CHAPTER 17: TOGETHER

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.

Ruby pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, her nerves a tangled mess of anticipation and relief. She had texted Rayna the details of where to meet, and now she was finally here, ready for the reunion she hadn’t realized she’d needed so badly.

She parked the car and made her way through the lobby, her heart racing with the thought of seeing her best friend again. It felt like forever since they had last spoken in person, and yet the connection was still so strong. The weight of everything she was hiding seemed a little lighter when she thought of Rayna — someone who had always been there for her, no questions asked.

She reached the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. The doors slid open and Ruby stepped inside, taking a deep breath as the elevator hummed upwards. She was almost there.

When she reached the door to Rayna’s room, Ruby’s hand hovered over the handle for just a moment, collecting herself before she knocked softly.

"Coming!" came Rayna’s voice from inside, followed by the sound of footsteps. The door swung open, and there stood Rayna — just as Ruby remembered her, with a wide grin on her face and a glint of excitement in her eyes.

"Rub!" Rayna exclaimed, throwing her arms around her in an immediate, tight hug.

"Oh, Ray!" Ruby called as she let Rayna wrap her hands around her.

The moment Ruby felt Rayna’s warmth, the floodgates opened. She clung to her friend as if Rayna were the only thing keeping her from falling apart. It wasn’t just the physical comfort — it was the emotional safety Rayna represented. Ruby needed her like air.

"Ray... I’ve missed you so much," Ruby whispered, her voice thick with emotion as she squeezed her tighter.

Rayna pulled back slightly, keeping her hands on Ruby’s shoulders as she studied her face. Her smile faded, and a soft frown formed as she noticed the exhaustion in Ruby’s eyes, the anxiety in the way she held herself.

"Hey, what’s wrong?" Rayna asked gently. "I know you’ve been quiet, but this doesn’t feel like just a ’quiet’ thing. Is this the reason you didn’t come back after the wedding? You look like you’re going through hell, girl! What’s up?"

Ruby hesitated for a moment, biting her lip, but the weight of everything she’d been holding inside couldn’t be contained anymore. She took a shaky breath, steeling herself to tell Rayna everything.

"I... Ivy wasn’t the one who got married, Rayna. It was me," Ruby began, her voice barely a whisper.

"What? What are you talking about? I was only joking when I said that—"

"I know you were joking but it’s the truth. It wasn’t Ivy who got married but me," Ruby said with a shaky breath and Rayna looked at her confusion evident in her eyes.

"What do you mean?" she asked and then waited for Ruby to explain.

Ruby took a deep breath before opening her mouth again. "Ivy... she’s gone. She disappeared, just like that on her wedding day. And I... I had to take her place."

Rayna blinked, her face scrunching up in confusion. "What do you mean, take her place? What happened? If she left, why didn’t they cancel the wedding instead of having you take your sister’s place? I don’t understand."

Ruby ran a shaky hand through her hair, pacing slightly as she tried to find the right words. "Ivy was supposed to marry Stefan, but she vanished the day of the wedding. It was... all too sudden, Rayna. No one knew where she was or anything about how she’d been feeling before the wedding. She just left a note and we could all tell she left because of Stefan’s sight. To avoid Stefan getting heartbroken, more than his sight had broken him, his mother, Elizabeth, asked me to step in. When I refused, she offered to pay and also threatened my family. I didn’t have a choice. I... I couldn’t let my family down. Not after everything that happened. So, I pretended to be her."

Rayna’s eyes widened, shock creeping into her expression. "Wait... you’ve been living as Ivy all this time? Pretending to be her and living as Stefan’s wife?"

Ruby nodded, the weight of the lie settling heavily on her chest. "Every day for the past three days. And it’s been hell. But that’s not even the worst part. There’s more."

Rayna stayed silent, waiting for Ruby to continue.

"Now... someone knows. Someone knows I’m not Ivy," Ruby said, her voice trembling. "They’ve been sending me messages, threatening to expose everything. They’re trying to blackmail me, Rayna."

Rayna’s face softened with sympathy as she stepped forward and took Ruby’s hands in hers. "Ruby, that’s... that’s horrible. I can’t imagine how terrifying this must be for you. But we’ll figure this out. Together."

"I’m just tired Ray. I just feel like to run away like Ivy did. To get away from everything that’s going on now. I’m so exhausted," Ruby cried abd Rayna drew her close, enveloping her in a hug.

"I’m so sorry you have to go through this alone, Rub. Why didn’t you tell me all this while.... Let’s about about that. Do you have any idea who this person could be? Who else knows about this switch?"

Ruby let out a long breath, feeling a sense of relief just from hearing Rayna’s words. "I don’t have any idea who it might be. And no one else knows about this, Ray. I don’t know what they want. But they’re watching me, and it’s only a matter of time before they do something about it or tell Stefan. If he learns about this then it’s over for my family."

Rayna’s eyes narrowed in thought, her mind clearly working. "Okay... we’re going to get to the bottom of this, Rub. But you’re not doing it alone. I’m staying. I’m not leaving you to face this on your own."

Ruby’s heart tightened with gratitude. "Ray, you don’t have to do this. You’ve got your own life... your own things to take care of. I don’t want to drag you into this mess."

Rayna shook her head, her determination clear. "No. I’m staying. I can work remotely, remember? I’m a blogger, so my schedule’s flexible. And if there’s anyone who can help you through this, it’s me." She smiled at Ruby, her expression softening with reassurance. "You don’t have to go through this alone. We’ll figure out who’s behind the blackmail, and we’ll stop them before they cause any trouble."

Ruby felt a lump form in her throat as tears threatened to spill, but she held them back, squeezing Rayna’s hands tightly. "Thank you," she whispered. "I don’t know what I’d do without you."

Rayna gave her a warm smile. "You’re not going to find out. I’ve got your back, Rub. We’ll get through this. Together."

Ruby took a deep breath, feeling a tiny bit of the weight lift from her shoulders. Having Rayna by her side, especially now, felt like the first real step toward getting through this nightmare.

"Alright," Ruby said, looking Rayna in the eyes with newfound determination. "Let’s figure this out. Together."

Though she didn’t know how they’d do it or go about finding the blackmailer, Ruby felt a sense of peace settle over her.

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She wasn’t alone and that brought hope to her.