Chapter 78: Chapter 78 Poisonous Congratulations

Jade’s POV

If grief had a sound, I think it would be laughter echoing in a room I don’t belong in.

That’s what this celebration feels like.

People stand around me in small clusters, holding drinks, smiling too wide, voices overlapping as they offer congratulations like it’s a currency. Hands keep pressing gifts into mine, boxes wrapped in pastel paper, bows carefully tied, ribbons curled into perfect spirals.

“For the baby,” someone says brightly.

I nod.

“Congratulations, Jade.”

I nod again.

“You must be so happy.”

I smile.

At least, I think I do.

It’s hard to tell anymore.

I feel like I’m watching all of this from behind glass, like there’s a thin wall between me and everyone else, muffling the sound, dulling the colors. I hear my name being spoken, but it doesn’t feel like it belongs to me.

I don’t belong here.

“Here,” a woman I barely recognize says, pressing a small box into my hands. “It’s just something simple.”

“Thank you,” I reply automatically.

My voice sounds polite. Controlled. Empty.

Inside, I feel nothing but pressure.

The room is decorated in soft colors, white and gold, flowers arranged carefully along the walls, balloons floating near the ceiling. It’s beautiful.

Too beautiful.

It feels wrong.

Every smile feels like it’s closing in on me, every laugh a reminder that this joy wasn’t earned, it was assigned.

I didn’t choose this.

I didn’t choose today.

I didn’t choose any of it.

“Jade.”

Alpha Ashford’s voice cuts through the noise.

I turn just as he steps forward, his expression warm, pleased. He opens his arms without hesitation and pulls me into a hug.

I stiffen instinctively.

“Well done,” he says, his voice low but satisfied. “You’ve finally done it.”

My fingers curl slightly against his back.

Done what?

Carried the right child?

Fulfilled the right role?

Proven my worth?

“You’ve brought honor to this house,” he continues, pulling back to look at me. “This is what we hoped for.”

Hoped for.

Something twists painfully in my chest.

“Thank you,” I say, because that’s what I’m supposed to say.

His hands rest on my shoulders for a moment longer than necessary. “You should be proud.”

Proud.

The word feels like a slap.

He moves on, already greeting someone else, already basking in the atmosphere like this celebration belongs to him.

My stomach churns suddenly.

Not gently.

Violently.

The room seems brighter all at once, the voices sharper, the air heavier. Sweat beads along my spine, my skin prickling like it’s warning me of something.

I swallow hard.

Breathe, I tell myself. Just breathe.

Renzo catches my eye from across the room. His brow furrows immediately.

“You okay?” he mouths.

I nod quickly.

I shouldn’t have.

The nausea surges.

Hard.

My hand flies to my mouth as my stomach flips painfully.

“Oh....” I gasp.

I don’t wait.

I turn and bolt.

Someone calls my name, but I’m already moving, pushing past bodies, ignoring the looks, the questions, the sudden hush that follows me as I sprint up the stairs.

My feet barely touch the ground.

I reach the bathroom just in time.

I drop to my knees and retch violently into the toilet.

It burns.

My body convulses as everything in my stomach comes up, my hands shaking so badly I have to grip the porcelain to keep myself upright.

Tears blur my vision.

I gag again, dry heaving when there’s nothing left.

“Jade!”

The door bursts open behind me.

I hear them, footsteps, panic, voices overlapping.

“She’s sick...”

“Get water...”

“I’m here, I’m here...”

Hands reach for me.

Someone rubs my back.

Someone else kneels beside me.

It’s too much.

“Stop,” I choke out.

Renzo’s voice is right next to my ear. “It’s okay, just breathe...”

“I said stop!” I scream, wrenching away from their hands.

The sound shocks even me.

All three of them freeze.

“Get out,” I snap, my voice shaking but loud. “All of you. Get out!”

“Jade....” Ronan starts.

“Leave me alone!” I scream again, turning to face them. “I don’t want you here, I don’t want any of you here. I need...” My voice cracks. “I need to be alone.”

They stare at me, stunned.

Hurt flashes across Renzo’s face.

Ryder looks like he wants to argue, to insist, but then his shoulders slump.

“...Okay,” Ronan says quietly. “We’ll go.”

They retreat slowly, like they’re afraid I’ll break if they move too fast.

The door closes softly behind them.

The click sounds final.

I sag forward, resting my forehead against the cool edge of the sink, my breaths coming in shallow, uneven pulls.

Alone.

Again.

I push myself up unsteadily and rinse my mouth, splashing cold water on my face. My reflection stares back at me from the mirror.

I barely recognize her.

My skin is pale, almost gray. My eyes look too big in my face, hollowed out by exhaustion and grief and something darker I don’t have a name for yet.

Slowly, hesitantly, my hand lifts.

It hovers over my stomach.

There’s nothing there.

Nothing visible.

And yet...

My chest tightens painfully.

“I don’t know how to do this,” I whisper to the reflection. “I don’t even know how to feel.”

A sound outside the bathroom makes me tense.

Footsteps.

Soft. Deliberate.

Someone is in my room.

I straighten immediately.

“Renzo?” I call cautiously.

No answer.

My pulse quickens.

I step quietly out of the bathroom, my bare feet silent against the floor.

And then I see her.

Linda stands near my bed, perfectly composed, hands folded neatly in front of her.

She smiles when she sees me.

That same smile.

The one that never reaches her eyes.

“What are you doing here?” I ask coldly.

She tilts her head slightly. “Relax. I just wanted to congratulate you.”

My fingers curl into fists. “Get out.”

She chuckles softly. “You’re really ungrateful, you know that?”

I don’t respond.

She steps closer.

“You really beat me to it,” Linda continues, her voice sweet and poisonous. “Getting pregnant for them before I could.”

My stomach twists again, but this time, it’s not nausea, it’s disgust.

“What do you want?” I ask flatly.

Her smile widens.

“Oh, nothing much,” she says lightly. “You actually made things a lot easier for me.”

My heart begins to pound.

“What are you talking about?”

She leans in slightly, lowering her voice. “You see, now I don’t have to work very hard.”

A chill runs down my spine.

“Because,” she continues, her eyes glittering, “you’re going to tell everyone that you cheated.”

My breath catches. “What?”

“That the baby you’re carrying?” She gestures casually toward my stomach. “You are going to tell everyone that it doesn’t belong to your mates.”