The Marriage That Never Existed novel Chapter 34

Chapter8

At dinner, Father was home.

I still couldn’t eat. Every bite came back up.

I saw the irritation flash across his face before he dismissed my brothers to their rooms. He sent

me to mine as well.

I cracked the door open just enough to hear the voices downstairs.

Dr. Bennett was speaking.

“After weeks of observation, it’s clear. The child has experienced severe psychological trauma.”

“She vomits every time she eats near you, sir. It’s a subconscious reaction.”

Father’s voice shook. “But she used to cling to me more than anyone.”

The doctor’s tone was gentle.

“Not just you. Her whole environment is a trigger now. If you doubt me, we can run a small

experiment.”

Over the next few days, Father took my brothers out for a picnic.

Before, I would have cried to go with them.

This time, I felt nothing. I didn’t even want to go.

Ms. Green prepared my meals, shaping them into rabbits and carrots. For the first time in weeks,

the food had flavor.

That day, I ate two full bowls of rice. My belly was round and tight, and I curled up on the couch

like a ball, drifting into sleep.

When Father returned, he lifted me into his arms and pinched my cheek.

“Ruby, you’re so beautiful. These days have been good for you.”

My brothers chimed in, smiling. “Our sister is the prettiest.”

But I remembered, they were the same ones who once called me a toad. Ugly, dirty, unwanted.

That night, everything I had eaten came back up.

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At midnight, my stomach cramped again. I stumbled downstairs for water.

Father sat in the shadows, his face half–hidden, his voice low and heavy.

“So? What’s your conclusion?”

Dr. Bennett’s reply was calm.

“It’s confirmed. Being near you places enormous stress on her. At this point, the only option is a change of environment.”

I had never seen Father look so dark.

“After everything we’ve tried… there’s no other way?”

“This is the only path that doesn’t rely on medication. For her growth, I strongly suggest sending

her somewhere else, or to someone she feels close to.”

“I won’t come again tomorrow.”

Father tapped his fingers on the table, long and sharp against the wood. His figure looked taller,

sharper, than all the other fathers I’d ever seen.

But instead of warmth, he seemed unbearably cold.

“…Fine.”

The doctor’s voice lingered.

“Please consider it seriously. It’s for the child’s health.”

Father said nothing.

For a long, long time.

Then he turned and saw me standing at the top of the stairs.

His eyes reddened.

“Are you hungry?”

I shook my head.

Strangely, after being starved for so long, I no longer felt hunger at all.

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Big, heavy tears rolled down his face, just like mine used to.

But my own tears had dried up.

I tugged at his sleeve with one hand, reaching up with the other to wipe his cheeks.

He trembled as he caught my hand gently.

“It’s all my fault. My stubbornness drove your mother away. It let your brothers treat you like

this.”

But Father, hadn’t you done the same to me?

Otherwise, how would they have dared?

The words sat in my throat. I couldn’t speak them.

His tears kept falling, his voice breaking.

“Ruby… won’t you call me ‘Dad‘ again? Just once?”