The hum of a flickering bathroom light buzzed overhead. Ruby Grace stood barefoot on cold tiles, clutching a white plastic stick. The second pink line had already appeared faint but unrelenting. She didn't cry. She couldn't. Her hands trembled slightly as she glanced at the mirror. Aversion of herself stared back-pale, twenty-three, confused. Not the same Ruby who used to walk the halls of the Grace mansion in designer heels. Not the same Ruby whose laughter echoed through penthouse walls.
Behind her reflection, tucked into the corner of the mirror frame, was a photo. Her sister Cathalia Grace. Smiling in her graduation gown, surrounded by flowers and her boyfriend, Ethan.
Ruby's stomach turned.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, not sure if it was meant for her unborn child or the ghost of her sister.
The test slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor.
[Two Months Earlier at Grace Mansion]
Ruby had never meant to fall for Ethan. It happened slowly and painfully.
Ethan was kind, thoughtful, and gentle with Cathalia. He would bring her roses, sing to her off-key, and kiss her forehead in the morning when he thought no one was looking. Ruby had admired him for being a good man.
But after the accident, after the plane fell from the sky and Cathalia's body was never found, something in Ruby shattered. And Ethan.... he shattered too.
They grieved together. They drank wine in silence. They reminisced. One stormy night, they crossed a line. Neither of them talked about it again. Until now.
[Present Day at Ruby's small Apartment]
The room was dimly lit. Little James sat on the floor, lining up his toy car by color. His laughter echoed softly, innocent and pure. Ruby walked out of the bathroom, pale but composed. Her eyes scanned the room like a soldier preparing for battle.
"Mommy!" James squealed, holding up a red sports car. "This one's fast! Zoom!
Ruby forced a smile. " That's right, baby. The fastest of all."
No one knew about James except Tiarra and Jen, her closest friend. Not even her parents. Not even Ethan, and it had to stay that way.
[One year ago at Grace Mansion]
Ruby's parents, Emma and Patrick Grace, were powerful, intimidating, and heartbreakingly proud. The Grace company, their business empire, stood as a symbol of wealth and family legacy.
"Your sister would've been a CEO by now." Patrick often said.
Ruby would nod, saying nothing. No one ever compared to Cathalia. She was the perfect daughter. The daughter who was never supposed to die. The daughter whose boyfriend Ruby should never have loved.
When Ruby found out she was pregnant, she ran. She left behind her piano, her family, her wealth, her reputation, and worst of all, Ethan.
One week later, Ruby stood behind a tall oak, drenched in the rain. Her coat clung to her skin, her hands around her barely visible belly. Across the cemetery, Ethan knelt behind Cathalia's gravestone, placing a white tulip. His lips moved in a whisper of prayer or apology.
Ruby didn't move. She watched, heartbroken, tears mixing with rain.
"I wish you love me," she whispered, "just the way you love her," but he never heard her, and maybe that was for the best.
Present Day, James was asleep. The apartment was quiet. Ruby sat at the piano, fingers resting on the keys. Her eyes glistened as she played the melody that Cathalia once loved, a song Ethan used to sing.
She paused halfway. Something inside her told her to run again, farther this time, somewhere no one could find her.