Chapter 47
RUBY
She was in a daze as Tina led her away from the kitchen and upstairs to her bedroom. She was larger and taller, her legs were shaky, but Tina supported her just fine while making soothing noises. She wondered if anyone else had witnessed what happened in the pantry. Had the door been left open? She couldn’t even recall. How many of their guests had seen the entire thing? And what were they going to think? Were they going to pity her? Was the incident going to somehow leak? Would it get twisted somehow and bring on negative publicity that she honestly couldn’t deal with right now? Some asshole tabloid writer might even try to twist the story and say that she had been the one to attack Cole, and that he was only trying to defend himself. Bizarre things like that had happened before in the past. She could still remember an incident that happened when she was sixteen- She was at the park and somebody’s leash had broken and their dog had come after her. She had jumped back and tried to get the dog to go away because it was baring its teeth at her and acting weird, but the media had twisted that and said she had tried to kick the animal. But she never even touched the dog, and the owner never tried to set the record straight.
Tina led her into the bedroom. The blood had stopped dripping from her nose, but it was crusted over her mouth and chin. There were spots of rust on her dress–which was ruined. She thought vaguely that the stain was unlikely to come out and that Cole wouldn’t care. Then she wondered what was wrong with her that she was worrying about a dress at a time like this. But worrying about her dress seemed preferable to thinking about the state she was in. Cole had always treated her differently but this was the first time he was laying a hand on her, and the shock still hadn’t worn off. She wondered if she should even be shocked. Realistically, it didn’t seem all that surprising. Her cheek throbbed horribly and her lips stung. Cole had probably broken the skin. Did she get blood on her necklace too? That, at least, would come out. It wasn’t that difficult to clean jewelry.
Tina led her to the bench at the foot of the bed and had her sit down. She moved like a robot. “Let’s get the blood off face,” Tina said. “And get you some ice, too.”
your
Ruby looked at the older woman. What’s going through her head right now? She went into the en suite bathroom and returned with a warm, damp washcloth. The door to the room opened and there was immediately a change in the air. She didn’t have to check to know that it was Alex. She looked down at her lap, keeping her eyes focused on a tiny red spot near her right knee. She could hear Tina moving and murmuring some words to Alex. She tried to fill in the blanks in her mind. Were they wondering if she was okay? Were they putting her right now? She had told them what her family had turned into, but this was the first time they were seeing it firsthand. Did they think her family was out of control? Were they curious about what she must have done to provoke Cole?
it
“Do you think she deserved it?” She imagined Tina asking Alex and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, shaking her head. She was being unfair. The Blackwoods had been nothing but kind to her- Tina especially- she was like a mother to her. But while she knew all that, it was hard to convince her head of it. Her past had proven that the truth wasn’t important when came to her. She had spent so many years being at the receiving end of her stepmother and half sister’s lies and conniving ways, and her father had believed them over her every single time. So she knew that the only thing that mattered most of the time was what people presumed as the truth. And the public wouldn’t think that her own brother would hit her unprovoked. She must have done something to him first, right?
Tina left, shutting the door behind her. Alex crouched in front of her. “Look at me,” he said in a steady voice. “Let me see your face.”
She glanced at his hands. Tina had led her away after he kicked Cole a couple times. His hands were in pristine condition, so maybe the fight ended soon after they left. She hoped so anyway
“Ruby, show me your face.” Alex’s order was gentle but firm.
She tilted her chin up, but didn’t meet his eyes. She didn’t do anything wrong, and she was the one who had been abused, but an inexplicable shame blanketed her like a sheet of frost. She shivered, rounding her shoulders. Her face throbbed, but somehow the pain felt deserved. She should have known that Cale wasn’t going to leave without causing a scene. She couldn’t stop wondering what people were going to say about the altercation. Did Alex call the police?
He used the washcloth that Tina had prepared and cleaned the blood off her face. His touch was careful and tender, like he was cleaning a treasure that might shatter if he didn’t handle it with care. She stole a glance and saw an impassive mask on
1/3
10 27 Wed, Oct 16 a
Chapter 47
76%
er? Of course he did. She and her entire family were
his face. She wished she could read his mind. Did he regret marrying her? embarrassing.
“You shouldn’t have hit him,” she finally said.
A man’s entitled to protect what’s his.”
The starkly possessive way he said “his” made her heart race, but she knew better than to give it any weight. “He’ll want to
“Let him try.” Alex said. “I’ll have my attorneys drag him through every court in the state until he has nothing left to his
name.”
She gave up. Alex wasn’t listening, and he would do whatever he wanted no matter what she had to say about it
“You don’t have to worry about him anymore,” Alex said. “He’ll never touch you again.”
When the washcloth brushed against her mouth, she inhaled sharply. Dark fury erupted in Alex’s eyes. “I should’ve broken. every fucking bone in his body.”
Tears welled up in her eyes so fast, she didn’t get a chance to blink them away. They fell down her cheeks. She suddenly felt vulnerable As vulnerable as a snail with a broken shell. She looked away quickly, hoping he wouldn’t notice as a dull ache started to form in her chest. She didn’t know why she was crying Alex wasn’t being mean. As a matter of fact, he was being entirely too kind.
“I’m not upset with you, Ruby,” he said softly.
“I know,” she whispered, her breath hitching,
He reached out as though to cup her face, but then he dropped his hand. “Look at me.”
She stubbornly kept her gaze on the foundation brush she had left on the vanity earlier while getting ready for the party.
“Ruby.”
“You should probably go back downstairs.” She couldn’t return to the party looking like that, but their guests expected them to be there until the end.
“Don’t worry about it. Scott and mom are handling it.”
“We can’t both be absent,” she insisted.
In her peripheral vision, she could see his jaw tighten. “Who cares about the damn party? It’s not important. You are.”
She finally turned to look at him. His face was twisted with pain and recrimination.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, unhappy that she had ruined their first real event together as a couple.
“No.” He lightly dabbed the tears with the cloth. “Never say you’re sorry for what happened
She blinked, and more tears streamed down her face. “Why arent you upset with me?”
-He looked at her like she had just slapped him. “Upset with you?
“I ruined the party. I should’ve known Cole would crash it, and should’ve done a better job to make sure he couldn’t. And if I couldn’t do that, I should’ve had security drag him away as soon as I realized he was there,”
His mouth parted, and he just stared at her like she had unloaded all that in a foreign language. “You did nothing wrong.”
Wed,
Chapter 47
“But-
“Listen to me. You didn’t do anything wrong. Ruby. Cole’s the bad guy here, not you.”
“But 1 could’ve done something-
4
Π
“No. You didn’t have to do anything. If he were a decent human being, he wouldn’t have crashed the party. If he were at decent human being, he wouldn’t have cornered you in the pantry. If he were a decent human being, he certainly wouldn’t have hit you. It was never about you. It’s all about him and what a subhuman piece of garbage he is
Alex was
saying all that like he meant it. His defense of her was absolute, she realized. And he was being so kind and understanding. The ache in her chest swelled, and she couldn’t breathe. She put a hand over her breastbone, feeling her heart pulsing erratically. She clenched her teeth as the air in her lungs shuddered. Something crumbled in her heart. Tears. fell endlessly, and she tried to stop them, but couldn’t. Alex pulled her to him until she was in his lap. His arms wrapped around her protectively, shielding her from the world.
She cried until she was out of tears. And even then, he didn’t let go.
3/3
