"What do you mean by that?" Ruby gave James a look, her eyebrows finely pulled together in confusion and a slathering of surprise.

"I mean that she's not my mother. Mom. Mommy. All those stuff." He waved his hands in the air in an over exaggerated fashion that looked very comical.

"How? It's not. How d-do you know?" Came Ruby's confused question. It did not make sense to her. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore.

"Please elaborate. Make me understand," Ruby said, trying hard to take in the info she'd just received. One that had left her reeling from the shock.

He sighed and ran a gloved hand over his face, eyes looking distant as if recollecting an experience, "I came home from school one morning and found her– Madeline - in a drunken state. She was blurting all sorts of gibberish about revenge for her sister's death. So I did my research and found out that she's not my mom after all."

"Then who is your mom?"

"You remember that your dad had two best friends, right?" She nodded.

"Yes. . . And?"

"My mom is..."

James phone rang and she urged him to pick it up.

"Hello?. . . I'm busy right now. . .I'll be home soon." He cut the call.

"That was Madeline. She wants me to be home in the next twenty minutes." He ran a hand through his bushy locks. "Where did I stop?"

"You were trying to tell me who your mom is."

"Oh. . . my mother is Diana." He said it in a nonchalant manner, like it was no big deal. Like he hadn't just dropped a very huge iron ball on her favorite doll.

Ruby froze. She knew Diana. So that was who her Dad cheated with. It was fitting. Cheating on your wife with your high school best friend. She wanted to laugh, but instead she snorted. Her phone's ringtone broke the silence. It was her mom calling.

"Mom?. . " She answered.

Heavy breathing was heard over the line.

"Mom? Are you alright?"

"Ruby, you need to come home right now. It's your Dad. He slumped." Her mom spoke out in a rushed way, panic lacing her voice.

A cruel part of Ruby did not want to care, but the part that held memories with him urged her to stand on her feet. The part that loved him gave her a surge of adrenaline.

"James, it was nice meeting you." She tapped his shoulder as he stood a few inches taller than her.

"Is everything all right?" He asked, looking concerned.

"I hope. My Dad just slumped, so. . ."

She didn't wait for him to reply. She found footing on the lightly snowy ground, walking as fast as she could to her house.

*******

"He's going to be all right ma'am." The doctor kept telling her worried looking mom.

Ruby sat in the waiting area watching her mom and wondering just how much she loved her husband. It was so much considering the fact that she looked so worried even when she'd recently found out that he was a cheater. She hoped she'd never have to deal with that in her future. Because she did not think she could tolerate it.

Mr. Grayson was discharged in the evening of the second day of the year. Bridget drove them home, silence hanging over them like a thick, suppressing blanket. As soon as they got to their home, Ruby lashed out on him, all angry and sad. But mostly disappointed.

"How long were you going to pretend?"

His tired eyes turned to look at his very angry nineteen year old daughter. "Pretend about what?"

"About Diana being James mother." She spat at him, arms crossed, looking ready for a fight.

Her mom turned sharply and her Dad looked surprised.

"Who told you that."

"That's none of your business. Now tell me, why did you cheat on mom with Diana, your precious best friend?" She sneered.

It seemed her words hit him hard. The shock was evident on his tired face, beaten by years of hard work, court room battles and trying his best to be a good husband and father. He sat down on the sofa as if he really needed to seat down in order not to slump again.

"I didn't mean to do that princess. I don't even remember doing," he whispered softly.

Ruby inhaled sharply. "Don't call me that. Don't."

He looked up at her and gave a tired smile before he continued, "I just got a promotion in the law firm. Bobby, my other high school best friend, called me to celebrate. Said that Diana came over for a visit. To catch up for old times sake. It all seemed harmful, almost like a high school reunion you know. You were just four years old then and your mom said I should go, that she didn't mind. I had a bad feeling about going, I didn't even want to go, but I eventually went."

"I arrived and Bobby urged me to drink. There were a few other guys around. Back then, I used to love my drinks. Was an alcoholic. A dignified and suited up one. I drank until I got very drunk and I woke up the next morning beside Diana. And the woman was naked and seemingly as confused as I was because apparently she got very drunk too. She never told me she was pregnant until she died during child birth. She never said who the Father was." He finished with a long sigh.

Ruby remained quiet as she let everything sink in. Slowly, she stood up and went to her room. It felt as if she was a mere passenger in her own body. Like she was being remote controlled - a lifeless seashell in motion.

Before she slept she received a message. It said, simple and short: God loves you Ruby. Luke sent her that. She felt exasperated. Who did he think he was? Of course she knew that God loved her. She was a Christian after all. She went to church as much as she could! But did she know? Did she believe it?

She let it go and fell asleep, the info she'd gotten in one day draining her. She slept and she didn't feel at all peaceful. Instead, she felt the thunder rumble and most of all, she felt like she was in the midst of a storm and slowly unraveling in its eye, unable to hold herself together again.

A/N

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