~ASH I stood a few feet away and watched Ruby's rigid shoulder as Ethan walked towards her. The look in her eyes when she first sighted her husband made it clear, maybe not to anyone else, but to me, that she had been hoping he would come. But the stuff set of her shoulders, and how her palms had formed into fists also made it clear that she was embarrassed, ashamed, and most importantly, annoyed at him. The look in Ethan's face was anguished enough to make even someone like me waver, but I watched with a a fierce pride as Ruby maintained her stance. “Ruby…” Ethan's voice was a plea, a small, broken plea. That single word was filled with so much emotion that I almost gave them space. It seemed too intimate. But I didn't leave. More like I couldn't. My feet stayed glued to where I was standing, few feet away from them, watching, listening. Ethan made to touch her, to embrace her, but Ruby took a step backwards, halting his movements. She didn't say anything
~RUBY I held hands with Ethan during the drive home, my eyes still puffy from the tears. But everything was fine. The bad man had been caught. All was right with the world again. Ethan didn't say anything about Ash walking out on him– us, when we approached him earlier. We just watched, Ethan slightly bewildered as Ash walked through the court room door without a backwards glance. I knew Ash’s reaction had something to do with me, but I really could not place my finger on why or perhaps, what exactly I did. The duality surprised me though. One moment he was there, holding me, patting me on the back as I cried. And the next his eyes had turned black with emotions I couldn't decipher, his face expressionless, his shoulders stiff. Sigh. I didn't put much thought to it though, focusing on Ethan and the peace that came with not having to lie and pretend I was something–someone I hated. “Should we grab takeout. I've not really had anything since…well…you know,” Et
~RUBY Surprise flitted across the lawyer's face, as he took my words in. He looked stunned, as though he hadn't been expecting that kind of response from me. I smiled at him, and that seemed to jolt him out of his surprise. “Well. That's a pretty good determination, if you ask me. I wish you erm…good luck in finding whoever it is you want to find,” he said and made to step around me. I cleared my throat. “Sorry to ask, but why are you here? And how did you know we were at the hospital?” I raised my eyebrows at him. The man always seemed to appear wherever we were, and when something happened, too. He smiled and glanced at my husband. “I need to see Ethan about work. We have some legal proceedings we are falling behind on. I texted earlier, and he mentioned he would be here,” he said and walked inside. I never liked the man, his presence unsettled me all the time. Maybe I should just keep an eye on him. I was about to turn around and go back into the room
~ASH Her question kept echoing in my head. She might have meant anything, but from the way her eyes didn't quite look into mine, the way she held her body as though to protect it from me, how choppy her breaths were, made me know what exactly she was asking me about. Smart girl. Somehow, my fireball must have figured something was up. She probably connected the dots due to my confession in the art room, maybe? But I didn't give anything away, did I? And I knew Ruby to never be suspicious unless she was aware of even a tiny piece of the truth. Well, she asked a question. I might as well damn everything to hell and answer. Of course. Of course I am keeping a lot of things from you. Things like how I vowed to ruin Ethan on his wedding day through you. Things like how I drugged your husband on your wedding night and slept with you in his stead. Things like how I held myself and came to the memory of you clenching beneath me on nights when I drug your husban
~RUBY I watched in horror as the fire spread slowly in the lower floor, the smoke drifting upwards. I had jumped out of Ash’s car before he even got the chance to properly park the car. I dashed through the crowd that had begun to form. “What happened here?” I yelled, hoping that someone would give me an answer. But people were too worried or in panic to respond to me. Every employee of my father's were outside, some with singed clothes. Apparently, the people working on the top floor had come close to getting burnt or injured when they were escaping. No one got killed though, so that provided some relief. But my relief didn't last long when I discovered that among the throng of people outside, my father was not there. I grabbed a man by his arm, stopping his frantic conversation with another employee midway. “Where is my father? WHERE IS MY FATHER?” The air felt suffocating now, and I couldn't breath. Dad. Daddy. My father's company was on fire, and my
~RUBY My blood was humming with anger. Such audacity! To think the shifty anonymous man, who is somehow blackmailing my father into doing what he ordered, had the guts to speak to my father this way. “Damnit. Daddy give me your phone,” I said and grabbed it from his hands before he could react. “Ruby. What are you doing?” He called out, the alarm in his voice was clear and sharp. It got the attention of Ash and Ella too, and they marched toward me. I copied the number and gave my father back his phone, dialing the number on mine instead. Ash grabbed my wrist, trying to stop me. “What do you think you're doing, Ruby? Why the hell are you dialing that man's number?” His coldness seeped into me and I hardened my resolve. “I am doing exactly what I should have done earlier now that his sim is active. If he isn't such a coward, that fool should be able to show his face. I have found that I rather prefer a face to face battle,” I said back, my voice matching his col
~ASH I watched the interaction between Ruby and the girl, and it was not until I heard Ella scream, a short, panicked scream that turned my blood into ice. I scrambled down from the car, pushing my body to run, or fly, anything to reach Ruby as she hit the ground. The flower basket tumbled from Ruby's hands and fell to the floor, flowers spilling everywhere. I got to Ruby, shoving Ella, who had been hovering over her, away. She was entirely unconscious. Ruby was wheezing quietly, her eyes rolling in and out of her head as she struggled, tethering between consciousness and unconsciousness. I gathered her up in my arm, not knowing what to do. “Shhhh. Shhh. It's okay,” I crooned helplessly, my heart breaking as I watched my fireball struggle. I was halfway to my car, deciding to go to the hospital, when Ella called me. It felt as though we had been spending a lot of time in hospitals these days, and I hated how Ruby fell victim to the hospital victim, too. I tu
~ASH Men filtered in from nooks and corners, surrounding us as they formed a circle. Ethan, Cole and I both stood back to back, trying to decide on a stance that was formidable enough. The men didn't wear masks, so it was pretty obvious that they were young. Scars marked their faces, and they held batons with a quiet confidence that suggested regular usage. These people were a gang. A slightly older man, who seemed like their leader stood slightly apart from the others, watching us with an unreadable expression. Someone stood behind him, the form of the person was small and slight that it was almost not noticeable. “Sweetheart. Come on out. Are they the ones chasing you?” He called out and the small form I noticed stepped out, turning out to be the girl who delivered the flowers. “Yes,” she nodded in affirmative. The man nodded and gestured for her to leave. He didn't speak until the girl was out of sight. “You wanted to kidnap my daughter,” the man stated, his v