Rayna reached for the car keys just as the door opened.

    Stefan and Ethan stepped in, their expressions grim—like men returning from battle.

    Stefan''s eyes immediately locked onto Ruby''s red-rimmed ones, her tear-streaked face still frozen in quiet devastation.

    Immediately, he stopped in his tracks.

    "You… you already know," he said softly, regret written across his face.

    Ruby nodded, her arms still wrapped around herself, her voice low. "Rayna told me. She showed me the article."

    Stefan stepped forward, slowly, carefully, as if approaching a wounded bird. "I''m sorry I didn''t tell you over the phone. I just… I wanted to be here. I didn''t want you to be alone when you found out."

    Ruby gave him a faint smile, one that didn''t quite reach her eyes. "It''s okay. I understand. You were just trying to protect me."

    He nodded, his jaw tightening. "I was. I still am."

    "I just never thought Ivy could ever hurt our mom," she said as fresh tears slid down her cheek.

    Stefan wrapped his arms around her and patted her head softly. "I''m so sorry, love."

    For a moment, silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken grief as Ruby sobbed.

    After she''d sobbed for a while, she pulled back and turned toward the others. "Let''s go. I need to see her for thest time."

    They made their way to the car in silence. The ride to Zeden General was quiet except for the asional sniffle from Ruby and the low hum of the engine. Rayna held her hand in the backseat while Stefan drove, stealing nces at her through the mirror.

    Once at the hospital, the reality became even more suffocating when various reporters had gathered around the hospital door, asking anybody that steps out questions.

    The moment detective Walter saw them, he signaled to his colleagues to help Ruby through the reporters.

    The minute Ruby stepped into the brightly lit corridor of the emergency wing, the sterile air hit her like a p. She''d been here a couple of minutes ago buting back here now, the atmosphere seemed different.

    She wasn''t here to talk to someone in bed but to look at her mother''s dead face. One of the officers led her and the others to a restricted area where Detective Dn Walter stood waiting.

    He greeted them with a nod, his face neutral but respectful. "Miss Quinn… I''m very sorry for your loss."

    Ruby gave a small nod, her voice caught in her throat. She could barely hear her own heartbeat above the silence pounding in her ears.

    "Can I see her?" she asked finally, her voice hoarse.

    Walter nced at the nurse beside him and nodded.

    The woman led Ruby, Stefan, Ethan and Rayna into the room.

    Regina Quinny on a hospital bed, pale and still, her body already cleaned and covered. Her skin had lost all its warmth. Her once perfectly styled ck hair nowy t against the pillow. She didn''t look cruel or cold anymore. She looked… tired. Like someone who had finally surrendered to the weight of a life poorly lived.

    Ruby stood frozen by the door, her hand trembling as she brought it to her lips. The sight of her mother like this—lifeless, empty and without its usual coldness—was more devastating than she''d expected.

    She would''ve preferred the Regina who would''ve yelled at her and ask what she was doing here or even scold her for crying.

    A strangled cry tore from her throat as she stepped closer. Her knees gave out, and Stefan rushed to steady her before she hit the floor. She gripped the side of the bed, her tears falling like rain.

    "I''m sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I''m sorry we didn''t fix it. I hated so much about us… but I never wanted this. I never imagined I''ll see you like this this soon."

    Her hands shook as they reached out, hovering over Regina''s cold fingers before gently covering them.

    She closed her eyes.

    Rayna''s words echoed in her mind. It''s not your fault. You''re grieving what never was…

    Her hand slowly moved to her stomach—the tiny, barely noticeable bump that had yet to show. Her eyes fluttered open as her palm pressed softly over her abdomen.

    "I won''t be like you," she whispered, her voice fierce beneath the pain. "I''ll love all my children. No matter who they are. No matter what they do. I''ll love them equally. I''ll protect and discipline them when need be. And I''ll teach them right from wrong. I''ll be the mother I wished I had."

    She stood there for a few more moments in silence, as if saying her final goodbye.

    When she turned away, Stefan gently ced a hand on the small of her back for support. She leaned into it slightly, grateful for his support.

    Detective Walter approached them again once they were outside the room.

    "I know it''s a lot," he said gently. "But I have to ask—do you have any idea where Ivy might have gone? Anywhere you know she might run off to at a time like this?"

    Ruby shook her head slowly. "No. But I know she''s not going to stop until she tries toe for me."

    Walter''s jaw clenched. "Yeah and we''re working on it. Every exit route in and out of Zeden is being monitored. An APB is out statewide. We''ll find her."

    "I want to help," Ruby said, her voice firmer now. "I want to know everything you find. Please. I need to talk to her when you finally catch her."

    "I''ll keep you updated personally," he promised.

    As Walter walked away to handle paperwork, Ruby leaned back against the hallway wall, trying to catch her breath while Stefan followed Walter so they could transfer Regina to the morgue.

    A few feet away, Ethan and Rayna had quietly stepped aside, giving her some privacy.

    Ethan nced toward Ruby and then looked at Rayna. "I feel really sorry for her. I doubt the proposal will still hold," he said quietly. "With Elizabeth still in the hospital, and now this? I don''t think it''s the right time."

    Rayna nodded, her arms crossed. "Yeah. Honestly, I don''t think Stefan''s even thinking about that right now and even if he was, I doubt Ruby would ept after everything that''s happened. She''s going to have to take full responsibility now—burying her mom, making decisions, all while carrying a child. Ivy ran off and left her with everything. Again."

    Ethan sighed. "And who knows what else Ivy might try before she''s caught. She''s unpredictable."

    Rayna''s gaze softened as she looked toward her friend. "Ruby''s strong… but she shouldn''t have to be this strong all the time."

    "She won''t have to be," Stefan said quietly, stepping up behind them. "Not anymore. I''ll make sure of it."

    They all turned to look at him, watching as he walked back over to Ruby and gently took her hand.

    Ruby didn''t say anything, but she didn''t pull away either.

    She just let him hold her—because in that moment, she didn''t need answers. She didn''t need exnations. She just needed someone to stand beside her… while she figured out how to rebuild from what was broken.