On His Knees

Micah's arm jerked uncontrollably, but he refused to cry. He raised his head, his swollen eyes glaring at Ruby, who stood flawless and composed.

He yelled indignantly, "My mom isn't disgusting! She's the best mom in the world. You're a horrible person. Don't you dare hurt her!"

Then, he bit down hard on Ruby, hoping to make her retreat.

Ruby, already enraged, snapped. She drove her stiletto heel into Micah's stomach.

"You wretched brat!" she barked.

I screamed and lunged forward, trying to protect Micah. But he phased through my ghostly form and crashed against the wall, blood spurting from his mouth. Still, he wouldn't cry.

His hand fumbled weakly across the floor. "T-The blanket… Mom needs the blanket…"

Ruby wasn't finished. She set her dog down and strode over, striking Micah across the face.

"Ruby?"

Walter's voice, full of shock, froze everyone in place.

Micah's hollow eyes suddenly brightened, his cracked lips barely forming the word. "Dad…"

Walter took a step forward, but Ruby turned and stopped him. "Walter, I was just looking for you."

She laughed sweetly and motioned for the bodyguards to block Micah from sight before pressing herself against Walter.

Walter picked up on something strange and frowned. "Ruby, is that Micah on the floor? Did you hit him?"

Ruby's eyes flickered, and tears instantly spilled down her cheeks. "Walter, I'm sorry. You weren't here when Micah came in yelling terrible things at me. I don't know who told him to do it.

"I tried to ignore him, but he knocked me down. You know I'm still recovering from surgery. The doctor said—"

Walter's expression darkened, his skepticism turning to anger. "Nadia isn't doing right by him. You're already in a fragile state. If he knocked you down and made things worse, I'll ensure they pay for it."

I stood before Walter, frantic to defend Micah. "No, Micah didn't! He's innocent. Ruby is deceiving you!"

Micah must have heard him because he struggled to speak through the pain. "Dad—"

A bodyguard immediately covered his mouth, cutting him off.

Walter paused at the voice and was about to turn to look. "Was that Micah?"

Ruby's expression flashed with anger before she put on a brave face and released Walter's arm. "Go to him. I'll be fine. Even after he caused my heart attack... even after he nearly took me from you for good... he's still just a child. I've forgiven him."

Her words erased any remaining doubt in Walter's eyes. He gave a sharp, mirthless laugh and walked away without looking back.

"Fine. If Nadia can't handle her own kid, Ruby, you deal with him. A child must be disciplined. Nadia will spoil him beyond repair if he's left unchecked. I'll be waiting upstairs."

As Walter left, Micah writhed desperately in the bodyguards' grip.

Ruby stepped forward and struck him again, her blows relentless. His face was swollen and bloody, his lips split. Yet no matter how much she hit him, he refused to let go of the blanket in his arms.

Ruby wasn't done yet. She dragged her long nails over the corner of Micah's eye. "You wretched brat. You're just like your disgusting mother."

I lunged at her like a maniac. My hands grabbed for her throat, but it was no use. Falling to my knees, I broke down sobbing, begging Ruby to spare my child. But that was pointless, too.

The helpless fury burned inside me. Why had I died so soon? Why couldn't I protect Micah?

The abuse only ended when Ruby's dog let out a whimper.

She ran her hand over its smooth coat and murmured, "Sweetheart, did that scare you?"