Scars To Your Beautiful : A Modern Beauty and the Beast retelling ✔

36. Taking a peek

Slow classical music played from the old, Victrola phonograph that Zoe Doyle had inherited from her deceased grandmother. It always helped to soothe the fatigue that overwhelmed her. She turned her head to meet her youngest son, Felix fidgeting with the keypads on his phone, probably playing one of his silly games.

Zoe rolled her eyes. She could never understand the obsession with teenagers and playing games that would kill every tiny brain cell in their heads. No wonder he kept failing at Math. He had swapped every bit of his IQ for stupid games.

Felix wasn't like her. Definitely not the way she wanted him to be. He wasn't ambitious. He was also way too skinny for anyone his age. If anything, he was like his own father. He even looked and acted just like him. Same droopy brown eyes. Same tortilla brown hair. Even the same skinny form. Always easygoing with the world. Never incisive. It always made Zoe wonder how she was able to last seven years of marriage with his father.

Zoe shook her head. There was no need for reminiscing. She knew she was stronger than that. She had survived two pointless marriages, individually bearing one son from each union, without letting sentiments get in the way. Zoe dangled the glass of liquor in her hand. It wasn't the faults of any of her ex husbands why her marriages crashed. She had only loved one man and Zoe didn't think she could love another again.

A humorless laugh escaped her lips, making Felix pause his game to give her a concerned look in his plain brown eyes. She ignored him again. It was something he was used to. Her being distant and detached from the world. With a shrug, he continued his game. She was relieved that he didn't ask. There was nothing worse than admitting to one's 14 year old son that she was still in love with a ghost. How pathetic would that be?

Daniel Hammell. The ghost of her past that haunted her thoughts. If she had taken the many chances life had tossed at her, then Daniel would have remained hers. But Yolanda just had to charm him with her sweet-girl antics when she already knew how much Zoe loved him. Zoe could never let it go. Everyone naturally loved Yolanda, she was perky and beautiful. She had everything. Sadly, Zoe always felt at the background of their parents' affections and it broke her heart when the only person she ever loved, ended up falling for Yolanda, just like every damn person around her.

Ira Phillips walked through the door, with a briefcase in one hand and a scowl on his face. Now, he was her golden boy. He even had traces of her electric green eyes in his blue-green irises. Ivy league and ruthless about anything tied to his passions, Ira was a product of her first brief loveless marriage that she had weaved herself into, right after college.

At least, Ira's existence was worth getting married young for nearly two years to his unfaithful wealthy father, Kane Phillips. On the plus side, the hefty divorce settlement made his infidelity less hurtful and helped to build the expensive lifestyle that both her sons seemed to enjoy.

"What's with the look on your face?" Zoe had questioned her older son, when he came in with a rather pissed-off look.

Irritation clouded his words. "Can you pick up your phone once in a while? Larkin called me on my phone and he wants you to visit again this weekend. Apparently, he's been calling you all day and you've been ignoring him."

Zoe took a slow gulp of her drink before glancing at Ira. "I saw his calls but I didn't want to talk to him."

His small nose wrinkled and the lingering annoyance swelled up in his tone. "I don't like talking to him either. You should deal with your problems with him and stop drinking every damn time. It's embarrassing. I need you to be sober for once, when it comes to making decisions about Larkin. You're being sloppy again."