Oh? Does the truth cause pain? Her forehead raised. "Ramsey, you ought to thank me. You wouldn't exist without me." Ramsey tightened his jaw. Rita stepped forward in rage and pointed a sharp finger at Ruby's face.
"You believe you're superior to me? Allow me to share with you—"
Her heel, however, slipped on the slick floor before she could finish. It was all in slow motion. Rita's dress twisted clumsily over her legs as she fell to the ground in a heap, screaming sharply. The whole eatery fell silent.
Afterward—"She pushed me!" Rita let out a cry and gripped her ankle tightly.
"Ruby pushed me!" The room was filled with gasps. Ramsey turned to Ruby, his face contorted with rage.
"What the hell did you do?" Ruby's eyes got bigger. "I didn't even touch her!" Rita, however, kept screaming and gripping her leg as if she were dying.
As the scenario developed, patrons whispered to one another. A waitress came hurrying up. "Should we call an ambulance?"
Rita looked up at Ramsey with watery eyes and whimpered pitifully.
"My ankle, baby... I believe it to be broken. Ramsey turned back to Ruby with rage. He spat out, "You're unbelievable."
"This is exactly why I left you." Anger boiled inside Ruby. Ramsey isn't to blame. Not because of Rita's pitiful behavior.
But because he still dared to criticize her after all—after everything she had gone through. Her hands shook. She started to say something, but before she could, a strong, deep voice broke the tension.
"That's enough." Everyone pivoted. Jackson stood at the doorway, his face impassive, but his dark eyes focused intently on Ruby.
He remarked, "This little act of yours is pathetic," and strode on. He spoke in a calm but unquestionably strong voice. Rita went a shade paler. Ramsey scowled.
"Who the hell are you?" Jackson didn't even glance at him. He moved to stand next to Ruby, his presence a silent fortress. With a calmer tone, he asked Ruby, "Are you done here?"
After a little pause, she raised her chin.
"Yes. I'm finished". Jackson put his hand small on my back and walked away without saying anything more, leaving Rita and Ramsey in a rage. And Ruby felt like she was finally regaining control for the first time in a long time.
The restaurant seemed eerily quiet. While Ramsey hovered over me, his face contorted in rage, Rita remained on the floor, whimpering hysterically.
Then he said it. "You disgust me, Ruby." I balled my hands into fists.
"Excuse me?" The storm within me was anything from tranquil, despite the calmness of my voice. Ramsey shook his head and laughed icily as if I were the most pitiful thing he had ever seen.
"You're standing here, acting like the victim, but you've been fooling around behind my back this whole time."
There was a confused murmur in the diner. Even though I felt nauseous, I refused to quit. "What a pit of hell are you talking about?"
I inquired. Ramsey's lips curled in hatred as he pointed to Jackson.
"Don't act foolish," he scoffed. "You don't think I understand what's happening? You've been having an affair with this ordinary man." Startled, I blinked. Cheating? Was that what he just said? Anger boiled in my breast, and for a second I thought I would laugh.
"Wow." I breathed out slowly.
"You're unbelievable, Ramsey." Ramsey folded his arms.
"Don't try to deny it."
"Deny what?" I lost my temper.
"For years I had to witness my husband flaunt himself with his mistress?
That you made me feel inadequate and embarrassed me? And now I'm the one who cheated because another man dared to talk to me?"
Ramsey's face grew serious, but he wasn't finished.
"Don't act innocent, Ruby," he added. "I witnessed his touch on you. For what duration has this been occurring?
since before my divorce from you?" I let out a sour chuckle.
"Oh, Ramsey, that's rich. After three years of having sex with Rita, you're accusing me of cheating because a man showed me kindness for five minutes?"
"Kindness?" Ramsey laughed.
"Please. He is just another desperate loser who believes you have something to offer and is attempting to get close to you. But isn't he the one making the joke?
He looked at Jackson sarcastically. "She's nothing but a washed-up waitress with no value now."
I didn't want him to see it, even though the words hurt. Jackson laughed before I could reply. It was a deep laugh that made my spine tingle.
"A common guy, huh?"
At last, Jackson spoke up and moved forward. The way he walked was powerful, threatening, and controlled, even though his hands were carelessly tucked into his pockets. Ramsey laughed.
"What? Are you going to start acting like a jerk now? Jackson gave a small smile that stopped short of his eyes. Don't do anything. I just am. Ramsey scowled.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jackson reached out to me with a gentle yet forceful hand. He ignored Ramsey entirely and turned to face me.
"I should properly introduce myself," Jackson remarked. Then, with an unreadable expression, he faced Ramsey.
"Jackson Philips, CEO of the Philips Group." The whole room went cold. Rita stopped acting like she was crying. Whispering among themselves, the waiters tensed up. Ramsey, too?
Ramsey chuckled. It was a full, contemptuous laugh, not just a chuckle. His words were, "Oh, please," in between breaths.
"You think I'll believe that? You?
"The Philips Group's CEO?"
He wiped his eyes as if the thought itself was too amusing.
"That's the dumbest lie I've ever heard."
My heart raced.Despite my lack of knowledge of Jackson, I had a gut feeling that Ramsey had just made a grave error.
However, Jackson didn't appear to be offended. He seemed to have anticipated this response, as evidenced by the slight widening of his grin.
"I don't expect you to believe anything,"
Jackson remarked in a composed manner. "You're free to keep embarrassing yourself." Ramsey scoffed.
"The CEO of the Philips Group is some old man in his sixties, not some random guy standing in a restaurant." Jackson sighed softly, as though he were speaking to a naive child.
"The previous CEO was my father," he clarified. "I took over one year ago."
A gradual comprehension began to seep into Ramsey's face.He wasn't prepared to give up, though.
"If you're the CEO, prove it." Jackson's head cocked slightly. "I don't need to prove anything to you." Ramsey laughed.
"All right. since you're lying."
"Because you're irrelevant." Jackson's smile vanished. Ramsey shivered at the weight of his words, but he sneered again to hide it.
"You're just a random person Ruby picked to play the hero. Are you certain I'd believe—"
As Jackson took out his phone, his words ceased.He tapped a couple of times and raised the screen so Ramsey could see it. I gasped.
His name, title, and the Phillips Group representation were all prominently displayed on his official company page. Ramsey's face lost its hue. Jackson wasn't finished, though.
He tapped a news story as he scrolled down. It said, "Meet Jackson Philips, the Young CEO Revolutionizing the Company World."
I saw Ramsey's whole body tensing up. Still, on the ground, Rita gazed at the television as if she had just caught a glimpse of a ghost. Jackson seemed unaffected and put his phone back in his pocket.
"Now," he said in a strong, silky voice. "Do you still think I'm some common guy?"
Ramsey inhaled deeply. For the first time in his life, he opened his mouth to speak but was unable to do so. I was unable to resist.
My lips formed a slow, contented smile.It tasted good. Considering how many times Ramsey had made fun of me.
Considering all that he had done to diminish me. It felt just like watching him fall apart in front of Jackson. Jackson's face softened as he turned to face me.
He inquired, "Are you done here?" I looked at Ramsey and the look of pure dread and disbelief in his eyes. He appeared unsure for the first time since our split.
As if he were discovering something he had lost too late. I looked directly into his eyes and stated what felt right.
"Yes, I'm done." I took Jackson's outstretched hand without giving Ramsey another look. I felt lighter than I had in years as we passed the astonished crowd.
Because I wasn't simply leaving for the first time. I was on my way.