Chapter 201
Robywalked into her mother’s new hospital room- if you could even call it that. She was in shock as she looked around. The room was huge and hisuis, resembling a hotel room mtead of a hospital room, yet it had every bit of medical equipmem her mother could ever need. She knew Alex said he would take care of her mother, but this was honestly beyond her expectations.
mom she whispered as she sat next to her. She glanced around once more, her heart filling to the brim with gratefulness, happiness and other emotions that she couldn’t co begin to process. Her mother was still here, she was still alive. And it was all thanks to Alex, her husband. It felt weird even now, weeks after their marriage, to think of him in that manoes, but that was what he was now her husband. She grabbed her mother’s frail hand and placed a kiss on it. “I’ve missed you
She waited with bated breath after she said the words, list of course nothing happened. A big part of her still expected her mother to one day sunile back at her and say that she missed her too, but it had been six years, and it hadn’t happened yet. It was getting harder for her to remember the sound of her laughter, and the sound of her voice.
“There’s something I’ve got to tell you,” she whispered carefully,
Throughout the years, Ruby had done a lot of research, and she always spoke to her mother in the same way that she would if she were awake, because there was a part of her that genuinely believed that she could still hear everything that was being said, and that somehow, those conversations might help her wake up faster.
“I got married, mom,” she said. “I got married to Alexander Blackwood you remember him right? He’s Tina’s son. Mom, do you remember your friend Tina? She saw you a few days ago she paused to take a deep breath before she continued. “Alex…. he’s managed to move you to a private facility, so that means you can have guests now There’s no rule here about only immediate Lamily being able to see you. And I think it might be nice for you to have Tina over more frequently, don’t you
think
She smiled, feeling anxious all of a sudden. The last thing she wanted was for her mom to find out that she had agreed to marry Alex because of her. She knew that would only cause heartbreak for her mother, knowing that she did something like that for her. “I know it sounds a little sudden since I never said anything about him before, but it wasn’t. It had been a few years since we both ran into each other again, but it was like nothing changed, you know? There were sparks, mom.” I lied. hating that I was doing that to her. But 1 knew it was for the better. “I thought it wouldn’t grow into anything since I was in a relationship, but that relationship didn’t end up working out.. and when I met Alex again, things moved a little quickly between us, maybe too quickly, I know but I’m happy, mom. He’s changed a lot since you last saw him and I wonder what you’ll think of him when you wake up and see him again.”
She sat in silence after that, staring intently at her mother and silently willing her to react, twitch her fingers or do something anything to show that she was still in there somewhere. The door opened behind her and she looked up in surprise. “I thought I’d find you here.” Scott said, walking into the room. She rose to her feet as he walked over to her with his eyes on her mother,
“Hi Louise,” he said, crouching to place a kiss on her mom’s forehead. She smiled at the gesture, and her heart warmed. She loved the fact that he didn’t just ignore her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked him.
His smile dropped and she frowned, “I need to talk to you,” he answered.
She glanced at her mother one last time and nodded, leading Scott out of the room and making sure to close the door behind them.
“I’ve been looking for the right time to say this…”
Her frown deepened, and she looked at him and worriedly asked “what’s going on?”
“I know what my brother is like, Ruby,” he said. “And I also know what you’re like. I don’t know how you came to marry lam, and now he’s doing all these things for you after you clearly said no to room and L He guilt tripped you right? And you
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Chapter 20
probably felt like owed him something. I don’t know all the basics, clearly, but I know that something isn’t right:
“Scott”
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Scott looked pained and he hesitated before he continued. “You don’t owe us anything, Ruby. You know that right? Do you really think that my mom wouldn’t help her closest friend? No matter how many years have passed, or how much we might have grown apart, your mother and mine were childhood friends, just as you and I were. And you know that we will help you unconditionally”
His words were true, and Ruby couldn’t help but feel guilty. Scott ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I know what you’re like. I know you’ll feel indebted to us and you’ll want to repay us somehow. And I can’t help but worry about how you’re paying Alex back for all this. I know how cruel my brother can be. Ruby Alex isn’t who he used to be anymore, and you’ll never be happy with him. I know what your heart is like, and my brother… he’ll destroy it. And the idea that you’ll be stuck with hum forever doesn’t sit right with me. You’re literally exchanging your whole life for some chump change, money that Alex wouldn’t even notice left his bank account, it’s not a fair exchange
She smiled at him, grateful for his thoughtfulness. “I know you’re worried about me, and I love you for it. But I know what I’m doing. Scott. The amount of money that I need may be nothing to you all, but for me, it’s literally the difference between life and death for my mother, and there’s no price I wouldn’t pay for that.”
Scott looked away and they both fell silent. “I can’t believe you actually went through with the marriage. I could’ve given you an interest free loan even…”
She sighed and shook her head. “Scott” she said, her voice soft. “It’s done now. There’s no point in regretting it. I’ve made my choice and I’ll live with it.”
Scott’s words had her second guessing herself though. Should she have taken more time to consider her options before agreeing to marry Alex? She shook her head and the thoughts away. Like she said, there was no point having regrets now. Her mother was getting proper care, and she could only hope that she would be strong enough to continue paying the price
