Chapter 53

I dusted my pajamas and walked slowly into our apartment, like a wounded kitten. I had a smile on my face because it was fun disappearing and reappearing without anyone noticing. I however hoped mom had not realized that I left the house.

Immediately I got into the living room, I realized that she hadn't, because she was still talking to Cameron, in their room. And no, not softly, like before. It seemed they were arguing about something now, and it was heating up already. Their door was still slightly open, that was why I knew, because if it were closed, I wouldn't hear a thing(it was soundproof). I put my ear on the keyhole and listened attentively.

"You know you can't do that to me, Ruby! We both don't have anyone besides ourselves!" He sounded both hurt and upset, but not as angry as it sounded from the outside. I relaxed a bit when I saw that mom had the upper hand. What were they talking about?

"Yeah, I don't have a mother or father, but I got someone who loves me. He's been making me happy and giving me many reasons to be alive. He's such a darling, unlike you.

As I speak with you, he's planning how our honeymoon will be like, because as soon as I leave you, I'm marrying him!" Mom spoke indignantly and the revelation of the whole issue started to dawn on me. Not the whole thing, but now, I knew that Cameron hurt mom and she could not forgive him, and that's why she wants to divorce him. Only I don't know exactly what his offence was.

Their voices were loud, but you could only hear whispers if you didn't stay by their door.

"Please, Ruby. Give me some time to change. I'll be a better husband and a better father to our kids, I promise"

That moment, I knew I had to intervene. I had read about how some kids were greatly affected by the divorce of their parents. There were some kids in my school with separated parents and they didn't look happy at all. They were always quiet, or upset, or withdrawn..I didn't want to be like that. Neither did I want my sister's to grow up with a man who wasn't their biological father.

I opened the door slowly and walked in. It was the first time I ever walked in their matrimonial room without fear.

"Daddy" I said. He was kneeling before mom, with his head buried into her thighs. Mom was sitting on the bed, fully dressed now, in a blue tank top and black leggings, and looking out the window. She seemed to be stopping some tears.

As soon as I said, "Daddy", Cameron lifted his head and looked at me. There was so much shock and disbelief written clearly on his face. I thought I used to call him that normally. Mom wiped her own tears with the hem of their bedspread, and looked in my direction too. Cameron's mouth shivered, as if he wanted to say something, but no words were coming out. He looked like he'd burst into uncontrollable tears.

I went over to them and rubbed their hairs. Then I knelt before mom, like Cameron did, and said carefully, "Mom, please forgive Dad. No matter what he has done, please let there be peace. I don't want you to divorce him because divorce is not good for me and my sisters"

Mom started to cry because it was so confusing. I used to support her in this. She felt like a villain that moment.

"Please forgive him" I said again, completely burying my head in her thighs too. Cameron's head was locking with mine. Maybe I was saving their marriage or maybe I was doing the most dangerous thing ever, I didn't know. All I knew was, I had a mother and father whom I wanted together, forever.

"Get up darling" Mom said to me, after about three minutes of crying so uncontrollably. She was still sulking and her husband was still pleading.

"Get up, Ariana" she said again, but I didn't listen.

"I'll be here until you give us a response. Look, mom, he's sorry!" I said pointing at Cameron's face which was full of unshed tears. He looked like he wanted to cry but couldn't. This man must have had a very rough past. I hardly knew anything about him, other than he was a wealthy businessman and model, and my biological father.

Mom got up slowly and said, "It's okay. Please guys, get up, please get up" repeatedly. We reluctantly did, and immediately I was up on my feet, Cameron scooped me up into his arms and started to shed tears. I felt his tears on my bare skin especially my neck because apart from my face, only my neck was bare. I've never seen him cry until that day, and to be honest, the tears looked real.

He looked like someone who was wrestling against a bigger power. He tries to subdue the power, but the power controls him all the time.

He actually cried for almost thirty minutes. I'm sure it was the reason he fell sick, some days after. I never knew he had some emotions left in him, to be honest. That day, everything that happened in their room was real.

"We'll try again" Mom said, after everyone was quiet. The silence in the room carried so much noise. We all had something in our heads to say, but silence communicated those words more.

"Thank you sweetheart" Cameron said, hanging his hand over her shoulder. "Thank you so much"

"But I'm not promising you anything. I'm not promising to stay either. I just said, we'll try again. That means, I'll put all my plans on hold, to see if it will work out, if our marriage will work out or not" she said defiantly. She seemed to be concerned that I was there, but there was no need hiding it from me anymore. Besides the fact that I already knew about her planning a divorce, I also was extremely smart and mature. Like I said, once or twice in this book, I was eight but I acted like I was fifteen or eighteen.

"We can definitely pick up our pieces, Ruby. It's possible. I'll try my best to make it work. I'll stop being so foolish this time, I promise" he held her hands in his, very firmly and bore his eyes into hers. Mom stared deep into his eyes too, and I knew what she was thinking.

He was too handsome. Actually.

Mom was wishing in her mind that he'd stay true to his words and there'd be no need for separating, I was certain. It was obvious that mom's intention was not to cut short her marriage halfway, but she was taking a very bold step away from it, because it brought her pain. She had really tried every means to make her and Cameron work. But it had all been futile. He himself needed some trying to do.