The Love That Ruined Me

Scarlett's POV. The crematorium workers gathered around the casket in silence before igniting the flames. The fire slowly spread across my vision, growing larger with every passing second. I sat frozen in the corner of the room, my left hand pressed against the cold wall for support while my other hand rested weakly on the floor. Yet, no matter how much my body wanted to move, my eyes remained locked on the burning casket. Inside that fire was my mother, Sarah Bennett, The woman who had always been there for me,The woman who was supposed to grow old beside me. But now, she was nothing more than ashes waiting to disappear. I couldn't blink, I couldn't move, even breathing felt like a difficult task. Everything around me became distant until the sound of approaching footsteps broke through the silence. My brother, Hudson, stopped beside me. He stood there for a few seconds, his hands buried inside his pockets as he stared at me. Then, he slowly pulled one hand out and lowered himself onto his knees beside me. "Scarlett..." His voice carried hesitation. He sighed when I refused to look at him. "You can't keep doing this to yourself. I know Mom's death is difficult to accept, but..." He paused, searching for the right words. "You have to try." His words reached my ears, but they felt empty. Slowly, I turned my head toward him with a bitter smile. "What are you talking about?” My voice cracked slightly. "Nothing happened to Mom before she left for that party with her friends and..." My words disappeared, I couldn't finish the sentence, because saying it out loud made it real. Hudson lowered himself completely onto the floor beside me. He folded his hands together, but he didn't say anything And somehow, his silence hurt more. "How could she just die like that?" I whispered, my voice slowly rising. "How could Mom be gone while Father doesn't even care?" Hudson looked at me for a moment before letting out a quiet, humorless laugh. "You're talking about Dad?" He turned his gaze back toward the flames. "You know him, Scarlett. He has always chosen business over everything else. And he already had another woman he was seeing." My heart stopped for a second. "What?" I stared at him. "What do you mean Father was seeing another woman behind Mom's back?" Hudson looked at me with confusion. Then he smiled faintly. "Why are you acting like you don't know?" I froze from hearing his words. "Father never cared about this family the way Mom never did. And as you can see, he isn't even here anymore." His eyes moved toward the empty space where our father should have been. "He left for another business meeting.” He continued. I immediately turned around, searching through the crowd of relatives. But Hudson was right, My father was nowhere to be found. A painful feeling rose inside my chest. My eyes burned, and a cry threatened to escape, but I forced myself to hold it back. "Mom..." The word left my lips as nothing more than a broken whisper. I continued staring at the flames until Hudson moved closer, He then placed his both hands on my shoulders. "Listen to me, Scarlett." I finally looked at him, His eyes were filled with determination. "You can't let yourself break like this. I know Mom's death feels impossible to accept, but I promise you..." His voice became firmer. "I will find whoever did this." A small laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it, there was no happiness in it but was only pain. "So what happens when you find that person?" My voice turned cold. "Does that bring Mom back?" Hudson's expression changed. Slowly, his hands slipped away from my shoulders and he looked down, unable to answer. The silence between us became heavier than before until footsteps approached. Dylan Carter walked into the room. He wore the same black funeral clothing as everyone else, his expression calm and professional. My father hired Dylan years ago as Hudson's driver and assistant when he gave my brother a position in the company. But somehow, Dylan became much more than that. He became the personal assistant of our entire household. He stopped beside us and folded his hands behind his back. "Your father has returned from Groktea after his meeting," Dylan said respectfully. "He asked both of you to return home." Hudson and I exchanged glances. Questions filled my mind, but I swallowed them, then Hudson stood up and turned away. "Let's go, Scarlett." Before I could respond, he had already walked away. I stood there for another moment, staring at the flames consuming my mother's casket until I finally walked out. When we arrived, I sat in the second car behind my father's vehicle. Minutes later, the gates opened, and we entered the Bennett mansion. The security guard immediately rushed forward and opened the door for us as usual. I stepped out and looked ahead. My father, Benjamin Bennett, had already left his car, using his walking stick, and slowly made his way toward the entrance without even turning around to look at me. My brows tightened. Even after losing his wife, he still acted as if nothing had changed. "Are you okay?" Hudson's voice pulled me back and I quickly forced a smile. "I'm fine." I replied, But neither of us believed my words. Inside the house, my father remained silent and continued to walk straight toward his room. "Father." My voice stopped him, then he turned around slowly. "What is it?" I walked toward him, every step heavier than the last. "How could you leave the funeral so early?" My voice trembled. "How could you act like Mom's death doesn't matter?" His expression barely changed. "What else do you expect me to do?" "If I didn't attend that meeting in Groktea, I could have lost my company." he continued and I stared at him in disbelief. "We are talking about your wife!" Tears burned my eyes and I continued. "Your wife died, and all you can think about is business?" Hudson quickly stepped forward and held my shoulder. "Scarlett, enough." But my father only sighed, then he turned toward Dylan. "Dylan." he called and he immediately approached him. "Tell the maid to prepare dinner. I want Scarlett and Hudson seated at the table." My father continued. "I'm not eating." I interrupted and my voice was firm. "I'm not joining that table." My father looked back at me with amusement on his face. "Whether you want to or not, you will sit there. Because I have something important to discuss with this family." His words hardened, then he walked into his room. Minutes later, the dining table was prepared. The three of us sat in silence and my eyes moved around the table until they stopped on my mother's empty chair. My fingers tightened around the fork, then my father cleared his throat. "Now that your mother is gone..." he began and his words alone made my chest tighten. "I heard rumors about what happened at the restaurant where she and her friends went." He paused and Hudson immediately looked up. "Why don't we investigate her friends instead? How can Mom just die like that?"My father ignored Hudson's idea. "She is already gone." He continued. "So searching for answers won't change anything." I lowered my head,then his next words made me freeze. "You both should understand something." His words were disturbingly calm and he looked at Hudson. "A woman must stand beside me as my wife. Otherwise, we risk losing the Bregniz Hotel." Silence filled the room, Then he continued. "That means you should both prepare yourselves. Your stepmother will be arriving soon." I slowly raised my head and my hand tightened around the fork. The words felt like another loss. Before I realized it, I slammed the fork onto the table and the sound echoed throughout the room. "Father!" “Scarlett…” Hudson looked at me, but I couldn't calm down. My breathing became heavier. My father simply sighed and continued eating. "Whether you accept it or not, this is my decision." Then he looked at me. "And Scarlett..." he continued and I stared at him. "Ryan, your ex-boyfriend, is returning to the city." My heart stopped. For several seconds, I forgot how to breathe. The room suddenly felt smaller while my fingers went cold. Ryan. The name I had buried deep inside my heart. The person I never expected to see again. I swallowed hard, wondering if I had heard him correctly. Because after losing my mother… I didn't know if I could survive losing something else.