CHAPTER 139: COULDN’T FINISH

The quiet in the Quinn household that afternoon in Zeden wasn’t comforting. It was loud in the wrong way—loud with tension, loud with thoughts, loud with unspoken plans and tightly-wrapped secrets.

Regina paced her bedroom in growing impatience. Her heels clicked across the polished wooden floor as she moved back and forth, arms folded tightly across her chest. The curtains were drawn, but she could still hear the faint noise of the city outside—car horns, people laughing, children playing. All of it grated on her nerves.

She stopped at the edge of her window, her fingers twitching against the cool fabric. Her phone sat on her nightstand like a time bomb. She kept glancing at it, willing it to ring. Any moment now, she thought. Any moment.

She’d been able to quench the fire on the internet about their family by making sure Ivy signed the papers and though she was supposed to be feeling a little bit relieved and happy but those emotions were far from her right now as all she could think of was the important call she was waiting for.

Where was the call?

"It shouldn’t take this long," she muttered to herself, eyes narrowing. "He said he’d do it quickly. Clean and without traces so what was taking so long."

She smirked to herself. Regina Quinn had always been several steps ahead. She always knew where to look, how to dig, who to pay, and how much silence cost. Finding Ruby hadn’t been hard—not once she knew where to start.

"Just a few calls here, a few taps there," she whispered, admiring her own handiwork in her mind. "Florittle wasn’t too big to cover. And once I had that foolish Stefan followed and watched, everything thing else fell in place."

She let out a breathy laugh, more pride than amusement. "Honestly, I’m just too good."

After the airport had refused giving them the cctv footage from the day Ruby arrived there, she’d thought since Stefan had gone there to find Ruby too, that it was only right they followed him so that he’d do the digging himself and just lead them to her.

She turned to the mirror, smoothing the front of her blouse. In her mind, everything was already done. Ruby was gone, Stefan would have no choice but to return to Ivy, and her daughter’s disgrace would be erased.

But her phone still hadn’t rung from the call that’d confirm it all.

She picked it up, unlocked it, and checked for messages.

But there was nothing.

She tossed the phone on the bed and resumed pacing.

Her eyes flicked toward the door just as it swung open.

"Mom!" Ivy burst into the room, her eyes wide with urgency.

Regina spun around sharply. "Ivy! How many times have I told you not to burst in here like that like it’s your room?"

Ivy ignored the scolding, her brows drawn tightly in frustration. "I couldn’t help it. I’m anxious. I can’t just sit around and wait."

"You’re not the only one waiting," Regina snapped, striding over to her. "I’m waiting too. Still no call."

Ivy’s hands curled into fists. "You said it would be fast. You said once Ruby was out of the picture, everything would go back to normal."

Regina narrowed her eyes. "It will. Don’t lose your head now. These things take time. Besides, we wouldn’t be here if not because you couldn’t keep your head down "

Ivy rolled her eyes. "Not again, please."

"What about the person on Elizabeth’s side? Has anything happened?" Regina asked, deciding to talk about something else.

Ivy raised a brow. "Still nothing. That woman has gone quiet the past few days. Lying low. She might suspect something. Do you think she knows I’m having her watched?"

Regina bit her lip, pacing now too. The room suddenly felt tight, like their worries were pushing at the wall. She was just about to speak when her phone rang.

And immediately, both women froze.

Regina lunged for the phone, heart pounding. She looked at the screen. It was the number she’d been waiting for.

She answered immediately. "Is it done?"

The man’s voice on the other end was low and clipped. "Couldn’t finish."

Regina’s entire body stiffened. "What do you mean, ’couldn’t finish’?"

"Someone saved her."

Regina narrowed her eyes. "Who?"

"It was Stefan. He came out of nowhere. Pulled her away just in time."

"Stefan?" Regina spat the name like venom. "Why would he even be there? They aren’t even on speaking terms, right? Didn’t you say Rayna chased him away?"

"I don’t know. He showed up and got in the way."

Regina hissed under her breath. "Useless. Absolutely useless."

"It won’t be traced back to me," the man said quickly. "I was careful."

"You’re always careful," she said dryly. "Careful with cleaning, never good with completing," she hissed irritably.

She ended the call with a sharp swipe, throwing the phone on the bed.

Ivy was watching her, her eyes wide. "What happened? Why are you angry and why did you mention Stefan’s name? Does he know something?"

f r\eew,eb novel.c(o)(m)

Regina sat down hard on the edge of the bed, fingers rubbing her temples. "He doesn’t know anything and I’m mad because we can’t do anything now. Stefan is by her side. He saved her. That means he won’t leave her side."

"But how?" Ivy asked in disbelief. "Why would he save her when they haven’t even talked?"

"Same thing I asked, Ivy. I don’t know," Regina muttered. "But it means we have to change the plan."

"Change it how?" Ivy asked, stepping closer.

Regina looked up, her eyes steely. "We wait. We let him bring her back."

Ivy frowned. "Bring her back? Why would we let him do that? Isn’t letting them reunite the riskier game?"

Regina shook her head. "No. It’s the smartest. Let them come back here. Let them think they’re safe. Let them think everything’s fine. Here, we still hold the cards. Here, we’re in control."

Ivy looked unsure. "And then what?"

Regina smiled darkly. "Then, we break them. Completely."

For a moment, neither of them said a word. The silence in the room thickened again, heavy with plans, with secrets, with the sharp edge of something dangerous brewing beneath the surface.

Regina leaned back, her arms folded. She was disappointed, yes. But not defeated. She had waited before. She could wait again.

Because one way or another, she was going to make sure Ruby Winters lost everything.

And that Stefan returned to Ivy, whether he wanted to or not.

Away from there, the waiting room in Florittle General Hospital felt like a place where time had stopped. The fluorescent lights above buzzed softly, casting pale shadows on the tile floor.

Stefan sat stiffly on one of the hard plastic chairs, fingers laced together, jaw tight, and eyes fixed on the double doors that had swallowed Ruby hours ago.

Rayna sat beside him, quieter than she’d ever been, occasionally glancing at the clock on the wall. She wanted to say something comforting, but words felt useless now. Nothing could ease the weight they were all carrying because even she was too heavy to think up any comforting words.

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway. Ethan appeared, his face tight with concern. The moment he saw Rayna sitting there, his steps faltered for a brief second, but there was no time for small talk.

He approached quickly, eyes darting from her to Stefan. "Any news yet? How’s she?" he asked, his voice low and tense.

Stefan shook his head, his frustration boiling just beneath the surface. "No. Nothing. Just sitting here like an idiot while she’s in there, and I don’t even know if she or the baby is okay."

Ethan nodded solemnly. He turned briefly to Rayna, who gave a small shake of her head, indicating no change. Then Ethan turned back to Stefan.

"She’s going to be fine," he said, his tone sure. "Ruby’s strong. She’ll make it through."

Stefan exhaled harshly, scrubbing a hand down his face. "Did you go to the police station? Did you file the report?"

Ethan’s expression dimmed. "Yeah, I did. But there’s a problem."

Rayna leaned forward. "What problem? What do you mean?"

Ethan glanced between them, then said, "The car was reported stolen last night. It’s in the system."

Stefan’s eyes narrowed. "What?"

Rayna frowned. "So what does that mean?"

"It means," Stefan said slowly, putting the pieces together, "that it’s a dead end. Whoever tried to hit Ruby used a car that couldn’t be traced back to them."

Ethan nodded grimly. "Exactly. Whoever it was... they knew what they were doing. Now I’m as sure as you are that it was planned for her."

The three of them sat in silence, the weight of Ethan’s words sinking in.

"So what now?" Rayna whispered.

"Now?" Ethan said. "Now we just keep a close eye on Ruby. Someone out there wants her hurt—or worse. We can’t let her out of our sight."

Before anyone could respond again, the double doors finally swung open.

A doctor in pale blue scrubs stepped out, removing his gloves. Stefan was on his feet instantly, followed by Ethan and Rayna.

"Doctor," Stefan said, his voice strained. "How is she? Ruby and the baby? Are they okay?"