FIFTY THREE

Ruth's POV:

I sighed, feeling a mix of emotions. "It's just Michael and Vincent," I said, shaking my head. "They've both hurt me so much. I don't know who to trust anymore."

Emily's expression turned sympathetic. "Ruth, I'm so sorry," she said, walking towards me. "You deserve so much better than to be treated like this. Can I do anything to help?"

I smiled weakly, feeling a sense of gratitude towards Emily. "Just being here for me means a lot," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Emily nodded and sat down beside me on the bed. "I'm here for you, Ruth. Always."

Emily continued, "Let's go have some coffee at your coffee shop. You can see your boss and explain to him that you had a bad day, which is why you couldn't come to your shift."

Sarah followed us as we all went to the coffee shop. I walked into my boss's office. "Hello, Ruth. Why weren't you at work today?" my boss asked.

"I had a bad day. I'm very sorry. I would have called," I quickly said.

"It's fine, Ruth. You can resum