The doctor's words echoed relentlessly in Ruby's mind. Be very careful. This pregnancy is high-risk. She had promised she would be. She had believed she would be. But standing there now, watching the blood stain the ground beneath her, Ruby felt a crushing truth settle into her chest.
Even her little angel didn't want to stay. Her hand trembled as she touched her still-flat belly, fingers pressing lightly as if she could hold the life inside her by sheer will alone. Tears finally spilled, silent, uncontrollable as her knees weakened.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry." She didn't remember much after that, only getting into her car, hands shaking on the steering wheel, driving back to the hospital on instinct alone.
When her attending doctor saw her, his face tightened with concern. "Jesus, Ruby," he said softly as nurses rushed her inside. "What happened?" She didn't answer. She couldn't.
After the examination, the doctor sat beside her, his voice careful, heavy. "I'm sorry, Ruby," he said gently. "You lost the pregnancy." Her baby. Her angel.
The words should have shattered her, but her mind was already far away. Somewhere numb. Somewhere empty. She had known the moment she saw the blood. She just didn't know how she had made it back to the hospital or how she was still breathing.
Her angel had become an angel. "Are you okay?" the doctor asked, worry etched across his face. "Should I call your husband? Or your father? Tell me who I should call; you don't look well."
Ruby said nothing.
She stood up slowly, her body moving before her heart could catch up. Without another word, she walked out of the hospital. Home felt distant. Hollow. But she made it there somehow.
Inside the bathroom, Ruby turned on the shower and stepped under the cold water, letting it soak her clothes, her hair, her skin. The chill cut through her, but she welcomed it. It was the only thing she could still feel.
She stood there for a long time, unmoving. By then, she had no tears left to give. Only silence.
Ruby stepped out of the bathroom with wet hair clinging to her shoulders, a towel wrapped tightly around her chest. The mirror reflected a woman she barely recognized, eyes hollow, face drained, heart shattered.
Today should have been the happiest day of her life. Instead, she had lost everything. Her marriage. Her baby. Her sense of direction.
She stood there, unmoving, as if her entire life had come to a sudden stop. Rock bottom didn't even begin to describe it. Ruby didn't know where to go or what to do next.
She truly believed the night couldn't get any worse.
Then her phone rang.
"Ruby, where are you?" her father, Alex Emerald, demanded the moment she answered. Panic edged his voice. "I've been calling Seron, but he's not answering. Your mother has been rushed to the hospital again. This time, she needs heart surgery, or she won't make it."
Ruby's chest tightened painfully.
"And the family business is collapsing," he continued without pause. "You need to get the money from your husband."
Ruby swallowed hard, forcing herself to stay steady. "Dad… Seron and I are getting a divorce," she said quietly. "He's not going to pay for Mum's surgery. We'll have to find another way." There was a sharp silence on the other end.
"What did you do?" her father snapped. "You'd better go and apologize to your husband. No one gets divorced in this family, and I won't have a useless divorced woman as my daughter."
The words hurt, but they weren't new. Ruby had grown up knowing exactly where she stood. She had been given the best of everything, not out of love, but investment. Her father had never hidden the fact that he saw no value in a daughter, only what she could bring back. Her mother, too weak to bear another child, had faded quietly into the background of his disappointment.
"I'll come up with the money for Mum's heart surgery," Ruby said softly, ending the call before her voice could break. The tears came anyway.
She wiped them away quickly and got dressed, determination hardening her expression. She refused to beg Seron. Never again.
As she went through their belongings, reality hit her harder than any slap ever could. Nothing was in her name. Not the house. Not the cars. Not even a bank account.
She had never seen the need for one until now. Ruby sank onto the edge of the bed, her hands shaking. She had nowhere to turn. No money. No support. No safety net.
For the first time in her life, Ruby Emerald was completely alone.
Ruby took a deep breath. Somewhere beneath the exhaustion and heartbreak, she knew one thing with certainty, there had to be another way. And that way was not Seron.
She left the house early the next morning, slipping out before Seron returned. The city felt colder in daylight and less forgiving. She went from place to place, asking about jobs, clutching her resume with fragile hope.
But hope didn't last long. Seven years as a housewife. No work experience.
She had done everything right, or so she thought. She had gone to school, earned her degree, and even completed her master's by twenty-four. Yet she had never worked a single day in her life. No one was willing to take a chance on her now.
By midday, her legs ached, and her spirit felt crushed. That was when Seron called. "Where are you?" he demanded. "Come back home."
Ruby didn't argue. She was too tired to fight. She planned to go home either way to cook a simple meal, then head to the hospital to see her mother.
But when she walked through the door, she stopped cold. Seron was there.
And Acacia was with him. His arm was wrapped around her possessively, his body angled toward hers as though Ruby didn't exist. They looked comfortable. Familiar. Like they belonged together.
"I see you've come to your senses," Seron said casually, his tone smug. "Your father kept calling me all night. I guess he needs money again."
Ruby said nothing.
"Go inside and make something for us to eat," he continued. "Acacia will be staying here for a while. Her place is under renovation."
The words barely registered. Staying here. With us.
Ruby stood frozen for a second, disbelief washing over her. Then she simply walked past them, her face unreadable.
Behind her, they laughed softly, as if certain they had broken her. As if she had nowhere else to go. Moments later, they settled back onto the couch, their attention fully on each other again, their laughter fading into deep kisses.
Ruby went inside without another word. She packed a few clothes, only the essentials, and gathered the little cash she had managed to save over the years. It wasn't much, but it was hers. She zipped the suitcase shut with steady hands.
In the kitchen, she cooked calmly, methodically. The scent of food drifted through the hallway, warm and familiar. From the living room, Seron and Acacia noticed immediately.
When Ruby finished, she poured everything into a stainless-steel flask, sealed it tightly, and walked out with her suitcase in one hand and the flask in the other.
Seron looked up, frowning. "Where do you think you're going with that suitcase?"
"And where's the food I asked you to make?" he added impatiently. Acacia pouted, clinging to his arm. "I'm hungry, baby," she whined like a spoiled child.
Ruby stopped and turned to face them, her expression calm, too calm.
"Since you brought your first love into this house," she said evenly, "we can't stay under the same roof. She's a woman, too. I assume she knows how to cook."
She lifted the flask slightly. "This is for my mother." Seron's face darkened. "What insolence is this?" he yelled. "Is that how you talk to your husband?"
Ruby met his gaze without flinching. "My husband doesn't respect me," she said quietly. "He openly parades his mistress in front of me. I suppose I lost respect for him the moment he did that."
She picked up her suitcase again. "I'll send the divorce papers." And with that, she walked out. Seron stood frozen, speechless. He had expected tears. Begging. Submission. With everything happening, he had assumed Ruby would become even more obedient.
He had never expected this. As the door closed behind her, his jaw tightened.
"Fine," he muttered coldly. "Let's see how long you keep this attitude once you lose everything."
He pulled out his phone and made a call. "Draft the divorce papers," he told his lawyer flatly. "She can have the villa and a monthly allowance."
"Why give her the villa?" Acacia snapped. "I want it." Seron barely looked at her.
"The villa belonged to my late mother," he said flatly. "And it's haunted. I'll get you something better."
He paused, his voice lowering with certainty. "This is just to make Ruby realize her mistake. She'll come back. She always does, apologizing."
Acacia smirked, sliding closer to him, her hand tracing his arm. "Speaking of family," she said lightly, "the last I heard, your father was in Spain."
"Yes," Seron replied coldly. "The old man refuses to die."
Acacia laughed softly. "Old? Please. Your father is still young and handsome. Not old at all."
The words landed wrong. Seron's expression darkened instantly. He shoved her hand away, stepping back from her. "Don't talk about my step-father like that," he snapped.
Acacia blinked, startled. "Come on, baby," she said quickly, softening her tone. "I was just commenting. No need to get angry."
But Seron was already done listening. Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving her standing alone in the living room, suddenly unsure of where she stood.