The Marriage That Never Existed novel Chapter 35

Chapter9

I clutched the hem of my clothes, opened my mouth, but no words came.

Father held me in his arms, his voice breaking into sobs.

“Daddy knows he was wrong. Can you forgive me?”

I stared at him blankly. This time, I didn’t nod.

I remembered how I had once begged and pleaded, swearing I hadn’t stolen anything.

But if I had admitted it back then… would he have forgiven me?

No. He would only have thought me shameful. He would never have forgiven me.

So now I stayed silent.

He didn’t press. Wiping his tears, he whispered,

“It’s late. Go to sleep.”

As always, he carried me upstairs and tucked me in.

But when Mom used to sit by my bed, she would tell me stories until I drifted off. Father never did.

The next day, strong winds swept through Riverton.

Father took me and my brothers to Crescent Park.

My body felt so light I thought the wind might blow me away.

The carousel, once something I had longed to ride, no longer held any appeal.

Father crouched down beside me.

“Do you want to ride, Ruby?”

I shook my head.

“What if Daddy holds you while you ride?”

Again, I shook my head.

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All around us, children laughed in delight. I forced a smile, but it wouldn’t come.

That was when I realized I was different from them.

Other fathers held their kids close when it rained, shielding them from the storm. Other mothers

bundled their little ones in silly, oversized coats during the winter chill.

But my brothers left me behind, in the rain, in the cold.

And now, I wanted nothing.

No toys.

No candy.

No food.

Not even Mom.

Yet suddenly, they all wanted to give me everything.

And I couldn’t understand why.

The thought churned in my mind, strange, impossible to figure out.

Then I vomited again, sour yellow liquid splattering on the ground.

Father scooped me up, limp in his arms, and drove us all a long distance.

From afar, I saw her, Mom. Evelyn Moore. Sunglasses hid her eyes, but I knew it was her.

The crowd around her blurred away. For me, the world narrowed to that single figure.

I leapt from Father’s arms and hurled myself at her.

My fists beat against her chest. My tears soaked through her blouse.

“You didn’t want me anymore!”

I screamed, my voice ragged, shrill, like an ugly duckling’s cry.

“You didn’t want me!”

People hauling luggage stopped to stare.

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Mom’s sunglasses slipped, tears dripping down onto my cheeks.

She gathered me close, whispering through her own sobs.

“Crybaby. Still such a little crybaby.”

“Mommy was wrong. Mommy knows she was wrong.”

She murmured soothing words until my sobs slowed, then walked a few steps forward to face

Father.

“Richard,” she said coldly, “if you hadn’t forced me to stay, I would never have left her. For Ruby’s health, I don’t want you near her again. Even if you don’t send her to me, I’ll come to take

her. You don’t deserve her.”

Father’s voice was hoarse. “So… you knew?”

My brothers cried out for her, but she didn’t look back.

She only held me.

All the way home, I drifted in and out of sleep, clutching her clothes as though letting go would make her vanish. Each time I woke, I checked to see if she was still there.

When I woke again and found her gone, terror ripped through me. I cried until my throat burned…

Then suddenly, she returned, walking from behind me.

I flung myself at her, clinging desperately.

“Mom, are you going to leave me again?”

She smiled, beautiful even through the shadows.

“Do you know why you’re called Ruby?”

I blinked.

“I named you Ruby so you would be treasure like a ruby, bright and shine. How could I not want you?”

“But my brothers said they’d rather I wasn’t their sister.”

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Her gaze fell.

“That’s my fault. I should have taken you with me from the start. But your father would never have let us go.”

She kissed my forehead, her voice trembling.

“You can speak now. That alone makes me happy.”

Breathing in her familiar scent, I finally let myself relax, finally felt safe enough to sleep.

That night, for the first time in years, I slept without nightmares.