Filed to story: Second Chance Mafia Bride Drama Novel
“Oh, so you’re talking back now? Do you even realize what you did to Rubina?”
Rubina had just returned from the hospital and was now lying pale and fragile on the living room sofa. Nora sat beside her, dabbing her forehead with a damp towel, her face etched with worry.
When Nora caught sight of Serena, her eyes rimmed with red, disappointment written all over her face. “Serena! I have never treated you differently-not once. I’ve always loved you like my own daughter. Is this how you repay me? How could you be so cruel to Rubina?”
Serena met her gaze, voice steady. “And what exactly did I do to her?”
Gabriel’s anger boiled over. “You left your sister in the water for hours! She’s come down with a fever because of you! And you still won’t admit it?”
Rubina let out a frail sob, tears welling up as she spoke, “Serena, I know you did it on purpose! I just don’t understand… What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so much?”
Seeing Rubina in that state only made Gabriel more furious. He snatched a glass from the coffee table and hurled it at Serena’s feet. The glass shattered, spraying shards across the floor.
Pointing toward the broken glass, Gabriel barked, “Get on your knees! You’re not getting up until you properly apologize to Rubina and earn her forgiveness!”
Serena stepped back from the shards that nearly grazed her legs. Her eyes grew cold.
She shot her father a mocking look. “So a little swim and a fever are enough to make you rage like this? Funny… When I was a kid and Rubina pushed me into the freezing lake-when my fever spiked to a hundred and four-you didn’t seem half this upset.”
“If I remember right, you didn’t even make Rubina apologize. Instead, you blamed me for getting so sick and scaring her, didn’t you?”
Thinking back on it, she could hardly believe those words had come from her own father.
“I’m your daughter, Dad. Rubina is just your stepdaughter. The way you treat us, anyone watching would think she’s your real child and I’m the adopted one.”
Gabriel’s face darkened, his guilt flashing for just a moment before he slammed his hand onto the table. “Watch your mouth! Say that again and see what happens!”
Serena met his glare without fear. “Did I say anything that wasn’t true?”
“You-!” Gabriel struggled for words, his face shifting from red to pale and back again. “Rubina didn’t mean to! That was an accident-this is completely different!”
“Oh, so when she does something, it’s always unintentional, but if I do it, I’m the villain?” Serena let out a bitter laugh, then turned her gaze to Rubina. “Honestly, I thought you’d at least have the decency to apologize to me today, Rubina. But it seems you’re not even going to mention it.”
Rubina’s face went blank, as if she’d misheard. Apologize? Shouldn’t Serena be the one apologizing to her?
“Don’t you think you should?” Serena crossed her arms, a cold smile on her lips. “Back when Lady Salerno from the Salerno family accused me of being uncultured-said I must have grown up without a mother, that I had no manners- what did you do as my sister? I thought you’d stand up for me. Instead, you apologized on my behalf, making it sound like her insults were true.”
She tilted her head, her tone cutting. “Should I really be asking what your motives were, Rubina?”
“Why do you think Logan-Mr. Salerno’s assistant-threw you into the water in the first place? Wasn’t it because your own actions made him think you were one of the people picking on me? I mean, who would ever imagine my own sister would side with strangers calling me names? Isn’t that right?”
Gabriel was stunned-this was the first he’d heard of any of this.
His expression darkened. “Evie, is what Serena said true?”
He’d always favored Rubina, but Serena was his daughter too-he couldn’t simply ignore her.
“I… I didn’t! I would never!” Rubina’s eyes welled with tears as she met Gabriel’s searching gaze. She shook her head furiously, voice trembling in denial.
Serena spoke up, her tone sharp. “Did you or didn’t you? There were plenty of people at the party that night. You think everyone there was blind and deaf? Anyone could tell you what happened.”
Rubina’s face froze.
Her head dropped, and she avoided Gabriel’s eyes, her voice small and pitiful. “I was just trying to apologize on Serena’s behalf. She’d upset Elder Mrs. Salerno with something she said, and I didn’t want her to get into trouble. I only spoke up because I was worried about her! I never thought Serena would see it that way…”
Gabriel’s resolve wavered, uncertainty flickering across his face.
Internally, Serena scoffed at Rubina’s paper-thin excuse, cutting in without sympathy.
“I’m Mrs. Salerno. Elder Mrs. Salerno should be the one trying to get on my good side. Even if I had been in the wrong-which I wasn’t-what right would she have to blame me?”
Gabriel’s brows drew together. Serena had a point. Why would there have been any need to apologize to Elder Mrs. Salerno in the first place?
Rubina forced a brittle smile. “I was just flustered, I didn’t think it through…”
“So, shouldn’t you be apologizing to me?” Serena interrupted. Rubina bit her lip.
Nora jumped in, trying to smooth things over. “Serena, Evie said she didn’t mean any harm…”
“Oh? So if it’s not intentional, there’s no need to apologize? Isn’t that why you called me back today-to make me apologize? But now that it turns out she’s the one at fault, suddenly apologies don’t matter?”
Nora fell silent, at a loss for words.
“So this is how it is?” Serena pressed, turning to Gabriel. “Dad, I’m your daughter too, aren’t I?”
Gabriel’s face was grim. “Evie, apologize to your sister.”
Rubina dug her nails into her palm, forcing a stiff smile. “…Serena, I’m sorry.”
Serena gave a nonchalant nod, as if she were doing Rubina a favor by accepting.
Rubina could have screamed with frustration. She gritted her teeth. “Serena, I’ve apologized to you-don’t you think you owe me one, too? You pushed me into the pool. Don’t you think you should say sorry?”
She glared at Serena, waiting for her to insist it wasn’t on purpose-then Rubina could throw it back in her face: she hadn’t meant it either, but she’d apologized, hadn’t she?
Serena saw right through her. With a faint smile, she reached for her phone. “Sure, I can do that. I’ll give Logan a call right now.”
“…Why would you call Logan?”
“You want an apology, right? He’s the one who pushed you in. If you want someone to say sorry, it ought to come from him.”
She started dialing. “Or is Logan’s apology not good enough for you? Maybe I should call Mr. Salerno instead. Logan works for him, after all-surely some of the blame falls on his shoulders, too…”
She wasn’t bluffing; it was clear she meant to go through with it.
Gabriel and Rubina both went pale.
“Wait!” Gabriel hastily interjected. “Let’s just drop it, all right? If no one meant any harm, there’s no need for apologies.”
Mr. Salerno himself? Asking him to apologize? Was Rubina out of her mind?
Even Logan-he was Mr. Salerno’s right-hand man. People went out of their way to stay on his good side; who would ever demand an apology from him?
“Really, you don’t need anything?” Serena asked, a hint of disappointment coloring her voice.
“No,” Gabriel replied, his tone flat and final.
Serena turned to Rubina. “Rubina?”
Rubina clenched her jaw so tightly she almost cracked a tooth. This little witch was doing it on purpose, she was sure of it.
But all she could do was force a tight smile. “No, I’m fine…”
“Alright then.” Serena sighed and tucked her phone away.
She glanced at the clock, her patience clearly wearing thin. “Anything else? If not,
I’m heading back. Mr. Salerno is waiting for me at home.”
This place hadn’t felt like home in ages-she didn’t want to stay a second longer than necessary.