"What's wrong with you, Noah?" Zoey Bennett's shrill voice cut through the dinner conversation like a knife. "You've been sitting there the entire evening without saying a word to Grandma on her birthday!"
I looked up from my soup to find my cousin-in-law glaring at me with undisguised contempt. Her perfectly applied makeup couldn't hide the sneer twisting her lips.
"Happy birthday, Grandma," I said quietly to Old Mrs. Bennett.
The elderly matriarch barely acknowledged me with a slight nod before returning to her conversation with the other guests.
"That's it?" Zoey's voice rose higher. "That's all you're going to say?"
"Zoey, please," Chloe whispered beside me, embarrassment coloring her cheeks. "Not here."
"No, I won't be quiet," Zoey snapped, standing up so abruptly her chair scraped against the floor. "Grandma deserves better than this pathetic display."
