Vivian POV
“Vivian” Ruth called as she stepped out of the car, two hefty accompanied her. Her sinister voice was one I could recognize anywhere. The mockery evident in her tone was so obvious that even I could easily sense it. Ruth wasn’t just my husband first love, she was also my senior and bully during college and when I had found out that she was in a relationship with Max, I knew there was no space for me. Ruth was a pretty manipulative girl and I am not surprised how she got entangled with Max.
I stood up from where I sat, gathering myself together and ignoring her degrading stare at me. The best way to avoid the situation was silence so I ignored and walked past her, standing closely to the main road to flag down a cab. I hadn’t taken two step walks when I felt my arm pulled roughly back and I instantly stumbled and fell on my ass.
“Who do you think you are to ignore me Vivian? Have you suddenly forgotten what I can do to you right now?” She threatened with a heightened pitch voice, her hand stuck on the strands of my hair and yanking it roughly.
I winced painfully on the ground, grabbing her own hands and forcing it out of my hair and in the course of that, few strands of my frontals was pulled off.
“Next time, that would teach you to know your guts, whenever and however” She snapped angrily and turned to walk into the mansion. In that moment, my insides burned immensely with anger seeing the few strands of my hair littered on the floor.
I scrambled up from the floor and rushed after her, I didn’t care of the consequences I would incur later but I was not one to be easily tripped over. As if sensing my retaliation, she turned sharply to face me and I instantly landed a slap on her cheeks. The heaviness of my hit resonated and resounded, forcing her to stumble back on her feet to catch a grasp of what I did.
“Did you just hit me Vivian? ” She inquired, her eyes blazing furiously, trying to shed off the pain and the tear flicks in her eyes.
“That will tell you never ever to mess with me, anywhere Ruth Conells” I snapped back and whirled immediately to walk out but her guards blocked my path, immediately ceasing me in their grip.
“Let me go, right now! ” I yelled at them, stomping my feet on the ground angrily and wriggling in their hold to get out but they gripped me even more fiercely, a jolt of pain shot through my arms as their fingers sank into my skin, crushing my muscles.
Ruth stepped closer towards me, and using her pinky finger, she raised my chin high to stare directly at her eyes “You will always be a loser Vivian. Both then and Now” She spat with malice, tightening her grip on my jaw as if forcing them to open but I refused to let out the pain that shot through me.
“Now, this would teach you never in your life lay hands on the future wife of Max Norman” She taunted, knowing mentioning Max’s name was the best way to break me and it worked. My eyes mustered with tears but I blinked them back immediately and she raised her hands to slap me but just then, the familiar voice of my ex-husband came. “Stop Ruth. Don’t hit her!” He thundered from behind. His hands was tugged into his pockets as he lazily walked towards us. Instantly, the guards holding me left me and I staggered a bit to regain my stance.
He walked past Ruth and stood directly in front of me ” Don’t you think you no longer have the right to fight here Vivian? Or do you still think you’re the wife of Max Norman?” He asked, his voice held sarcasm and jest and my heart stung painfully at his words.
Nothing had broken me more than this. For once, I had thought maybe he got a bit of conscience to defend me but all of that had also been a wrong perception of Max.
He really hated me and wanted me out of his life. Even when it was obvious I was the victim, he took the sides of his ex-girlfriend.
What was I expecting? For Max to side with me or sympathize with me? Maybe perhaps scream at his beautiful girlfriend because of me? All of that was impossible. As far as I knew Max, he would never stoop so low to support someone as pathetic as me who had only trapped him in a loveless marriage.
Wiping the few drops of tear in my eyes, I smiled wryly at him and spoke up ” You don’t surprise me anymore Max. For a man who had sex with me on the same day he divorced me, what am I expecting, any less?” I mocked, a hinge of excitement etched in my tone as I saw that my words affected him. He clenched his fists beside him tightly, a glint of rage crossed in his pupils but I cared less if he was angry or not.
I stepped back in two walks, my gaze falling in between Max and Ruth as if in a scrutiny jest and I chuckled ” Good luck to you both” I finally said as I turned and walked towards where my suitcase sat on the floor and pulled it up. Dragging it sluggishly with me in a desperate attempt, I crossed the other side of the road to wait patiently for a cab. I could still feel their gaze on me. My mind was racing with different thoughts and questions.
How would I start all over again? My father clearly didn’t want anything to do with me. As long as he was concerned, I was a dead daughter but then, there was only one person that would still be waiting for me with wide arms to run into his embrace.
I instantly lowered my suitcase on the ground, unlocking the side closure zip it had and pulled out a small phone.
Glancing at the screen for a few minutes, I finally dialed a number and after three rings, the call connected.
“I lost old man, you were right” I said with a shaky voice.