors, aromas, and tastes were all perfectly balanced.
The head butler hurried into the living room after hearing the servants’ report.
She glanced at the cake I had placed on the table, then at me, her expression complicated.
"Luna Emilia," she began hesitantly, "Alpha Sebastian, he... he doesn’t really—"
Before she could finish the sentence, the front door swung open, and the whole family walked in together.
It was almost as if they had coordinated their arrival. Alpha Titus, Mila, Tiffany, and Sebastian all stepped through the door at the same time.
"Mom, Dad, you’re back." I greeted them and reached out to take Mila’s jacket from her.
"Yes, dear, I’m so tired," Mila sighed, but then she sniffed the air. "Oh my, something smells wonderful. Is dinner ready?"
"Yes." I smiled and nodded. Then my eyes found Sebastian. "I cooked everything myself to celebrate Sebastian’s birthday."
My words landed like a bomb in the middle of the room.
Everyone froze. Tiffany’s eyes went wide, and she rushed over to me, grabbing my arm and whispering urgently, "Didn’t I tell you about it? Why did you still do this?"
"Tell me what?" I frowned, genuinely confused.
Tiffany smacked her own forehead. "I wanted to tell you the other day, but you left before I could finish!"
"Tell me what?" A knot of unease began to tighten in my stomach.
Before she could answer, I heard a sound that made my blood run cold.
Crash.
I spun around.
Sebastian had walked over to the dining table, picked up the cake box, and hurled it onto the floor. The box burst open. The beautiful cake I had ordered was now a smashed, ruined mess under his feet. He didn’t even see what was written on it.
"What the hell are you doing?" I snapped. "Have you lost your mind?"
I stormed over and shoved him hard against his chest. I didn’t care that he was the Alpha. I didn’t care that he could break me in half if he wanted to.
I was furious. I stared down at the cake he had just trampled, and the sight of it made something hot and sharp twist in my chest.
Sebastian’s green eyes were blazing with an anger I hadn’t seen in a long time.
"Didn’t I make myself clear?" His voice was low and dangerous. "I told you before. I don’t celebrate my birthday. Why do you always have to be so damn self-righteous? Can’t you ever bother to consult someone before you decide to do something? Is it fun for you, Emilia? Digging up other people’s scars just to entertain yourself?"
He roared the last sentence at me, and then he stormed out of the room, leaving me standing there in the middle of the dining room.
My eyes burned with unshed tears.
Mila and Titus hurried over to me.
"Sweetheart," Mila said softly, her voice full of pity and guilt, "I am so sorry this happened to you. Please, don’t blame Sebastian. This day..."
"This day is a day of humiliation for him," Alpha Titus finished, his voice heavy. "It’s the day he most hates to remember."
I swallowed hard. "Why?"
Tiffany answered sadly. "Because today is the day Abigail walked out on my brother. Three years ago, on his birthday, she accepted his proposal. She promised to be his most beautiful bride. But nobody knew that she was already planning to leave him with Damien. She chose his birthday to destroy him."
My heart stopped.
That woman again.
"After what happened," Tiffany continued, "my brother hasn’t celebrated his birthday in three years. None of us dare to mention what day it is. We all pretend it’s just another day, because we don’t want to hurt him."
I closed my eyes for a moment and took a slow breath. Then I opened them and looked at Mila and Titus.
"I’m sorry, Mom. Dad. I didn’t know about any of that. I’m sorry I brought up painful memories for all of you."
Mila hugged me tightly. "It’s not your fault, Emilia. None of this is your fault. You didn’t know. We don’t blame you at all."
I pulled away gently and crouched down to pack the ruined cake back into the box.
As I scooped the broken pieces up with my fingers, I saw the word "LOVE" smeared and crushed into the cardboard. My vision blurred, and this time, I couldn’t stop the tears. They slid down my cheeks and landed on the ruined frosting.
"Leave that for the servants, dear," Mila said softly. "Come on. Let’s eat."
She helped me up and guided me to the dining table.
Tiffany sat on the other side of me, and we all tried to pretend nothing had happened. Mila and Titus forced smiles and praised my cooking, but there was a shadow hanging over every bite. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts.
I watched them trying so hard to enjoy the dinner I had made, and a fresh wave of anger and sorrow washed over me.
Suddenly, I put down my fork.
"Excuse me," I said quietly.
And before anyone could stop me, I pushed my chair back and ran out of the dining room.