Ruby was driving toward the hospital when her phone rang. She glanced at the screen briefly, then answered without slowing down.
She wasn't surprised.
Seron had always moved fast when it came to control.
"Yes, this is Ruby Byron," she said calmly. Then, after a pause, she added, "But you can call me Ruby Emerald." The words felt right. Like reclaiming a part of herself she had given away too easily.
There was a brief silence on the other end before the lawyer cleared his throat. "Mrs. Byron…Miss Emerald," he corrected himself, "I'm calling regarding the divorce proceedings initiated by your husband."
"I figured," Ruby replied evenly. She kept her eyes on the road, her hands steady on the wheel. "I was planning to contact a lawyer myself."
Another pause. "Your husband has outlined the initial terms," the lawyer continued carefully. "Before anything is finalized, I need to ask, do you wish to add anything to the agreement?"
Ruby exhaled slowly.
Images flooded Ruby's mind the betrayal, the blood on the floor, the cold sterility of the hospital room, the icy shower that had washed away her tears, her mother lying weak and fragile in a hospital bed.
She swallowed hard.
"No," Ruby said into the phone. "I don't want anything from Seron." There was a brief pause on the other end, surprise barely hidden. "Are you certain, Miss Emerald?" the lawyer asked.
"Yes," she replied firmly. "I'm certain." She ended the call just as she pulled into the hospital parking lot.
Inside, the familiar scent of antiseptic wrapped around her as she went straight to her mother's ward. After a short wait, the doctor asked to speak with her privately.
"Your mother needs heart surgery as soon as possible," he said gently. "Without it, her condition will continue to worsen." Ruby nodded, bracing herself. "How much will it cost?" she asked quietly. "90,000,000," The doctor mentioned the amount. Ruby felt the air leave her lungs.
It was enormous, so large that even if she worked four jobs at once, it still wouldn't be enough. The number echoed in her head, heavy and unforgiving. She thanked the doctor and stepped aside, leaning against the wall for support. Her hands trembled as reality crashed down on her.
She had walked away from her marriage with nothing. And now, the one person she still wanted to save was slipping through her fingers.
"Dad," Ruby said softly, stopping him in the corridor. "Can you raise at least half of the surgery money? I'll find a way to raise the rest."
Her father didn't even slow down. "Didn't you hear me?" he snapped. "The family business has no money. And since you chose to walk away from the Byrons, this is your problem now."
Ruby flinched.
He turned to face her, his eyes cold. "How can a daughter stand there and watch her mother die?" he continued harshly. "What kind of child are you?" The words crushed what little strength she had left.
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away, leaving Ruby standing alone in the hospital hallway. She went back into the room quietly.
Her mother lay asleep, surrounded by machines, their steady beeping filling the silence. Tubes and wires framed the woman who had once held Ruby together when the world felt cruel.
Ruby stood beside the bed, her fingers trembling as she reached for her mother's hand. "Where am I supposed to get the money?" she whispered. The room offered no answers. She had never felt so alone in her life.
"I won't let you die, Mum," Ruby cried softly, pressing her forehead against her mother's hand. "I'll do anything. I promise."
The words were all she had left.
Over the next two weeks, Ruby pushed herself beyond exhaustion. She searched endlessly for work, walking until her feet ached, hearing rejection after rejection. When that wasn't enough, she sold her car. Then the jewelry, every expensive piece Seron had ever given her, every symbol of a life that no longer existed.
Still, it wasn't enough. Not even close to half the surgery fee.
She signed the divorce papers with shaking hands, hoping it would bring some sense of relief. It didn't. If anything, it made everything worse. The finality of it all sank in, turning her life completely upside down.
She had lost her marriage. She had lost her child. And now, she was on the verge of losing her mother.
Ruby barely left the hospital anymore. She slept in the chair beside her mother's bed, surviving on vending machine coffee and sheer will. At times, she felt like she was only breathing because her mother still was.
By now, she was ready to die the moment her mother did. She held her mother's hand tightly, her voice breaking. "Please don't leave me," she whispered. "I don't have anyone else."
Just then…Knock. Knock. The sound cut through the silence of the room.
Ruby froze.
Slowly, she lifted her head and turned toward the door, her heart pounding as she whispered, almost afraid to hope
"…Who is it?"
Maximillian Byron, ex-husband's stepfather, walked in.
Polished shoes clicked softly against the hospital floor. His sharp jawline was set in calm authority, his tailored presence swallowing the room whole. He didn't rush. He didn't hesitate. He commanded space simply by existing.
Ruby's breath caught.
She had only met him once at her wedding and a handful of times afterward on television, always from a distance. Stories followed him everywhere. People said he had married a dying older woman just to adopt her son. That he was ruthless. Powerful. Untouchable.
She never imagined he would stand in front of her like this.
"Sir," Ruby began instinctively, shock forcing her upright. "You here," But Maximillian didn't wait for permission.
"I can solve all your problems," he said calmly. Ruby froze.
Her pulse stuttered violently, her fingers curling into the bedsheet beside her mother as if it were the only thing anchoring her to reality.
Before she could speak, before she could breathe, he continued, his voice measured, unwavering.
"My only condition," he said, meeting her eyes without flinching,
"Is that you marry me," The room fell deathly silent.