Chapter 12 After we got discharged , I made sure the timing was perfect . Torren's car was already waiting outside the hospital , sleek and polished like a promise . And of course , the paparazzi were there , just how I wanted them . I held Jude close , wrapped in a soft designer blanket with the Massaro emblem stitched right on the edge . I " accidentally " let my sunglasses slide down enough for them to get a full shot of my face . No makeup , just glowing skin and that perfect tired - mother look . Vulnerable but stunning . The kind of image that wins sympathy and clicks . Torren stepped out like some dutiful man , walking ahead of us , then turning back and placing a hand gently on my lower back for the cameras . What a performance . " This is Ruby and Jude , " he told the reporters crowding the hospital entrance . " They're family . That's all you need to know . " I almost smiled . Almost . We slid into the car like royalty . Jude was quiet in the backseat beside me , clutching the little plush dog I bought him earlier . His eyes darted toward the crowd outside . " Why are they taking pictures , Mommy? " I adjusted his collar and kissed his cheek . " Because we're news now , baby . The world wants to know who we are . Let them look . " The next few days blurred fast . Back at the Massaro mansion , I moved quickly . The house still stank of Therese . Her scent lingered in the curtains , her voice in the way the staff hesitated when speaking to me . I hated that . I hated her invisible presence more than I hated her face . So I started the cleaning . The old housekeeper ? Gone . I told Torren she made me uncomfortable . The driver that once drove Therese to charity events ? Fired . Said he made comments about my figure . The cook who kept serving Jude boiled vegetables ? Replaced with a younger one who understood how to take instructions without asking questions . I brought in my own people … girls who owed me , men who feared me . Maids that knew how to stay silent . Staff who accepted extra cash in envelopes and didn't blink when I said , " Burn that photo . Don't ask whose . " One morning , while Torren was out at meetings , I stood in the grand hallway and watched as two workers pulled down Therese's enormous wedding portrait . God , it was hideous . All white lace and fake smiles . She looked like she was holding her breath . I sipped my tea and pointed at the wall . " Replace it with that photo from Jude's birthday . The one where I wore that gold dress . " He Left Me for Dead . Now He Beas Me for Mercy ,, 。 ༢༩༠༠ 22:08 Sun , Aug 10 49 % X And they did . Just like that . Now there we were , the three of us . Me , Torren , and Jude smiling like the perfect little family . Jude had cake on his chin in the photo . I made sure they didn't edit it out . It made us look " real . " ** 4 Later that afternoon , Jude and I were walking down the staircase when he looked up at the new portrait . " Mommy ," he whispered , tugging on my hand . " That picture … It looks like we live here now . " I crouched down , smoothed his hair , and smiled . " That's because we do , baby . This house ? Soon it'll be ours . His wealth , his name , all of it . You won't ever have to be scared again . No more hiding . No more running from your useless father who used to beat me till I bled . " Jude frowned a little . " What if that Therese comes back ? What if she brings that Cleo with her ? " I chuckled softly . Then harder . Then I laughed until I had to hold my stomach . " Oh baby , " I leaned down and whispered in his ear , " Cleo's already dead . That ash in the urn you saw ? That was him . He's not coming back . And Therese ? She's nothing without him ." Jude blinked , then grinned wide . " Really ? So she's all alone now ? " " Just a shadow , " I said sweetly , brushing his cheek with my thumb . " And you know what we do with shadows , right ? " He nodded . " We don't look back . " " Exactly , " I said . " That's my boy . " I kissed his forehead and stood up tall . " But listen to Mommy carefully now . Never speak of Therese again . Not to me , not to Torren , not even in your dreams . She's gone . We buried her with her lies . " Jude zipped his lips with his fingers , then threw away the invisible key . Good . He was learning . I looked back at our photo on the wall . Therese was erased . I was blooming . And my son ? He was becoming the perfect prince of a kingdom I would steal . ** THERESE'S POV It's been two days I'm here on my father's estate , and everything still feels like it's holding its breath . The Calderon estate is cold in ways I forgot . And I clearly remember , I was just stepping out of the car when I saw her . Fleur . Chapter 12 2/3 354 % 22:08 Sun , Aug 10 49 % D X - She stood at the gates like she owned the world . Her hair was perfect , her dress worth more than most people's monthly salary , and those sunglasses were just for show . She didn't need them . She always liked watching people flinch . She smiled when she saw me . That slow kind of smile that doesn't reach the eyes . " Back to the cage , sister ? " she asked , voice sugar - slick and fake sweet . " The runaway bride finally returns . Oh wait , no longer a wife , huh ? Just the beat - up ex of the great Torren Massaro . " I didn't answer her . I just tightened my grip on the luggage handle and walked past . She followed me , of course . " You look … tired , " she said . " Was prison life that hard or was it just the betrayal ? Or maybe the fact your husband dumped you for a whore who replaced you in bed , and in the family portrait ? " I paused only for a second at the word " family , " but I didn't give her what she wanted . I kept walking . 22.08 Aug 49 %