"Where is it?" AJ extended his hand, greeting Ed and Ruby at the door.
"What?" Ruby, who was about to pick up AJ, was confused.
"Oh no!" Ed suddenly remembered.
"Chocolate!" AJ shouted, stomping his foot.
"Ah..." Ruby had completely forgotten. She was so focused on Liz and the proposal that she couldn’t think of anything else.
"NO! Where's my chocolate?! I want my chocolate!" AJ threw a tantrum, rolling on the floor and spinning around.
"AJ..." Ruby sighed. It was clear that this was an over-the-top tantrum. AJ was upset they were late and had forgotten his chocolate.
"AJ." Ed kneeled by his side.
"You forgot! You forgot about me! Daddy, you promised!" AJ pushed Ed’s hand away as he reached out.
"It's true I forgot the chocolate, but I didn't forget you, AJ. We didn't forget you." Ed coaxed gently.
Ruby wanted to tell Ed to let AJ vent his anger completely, but she ended up sitting down next to them.
Liz touched the transparent divider in front of her. It wasn't made of glass, but of unbreakable plastic. It was designed to prevent incidents from happening. A desperate prisoner might shatter glass. The plastic material was for safety.There were a few small holes in the divider to ensure that conversations could be heard in both directions. Liz sighed as the door behind the divider opened, revealing her father.His handcuffed hands looked thinner, and his once-bulging stomach was almost flat. The hair on his face was unshaven.“Liz? You actually came?!” Esli was very surprised. When he was called, he heard the name of his visitor, but he couldn't believe it. This was the first time Liz had visited.Esli had been sentenced almost a month ago—he would be spending around eighty years in prison due to multiple corruption charges—so he was now allowed visitors. Liz was the first to come to see him since the verdict.“I w
"Ugh! Wait."Ruby stopped walking and sat back down, trying to catch her breath. Everything she was wearing right now was her own choice, tailored to her size, but somehow it all felt wrong—tight and uncomfortable.Ruby had hoped she would feel calm and be fine because there was nothing weighing on her heart right now, and this situation was very different from her marriage as Liz. But she still felt nauseous and terribly nervous as the day arrived."This isn’t even the first time," Ruby sighed, taking a deep breath.The small amount of food she had managed to eat while getting her makeup done now felt stuck in her throat.This wasn’t Ruby’s first time getting married—though it was the first time using her real name, so she shouldn’t be this nervous. Ruby rubbed her chest to calm her racing heart. She was really worried about messing up the wedding."Tea! How about some tea?" Lori suggested patting Tita on
"Why hasn't she appeared yet?" Ed asked Otiz, who seemed to be running towards him. Ruby was late—only ten minutes, but still late. That's why Ed had let AJ go earlier; he was too impatient to see his mother."Senora Rosas doesn't appear to be feeling well, but Tita said she's better now. She'll be here soon," Otiz replied."Is she very sick or...?""Tita said it's just nerves." Otiz reassured him."Oh? So, it’s not just me." Ed murmured, rubbing his chest, relieved that he wasn’t alone.Ed knew that this wedding had been carefully planned and should go smoothly, but it didn't ease the anxiety in his heart."You do look nervous." Otiz smiled. He was amused because Ed, who usually wore a stoic expression, couldn't hide his true feelings this time. Ed's face might look stern to most of the guests waiting, but Otiz knew that it was just extreme nerves."I need to calm down." Ed muttered, taking several deep breaths.
“This is delicious!”AJ got exactly what Ed promised: a large chocolate fountain. Various fruits and marshmallows of different shapes surrounded it, already skewered and ready to be dipped into the thick, fragrant, sweet liquid.“Yes, but don’t bring it near your mother!” Lori sternly warned, knowing that a drop of chocolate could stain Ruby’s dress.“Yeah... yeah...” AJ mumbled and pouted, but he made sure not to approach his mother when he had chocolate after that.Lori was AJ’s weakness. She spoiled him but was also very strict when scolding him. She wasn’t afraid to make AJ cry if he was in the wrong.Ruby remembered this repeatedly and planned to invite Lori over often in the future so that AJ would learn not to be too spoiled.“Thank you,” Ruby whispered as Lori sat back down beside her.“I don’t.” Ed, who was beside Ruby, muttered. He coul
“You dare interrupt me…”“Sorry, but I won’t stay silent when someone accuses me without reason.” Ruby smiled.Mia was stunned. Mia realized that Ruby was not the same girl who used to remain silent under her oppressive influence.“Aunt Mia, you said earlier that you wanted Ed to be happy by choosing the right woman, didn’t you? I want the same. I’ve always wanted Ed to be happy. Lacking nothing. Always. There’s nothing wrong with that intention, is there?”Mia clicked her tongue. “That’s what you say! Who will believe the words of someone like Ramos? You and your father...”“My name is Herrera, not Ramos—and now Rosas. I won’t deny who my father is, but I won’t let you lump all his children together. I’m different from Liz.” Ruby glanced around, realizing she was speaking too loudly, and then lowered her voice.“It&
"Don't." Ed reached for Ruby's phone, which was already raised in front of her face, ready to make a video call as soon as they arrived at the hotel."Just for a moment," Ruby pleaded."You were the one in a hurry to leave the house, Ruby. We just got here, and you already want to call him?" Ed was slightly amused.Ruby had been excited to leave, but during their trip—a roughly three-hour flight—her excitement dwindled and turned into worry."What if AJ throws a fit? This is different from before. We've never left him alone with someone else and stayed overnight somewhere else." The farther away she got from AJ, the more uncertain Ruby became.They were in Tulum, on the eastern coast of Mexico—the opposite side from Puerto Vallarta. It wasn’t too far because Ed had chosen a place within reach, just in case they suddenly needed to return because of AJ."Otz didn't report anything, and when I asked, he said everything w
“I actually don’t know.” Ed gave a wry smile, a mix of regret and resignation."When my father died, I wasn't at a stage where I wanted to learn about business matters. Javier and I grew up in a peaceful environment. We had fun however we wanted—Javier would always drag me along to have fun.” Ed smiled, knowing that it was always Javier who had the wildest ideas for their fun.“I once visited the tequila factory, and that’s all I knew. I only learned about the remaining details after my parents passed away. It was not a pleasant experience to discover this information, and it was already too late to inquire. That incident occurred shortly after our visit to Esli."Ed suddenly remembered. “We received an invitation from Esli. I met Liz, and that was the last event I attended with my parents. After that, everything…” Ed gestured with his hands to show how everything had fallen apart.It was a bit
"I don't want to." AJ grabbed the car door, gripping it tightly. He wouldn’t let Ruby open it."AJ, you're going to be late." Ruby didn’t scold him; she was already at the point of pleading. After battling with AJ earlier this morning, Ruby was exhausted. AJ had refused to go to school, which made no sense since he shouldn't have had a reason to hate anyone yet. It was his first day of school."AJ, we've been talking about this for a week. You have to go back to school. This isn't up for discussion. You must go." Ruby emphasized, trying to push the door on AJ’s side, but it wouldn't budge."Ed!" Ruby called out, asking Ed to unlock the front door because AJ had locked it again."Do you want me to walk you inside?" Ed offered a more peaceful approach, not wanting to force AJ to go in alone."Okay." AJ mumbled in agreement, still reluctant, but better than before. Ruby wasn’t entirely pleased. Normally, AJ didn’t need to