Ruby...was...imaginary?

Corrine blinked. Her mind eased back to the first seven years of her life...wondering if the Ruby she knew and grew up with, the Ruby she shared all her toys with and enjoyed all the seasons of the year together...the Ruby who died in her place and bled out on the road to death was not real.

Then what exactly was real to her?

Was she even real?

Were those seven years real memories or a silly figment of her wild imagination?

Corrine gasped, returning to the present. Her eyes were cold enough to freeze steam.

There was nothing that could have made her angrier than this.

The audacity of this woman.

She knew her parents never liked either of them, even when they were children, but she didn’t know her poor Ruby wasn’t even real to them.

Corrine stumbled back as her entire world started to fall apart brick by brick. It felt like a peak of a terrible show that left her speechless that she would rather die than to see the end of it.

Her entire body quivered, shoulders rising and falling, hands clenching tight until they hurt, eyes wide like a puppet in horror at such a devastating lie.

She took care of her Ruby.

She fed her and taught her how to ride a bike even if they will both end up in the ditch together.

They laughed together.

They cried together.

She will hold on to her when the storm gets worse and frightens her to sleep. Ruby read most of her favourite bedtime stories to her.

Hell, they even once travelled to China together. On the same plane with her eighteen years ago.

Corrine’s brow knitted together as the pain never reached its end.

It was indeed unforgivable.

There was no limit to these human sins and she hopes she ends up in a place deeper than hell soon.

’’S–s–so...you mean...you have always had one daughter all this while?’’ Corrine said, her voice wavering as tears flowed endlessly down her face. She had always known they will one day do something that will make it impossible to forgive them.

What even made it worse was how genuine the woman’s confusion was at her daughter. It terrified Catherine Ashworth that whatever entity had lived with her daughter all these years was so real and convincing enough to deceive her poor baby of being an Ashworth as well.

It was even scarier to think of the possibility of having a child she has no idea about. A twin, to make matters even worse.

Catherine didn’t want to say anything else that might upset her daughter further but at the same time, she believed it was time she outgrow that sick obsession for a phantom relative and move on from it.

Neal always assured them that she will grow tired of it soon and they shouldn’t mind the silly words of a seven year old of having a twin sister.

’’She’ll come to accept reality soon that she has always been alone, like she was made to be forever.’’

Catherine shifted, almost collapsing as fresh tears moved out of the corner of her eyes.

’’It’s just a mental phase every child her age goes through,’’ Lyzer said, backing up his brother’s words that day. ’’Corrine isn’t sick. She is fine. Let’s indulge her a bit to live in her imaginary world. When it’s time to face the real world, the ridiculous twin sister will have to leave.’’

Catherine gasped, feeling a sharp tang of pain in her chest.

Just what exactly have those monsters done to her daughter...

Her eyes flickered about briefly in horror.

But, she was desperate to play the good mother this time. To help her daughter out of whatever darkness they had let attach to her for so long she could no longer distinguish what was real and what was fake.

She took a slow step towards Corrine, reaching for her hands again and said as sincerely as she could.

’’Sweetheart, you do not have a twin sister. You never had and you never will. On the day of your birth, I came home with only one birth certificate to prove your existence—’’

Corrine pulled her hands and stepped away, sealing both her ears tight shut as she has heard just enough to hurt her for a lifetime.

She only wished Ruby’s spirit wasn’t here to hear her own mother deny her existence without shame.

If Ruby never existed to them, then it’s fine.

She will always be the best, big sister, the mother and the father she will want to have again in her next life.

’’Please, leave.’’

’’Corrine,’’ Catherine pleaded with her daughter once more. But she turned around and continued her journey towards her office. Bringing her right hand to wipe the tears that fell freely from her face.

’’Corrine!’’ The woman cried, screaming her name constantly like a mad woman as she walked away bravely without looking back.

I don’t ever want to see any of you again in my life or the next after this.

She entered the building feeling betrayed and her will to live on slipping away.

She stared down at her hands in shame, wondering what she had done to deserve this kind of existence. This kind of life and parents who never loved her.

I hope everyone that dares deny Ruby’s existence burns.

I hope they never see the light of the day again.

She stepped into the elevator, feeling this unbearable pain from her head to toe.

And mother, I hope you live long enough to regret this moment.

The doors to the elevator slid shut and Corrine never imagined that day had more than one heartbreak to give.

☆☆☆

The day was nearing its end and Corrine had just completed the first draft of the outline of the story she will be submitting to this contest.

She leaned back on her chair, rubbing the back of her neck slightly as she stared at the words written on the screen of her laptop, reading through it again before she was satisfied with what she had done.

For a while, she wondered why Malachi hadn’t contacted her again ever since that tragic date night two days ago.

She didn’t blame him if he wanted to avoid her completely after what that bastard did that evening.

The thought of him alone was sufficient enough to trigger the tumors in her head and made her nauseous.

She wondered if she should go to the next floor above hers and apologise for having her intern ruin their time together.

And how the hell was she supposed to explain that?

That she had full control over all her workers except one.

Corrine looked away briefly, her eyes moving over to the empty desk in the main office area and glared at it as if desperate enough to set it ablaze.

She half-expected him to show up to work today so she can hit him again, harder this time right after filing a restraining order on him and his entire brainwashed minions hired to watch her every move.

Why wasn’t he even here yet?

The muffled bustling of the streets outside filled the silence of her empty office as she leaned back completely on her seat, swaying sideways a bit on it.

Seriously, why wasn’t he here yet?

Does he also have a strange medical condition she was yet to know about?

Corrine eyed his seat like she would if he was there.

Then she remembered those golden eyes and swore his fore teeth were long enough to name him a predator.

Corrine scoffed softly at the thought.

What was he now? Some kind of medieval vampire from ancient times or shapeshifters like Lin always try to convince them of their existence.

The one that lurks the street in search of a soul to feed on.

The ones currently making a mess of this world and rumoured to even have a special, secret seat in the White House as well.

Corrine found herself smiling at the silly conspiracy. She missed them all so much and she was not yet used to not having them around.

Everywhere feels unbearably cold, empty and silent. If a pen should fall, it echoes all around her and she thought of retiring home for the day. She was already stressed enough and happy she could still make it to work today and achieve something meaningful. She was shutting down her system, preparing to leave when this warm heat spread all over her lips as she thought about that kiss they shared.

Her first kiss.

It aroused a feeling within her that she could not describe and no matter how busy or distracted she tried to make herself, she couldn’t stop her body from wanting more.

God forbid, Corrine...what is wrong with you?

She swallowed, blinking that perverse image from her mind and frowning when she kept thinking about it.

His lips on hers, soft and in perfect sync. Like they were made for each other...she cleared her throat and rose from her seat, leaving her office briefly to use the restroom.

After splashing enough water on her face to leave it deathly pale, she straightened from the restroom sink glaring hard at the mirror.

I will make him pay dearly for stealing my first kiss.

Yeah, he was going to suffer once she got her hands on him again.

She wiped her hands clean on a fresh, disposable towel before stepping out of the public restroom, her heels clicking hard and echoing in the silence of the empty floor of the building.

She suddenly realized how many enemies she had to destroy.

Though she wouldn’t consider him her enemy.

Just one annoying yet persistent creep she wants to get rid of.

Corrine entered her office again and froze when a certain static noise could be heard from the inner office. The one she was currently using as her private work space.

The air throughout the room felt strange and much colder. Unearthly even and not welcoming. She paused when she remembered that she locked the door before stepping out earlier.

She stepped back slightly, looking both sideways of the empty and poorly lit hallways of the floor.

There was no one except her.

She blinked, thinking if her tumors were capable of making her believe things she never did.

She shrugged it off, pushing the door inside to enter and paused when a text from a familiar contact buzzed through her phone. It was already eight fifteen in the night. Who would be texting her so...

Can we talk?

Please.

Corrine blinked, her eyes almost falling out in disbelief.

H–Henry?

But the noise coming from her office bothered her so much that Henry could wait until she was sure of what was making such noise.

Corrine stepped in fully this time.

And it turned out to be one of her biggest mistakes.