\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruby didn\u2019t take me far from home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She dragged me to an abandoned construction site. The building was half gone. The place was deserted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everyone had cleared out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruby yanked me upstairs. I picked my way up, skirting broken walls and open gaps.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRelax. It\u2019s half torn down, but it\u2019s all concrete. It\u2019s not going to collapse on you.\u201d Ruby shoved me forward,\u00a0<\/p>\n
her mouth curling in disgust.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The place was only one block from my house. I memorized every turn. I\u2019d bolt the first chance I got.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruby hauled me up to the third floor and shoved me into the only room that was still standing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re staying here for a few days. I\u2019m leaving you some food. Eat if you\u2019re hungry, pee wherever you want.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll come get you when my poker game\u2019s over.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She started to say something else, but her phone rang.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need a fourth? I\u2019m coming.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruby slammed the door and took off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room had a table and a bed. Nothing else. A few stale bread rolls sat on the table. A filthy quilt was\u00a0<\/p>\n
crumpled on the bed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t staying here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I reached for the doorknob. The door wasn\u2019t locked. Ruby must have been in too much of a hurry to notice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I waited all afternoon. By the time I made a move, the sky outside was pitch black. In the thin wash of\u00a0<\/p>\n
moonlight, I felt my way to the stairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was too dark. I stepped on something. My foot slid out from under me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t even have time to scream. Pain ripped through me. Then nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then I drifted out of my body.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I saw my neck bent at a horrible angle. Turns out dying was that easy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked around, confused. I had nowhere else to go. So I went home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was dinnertime. Mom was humming while she cooked. She was making roast beef for Mason, salmon for Chloe, eggplant parmesan for Dad, and mac and cheese for herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nothing for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood beside Mom. She seemed to be in a great mood. My being gone didn\u2019t bother her at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 2\u00a0<\/p>\n
22.22%\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMom.\u201d I said it quietly. I wanted her to know I\u2019d come back, like a good girl. Maybe she\u2019d hug me. Maybe she\u2019d smile at me. I was in so much pain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Mom couldn\u2019t see me. To the living, the dead were invisible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad walked into the kitchen. Mason was sitting at the table, stiff as a board.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you think that was\u2026 a bit harsh? Mason hasn\u2019t said a word to me all day. He was shaking earlier, and his head was bleeding.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mom raised an eyebrow. I shivered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew what was coming. Every time she made that face, I was the one who paid for it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She threw down the spatula.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, so I\u2019m the villain now? Being a stepmom is thankless enough as it is. I did everything for my stepson and it was never enough. He\u2019s the one who slammed his head into the pavement. I didn\u2019t lay a hand on him!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad started backpedaling immediately.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Mom\u2019s voice tightened by the second, as if she were the one being wronged.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe agreed to treat each other\u2019s kids equally. Have I ever let him starve? Have I ever denied him a single\u00a0<\/p>\n
thing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad sighed. In our family, keeping things \u201cfair\u201d was impossible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re good to my son, but haven\u2019t I been good to your daughter too? That summer camp cost five thousand\u00a0<\/p>\n
dollars. I paid it without blinking.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I crouched close by, listening to them rattle off everything they\u2019d done for Mason and Chloe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was so jealous. Why couldn\u2019t I have that? Wasn\u2019t I their kid too? Why were they only kind to each other\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
kids? Mom and Dad had never treated me that way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI just feel bad for Lily. Are we being too hard on her? What if she\u2019s miserable at Ruby\u2019s?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked up at Dad.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad, I got hurt. It hurt so much. When Mason and Chloe were wronged, Mom and Dad always stood up for\u00a0<\/p>\n
them. Would they stand up for me this time?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mom let out a harsh laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDid we starve her? Did we leave her naked in the snow? I just sent her to someone\u2019s house for a few nights\u00a0<\/p>\n
and she cried like I\u2019d thrown her out like trash.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Mom, you really did throw me away. And now I was dead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 2\u00a0<\/p>\n
22.22%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mom pulled out her phone and called Ruby. It just kept ringing before someone picked up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, Ruby? Why is it so loud there? Oh, you took her out to dinner? You\u2019re spoiling that girl rotten.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re taking her upstate for a few days? Okay, Ruby, sorry to trouble you with her. I\u2019ll thank you properly\u00a0<\/p>\n
when I pick her up in a few days!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I paced in frantic little circles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, that lady is lying! She went to play poker and isn\u2019t looking after me at all. How could I be eating out\u00a0<\/p>\n
with anyone?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mom bought it without a second thought.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hung up and started waving the spatula, smacking it against the counter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNone of you give me a moment\u2019s peace. At least she\u2019s our biological kid, so I can discipline her however I\u00a0<\/p>\n
want. If she were like her brother or sister, she\u2019d give me a heart attack dealing with her!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad was quiet for a moment. \u201cShe\u2019s\u2026 safe there, right? Ruby won\u2019t be too rough on her?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mom shot back. \u201cRough? Please. That\u2019s my old friend\u2026. She\u2019ll take good care of her. I bet she\u2019s having the\u00a0<\/p>\n
time of her life!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Mom, your so-called old friend wasn\u2019t reliable at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 2\u00a0<\/p>\n
22.22%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
Mom, I don\u2019t want to be stuck in the middle anymore by Mark Twain 2 \u00a0 Chapter 2\u00a0 Ruby didn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sweet-love"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20218"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20218\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}