Samuel raised his voice. "Suicide? Only a housewife like you would fall for that nonsense! She's just trying to scare you. Don't you get it? This arts performance is a big deal. My boss is going to be there as a guest presenter, and I already told him Ruby would be performing! If you mess up my promotion, just wait and see what I'll do to you!"
"Samuel, Ruby is our daughter, not a tool for your promotion!"
I screamed this at the top of my lungs, then calmly stopped the recording.
Since Samuel cheated and we got divorced, our relationship had been terrible.
He always claimed his business was struggling, so he wouldn't pay the agreed child support.
I never told Ruby about it because I didn't want her to feel hurt.
Who would've thought Ruby would believe I was some kind of psycho, deliberately keeping her from her father?
Ruby put all her resentment on me while holding onto fantasies about Samuel.
After I died, she bought Samuel a car and a house, getting cozy with his mistress while basking in their so-called "family love."
"Huh, not in this life. I won't keep anything from her this time.
I'm curious to see how their deep father-daughter bond plays out."
5
Ruby came back three days later.
She looked exhausted but in great spirits, likely from spending time with that blonde kid.
When she saw me, she actually looked a bit guilty.
She pouted, saying she felt much better now and was ready to go back to school, as if I'd been forcing her to go all along.
"Mom, I'm hungry," Ruby said, holding her stomach. "Can I have some fried chicken?"
She looked timid, like asking for fried chicken might get her slapped.
In my past life, she'd asked me this in front of others several times, and I always said, "No."
Back then, I didn't notice the shocked looks from others, which later became key evidence for her smear campaign against me.
But Ruby had a tendency to gain weight and a love for snacks. How could she manage her figure without strict control?
Some dancers maintained their figures by eating only vegetables, but I felt sorry for her and didn't want to go that route.
I carefully researched balanced meals that were healthy and filling. A clean diet kept her slim and her skin clear.
Ruby thought I was abusing her by not taking her out to eat. She didn't realize the steaks and organic corn I bought cost more than plenty of fried chicken meals.
In this life, I'm not playing that fool's role again.