CHAPTER 16: RAYNA

Rayna’s laughter was warm, full of affection, and Ruby could hear the teasing in it. "Sure thing. I’ll text you the details. Don’t take too long though, okay? I’ve got so much to tell you. It’s been way too long since we’ve had one of our chats and you can also tell me about what is going on with you when you show up."

Ruby couldn’t stop the slight smile that tugged at her lips. It felt good to hear Rayna’s voice like this, carefree and playful. For just a moment, she could pretend everything was normal. The world outside her bedroom felt a little less heavy.

"I’ll be there soon," Ruby said, ending the call. She quickly tapped a message to Rayna, asking for the hotel and room number so that Rayna wouldn’t forget.

As she hit send, her thoughts swirled again. Rayna’s arrival was a distraction, but it was the kind of distraction Ruby needed right now.

It felt strange, though, to know that Rayna was so close, yet there was still so much Ruby had to hide. She didn’t want to burden her friend with all the things she was dealing with. But then, there was nothing she could do. Rayna was the only person she could talk to.

Ruby paced across the room, her mind still racing as she waited for the hotel name. What was she supposed to do about everything?

The blackmail, the lies, the secret she was hiding from Stefan. She felt like she was playing a dangerous game, and the stakes were getting higher with every passing day.

But for now, she had a friend to see. And maybe, just maybe, Rayna would help her figure out what to do next. At least, Ruby hoped so.

Immediately her phone buzzed, she sighed and glanced at it. "Thank God," she muttered out loud when she saw it was the address.

Ruby hurried out of her room, keys in hand, the weight of her thoughts still heavy on her shoulders. She didn’t want to linger too long in the house; she needed to escape, even if just for a little while. Her friend, Rayna, was waiting for her, and the idea of seeing someone who didn’t expect anything from her felt like a much-needed relief.

But before she could leave, she walked past the wine cellar, a place she knew Stefan should be since that was where she had left him.

She hesitated for a moment, half-expecting him to be there, but the cellar was empty. The shelves lined with bottles seemed untouched like he hadn’t been there at all.

"Maybe he’s done drinking," she muttered.

She frowned briefly, wondering where Stefan could be. She had thought he’d spend his time there before dinner, but it didn’t seem so seeing as he wasn’t in sight.

With a sigh, Ruby turned toward the study. Maybe he was there, working or just thinking in peace. It wouldn’t be unusual for him to seek solitude there, given how much time he spent at his desk, buried in paperwork or whatever else filled his busy schedule.

She knocked softly on the door before pushing it open, her heart skipping a beat as she saw him sitting at his desk, one hand resting lightly on a stack of papers, the other gripping a pen as he appeared to be deep in thought.

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Was he remembering the time he usually stayed there working? Why was he seating in front of so many documents, pen in hand when he couldn’t exactly do anything with it?

Was he being weighed down by his blindness again? Was that what he was thinking about so seriously?

Ruby stood in the doorway of the study, her eyes lingering on Stefan as he sat in his usual spot at the desk, deep in concentration while he took no notice of her.

The sight of him, surrounded by documents and papers, struck her with an unexpected pang of guilt. He was here, as always, navigating his world without sight, trying to keep things together despite his blindness. And yet, here she was, lying and hiding the truth about who she really was.

For him as sensitive as he was not to have noticed her for this long, had to mean he was very much deep in whatever he had on his mind.

What could it be? Ruby asked herself as she cleared her throat softly, stepping inside to break the silence. "Stefan?" Her voice was quiet, unsure if she was interrupting something important, but it seemed like he hadn’t noticed her approach. She paused again, wondering how she could broach the subject of leaving without making it sound too odd.

His head tilted up, and for a moment, Ruby was certain he was aware of her presence before he spoke. "Baby?" His voice was calm, as though nothing was out of the ordinary.

But she could hear the slight tension in his tone — the way he was trying to mask something. Perhaps the same weight of uncertainty she carried was reflected in his words.

"Are you okay? You seemed pretty much distracted by whatever you had going on in your head," she said and he chuckled.

"I’m fine. What about you? Why are you here? Missing me already?" he teased and she smiled, despite herself.

"Well, I came to tell you I’m stepping out," she said, forcing a smile that only felt half genuine. "I’m going to see a friend of mine."

Stefan’s expression seemed to shift subtly, as if he’d been expecting her to announce something else — something more urgent, perhaps. His hand paused over the stack of papers, and his head tilted slightly, as if sensing something was off.

"A friend?" He asked, his voice slightly curious, yet reserved. "And who is this friend?"

Ruby hesitated for a moment, the answer lying at the tip of her tongue, but she managed to push it out. "She’s someone I met online. We’ve been talking for a while and decided to meet up. You don’t know her." The lie felt strange in her mouth, but she continued with a calm tone, hoping he wouldn’t probe too much.

Stefan nodded, seemingly satisfied with her explanation. He leaned back in his chair slightly, his hand returning to its earlier position on the desk. "I see," he murmured. "Well, don’t be too late. My mother’s coming over for dinner tonight."

Ruby blinked, feigning surprise. "Oh? I didn’t know she was coming." She stepped forward slightly, pretending to look around the study for some sort of clue as to why his mother would suddenly drop by.

Stefan’s expression softened, but there was still an air of uncertainty in his voice. "Neither do I. She didn’t say why. Maybe she’s just coming to check on us... or maybe she wants to talk about something else."

Ruby nodded, her mind racing. The last thing she needed was for his mother to make things more complicated in a bid to dissipate Stefan’s suspicions. She could’ve done that through the phone for all she cared.

"Okay," Ruby replied, her voice light, hiding her unease. "I’ll make sure to get back early. Don’t worry about me."

Stefan gave a slight nod, his attention already drifting back to the papers on the desk. "I’ll see you when you get back. And be careful," he added, almost as an afterthought.

Ruby smiled, though it felt more like a reflex than anything genuine. "I will," she said softly. "I’ll send your valet over on my way out, to help you prepare."

Stefan seemed to appreciate the gesture, though his expression remained unreadable. "Thanks, babe. I appreciate it."

With that, Ruby turned and left the study, the heavy feeling in her chest only growing as she walked down the hallway.

She quickly glanced back at the study door before heading toward the front door. The lie she had just told Stefan hung in the air, a weight she couldn’t shake. How long could she keep pretending? How much longer could she wear this mask before everything collapsed around her?

As she walked to the door, the weight on her shoulders didn’t feel as heavy, not for a moment. Rayna’s presence in Zeden might just be the distraction Ruby needed — a brief reprieve from the tension that had been building up ever since she’d taken on Ivy’s identity.

She had to admit, though, a small part of her wondered if Stefan had suspected anything — if the questions he asked were anything more than casual curiosity. But she pushed the thought aside for now. Tonight was not about Stefan. It was about a friend, and Ruby needed that normalcy more than anything.

She stepped out the door, feeling the cool air of the evening as she headed to her car. The evening, with its dinner plans and complicated emotions, still awaited her, but for now, she had a few hours to escape, to breathe, and to pretend that everything was normal.

As she drove away, her mind still raced with thoughts of the threats, the blackmail, and the lies she was living, but at least for a few hours, she would be someone else. With Rayna, she could be herself again. She could forget about the chaos — even if just for a little while.