Ruby wiped the sweat from her brow, then took off the coat she had worn during the trip. The humid air and overcast sky were the first to greet her as she set foot in Mexico again after so long.She wore her prepared hat and slowly left the airport. Ruby also wore sunglasses. Her face was completely hidden, as she decided to be cautious.Once she set foot in that country, her life was entirely different. She now finds herself in conflict with two terrifying individuals. If she were discovered, Esli would gladly kill her, as would the others. Ruby still hoped Ed wouldn't kill her outright.At least Ed didn't strangle her immediately at the chapel yesterday. Even though Ed made her wish she was dead by taking AJ, he didn't kill her immediately.Ruby raised her hand to hail a taxi. She was already at Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Airport, in Guadalajara, but hadn't yet figured out how to meet AJ. She wasn’t even sure if AJ was in that city. However, Ruby had to come to find out."Hello?"
“R… Ruby…”Lori needed a few moments to believe it. She did the same with Ed. She touched Ruby’s face until she finally pinched her cheek.“Oh my God! You’re really not Liz?!” Lori squealed.“Shh!” Ruby requested that she not scream, of course.“You’re not Liz?” Lori repeated it more quietly, still pinching Ruby’s cheek.“Does my cheek feel different?” Ruby was surprised when Lori confirmed it by pinching her cheek.“It’s not that! But Liz would slap me if I kept pinching her cheek.” Lori used the easiest way to distinguish the truth from Ruby’s statement.“Oh my God! What kind of magic is this?” Lori was convinced but couldn’t fully accept it yet.“I… I’m sorry, I deceived you before.” Ruby began by apologizing. She had deceived Lori, after all.“Yes, I was very deceived. I understood because you had a miscarriage and Pedro was a jerk, but you got worse than before." Lori shook her head. She also believed that Ruby had changed significantly as a result of losing her baby.“What about
“Ok, thank you so much.” Lori thanked the hospital administrator, who had been answering her questions. They were very cooperative, but unfortunately, the results were not satisfying. AJ was not at the hospital.“There are still six more in this area. The closest one... Ruby? Are you alright?” Lori asked, then stepped back. She had been walking alone, while Ruby had stayed behind on the hospital terrace.“Yeah, I'm just thinking.” Ruby leaned against the hospital wall for a moment, then stood up and walked over.“You look like shit. Sorry, but you’re really pale.” Lori shook her head while touching Ruby’s sunken cheeks.“When was the last time you had a good night's sleep?” Lori asked.“Mm… last night.” Ruby lied, of course. She couldn’t remember the last time she had slept well. Ever since AJ was taken by CPS, Ruby hasn’t been able to sleep soundly.“Really? You didn’t sleep at all on the flight yesterday. You didn’t even eat properly. You barely touched that one croissant.”Lori did
“What... Who?” Ed was confused. They were in Switzerland. There shouldn’t be any disturbances.“That... you’d better meet him yourself.” Otiz bowed his head.“What’s wrong with you? Ugh...” Ed got down from AJ’s bed, half-jumping. He forgot that his body hadn't recovered yet.AJ was not the only one with side effects. Ed’s body wasn’t fully recovered either. His back and hips still ached; he shouldn’t even be active yet. Ed forced himself to do so because he didn't want to leave AJ alone.“Who wants to see me?” Ed hobbled out, grumbling and puzzled. Otiz usually chased away unimportant visitors, and at this moment, Ed considered everyone unimportant.“Over there.” Otiz pointed towards the waiting room, which resembled a living room. Each room in that hospital did indeed look more like an apartment with complete facilities.Ed continued walki
"We don't do...""Did I tell you to hurt her?!" Ed shouted, still glaring at the two of them."You're the one who harmed her! Ruby hasn't eaten or slept for days!" Lori snapped back. She wasn't any less afraid, but she was exasperated by Ed's unclear anger. He had already driven Ruby away, so it was strange to see Ed frustrated now that Ruby had fainted."I didn't…" Ed's desire to argue vanished instantly. He lost interest because he could feel that Ruby's body was very warm, despite the rain soaking her."Ruby?" Ed tapped her cheek, and Ruby did not respond at all."I'LL TAKE CARE OF IT!" When Otiz saw Ed trying to lift Ruby's body, he shouted and ran toward him. It wasn’t that Ed couldn’t do it, but he shouldn't be lifting any weight yet."Don't touch her." Ed hissed and lifted Ruby himself. His waist stung, but Ed just gritted his teeth. He carried Ruby inside, and fortunately, it wasn’t far.They were in a
“Eat. You have to eat. I won’t let you see AJ until you’ve eaten.” Lori didn’t budge and continued holding the bowl of thin porridge sprinkled with minced meat and scallions in front of Ruby’s nose.This was her third attempt to persuade Ruby to eat. Lori had backed down twice, but not this time.“I want to know how AJ is doing.” Ruby insisted on getting up to see AJ.“Listen, Ruby. First, Ed might not even allow it, and second, you’re sick. Would you like to see him in this condition? AJ is also sick, and you want him to see you like this? Your fever hasn’t even gone down yet!”Lori pressed Ruby’s forehead slightly. In addition to taking Ruby's temperature, Lori also gently pushed her back to ensure a peaceful eating experience.“Eat. Your fever won’t go down if you don’t eat.” Lori lifted a spoonful and brought it to Ruby’s lips. Her eyes n
“Today is much better. According to the doctor, after Senora Herrera stopped refusing to eat, her condition improved dramatically. She is not yet allowed to get out of bed, though. Still in the process of recovery,” Otiz reported in detail, without being asked.But Ed heard everything, so the report was not in vain. Ed would have ordered him to shut up if he didn't want to hear it.“Should I ask her to leave once she’s healthy enough?” Otiz asked. Because Ruby's condition had changed, he needed to update the order.But Ed had not changed. He still didn’t know what to do.“I will wait for your decision.” Otiz finally took his leave after waiting in vain.“Hey, Otiz.” When he turned around, Otiz was greeted sweetly by AJ, who had just opened her eyes.“Hello, AJ. You look fresh.” Otiz raised his hand, and AJ slapped it.“Ow! That hurt. You have such a strong h
"Where are we going?" AJ inquired, carefully placing his hand, still connected to the IV, on the wheelchair's armrest. Ed had just picked him up and transferred him to the chair."A surprise." Ed adjusted AJ's hair, smiling."I love surprises!" AJ clapped his hands softly."Take it easy. Don't jump around. Remember what the doctor said." To prevent him from overdoing it, Ed tempered AJ's enthusiasm."Hm..." AJ muttered and nodded casually. He was worn out from hearing the rules and eager to leave his room. This was the first time he was allowed out of his room since the transplant procedure."We're going out." Ed pushed AJ's wheelchair. Their destination was not far, but a surprise awaited them in the front room, where the commotion had been four days ago."Are we going for a walk or... Oh, MOMMY!"AJ shouted, nearly making Ed lose his grip, but Ruby, quick to understand how AJ would move, immediately raised her hand, stopping him from getting down, even though she also couldn’t wait
“Such chaos,” Liz lamented as she watched the crowd of rowdy children, who had become the main guests at her wedding.“Yeah, I didn’t expect it to get this wild either.” Ruby sat beside her, watching AJ hand out chocolate-covered strawberries to the other kids.He wasn’t alone—Claud, Val's second child, was helping him. They eventually grew close, even though their conversations were sometimes limited because Claud was more fluent in Italian than English. Still, they got along well enough.“How did it all start?” Ed frowned.“I don’t know.” Ruby was also unsure.“Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed when AJ asked.” Liz deeply regretted it.Somehow, AJ had convinced Liz to provide a chocolate fountain for her wedding, and it had become the source of chaos. The younger children were enjoying it, but soon chocolate stains appeared on the white tablecloths, as wel
"Do I have to? I already checked that document yesterday. Can’t you do it instead?" When Ed saw another email from Otiz, he complained.It was a financial report. Since Matteo had spread his investments in every direction—across more or less thirty companies—the financial reports Otiz received came from all directions, across different types of businesses. Ed hadn't anticipated this.Being an investor wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed. He still had to work.“You’re the one who has to check it. I’m just the middleman,” Otiz firmly refused.He could refuse because the request was made over the phone. Perhaps if they were face-to-face, Otiz would be more compliant. He was no longer blindly following Ed's orders, carefully sorting out what should and should not be done. He was only responsible for delivering financial reports, not reviewing them.Ed grumbled. He was quite used to reviewing company pa
"‘What do you want to show me?’ As she approached Ed, Ruby inquired.She left AJ's side; he was busy reading a story to his two younger siblings. Elena and Elisa sat quietly, either really listening or getting sleepy. It was already time for their afternoon nap."Read this," Ed shifted, making room for Ruby to sit beside him, and handed her a phone displaying an article in Spanish. Less than two hours had passed since the publication of this hot news story.Ruby didn’t pay attention to that, though, because she was immediately stunned by the headline.‘DEA ARRESTS MAJOR MEXICAN CARTEL AND EXPOSES BILLION-DOLLAR BUSINESS NETWORK’"What... you...?" Ruby turned pale and panicked, of course."Read it to the end," Ed said, pointing to the rest of the text that she had not yet seen.Ruby read quickly and frowned. There was no mention of Ed or Rosas anywhere. Only Reyes. Marco Reyes. He was the story's
Two black vans speed down a deserted road. It was already nighttime, and they were the only ones there. The end of the road was in sight—a black iron gate.“Ram it!”A shout rang out, and the vans didn’t slow down. The passengers inside, all dressed in black, held on tight as a deafening crash echoed.The gate fell, bent, but opened. The two vans barged through and stopped right in front of the brightly lit house.“Get in and kill everyone!”Another shout, and the people inside the vans scrambled out, storming into the beachside house. Some were carrying firearms; others were wielding clubs.However, as they entered, everyone froze. No one came to greet them. The house was supposed to be full of guards, which was why they had come in numbers—ready for a confrontation.In reality, what greeted them was silence. Not a single person appeared, even though the house was brightly lit.“
"AJ, don't make Abuela tired!" Ruby reprimanded AJ for running away with something, while Mia pursued him.But it was impossible to make AJ stop, especially since his younger siblings were laughing joyfully at his antics. Elisa and Elena had just learned to walk, and they happily followed him around.AJ couldn't stop when he had such an audience. Mia seemed to be scolding him, but everyone knew Mia could never really be upset at AJ.Ruby had to step in, followed by Ed to watch over Elisa and Elena. Although falling on the sand wouldn't hurt, the beach had sharp rocks that could scrape them."Mommy! They should chase me! Don't pick them up!" AJ didn’t want his little sisters to be carried away and stop the fun."Alright," Ruby said, intending to supervise them closely."How about we take a vacation?" Ed abruptly proposed the idea, having just finished reading a message on his phone."Hm?" Ruby was surprised. There had been no suc
"Here."Ed gave Otiz a handkerchief to wipe away his tears. If it had been just a few, he would have let Otiz cry—and wiped the tears with the sleeve of his jacket.The problem was that Otiz couldn’t stop crying. He had already been emotional when Ed stood beside him at the altar, and it got worse when he saw Lori walking down the aisle, escorted by flowers. It was all too beautiful and dazzling for his eyes.“Sorry,” Otiz stammered, wiping the remaining tears from his face.“What are you apologizing for? At a wedding, shedding tears is not considered inappropriate. You're just too happy. No one will blame you.” Ed gently patted Otiz’s shoulder and then turned his gaze forward.Of course, Lori was the focus of the event. Her choice of dress was perfect, blending seamlessly with the entire garden decor. Flowers, ribbons, music, and all the other elements were carefully and precisely chosen—now showcasi
Ed tapped his finger on the glass in his hand. His eyes were fixed on a single point—Marco Reyes.The man was speaking with Otiz. Nothing important. Marco was just making small talk, and Otiz was doing the same—being polite, answering Marco's questions about his law firm's progress. Ed actually needed to speak to both of them, but he chose to start with Marco first.Ed just needed to gesture with his chin, and Otiz understood immediately. He excused himself, making up a reason, and left Marco alone."I need to talk to you," Ed said as he approached."Oh? What is it?" Marco immediately followed Ed, moving to the quiet side yard. The other guests filled the living room."I want you to handle the shipment to Ecuador and Brazil next week."Marco looked as if he had choked. This was incredibly surprising. Ed had never let him touch the South American market before. Ed had always handled it himself. Marco had only been managing North A
"Mommy, I want to try! You be Elena, and I'll be Elisa."AJ reached out his hand, asking for the milk bottle from Ruby. He wanted to try feeding the babies—and he chose Elisa.Usually, Tita was around to help Ruby, but today Tita was busy, so Ruby had been on her own since earlier."You can, but please be careful, okay? Don’t let her choke, and don’t squeeze." Ruby guided AJ's hand to hold the bottle filled with pre-warmed breast milk, helping him apply just the right pressure so it wouldn't press too hard against Elisa's lips."Wow! Look, Mommy! She's drinking!" AJ exclaimed happily, eyes sparkling with joy. This was the first time he was directly involved—doing something for his little sister. AJ usually watched, but at first he was afraid to hold the babies. He would look in awe but wouldn’t dare touch them.“See? It’s not a big deal, right? You don’t have to be scared anymore.”&l
From their disheveled appearance, it was clear that Liz and Asher had either just rushed out of a room or possibly run over here. One thing was certain: as soon as they heard the news about Ruby, they had hurried over."Where? Ruby... You're pale. Why... It shouldn't be happening now."Just like Lori, Liz was out of breath as she approached Ruby, panicking. The news had shocked everyone. Liz had already planned to stay in Puerto Vallarta next week to be there for Ruby when she gave birth.Of course, Liz no longer lived at Ed’s house. She had managed to buy her own apartment.“I’m fine, and they’re fine too. But the nurse hasn’t brought them here yet. Calm down… breathe.”Ruby was already able to speak clearly and now had to calm Liz down. She was the one lying down, barely conscious, yet had to reassure everyone else."Are you really okay? No problems? Any complications?" Liz touched Ruby’s bo