RUBY'S POV
Silence. That was the answer I got: utter, unbearable silence.
I clutched Dominic’s phone so tightly that my knuckles turned white. “Hello?” I tried again. "Hello!"
Finally, a soft voice with a distinct British accent broke through the static. “I… I’m sorry, but who is this?”
I exhaled sharply in relief and Dominic squeezed my shoulder. “It’s Ruby. Ruby DanCliffe. I... I know you probably weren’t expecting me to call after twenty-one years, but I needed to… I needed to talk to you, Mom.”
The word "Mom" felt alien and heavy in my mouth. There was another pause, and I could hear faint sounds in the background, perhaps a TV or a distant conversation. The voice on the other end hesitated. “I’m terribly sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
My stomach dropped. “W
