CHAPTER 13: I KNOW WHO YOU ARE

Ruby shut the bedroom door behind her, pressing her back against it as she exhaled slowly. The tension in her shoulders refused to ease, no matter how much she tried to convince herself that she had handled the situation well.

Her mind replayed the conversation with Stefan over and over, searching for any cracks in her story. Had she said too much? Had she convinced him, or had she only fueled his suspicions further?

"Can someone really change that much?"

His words echoed in her head, sending a fresh wave of unease through her. Stefan wasn’t the type to accept things at face value. Even without his sight, he noticed the smallest details, his intuition seemed to be razor-sharp. Perhaps that was why he had asked Ivy so they could postpone their wedding?

She had tried to justify her changed behavior by tying it to his blindness, and for now, it seemed like he was holding back. But for how long? How many more slip-ups before he stopped questioning and started digging?

Pushing off the door, she moved to the vanity, staring at her reflection. The face looking back at her wasn’t Ivy’s, yet she had to be Ivy in every possible way. The weight of it was suffocating.

"How long can I keep this up?"

She let out a bitter chuckle. "You have to, Ruby. You don’t have a choice."

But maybe... she didn’t have to do it alone.

Her eyes flicked toward her phone. There was one person who could help—someone who had as much to lose as she did if this plan fell apart. Stefan wouldn’t question things as much if his mother backed her up.

Her fingers hovered over the screen before she dialed the number. The phone rang twice before Elizabeth picked up.

"Ruby," Elizabeth greeted smoothly. "Why are you calling?"

Ruby hesitated for a second, then got straight to the point. "It’s Stefan. He’s getting suspicious."

There was a brief silence on the other end before Elizabeth sighed. "I expected this, but I was hoping it wouldn’t happen so soon. What exactly did he say? What happened?"

Ruby paced the room as she explained, her voice hushed. "It’s not just what he said—it’s how he’s acting. He keeps testing me, waiting for me to slip up. I almost did today. If I make one more mistake, he’ll know something’s wrong. Also, Ivy’s friend came today. I had to try not to get caught."

Elizabeth hummed thoughtfully. "I told you this wouldn’t be easy, Ruby. Stefan is smart. But that’s why we need to stay ahead of him."

Ruby gritted her teeth. "That’s why I called. If you say something—if you talk to him about how I’ve ’changed’ and praise me for stepping up, he might stop being so suspicious since it’ll be coming from you. There’d be no reason to doubt his mom who he believes can see and know if I’m Ivy or not."

Elizabeth considered this. "You want me to make him believe that your behavior is a natural response to his condition?"

"Exactly," Ruby confirmed. "If you reinforce it, he’ll be less likely to question it."

There was a pause. Then Elizabeth let out a quiet chuckle when she realized what Ruby meant and how smart the idea seemed. "Not bad. You’re starting to think like me."

Ruby wasn’t sure whether that was a compliment or a warning.

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"I’ll handle it," Elizabeth said. "But be careful, Ruby. If Stefan ever does find out the truth, the consequences won’t be pretty."

Ruby swallowed hard. "I know."

"Good. Now relax. I’ll make sure Stefan sees exactly what we want him to see. But about Ivy’s friends. I’m not sure there’s anything I can do about that. You’ll have to handle yourself."

Ruby sighed before responding with "I understand."

The call ended, but Ruby still felt on edge.

Elizabeth had promised to help, but could she really trust her? Or was she just another player in a dangerous game?

One thing was certain—if this went wrong, Ruby wouldn’t be the only one to fall.

But she would be the first. Or maybe not. She might just up and leave just as Ivy did and leave their mother to handle it. After all, it was her favorite daughter that left them in the mess they were now.

Ruby dropped her phone and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about things to do to get Stefan to relax around her when her phone suddenly buzzed.

She grabbed it, but the moment she saw the screen, her blood ran cold.

It was a message from an unknown number.

Unknown: I know who you are.

Immediately, her breath hitched. Her fingers tightened around the phone as she sat up abruptly.

She hadn’t even had the chance to think about who could’ve sent her that message when another message came through.

Unknown: And I know you’re not Ivy.

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A wave of panic crashed over her. No. No, no, no. This can’t be happening. What’s was who? Who could this be? How could he be sure she wasn’t Ivy? No one else knew that about from her mother, Stefan’s mother and her.

She forced herself to take a shaky breath, trying to think. Who could this be? Someone from Zeden? Someone who knew Ivy well enough to recognize the difference?

Or could it be Ivy herself? Was she trying to come back? Was it Eliana?

Her hands trembled as she typed back quickly.

Ruby: Who is this? And who the hell are you to say trash?

She had to act tough. Since she didn’t know who it was, she wouldn’t give the person the answer he was looking for. She told herself and sighed when another message came in immediately.

Unknown: Does it matter? The real question is... what are you willing to do to keep your secret?

A chill ran down her spine. She stared at the screen, her pulse thundering in her ears. This wasn’t just a suspicion. Someone knew.

Someone had proof. And worst of all, they weren’t looking to expose her. They were looking to use her.

Her mind raced through the possibilities. Who could it be? What did they want? And how far was she willing to go to protect the truth?