~ELLA I dropped down on my bed with a groan as I searched around for my phone. Finding it on the blanket beside me, I yawned as I picked it up and opened it. Work had been demanding these days, and as much as I looked forward to working with this brand for years, sometimes, I just wanted to go home and sleep. Most especially, I wanted to see my baby. Ruby's contact had been unreachable the last few times I tried her contact, but I didn't really pay attention to it. It was probably due to the fact that I was calling from a great distance, and at unorthodox times, too. Checking the time difference, I was glad to see that it was just morning over there, so I opened my phone and was about to click on the call icon when a breaking news flashed on my phone. I was about to swipe away when a very familiar name caught my eye. Riverstone. Heart thudding at this sudden news flash, I sat up and opened the news. My jaw dropped open. The headline was: DISASTER AT THE RIV
~ASH The days passed in a blur, and the only people I saw were the wardens, bringing in terrible food at irregular intervals. I had nothing to do, so I thought long and hard about what happened. It should have been obvious that Ethan had lost his sense of reasoning when he called us both for a meal. But then, his episodes had always been explosive, so I was surprised, still am, to think about how calm and collected he was. How did it escalate that quickly, though? One moment Ruby was looking so happy as she ate, and the next she was frozen with horror, as Ethan reached out to hit her. Come to think of it, the fight should not have ended the way it did. The wooden rails should have been sturdy enough to take both our weights. How did it break so easily? My brows furrowed in confusion. And hold on, I remember about six waiters bringing in platters after platters of food, and where the hell did they disappear to when Ruby was screaming for help? They could not
~COLE The agony on Ella's face as she beheld her comatose friend made my heart shatter over and over again. But there was nothing I could do about it, except to hold her and comfort her, praying for Ruby to come into consciousness. We were sitting at the waiting room as usual. It had become a routine between me, Mr Lakewood, and Ella. I tried as much as possible to be here, despite the fact that I had so much to do to help Ash’s case. “I don't understand how or why Richard could kill the boys’ father and that girl. If we are going with what Ash told us, then we have a whole lot to do. Richard has to pay for his sins,” Ella said suddenly after several long minutes of silence. “Ash wasn't lying. He was serious. More serious than I've ever seen him,” I replied and she stood up and started to pace. “There is no evidence though. I mean, Ruby must have found out somehow, but she's lying there, unconscious, unable to help. There's no way to prove that, and I doubt anyone woul
~ASH Today was the trial. I was so restless that I could not sleep, and when dawn finally broke through the dark, gloomy clouds, I didn't know how or what to feel. I could not decide if I should be happy that we were about to get this over with or I should be in high despair. When the officers came to lead me out of my cell though, I had come to a decision. It was unfortunate as hell to be in this position. I hadn't eaten properly in days, and my head felt faint. Bowing my head in defeat, I let them lead me into the black Maria that was to convey me to court. There was still no lawyer. Cole had not gotten back to me and I was sure I would lose control if Richard turned out to be my lawyer. But I was still scared. Asides from Richard, I was scared and tired and lonely. I wanted this to end so bad. I wanted things to go back to the way they were. I would gladly leave the country for Ethan and Ruby. If only he wasn't dead. But he was. And everything was ruined.
~ASH “My Lord. The prosecutor questions are relevant to the case, but we have a theory to prove to the world that my client did not, push his brother into the pool.” The judge motioned for him to go on, and the prosecutor glared at me as he took his seat. I was dead sure what bastard was on Richard's payroll. “My Lord, from my investigation, it actually turned out that the wooden railings that was supposed to provide protection against the cliff end was tampered with. Here, if you look into the zoomed part of the image, you'll see a clean slive between this point and this point. The railings were compromised, my Lord, it was a set up against the brothers,” he said, the projection of the wooden railings large and bold for everyone to see. My lawyer continued to speak. “Also, when Mr. Ash was arrested, it was reported that he had blisters on his hands. Fresh, bleeding blisters on his palm. Which could only mean one thing, he held on to the decorative ropes on the side of
~ASH I was shocked. Surprised. Befuddled. Stunned. I didn't expect Ruby to wake up soon, and from Cole's expression, he didn't expect it too. But she was here and she was awake, and that was all that mattered. I was happy. She seemed okay, no matter how weak she looked. She was okay. Even if I was sentenced to jail or death, I would die happily. The judge started at her words. “You are a witness to what happened?” He asked. “Yes, I am.” The prosecutor stood up with an uncomfortable expression, and Ruby, standing in the witness box, took the oath of truth. “Speak, witness,” the judge ordered. “Ethan, my husband, invited us both to the restaurant. He was acting weird, but I was too absorbed in the information I wanted to pass across to them to notice. It was when he showed us the pictures and started acting up that I noticed. I tried reasoning with him, but he was too far gone in his answer to listen. It was when he wanted to hit me that Ash stepped in and s
~RUBY I was shaken from facing that crowd and telling the truth, but I was glad I did it. I was so scared, that I feared I would not be able to speak, but I did it. “My darling. I'm so proud of you,” Ella whispered as she hugged me, and I sagged against her, watching them lead Ash away. Cole went with them, and the courtroom bustled around me and Ella. No one paid attention to us though, so I let my facade down, and let her hold me. I felt weak, since I didn't allow my body to recover before rushing all the way here, letting Ella brief me in the taxi. The short burst of energy that carried me through the whole process of running here and giving my account was gone now, and my body ached so bad. “I'm so tired. I feel like my legs are going to give out any minute,” I groaned and Ella shifted her weight slightly away from mine. “Come on. Let's go back to the hospital,” she said and I nodded. We made our way slowly through the court room, Ella calling for a taxi as we wal
~RUBY It's been twenty four hours since the trial, Ash's kidnap, and the accusations, but it felt like years to me. I laid on my hospital bed and didn't say a word. There was nothing to say, anyway. Ella and my father exchanged worried glances all the time, but they could not help me. So they waited for me, and I waited for my husband. If only Ethan had listened. If only I had been strong enough to save them both. If only I hadn't found the diary. If only… Damnit. There was no point in wishing things had happened differently, but I couldn't help myself. If I had a genie, I would not even ask for three wishes. What I would have wished for was for Ethan to come back to life, and set things right. If he came back, I would make him listen, and the three of us would raise the kid together. I would not even give a damn about Richard and his shenanigans. He could go to hell for all I care. All I wanted was Ethan. But a dead person always remain dead. They never ca