“I want to proceed with the divorce.” Everything in me dulled as I heard him say the words. My eyes widened by a quarter as I tried to process what I had just heard. Did he just say what I had just heard?“What did you just say?” I asked just to be sure I had no hearing loss.“You heard me, Ruby. I believe you are not deaf. I have signed the papers, and I want to proceed with the divorce.”“Oh.” I swallowed the huge link that had gathered in my throat. The news poured on my back like cold water, sending chills down my spine, and I turned my gaze to the document, eyeing it, wishing that it could catch fire now.This wasn't what I planned, and the news I just heard has totally disorganized me, and I don’t know what to do about it.There was once a time I wanted nothing to do with him; I hated him so much, and all I wanted was a divorce, but I wasn’t too sure now.“Okay.” I said with a sigh. “Can we take this somewhere else, where we could get more privacy?” I asked, looking at him while
Alex shifted forward, his face blank, as if every atom of emotion had left him. “You wanted a divorce, and I don’t want to deny you that.”“I know!” It was taking everything in me not to scream.“I know I wanted a divorce, but why now?”“You just heard me, Ruby. I am sure you are not hard of hearing, or you will need to get your ear checked. I know a doctor that specializes in ENT, and he will be willing to help.”I rolled my eyes as I heard him, not finding anything funny. “Are you even listening to me?”"Yes, I am, and I heard what you said. I have already told you the reason I am doing this, and I am not going to repeat myself.”I released a sigh, suddenly tired from everything. "Alright, that is fine. If this is what you want, I will pass it on to my lawyer, and we will set a date for trial. Is that alright?”“Don’t try to pass this on to me, Ruby. This was what you wanted. But yes, I think so.”"Ummm, Alex, are you sure about this?” I said, trying my hardest to convince him before
I tried to swallow the saliva that had looked in my mouth to ease my dry throat, but there was a stubborn lump there that refused to go down no matter how much I tried.And it was all because of this man in front of me.He was stark naked the day he was born, and I prided myself on being a decent woman and tried to look away from the elephant in the room. But it wasn’t so easy.Okay, why is it suddenly hot here? I tried to fan myself, but this heat I am experiencing has nothing to do with an external reason.I cast my eyes downward to his midsection, where his pendulum was hanging free and swinging in its natural oscillation, and it took everything in me to peel my eyes from that beautiful work of art.Everything about Alex was beautiful, down to his cock, which had a little sprinkling of hair around the base.It had been a week since he had fucked me silly in his living room, but it was only as if it were yesterday that I felt him inside of me, slowly fitting into me and rearranging m
I sat on his bed, and I could still perceive the scent of his cologne, and I was tempted to roll myself in it. But I was reminded of how he had left, and I got angry.‘How could he leave like that?’ The question was on my lips, and no matter how much I asked, I couldn’t come up with the right answer.The only thing that came to mind was that he was taking revenge. He was angry for all the times I had run away while he was sleeping and wanted me to feel what he felt.And I think I finally understand. We have been getting along and having fun since last night, and this morning he was gone.I couldn’t even explain how I was feeling. It was as if someone had cut my hands off and left me vulnerable.I was just seconds from reaching for my phone and calling him to come back, maybe even resorting to crying, but I held it in and headed for the shower.I turned the tap to the hottest I could bear without boiling my skin, and I began to take my bath. I have always enjoyed shower time because it
I woke up on Wednesday morning, feeling worse for wear, and no matter how I tried, I wouldn’t bring myself to stand up from the bed to begin the day.“You wanted this, Ruby.” I made sure to remind myself that it was my choice in the first place. I chose to go on with the divorce, and whatever the judge decides, it is on me. “Alright, I have to do this.” I said, getting up from the bed.As if by coincidence, my phone began to blare, and I took one look at it and sighed. It was my lawyer on the phone.“Good morning, Ruby.”“Mmm.” I grumbled, even though there was nothing good about this morning. His voice was cheery and bright, quite the opposite of my feelings.Even the weather was too bright and beautiful, it was as if it were trying to mock me. “Why today of all days?!” I lamented.“Were you saying something?” John’s voice disrupted me, and I shook my head, forgetting he wouldn’t see me.“No, please, continue.”“Yeah, so I was just calling to remind you of everything we have talked ab
As the judge hit the gravel, the sound went through me, shaking me to my core. We all watched, stunned, as she left her seat, and there was nothing we could do.“What just happened?” I was looking around, trying to get answers, but none were forthcoming. I look at John, trying to get him to provide me answers, but he is as clueless as I am.Alex left his post and came towards me, and I directed all my anger at him. “You!” I snared, almost seething in my mouth. “What did you do?”“I think we need to take this to my office.“ John was quick to intervene, as he saw that I was serious.“Fine.” I grudgingly accepted, but I turned to Alex, glaring at him. “You had better be ready to give me a concrete answer.” I threatened him just for effect, and he stared at me.We allowed John to lead us to his office, and I entered the large expanse of space that was filled with nothing but books and a few chairs.“Alright, I think I will leave you lovebirds to discuss, but please don’t kill each other o
“Alex.” I said it in shock, like I hadn’t been the one at his door.“Ruby?” His pupils were widening in surprise as he looked at me. “I wasn’t expecting you so fast.”“Yea. Me too.” I said beneath my breath. I didn’t even think I was going to come here, yet I was standing in front of his room. He was still standing at the door, and I looked at him pointedly. “Am I going to stay outside?”“Please come in.” He said, gesturing to the room and moving to the side to allow me in. The smile refused to leave his lip, and it had me melting.“Thank you.” I entered the luxury suites and made for the sofa I had seen.Alex was still tending awkwardly to the side, swinging his hands around like he didn’t know what to do with them. And it was almost cute watching him.At the same time, he was the one who had invited me, yet he looked so shocked.My eyes widened as I saw the serpent in front of me, and I was screaming before I knew it. “Wow.” But I was quick to turn it into a cough and a bout of snee
“Children?” To say I was surprised is an understatement. That was the last thing I had expected from him.“Yeah, it wouldn’t be bad. I am an only child, and sometimes I’ve always wished I had a sibling; that is no longer possible, hence why I would like a large family so my children will not be lonely.”“That is fine.” I mean, the man wants a large number of children, and that is on him, but I wasn't going to be popping out kids like candy.For me, I felt the opposite about children. Back when I was still struggling to make ends meet, I had vowed never to have a child and bring them into this world; otherwise, they would continue my line of poverty.That was one of the reasons I was consistent with my birth control option and almost always had an implant in my arm.I knew I wasn’t cut out to be celibate, but I also had to make sure I eliminated any risk of unwanted pregnancy, and that has been working for years.It has become a part of me that I often forget that I had an implant, exc
Honestly, this wasn’t how I imagined the book to end. I still had a lot of ideas, but as I gave it some thought, I knew that I was dragging the plot unnecessarily, and I think Alex and Ruby deserve their happy ending after all they had been through, even though it may not be what you wished for.I have learned that sometimes less is more, and that is what I am looking for in this book.Their future is left for you readers to decide, so be creative and leave a message on how you think they should have ended, and I would be happy to contribute and add my own theory.I want to thank everyone that has been reading the book even up to this point; you are the reason I kept this going.Your comments and gems were really appreciated.I do have a tiny favor for you. If you enjoyed reading this book or have read it to this point, you could click on the three lines at the bottom left of the screen, click on book details, and leave a rating for the book.You can also look forward to my future pro
I stood on my tiptoes, and my hands flew up to circle his neck, even as I connected my lips to his. Alex was frozen in place, not expecting my reaction, but the man was quick to recover.I heard a low growl from his belly, and he held my neck, pulling me closer to him. His lips were firm as they pressed against me, the complete opposite of the gentle butterflies that were fluttering in my stomach.Alex pulled back for a split second, his warm breath fanning my skin and sending delicious tingles down my body. He was looking at me with stormy eyes, and I could see nothing but love in his gaze.“Before we go forward, I need your verbal response. I don’t want to have any casual relationships anymore. I am tired of chasing the clouds, and I want something authentic with you. If you are saying yes, that means you are all in.” His eyebrow creased with serious intent as he spoke.I gave it a little thought, even though I already knew what my reply would be. In all honesty, I was tired of this
I looked at my phone, squinting at the mail I had just received, just to be sure that it was actually from Alex.Why couldn’t he tell me if they had accepted or rejected our offer in the mail? Did he have to see me face-to-face so he could gloat at my dejected face?He didn’t even give a specific date, so he had expected me to be omniscient and know when I should come. I looked up at the top left-hand corner of my phone, where the time was reading some minutes before one.A flitting thought crossed my mind about how it was so close to time. It took me some seconds to process the information before I was jumping to my feet.He obviously meant today, and if he did, I needed to be extra fast to make it on time. Thank goodness for the little things. I had already taken my bath, so it was going to make things easier.I padded my wardrobe, which was only seen to be overflowing no matter how much I debunk and declutter. I think I was going to have another yard sale so I could create more spa
“Hmm.” Alex’s lips were in a thin line as he looked at me. He finally allowed our eyes to meet, and I wasn’t sure I liked what I was seeing there.They were unreadable and barely giving anything out, and honestly, I didn’t know how to feel about that. But I could feel the huge divide between us, and I had no idea how I was going to mend it.“Alex? I asked a question.” I reminded him when I got no response again.“Yeah, I heard you the first time; I was just wondering why you decided to come to me.” He folded his arms, and I watched as his muscles bulged, giving him a menacing look. But I wasn’t fazed. “Why are you coming to me? What happened to all the numerous investors that gave you the contract? Are they suddenly backing out of the contract?”I whined with each sentence, each sentence delivering a lash on my back, and I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. Alex sure had a way with words, and he knew how best to make it hurt.“I came to you for a reason, Alex.” I said while I practiced
“Hey, I need your help.” I said into the speaker, and I waited, unconsciously holding my breath, to hear his reply. A few seconds had passed, and I didn’t hear anything from him. I was sure he heard me, but I was going to repeat it again to clarify any doubt. “I need your help.”“Yes, I heard you for the first time. What do you need?” No matter how he tried, he couldn’t hide the hostility in his voice, and I was cringing as I heard it.I deserved it. I had hurt him beyond measure, yet I was the one on his phone, seeking his favor.“Uhm, it is a long story, but I think it is better if we meet in person.” I said, my heart pounding in my chest for no apparent reason.I heard the ruffling of pages and a small pause before he replied. “Alright, tomorrow should be fine with me by 6 p.m. I will send you the location.”“Alright, thank you.” He was disconnecting the call even before I even finished talking, and I looked at the blank screen for a moment, wondering where it had all gone wrong.I
“We need to talk.” I spoke into the speaker, and I didn’t care if he had heard me or not, but I disconnected the call and flung my phone on the bed—only carefully, of course.That particular phone had cost me a ton, and I didn’t think I had the strength to replace it just yet. Plus, all of my important information was there; I couldn’t afford to lose it because of a tantrum.I held my head in my hand, cradling it like I would a baby. I wanted to scream out my frustration, bang my head on the wall, or do something crazy.But I couldn’t find the strength to do so.I have never been one to resort to violence if I didn’t have my way. Okay? I was lying, I used to in the past, but I'm a changed person now, and I don’t do such things now.I sat on my bed, unmoving, while I waited for the person on the other end of the phone to come back home. All this time, I was numb, not allowing myself to feel anything, but my brain was still working on how to come up with a solution.I was snapping out o
Work began in earnest the next day, which means that we were going to be staying in New York for a great deal of time—well, only Jeremy and I.Charles and Anna had gone back to Seattle as they had a lot of things to do and couldn’t always be here for us.However, I understood how much of a sacrifice they had made to make us reach such levels, and I was never taking it for granted. That was why I was eager to make sure this project was a success.It had to beJeremy and I had rented an Airbnb that would accommodate us during our stay in New York. Nothing fancy though; it was a modest house with 3 bedrooms and well-furnished rooms, and it had all the essentials we needed.We had decided on a 3-bedroom in case we had visitors; they could always stay in the guest bedroom without having to inconvenience anyone. I flew back to Seattle during the weekend just to check on how things were going over there while Jeremy was holding out his end in New York.We had no ongoing project anymore in Se
I held my breath as I opened the door, but I realized too late that it wasn’t him. It wasn’t the one that I dreamed of every waking hour, the one that somehow found a way to occupy my thoughts even though I didn’t want him to.Anna was quick to notice the frown on my face, and frown lines were etched on her face. “Are we interrupting something?” She asked in a worrisome tone, and I was quick to shake my head, denying her claim.“No, of course not. It is fine; please come in.” I said, moving out of the door so she could enter inside. “I had just woken up not so long ago, and it wasn’t to good news.”“Yeah, about that.” She began entering the room and taking up the empty space on the sofa while her husband sat on the only chair that was in the room. “We heard, or rather saw, what happened, and we just wanted to check on you.”“Yeah, Jeremy was just telling me about it, but it is pretty much under control.” I said, shrugging my shoulders. There was no need to start remembering the hurtfu
“What have you done?” Jeremy yelled as he entered my room. I was taken aback by the outburst, and my eyebrows rose in question.“I don’t understand. What happened?” I asked, confusion written all over my face. I had just woken up from a sweet, albeit short, nap, and I was still trying to get my bearings.There was no way I would have done something between those times, except I had a Dopplerganger somewhere who was wreaking havoc when I was sleeping.Thinking of it, if I had a dopplerganger somewhere, I would want to meet with her; maybe we could exchange jobs or something.“Don’t try to play ignorant about this; your face is literally plastered all over the internet.” Jeremy barked, cutting into my thoughts.“Ohkayyy…” I dragged out the words as I was still trying to recall what bad I had done. “I mean, it should be a good thing, right? Some exposure means more opportunities.”Jeremy looked at me. His jaw was hanging low, like he couldn’t believe what I had just said, and I was even m