Yvonne rose from her seat, planting her fists on the table before her. “Say another word about Ruby, and I will end you.”

Yvonne glared at him, her fists clenched and her body tense. It was taking all her effort not to unleash the full force of her anger on him.

Nicholas smirked. “I don’t see what the problem is. I’m just being honest.” He turned to Ruby. “That’s what you escorts do, isn’t it? Whore yourselves out for money? How much is she paying you to fuck her?”

Rage boiled up inside Yvonne. Before she could say a word, she felt Ruby’s hand on hers.

“It’s okay, Yvonne,” Ruby said. “You don’t need to defend me.”

“Yes, I do.” Yvonne took in a breath, steadying herself. “So what if Ruby is an escort? That doesn’t make her any less deserving of your respect. Ruby is my wife. We are in a committed relationship. You need to respect that.”

For what had to be the first time ever, Alice looked cowed.

Nicholas, however, did not. “I don’t believe you for a second.” He scoffed. “You’re so desperate, you had to pay someone to marry you? In ten years, you couldn’t even find someone who actually wanted to be with you. You’re pathetic.”

Next to her, Ruby began to speak.

But Yvonne cut her off. “I will not sit here while you insult me and my wife.” She looked at Ruby. “We’re done here.”

She grabbed Ruby’s hand, dragged her out of her seat, and marched out of the room.

* * *

Yvonne pulled Ruby into the bedroom and shut the door. Their bags were by the bed, so Ruby assumed the room was Yvonne’s bedroom. There was little else to indicate the room belonged to her. It was sparse and impersonal, the only remnant of Yvonne’s childhood a small stuffed bear on a shelf in the corner.

Yvonne sat down on the bed, her body stiff and tense.

Ruby joined her. “Are you okay? Things got pretty heated in there.”

“I’m fine,” Yvonne replied. “It wouldn’t be a family dinner if it didn’t end in a verbal brawl between Nicholas and me.” She leaned back and crossed her legs. “Are you all right? I’m sorry about my brother. I can’t believe he had the nerve to say those things to you.”

“I’m fine. I’ve been called worse before. It comes with the job.”

“I apologize for subjecting you to this. We never should have come here. We should leave.”

“Is that a good idea? It’s getting late.” The drive would be dangerous in the dark.

“You’re right. We can leave first thing in the morning.” Yvonne rubbed her temples. “Coming here is always tough. There are so many memories here. Very few of them are good ones.”

Her gaze flicked over to the nightstand. Ruby followed the path of Yvonne’s eyes to a framed photo on top of it. Yvonne reached over and picked it up. The faded picture was of a young woman with the same dark wavy hair as Yvonne, holding an adorably chubby toddler in a frilly dress.