Chapter 2

Ruby's pov

I've never felt so many emotions all at once in my life – sadness, mirth, rage, pure, seething rage!

Rage churned in my stomach like a cyclone. I was barely holding it in together.

I could barely believe what just happened. Nathan just walked past mom, past us like we didn't even exist! The feeling stung more than anything and how could mom stand there with a smile and acting like it was normal. If I had done that to her, I'd be left with a handprint on my face.

Logan, mom and I walked to where a maid waited by the staircase on standby mode.

“Ruby, this is your maid, Clara. Clara, you'll be taking care of Ruby from now on.” Logan said.

Wait. A maid?

Clara gave me a curt nod. “This way, ma'am.”

I looked at mom as if to protest but she gave me a little nudge.

“Go on.” She said with a small smile.

I followed the maid up the stairs in silence. I wasn't gone by an earshot when I heard Logan and Mom's smooches. Great. Just great.

Clara took me to a luxurious hallway and I was wondering if we were headed in the wrong direction. The house was grand. I'm not going to lie but the room made me speechless. I mean, this lavish setting couldn't be for me alone. The room was three times bigger than mine back home.

“Umm… Clara?” I lifted my hand to speak and realised I'd done something dumb.

Clara offered me a little smile. “This is your new room, ma'am. If you need anything, please, do not hesitate to time the bell on your bedside table.”

There's a bell to summon servants? Well, this is grand.

“Sure.” I said quietly.

She gave me another nod and turns to leave. When I heard the door click, I turned to the give a room a full look-over. The bed was king-sized and covered with pink bedspread. Why do they always assume girls love pink. I don't. There was a glittery chandelier in the centre of the room, the curtains were pink too but the velvet material was too grand for a room. It looked like it belonged in a palace. The place was amazing but it wasn't mine. It wasn't the room dad and I had painted ourselves on my 15th birthday. No amount of luxury could easily replace that.

I sank onto the bed and laid on my back. Nothing could.

I heard a quiet knock on the door and sat up. Was that Clara? I haven't even used the bell yet.

The door opened fully and mom's head popped in.

“Got a minute?” She asked with a smile.

“No.” I rolled my eyes and laid back in bed.

She entered the room anyway.

“So… you like it here?” She asked, approaching the bed.

I didn't look at her. I couldn't.

When I didn't respond, she joined me on the bed. “Ruby, I know you're upset but —”

“Upset?” I cut her off. “Try furious. That's more accurate.”

Mom heaved a sigh. “Hey, I'm sorry about earlier. Nathan isn't always like that.”

“Stop apologizing for that jerk's rude behavior!” I sat up now.

“He's not a jerk. He's your brother!”

“And Logan is not my father!”

Mom was losing it. “Look! I love Logan and he loves me and you too!”

“Un - freaking - believable!”

Mom took my hands now. “Ruby, I know you're still hurting but I need you to understand. Your father…”

“Stop.” I pulled my hand away, my eyes burning with tears. She had no right to mention him. Not after what she's done.

I turned to her. “Just tell me how long?”

“How long is it?” She asked, feigning ignorance.

“Don't play dumb with me, Monica!” I yelled.

Mom hesitated for a second before she looked down at her hands. “S - Since your father died.”

I might as well scream right now. I had a valid reason for it.

“Since your father died.” Those words crashed into me knocking the very air off my lungs.

I looked at her waiting for a sign, any giveaway that she was lying. I waited, still trying to process what I had just heard her say. While dad was alive, while he was still loving her, she was loving someone else?

“Mom, tell me it's not true.”

She looked away. “I'm sorry, Ruby.”

I shot to my feet. “So… you were cheating? You were cheating on dad?! Is that what you're telling me, mom!”

“Ruby, it wasn't like that. I swear..”

“Then what! What exactly was it?” I exploded with anger. “That you were lying to him? That you were sleeping with someone else? No wonder you replaced him so easily.”

Mom's face paled. “No. It wasn't like that. I never … We never wanted any of it to happen this way. But it was out of our control.”

“Out of your control? Out of… Mom!”

“Ruby, please!”

“Save it!” I took a step back. “You betrayed dad. You betrayed me too. You're nothing but a … but a selfish, heartless bitch!”

Thwack!

A sharp sting burned across my right cheek. Mom had slapped me. My head snapped to the side and I looked at her with red, tear-filled eyes.

“That might have happened but I am still your mother! You don't get to speak to me like that!”

Tears blurred my vision and I let them fall. “You're still my mom? No. You're not.”

“What?” She gasped softly.

“The mother I knew died the day dad died. I don't…” I cupped my hand over my mouth. “I don't recognize you anymore.”

“Ruby, don't talk like that. I'm sorry.” Mom tried to touch my hand but I pulled away.

“Dad was lucky,” I wiped my cheek with the sleeve of my shirt. “He didn't find out the kind of woman he married before he died.”

A fresh wave of pain washed over mom's face but I didn't care. She inflicted the same pain when she told me she cheated.

“Things would've been different if dad hadn't left us or would it?” I turned away. “It doesn't matter. You'd still choose Logan.”

“Ruby.” Mom called after me but I ignored her.

I held the door knob and pulled the door open.

Mom had made her choice.

This was me making mine.