Anabella walked through the entrance of her childhood home, but every step felt like she was fighting a battle against herself.
She did not want to go inside because she knew it wouldn't be pleasant, but she could also not defy her mother's orders.
In the end, Anabella ended up reaching the living room before she knew it.
Her mother's rigid back was the first thing Anabella saw. Her mother was dressed in high-class jewelry from head to toe (most of it was given as a gift from Anabella's marriage).
"Anabella, come and sit down in front of me. I need to talk with you."
The way her mother called her name did not allow her to express her feelings about this situation. It made Anabella feel cold, but she still braved the waters and sat beside her mother.
"Get us some warm tea and snacks. This conversation is going to take some time."
Anabella took her seat and forced her instincts to suppress the flinch about to show on her face.
Her mother asking for tea and snacks was not good, especially since Anabella knew none was for her.
Her mother tested her to see if she remembered the 'values' she had been taught beforehand.
"How is everything going between you and your husband, Anabella? When can we expect to hear some good news from you? Have you and your husband finally done the deed?"
Her mother was frank when she asked this question.
Anabella felt a flush spread across her face, but her mother looked as impassive as ever. Her expression made it seem as if she had never asked anything scandalous in her life.
"Mother, I do not want to have this conversation."
Anabella tried to tell her mother how uncomfortable she felt, but the older woman seemed to care little about her mood or how she felt.
The calm expression turned into anger, and a hand grabbed Anabella's hair before yanking it tightly.
"How many times have I told you this before? It does not matter what you think and want. What you need to do is entice your husband and get pregnant already. It has already been a year! Do you even know what others are saying about you and me?"
Her scalp burst into pain, but Anabella swallowed her words of pain and fear.
The pheromones her mother let out felt heavy enough to suppress anything Anabella wanted to show.
"M-Mother, calm down! I will talk to Daniel and see what he wants-"
"I do not care what he wants. Everyone knows that he has a mistress outside that he would rather fuck than you. However, you need to get pregnant before that mistress does, or it will be a disgrace for us all.
Also, he made little progress with his son and got close to him. As an omega, you must embrace your alpha's previous children as your own. Didn't I accept you as mine as well?"
The older omega yelled as she held Anabella in place and pulled her head up to look at her eyes.
'Tsk, if this is what it means to be accepted, I would rather show indifference. That way, it would hurt less physically.'
Even though Anabella thought this, her mouth refused to open, and she lowered her eyes submissively.
She was not usually this submissive, but when it came to her mother, Anabella changed into another person even though she did not recognize her.
"I-I get it, mother! I will get along better with James. Can you let go of my hair now? You will damage the accessories."
That made the older omega let go abruptly, and she had a sorry expression.
"Tsk, I almost had a huge accident because of you. What face would I have shown in front of your husband if I sent you back with broken accessories? You need to be more careful."
The older omega scolded Anabella, and the younger finally breathed a sigh of relief.
First, she doubted that her husband would notice if anything were broken. He had not seen all the pieces that had met their end until now and was not about to start.
But even if he did, Daniel would never lower himself to talk to Anabella to get to know her betterer better. He would rather throw money at her or outright ignore her.
'His ignorance is better than him paying attention. That way, I don't have to care about my actions and what distance I need to maintain from other things.'
If possible, Anabella would want to live in a separate house where she could be alone and not have to bother seeing anyone else. But knowing her mother and mother-in-law, it would be a disaster waiting to happen.
"Listen here, Anabella! I am saying this all for your sake. You need to be proactive and go after your husband. You are an omega, and I-"
Anabella zoned out as soon as her mother began her regular rant.
Instead of looking at her mother as she spoke, Anabella looked behind her at the door and noticed her father walking inside the house.
The alpha looked at Anabella, and their eyes met. But as soon as that happened, the older male looked away with a guilty look on his face before he left Anabella at her mother's mercy.
"Eyes on me, Anabella. Did you even hear anything I said to you? Don't disappoint me in every field. Otherwise, you will force my hand, and I will do something I don't want to."
The older omega made a sorry face as she looked at her daughter.
Her tone change caused Anabella to look at her mother quickly, and she flinched at the look of disapproval on her face.
"I'll try harder, mother. I will ensure I do not miss capturing my husband's heart."
Anabella had said this a hundred times, and her mother no longer believed her. But the older lady did not push this further than needed.
"Good! See that you do that. I don't want your brother's wife to think she married in the wrong household. You must secure a good match for your brother and set an example for everyone else."
The more Anabella heard her mother speak, the more helpless she felt.
Her mother, err, and stepmother did not know how good she was.
Anabella's mother and father had waited to bond after her mother gave birth. But then a tragedy happened, and her mother died.
Her father would have gone mad with grief if he had not found her stepmother, who had a similar pheromone smell as her mother.
It had been an accident, and even before Anabella was ten days old, her father had bonded with someone else.
Growing up had been tough for Anabella, especially since it did not take long for her stepmother to get pregnant and have an alpha son of her own. The older omega demanded that her son be given all the attention since he was an alpha.
As a result, Anabella had a mother who could only think in the traditional sense and a brother who was a combination of spoilt and old-fashioned.
Her father was completely under her stepmother's control, so he could not say anything in Anabella's defense.
'And this is how I married someone I had no intention of meeting.'
But what other choice did Anabella have? She could not go for higher education without family approval. And it was even worse for her since her mother had far too many connections to block her from most places.
The best course of action was to let her life be and wait for her husband to divorce her and bring his new mistress into his household.
Knowing her stepmother's stance on divorce and being left out would be Anabella's best shot at leaving her family behind and living the life she wanted.