| 013 | Ruby |

I swallowed my tears, refusing to let Jameson see how he affected me, instead, I played fearsome, glaring at Jameson, despite the gun in my forehead, and the creeping feeling that if he pulled one more time, a bullet would fire though it.

"Undo my ties!" I hissed to no one specific.

"Alright, Princess," the east-Asian guy exclaimed with a mischievous grin, coming to me, bending his knees and cutting all the ties with a dagger. "There you go, now, be careful, and,"

Before he could finish, I was disarming Jameson, grabbing my phone that was still in his hand, kicking his crotch, forcing him to his knees, and pressing the gun under his chin, finger on the trigger, "Last words, Martens?" I hissed.

"Go to hell you motherfucking," when I pulled the trigger, his skull shattered and his blood splattered all over my beautiful dress.

"Give me that," I asked for Rhyot's gun, kicking Jameson's corpse to the side, without looking at him, at he handed it to me right away, all in silent. Turning on my barefoot heels, I targeted Thomas Livingston, shooting his head thrice and turning the gun to Elizabeth Bell in whom I emptied the remaining five bullets, throwing the two empty guns aside, I felt my body shaking. "Not now, not now, not now," I begged myself, covering my ears with my hands, feeling my head wanting to explode. "Not again," I cried to myself, shaking, my voice finally breaking and tears rolling down my eyes, struggling to breathe.

"Ruby," he called me but I just shook my head. "Ruby," he called me again, pausing his hands on my shoulders and turning me to him, "it's okay."

"It hurts," I whispered, in tears.

He swallowed, looking worried, "Where? Did he hurt you?"

"My head... my head hurts," I cried softly.

"Was it the gun shots?" He asked carefully.

"No," I struggled to breath, "it was the accident, it broke me," I cried.

"What accident?" His eyes darkened.

But my phone rang and I nearly dropped it, struggling to pick it up, I turned the screen to me, and when I saw that it was my son calling me, I nearly fainted, "Shite, shite, shite," I cursed. "Breathe, breathe, Ruby," I ordered myself, forcing the start of my panic attack away.

"Who is it?" He asked.

"Stay silent, for once in your life," I groaned stressed and when it rang for the 7th time, I picked it up, faking being okay like a pro. "Hey, love, missed me?"

"Mum, I just wanted to send you a kiss and good night."

My heart warmed and I felt the tears filling up my eyes worse, but I did my all not to let him know I'm crying, "Kiss you back," I said softly. "Are you already going to sleep?" I softened my voice the best I could, staring at the ground, at the blood I splattered on it.

"Hmmm, yeah?"

"It's 3 am, you should go sleep. I told you not to overdo on the sugar, love."

I could tell he was pouting, "It was strawberry ice cream, mum."

"You had strawberry ice cream for dessert today, love. What's the difference?"

"The adrenaline of having it at night?" He giggled.

"Don't give aunt Leah trouble, okay? I don't know how Lloyd reacts to sugar in the middle of the night, but you're mine, I know you, and having sugar at night is the same as getting suddenly recharged. And you get nightmares, love."

Sigh, "I'm okay, mum, I promise."

"Then drink water, a load of it. Pee the sugar. I don't want you having night,"

"Mum," he groaned, "I won't have nightmares. I'll be okay."

Sigh, "Fine, I'll trust your judgement, but don't eat more sugar today. Be up by 11 am, at maximum, tomorrow morning, yeah? Don't give them trouble, make so they will be happy to have you there again, that way you will be able to have another sleepover with Lloyd. Would you like that?"

"Yes!" They both beamed and I could help a weak smile.

"Then behave, both of you."

"We will, auntie Ruby. You were stunning tonight. Have a good night."

"Hey, don't blush for my mum, you idiot," Rhett snapped. "Love you, mum."

"I love you more than I did yesterday and less than I will tomorrow," I closed my eyes, tears still rolling down. "Stay safe. Anything, no matter what, whatever happens, call me, okay? Call me and I'll be there. I'm a call away from you."

"I will, mum. Don't overwork yourself, I don't want you to collapse again."

I swallowed, "I won't collapse again, don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Sleep well, mum."

"You too, love," I tightened my grip on my phone. "Don't stay up for too long."

"We won't!" Then he hung up.

Keeping my eyes close for a moment that was accompanied my silence, when I opened them again, I saw red. Turning to the east-Asian men, I grabbed the gun he was still holding without a word, targeting what remained from Jameson's body, I emptied the gun on his neck and chest, turning him into a Swiss cheese that's past its due date. Then, unable to control myself, I began to kick, barefoot, with the empty gun still in a hand and my phone on the other, what was left of his ribs, a broken scream leaving my throat as I gave in to my rage.

And when I felt a strong arm around my waist, trying to stop me, I turned around and pointed the gun to the person, struggling to see right, and he held my wrist with his free hand, "Ruby, it's okay."

"No," I yelled. "No, it's not. It's not okay."

"Ruby," he called me and when I tried to focus through the tears, I found Rhyot looking down at me, "they won't hurt you anymore."

"This," I hissed, "is your fault. You put us in danger."

He swallowed, "Was it... your son in the phone?"

I clenched my jaw, feeling my heart ache, "I don't see how it concerns you."

"That's a yes, then. Is he okay? Is he safe?"

Fuck, I hate this situation, "Yes. He's safe."

"Where is he?" He asked.

My alarms soared and he noticed how I put my guards up, "Why?"

"You said... he was Hayes' son, shouldn't I meet him?"

I acted on my intrusive thoughts and hit the empty gun on his head, "You think I'm stupid?" I hit it again, "You think, I'm bloody stupid, Rhyot?"  When I was going to hit him one kore time, he gripped my wrist tighter again. "Well, I guess I was, or so is everyone telling me," I yelled, crying but this time, I felt stupid, I cried out of anger. "Stop lying to me!"

"I'm not lying to you, Ruby," he groaned, forehead bleeding thanks to me.

"But you did," I cried, shaking, "you lied to me, you... you lied, Rhyot."

"I did," he confessed but it only hurt more.

"Why?" My voice broke. "Was it all just a game to you? To mess with me? To prove that you could play me? To prove that you could make a fool out of me? Are you satisfied now?" I yelled. "Because you did. You fooled me. You lied to me. You broke me. For more than ten years, I thought it was Hayes, I thought he had played me, used me, discarded me, then used me again. For more than ten years, I thought he was..." I couldn't bring myself to say it. "Had it not been for Leah Morgan, who happened to be the mother of my son's best friend, with whom I had dinner earlier today, I would have learned through Martens. Today, Rhyot, after more than ten years," I felt myself close to breaking again, "I only learned... the truth today. I believed in the lie all this time, I had no bloody clue that... that it was you and not Hayes. You definitely made me look like a stupid bitch."

He flinched, "You don't understand, I,"

"Don't try to gaslight me right now, Rhyot Crowther," I snapped, pushing him away from me, stepping on Jameson's blood, "I'm not playing your game again. You knew exactly what you were doing, you did it twice, you've always been a smart guy, so don't act like you had no choice or whatever fucked up bullshite you were going to try to feed me now. I was 15," I dropped the gun and punched his chest. "15! You have no idea how it was for me, no bloody idea. But I'm not a teenager anymore, I'm 26 years old, I have a life of my own and I forced myself to grow up to be able to be the mum my son needed. He doesn't need you, I don't need you, he's my son, and if you try to take him from me, with whatever power you think you have, I'll burn this world down with everything you love in it."

"You needed me right now, didn't you?"

The audacity!

"And whose fault was that?" I hissed.