Fridays were always busy at Lovik Diner, but today was unusually slow. We'd had only six customers since my shift started. I wouldn't call it luck or anything to be happy about because Theophilus was still going to deduct it from my peanut salary. That greedy piece of shit always thought we could miraculously summon customers with our abracadabra if we wanted.
I leaned against the counter as the sixth customer made her payment and walked out of the diner. I picked up my phone and saw a new message from Killian.
I swiped it open.
> Babe, my mom is here. She said she needs braised chicken soup. Get it for her on your way home and I'll give you the money when I have something. I promise. Pinky swear.
I glared at the message. Another text came in before I could even reply.
> Also, she needs to change her diapers. You know I haven't learned how to do these things. Come home quick before it gets wet.
My fingers hovered over the keyboard, fury boiling in my chest. I typed fuck you and was about to hit send when a call came in, one that made my jaw drop and my whole body go still.
Ruby. My stepsister, Ruby, was calling me.
That was impossible.
I blinked twice, double-checking the screen to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. But no, it was really her number. I picked it and slowly raised the phone to my ear.
"Hello? Ruby?"
"Hello. Is this Ruby Castiglione's sister, Chantel Cross?" A woman's voice came through, not Ruby's.
My brows furrowed. I pulled the phone away for a second, checking the number again, then pressed it back to my ear. "Yes, this is she. Who is this?"
"We're calling from Vine Hospital, Movnine. Ruby was in an accident and she's in critical condition. You're the last person she called, so I thought to reach out to her family members."
I went numb.
Ruby got into an accident? How?
"She's about to undergo surgery, and we need consent from a family member. Please come to the hospital immediately—it's an emergency."
My body moved before my mind could catch up. I burst out from behind the counter and ran straight out of the diner into the cold night air. Theophilus's angry voice followed me out the door, yelling about my shift, but I didn't care.
I hailed a cab and spent my last dollar on the ride to Vine Hospital.
The moment I stepped out, I ran straight to the reception desk.
"Hey! My name is Chantel. Did a Ruby Castiglione get rushed in? I'm here to see her," I said breathlessly, chest heaving.
The nurse—a woman with a bob haircut and a round face—nodded and flipped through her clipboard. Then she stopped.
"Yes," she said. "Mr. and Mrs. Castiglione. They're both in the emergency room, to your right."
I froze. "Mr. and Mrs.?" My voice cracked.
"Yes. She was brought in with her husband."
My stomach dropped. I bolted to the right, aiming for the emergency room. Before I was allowed inside, a nurse handed me a mask and sanitizer. I barely followed the instructions before rushing in.
Then I saw her.
Ruby lay on the third bed, her once pristine white dress soaked in crimson. Her face was coated in blood, her brown hair dark and wet with it.
I rushed to her side, my jaw trembling as I took in her state. "What the hell happened, Selene?" I whispered under my breath.
"Are you Mrs. Ruby Castiglione's sister?"
A male voice cut through my ragged breath. I turned and saw a doctor approaching. I nodded quickly.
"Are you here to sign the surgery consent?"
"Yes," I said at once.
"Okay." He nodded and started to walk away, but I called after him. He turned back.
"W-what about her husband?"
"He's undergoing surgery at the moment."
"How critical is it?" I breathed out.
"I can't give details on his medical record, I'm sorry. Another doctor is handling his case."
I nodded, swallowing hard, and watched him walk off to get the chart.
A few minutes later, after signing the consent forms, Ruby was rushed into the operating room. I waited outside, pacing up and down the hallway, biting my fingers to keep from shaking.
Finally, the OR doors slid open. A different doctor stepped out, one I hadn't seen before, his scrubs stained faintly with blood, his eyes heavy.
He pulled off his mask and bowed his head slightly. "Her condition was critical when she arrived. There was internal bleeding in the brain, and… too much blood loss." He paused, exhaling softly. "She bled to death. We did everything we could. I'm sorry."
A sharp gasp escaped me. I froze, my mind blank, my heart refusing to believe what I'd just heard.
The doctor gave another small bow before walking away, joined by two nurses and a couple of other doctors still in their OR uniforms.
I couldn't move. I just stood there, letting the words sink in.
Selene was dead.
Even if she betrayed me, she was still my sister. She left me behind to care for our dying mother alone. Mom was fighting for her life when Selene ran away and never came back. Neither of us heard from her again.
Six months later, after endless searching, I finally found her, she was living under a different name named Ruby George. And she was engaged to Arman.
She blocked my number, so I tried every possible way to reach her—emails, messages from strangers—begging her to help with Mom's medical bills. But she never responded. It was a brutal betrayal, one I never expected from her. I'd told myself that when I finally saw her again, I would curse her, tell her exactly how horrible she was.
But instead, here I was, mourning her death.
She hated us so much that she'd rather die than face me again and hear my curse.
I collapsed onto the cold hospital floor and cried until I couldn't breathe. When my tears finally ran dry, I went to the reception to ask for Arman. The nurse said he had finished surgery a few hours ago and was in the ICU. If I wanted to see him, I'd have to wait a few more hours until he was stable and transferred to his ward.
So, I waited. I needed to be the one to tell him his wife was gone.
He wasn't exactly the dating type back in high school but something about Arman always told me he was a family man. That he loved deeply. That thought alone made my heart ache, though I refused to explore why.
I must have dozed off in the waiting room because the reception nurse woke me, saying Arman had been moved to the VIP ward.
I checked my phone. It was past two in the morning. Twenty-three missed calls and ten messages from Killian, most of them whining about how he couldn't change his mother's diapers without me, rather than being worried about where I was. Typical. I turned the phone off and followed the nurse.
The VIP ward was eerily quiet, the air is charged with the scent of antiseptic and lilies. Everything gleamed gold and white. We stopped at room 605. The nurse gave a gentle knock, and I swallowed hard, my heart racing.
He was probably asleep. Still, I needed to tell him about Selene.
He probably didn't even remember me from high school—or worse, didn't remember I existed at all. Selene never mentioned me, that much I was sure of. The thought stung. I was pining over a man who might not even remember my name.
The nurse opened the door, and I followed her inside. The sterile floral scent thickened, wrapping around me. Three couches sat neatly in the corner—two singles and an L-shaped one by the wall.
Then I saw him.
Lying on the bed near the window. His eyes were open—green, striking, and fixed on me.
My heart skipped a beat. Those were the same eyes that had looked at me on prom night. They were soft, electric, and unforgettable. I remembered the way he'd held me close, swayed me to the music, whispered it was okay every time I accidentally stepped on his foot. The tenderness in his gaze then… was still there now.
"Mr. Castiglione, you have a visitor," the nurse said before quickly excusing herself, leaving us alone.
The moment the door clicked shut, I felt my throat tighten. The room smelled like antiseptic and loss, and Arman's gaze made my stomach twist.
"Hey," I said softly. "How are you feeling?"
He didn't look confused. He looked like he knew me. But I couldn't tell whether it was from school… or if Selene had told him about me.
My heart swelled when he smiled faintly.
I smiled back, hesitant. "Um… I don't know if you've heard, but Ru—"
Before I could finish, he reached out, his fingers brushing mine. Gently, he held my hand, his touch trembling but sure.
Then, slowly, he removed his oxygen mask.
"Ruby…" he breathed. "My love."