Ruby''s eyes fluttered open to a dim, stale-smelling room. The air was heavy, almost suffocating. She blinked several times before her vision cleared, the cracked ceiling above her swimming into focus. She was lying on a thin, creaky bed.

    Her brow furrowed in confusion. Why… why was I asleep?

    Just as the question came to mind, everything came rushing back—the sudden ckout. The chaotic shuffle of bodies. Someone bumping into them. That sharp prick in her arm. Her own startled scream. And then… nothing but darkness.

    Her stomach twisted, hoping it wasn''t what she was thinking it was. How long had she passed out and why was Stefan still not here? Wasn''t she still at the hospital?

    Her gaze darted around. The walls were stained, the floor coated in dust. Abandoned. Forgotten. Where am I? Was this an abandoned ward or.....

    "Well, well, well…"

    Ruby''s heart jumped at the voice and all her thoughts ceased. She turned her head sharply to confirm what she knew.

    Ivy stood a few feet away, arms folded, smirking like a cat that had cornered a mouse.

    "Look who''s finally awake," she drawled. "Drugs wear off fast enough, don''t they? Or I guess it''s the exact one I used."

    Ruby''s mouth went dry, but her voice came out steady. "So… it was you. You have the guts to kidnap me. After killing our mother. Aren''t you tired——"

    The crack of Ivy''s palm against her cheek was so sudden Ruby''s head whipped sideways, her skin stinging.

    "Don''t you dare mention our mother," Ivy snapped, her tone sharp as ss.

    Ruby let out a bitterugh. "Why not? Don''t you want to hear the truth? You killed her. And now you want to kill me, too. Don''t you? Why? Why do you want to ruin our family?"

    "You''re the one who have ruined our family! Besides, I didn''t n to kill mom!" Ivy''s voice rose, her eyes shing. "But... she wouldn''t stop protecting you. And that—" she jabbed a finger toward Ruby "—cost her her life. So yes, I want to kill you. Send you to go keep her and our dear fatherpany."

    Ruby frowned, confusion piercing through the fear. What did she mean by "wouldn''t stop protecting her?"

    "Why would she protect me? She never loved me. Why would she protect me and from what?"

    Ivy''s mouth curved into a cold smile. "From me, of course. The reason she protected you? Well, that''s what you''ll find out when you get there. I don''t have time to waste on you."

    Ruby''s voice dropped to a scathing whisper. "So all this… killing her by mistake… wanting to actually kill me too… this is all because of a man? A man you abandoned?"

    Ivy let out a short, humorlessugh. "What do you know? it''s true I left Stefan to marry my boyfriend. But that man—the one I was supposed to marry after I abandoned Stefan—told me he was only with me for Stefan''s money. That''s why I came back two dayster. But you had already married him by then."

    Ruby''s stomach knotted. No matter how hard she tried to understand, she just couldn''t. Nothing was making sense to her.

    "After I came back, I wanted my ce back," Ivy continued, her eyes narrowing. "But Mother said to wait until after a year—when you''d divorce Stefan as agreed. Then I could take him for everything he had, set him up for infidelity. But no, you had to ruin it. You just had to fall in love with him and requested to stay married."

    Hearing that, Ruby''s mind shed back to how furious Regina had been when she told her she wasn''t leaving Stefan. So that''s why… they''d both yed her for a fool. Was that her badly their mother hated her?

    "That.... that''s the reason?" Ruby asked softly.

    "Yes." Ivy''s lips curled. "Everything started with you, Ruby. If you hadn''t fallen for that man.… none of this would have happened. Now mother is dead and my boyfriend''s married to another wealthy woman—all because of you. So yes, I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you to pacify my anger. And teach Stefan a lesson. He humiliated me too when he publicly announced to the whole world that he had sent me divorce papers. And that best friend of yours, she made me go live with those confessions."

    Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but Ivy turned away sharply. "Stuff her mouth. I need to end this," she ordered.

    Immediately, two men stepped forward. One shoved a rough piece of cloth between Ruby''s lips, tying it tight at the back of her head. Her eyes widened as Ivy began binding her wrists and ankles to the bedframe.

    "I would''ve used the same knife that had killed mom but then, it would be too quick. I want you to feel it slowly. I want you to feel the life slowly leaving you," Ivy said after she''d finished tying Ruby up.

    Ruby''s pulse thundered as she heard that. She tried to scream, but only muffled sounds escaped.

    Then she saw one of the men starting to ssh something dark along the floor—gasoline.

    Her chest squeezed so tightly it hurt. They''re going to burn me alive.

    The smell of gasoline grew heavier in the air, sharp and choking. It clung to Ruby''s skin, her hair, the back of her throat. The gag was damp from her breath, each inhale burning her lungs with the chemical sting.

    Her wrists screamed from the ropes, every small movement making them cut deeper into her skin. The coarse fibers had already rubbed the flesh raw. She could feel warm trickles where the skin had split.

    One of Ivy''s men was crouched by the bed, sshing the gasoline in wide arcs across the floorboards. The other tipped the canister toward the curtains, the liquid soaking into the fabric. Ruby''s heart mmed against her ribs — those curtains would go up in seconds once lit.

    Her eyes darted toward the door. It was closed, the heavy bolt scraping into ce moments earlier. The windows were nailed shut, the ss yellowed and dirty. There was nowhere to run.

    Ivy stood near the wall, watching like she was inspecting an art piece she''d spent weeks crafting. Her arms were crossed, her expression calm — too calm.

    Ruby tried to speak, to beg for her baby''s life if not her own, but the gag muffled everything into pitiful, choked sounds.

    One of the men reached into his pocket and pulled out a box of matches. The faint click-click of the cardboard opening sent a fresh bolt of terror through her.

    Her breath hitched. This was it.

    Her mind reeled — not with thoughts of herself, but with Stefan. She could see his face as clearly as if he stood at the foot of the bed: the way he''d look at her when he didn''t think she was watching, soft and unguarded. The way his hand always found hers, even in a crowd.

    His smile. His voice. His warm hands holding her t stomach, whispering to their unborn child. The thought of him losing both of them made her heart feel like it was splitting apart.

    She thought of the night he''d first told her he loved her — the quiet certainty in his voice, like he''d always known it. And now, he''d never know thest words she wanted to say.

    Her chest ached as she pictured his reaction when he realized she was gone — the panic, the rage, the way he''d tear the world apart to find her. She wanted to tell him not to me himself. But she knew he would.

    The match scraped against the side of the box. The tiny hiss made her whole body jolt.

    Her thoughts shifted — Rayna. Sweet, loyal Rayna, who had been her anchor when she had none. Who would break when she heard the news.

    And then, her mind betrayed her with one final thought — her mother. The woman who had never truly loved her, yet had stood in Ivy''s way in the end. Who had paid for that choice with her life.

    Ruby''s eyes burned. She forced herself to look at Ivy, to meet that cold, empty gaze onest time.

    I forgive you, she thought, though the words felt strange in her mind. Even if you don''t want it. Even though you didn''t ask for it, I forgive you.

    The man''s fingers poised over the match. Time felt like it had slowed to nothing.

    Somewhere deep inside her, beneath the fear, a fire of her own flickered — the will to survive, not for herself alone, but for the life inside her. If a single chance came, she would take it. She would fight.

    But right now, all she could do was watch as the match hovered… and wait for the world to ignite.

    ******

    Guess what!

    I''ve published a new book and it''s titled "The Billionaire''s Secret Baby". If you like my works, please add that one to your library. I can''t guarantee a steady update right now but you all know I don''t miss updates as long as I''m good.