~RUBY “Ash?” Ethan furrowed his brows. “Yeah. Come to think of it, I haven't seen him in a small while,” I said, trying to downplay the importance of the question. “Oh. I don't know. He was actually the one who took you to the hospital. I woke up to almost a hundred missed call from him, but when I got to the hospital, I couldn't find him,” my husband explained. That made sense. Since he was the one who caused me to go into shock and faint in the first place. If he took me to the hospital though, where was Ethan? “Where were you? I mean…we were supposed to be together, you and I,” I said, trying to figure out what he did to my husband. “Right. I was…when I woke up, I realized that I was sleeping on the couch. I had no idea how I got there or something,” he said and my heart sank into my stomach. He must have done something to my husband, that I was sure of. “That doesn't matter. I need to be sure you're okay,” my husband said and I smiled absentmindedly, my mind
~ASH My chest was hurting so bad, and the agony was like nothing I had felt before. I didn't even feel this way when Xena died, and the thought of feeling like this over Ruby made me realize how gone I was. Guilt was all I felt, and I had no idea where I ended and where it started. It pierced through my blood and bone and soul and the very essence I breathed, tearing me apart over and over. I wandered through the pack, ignoring all of the familiar faces I had gotten accustomed to during the course of coming here. There was a tree in the secluded part of the park, and I walked towards it, my hands clenched into fists. Why did I do that? What on earth prompted me to do that? Now she was hurt, and I was in pain. The look on her face as she took me in before she lost consciousness made me want to…I don't know. It made me want to crawl out of my body and become someone else. Someone she wouldn't hate. But I had been foolish, and now I was going to suffer the c
~RUBY I stilled. “What– what did you just say?” I asked, my hands limp against his chest. His eyes were mirrors of my pain, and we both stared at each other, as though we wanted to drown in the pain that threatened to consume us both. “I did it for revenge. I wanted to hurt Ethan. I wanted him to feel what I felt, I wanted him to know what it felt like when something…someone that belonged to you was not entirely yours,” he said. His words were barely a whisper, and tears rolled down his face. He didn't even bother to wipe them off, and he looked so different, so unlike the Ash, I knew. “What do you mean?” His pain suddenly seemed greater, like he was reliving a past he didn't want to be reminded of. “Have you ever wondered how Ethan became mentally ill? Did you ever wonder when and why his episodes started? Did you ever wonder how—” he choked on his words, “Xena died?” I dropped my fists and moved back. What he was implying made no sense. Why the fuck was h
~RUBY I turned back to stare at Ash slowly. He was on the floor, ashamed and undignified. A part of me wanted to feel pity for him, but I squashed that part. Ash Riverstone was a liar, a sick, twisted man. He didn't deserve my pity. He didn't deserve my attention or my sympathy. All he deserved was hell and the wracking pain he was facing right now. “I swear it with everything in me. I swear it with my soul. I love you, Ruby. I don't know why I'm telling you this but I honestly, really do,” he said and my anger glared, burning hotter than it ever had. I suddenly began to walk toward him with determination. Ash stared back at me in hope. I had no idea what he thought I was about to do but I sure as hell was not going to do anything close to whatever he was expecting. Because the moment I got close enough, I landed the hottest slap I could muster across his face. He staggered back in shock and glared at me as if he had never been slapped his entire life. “Don't yo
~RUBY My heart thudded painfully in my chest as I read articles after articles, detailing the accident that led to Mr Riverstone's death. There was articles about Xena too, but it didn't get much acclaim, and minimal attention was paid to her. The dates though. The dates was exactly the same, and it coincided with Xena's last entry. I suddenly fell into an abyss of fear. If what I read from Xena's diary was right, then we were in deep, deep trouble. Mr Richard seemed to have dangerous bones in his body. But what if I was jumping to conclusions? What if Xena has heard it all wrong? Could Mr. Richard really be the one behind the death of Ethan's father? I could not shake off the feeling of dread though, and my heart raced, temporarily blocking out the pregnancy from my mind. Ethan. I needed to call Ethan. If my suspicions turned out to be true, he needed to stay away from that man. I dialed his number several times, but it wasn't going through. Was his phone d
~RUBY My head throbbed like hell. I opened my eyes, fear simmering beneath my bones as I took in my surroundings. My jaw felt tender and hurt like hell, and I knew I would be sporting a nasty bruise that would definitely take a lot of time to heal. I didn't need to rack my brain as to why I was in a strange environment, I remembered from the moment I became conscious. Even before I opened my eyes. My hands and legs were tied to the chair I was sitting on, and my clothes clung to my body from the sweat that was rolling down my body. The room had only one small window at the highest part of the wall, and the only way in and out was a single door that was adjacent to where I was sitting. Heat rolled in the air, and I shifted uncomfortably. But that was the least of my worries. I was more worried about Ethan and how he was handling my disappearance. Has he listened to the voice mail I left him yet? He would have. The room wasn't entirely dark yet, and from the lim
~ETHAN ~SOME HOURS AGO~ Work was relatively boring and monotonous. It took a lot of willpower to stay in the office and listen to Richard drone on and on about some legal discussions. I let my mind wander, and thought about my sweet, sweet darling. My Ruby. My wife. The one that was now carrying my baby. Christ. I was so happy. I was already beginning to imagine how I would spoil the kid rotten, and shower Ruby with love, attention, and every fucking thing she wanted. I was about to be a father That one thought kept ringing in my head that I barely paid attention to what was discussed in the conference meeting I held. Richard had to nudge me whenever the discussion required my input, and I was about to damn it all to hell and leave for home when the meeting, finally ended. Richard was a darling. If he had been absent, the meeting would have been a flop. I watched as my employees trickled out one after the other, and Richard stayed behind, holding a document. I
~RUBY After waiting for several long minutes, the car finally arrived. It was driven by one of Ethan's company drivers, so I did not have to question who it was that sent him before walking into the car. Exhaustion weighed me down, and I sagged against the back seat. It took me a while to realize, but when I did, I sat straight up. “This is not the way home,” I called out to the driver. My voice was hoarse, and I had to repeat myself again before he heard me. “Yes ma'am. Mr Ethan asked us to bring you somewhere else. You're to meet him there instead,” the driver answered politely and I frowned. If I wasn't familiar with the driver, I would have been suspicious. But he worked for Ethan, so he had to be telling the truth. And besides, I had no cell phone to confirm from my husband. So I just trusted my instincts and let it go. It took me driving for a while before we finally arrived at our destination. I gasped as I sat up. It was…magnificent. As we drove throu