Chapter 6
My soul drifts back to that ice-cold mansion, straight up to check on Lily. She's finally asleep, curled up tight with a cookie crumb still stuck to her palm. Even sleeping, her cheeks look sunken in.
Downstairs, I hear Ryan's voice echoing through the house. I float down and find him in the gym, phone propped up, flexing in front of the punching bag that holds what's left of me.
"Morning, everyone! Check this beast out—150-pound professional sandbag! Real action stars never take a day off!"
He throws a few punches at the bag. It sways back and forth, and I want to scream. He's literally using my corpse as a workout prop for his Instagram followers.
The bastard's still putting on a show. My dead body is his new marketing tool.
After he posts the video, Ryan walks around the gym like he's preparing for a house tour. Opens windows, sprays that vanilla air freshener, moves some weights around. Everything has to look just right.
His phone buzzes. Vincent's name pops up.
"Hey, Vincent! You're coming by today? Perfect timing, man. I've got some new gear to show you."
Vincent's driving over in his Tesla, still thinking about what Elena said last night. He's actually planning to check on me properly this time. If only he knew what he'd really find.
The doorbell rings and Ryan practically bounces to answer it.
"Vincent! Good to see you, buddy. You're looking sharp."
"Come on in, let me give you the grand tour. Check out the living room—I got Ruby that Italian leather set she's been eyeing for months."
Ryan's playing tour guide, chatting about every piece of furniture like we're some happy couple who picked everything out together.
"Where's Ruby? I was hoping to catch up with her," Vincent says, glancing around.
Ryan's face shifts just a little. "Ah, you just missed her. She took off early for this CBS audition. Something about a guest spot on CSI."
"Audition? Ruby wants to get back into acting?"
"Yeah, I've been pushing her to go for it, you know? She's got natural talent, even without the fancy training. She was pretty excited about it. Said she might hit the town tonight if things go well."
Vincent nods, but I catch that flicker of annoyance in his eyes. He thinks I'm being inconsiderate, not telling him about the audition when I knew he was coming.
"Vincent, you've gotta see my training setup. This is where the magic happens."
Ryan swings open the gym door like he's revealing buried treasure.
I'm shaking as I follow them in. He's about to show off the bag that contains my chopped-up body.
"Look at this beauty—150 pounds of pure training perfection. Posted a workout video this morning and it's already blown up on social media."
Ryan gives the bag a casual push. It rocks back and forth, and Vincent steps closer, actually reaches out to feel the material.
"Impressive stuff. No wonder you stay in such good shape."
"I call it method training. You can't fake being an action star, Vincent. Every day I'm in here, working this bag, building real strength."
Dad's standing inches from my remains and doesn't feel a thing.
Vincent checks his watch. "Well, I don't want to mess up your routine. Tell Ruby to swing by the house soon, will you?"
"Absolutely. Ruby's always talking about you and Elena. Family means everything to her."
Ryan walks him all the way to the car, waving until Vincent's out of sight. Then he closes the door and smirks like he just pulled off the con of the century.
Vincent's driving back to the studio, and I can feel his mood souring. He's happy I might be getting work, but pissed that I didn't give him a heads-up.
"How'd it go? Did you see Ruby?" Elena hurries out of Stella's fitting room, eyes bright with hope.
"Nope. She was off auditioning for some TV show."
The way he says it, you'd think I'd insulted his mother.
Stella's trying on this killer Chanel dress, but she's watching Dad's face like a hawk. "You seem annoyed."
"She knew I was coming today. Couldn't even stick around to say hello."
Elena looks genuinely confused. "That doesn't sound like Ruby. She'd never just take off without telling us."
She pulls out her phone and dials my number. Gets the automated message about the phone being turned off.
Tries again. Same thing.
"That's weird. Her phone's dead."
Now Vincent's really steamed. "Won't even answer her phone. What's that supposed to mean?"
Stella, looking like a million bucks in that dress, sits down and crosses her legs. "Maybe Ruby's finally showing her true colors. Four years married to a Hollywood star—she probably thinks she's too good for us now."
Marcus walks out of his office. "Why does everyone look ready to kill someone?"
Elena's voice gets sharp. "Your sister's forgotten how to be respectful."
Stella puts on this thoughtful expression, like she's solving a puzzle. "I think Ruby might actually resent us. At the Golden Globes, I got all the media attention. Maybe that got under her skin."
"We're the same age, you know? She's probably wondering why I'm winning awards while she's stuck playing housewife."
"Ruby doesn't think like that," Elena protests. "She's never been jealous of your success."
"Mom, really think about it. She's been talking divorce nonstop lately. Always complaining about Ryan. What if she wasn't actually being abused? What if she's just... bored?"
Vincent's eyebrows go up. "What are you getting at?"
"I think Ruby wants back in the entertainment world. She wants to compete with me. So she's cutting ties with family, trying to prove she doesn't need our support."
Marcus slams his hand on the desk. "If that's what she's doing, she's got some nerve. We gave her everything for twenty-five years."
Elena stands up, her face flushed. "We're going over there right now. She needs to explain herself."
Vincent nods hard. "Damn right. Time for a reality check."
"Stella, shopping's canceled. We're all going to have words with Ruby."
"But I haven't finished trying on—"
"Sweetheart, this is bigger than dresses. Ruby needs to learn about family loyalty," Vincent says, patting Stella's shoulder.
"I'll drive," Marcus says, grabbing his keys. "Let's see just how high and mighty she's gotten."
All four of them are fired up now, thanks to Stella's little performance. They think I'm deliberately disrespecting them. Nobody's considering that maybe, just maybe, something's wrong.
I'm watching Stella work them like puppets, and I know she's won again.
Back at the house, Lily's been hungry for two solid days. She's crawling around the kitchen floor, picking up bits of stale bread like a little mouse.
Every sound makes her freeze. She's learned to be invisible around Ryan.
She walks over to the punching bag and stares up at it.
"Mommy," she whispers. "Lily's tummy hurts."
Watching my baby talk to my corpse is breaking whatever's left of my heart.
My sweet girl. They're coming, but not to save you. They're coming to give Mommy a piece of their mind.