Chapter 2

"What do you mean you're leaving? Are you serious right now?" Dale's face twisted with disbelief.

I clutched my suitcase tighter. "I can't take this anymore. I'm bleeding because Sofia pushed me through a glass table, and you're acting like I'm the villain!"

Dale ran his hands through his disheveled hair. "Sofia is having an episode, and instead of being understanding, you want to leave? How selfish can you be, Ruby? After everything we've been through!"

"Selfish? I've given you four years of my life!"

"And what about Sofia? She's lost everything! Her parents, her brother, Ryan was all she had left, and now she only has us! You know she's fragile. You know she needs special care!"

"And what about what I need? What about–"

"God, it's always about you!" He slammed his fist against the wall. "I promised Ryan I would take care of her. What kind of man would I be if I broke that promise? Is that the kind of person you want to be with? Someone who abandons people when they need help?"

Tears stung my eyes. "That's not fair."

Dale's expression suddenly softened. He walked over and took my hands in his. "Okay, I'm very sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. You're hurt. Let me take care of that wound for you."

I stood frozen as he began cleaning the cuts on my arm. The sudden change in his demeanor confused me. His fingers were gentle as he dabbed at the blood, but something felt wrong. Off.

Just as he was wrapping a bandage around my arm, Sofia's voice cut through the apartment.

"Dale? Where are you?" Her tone was sharp, demanding.

Dale immediately dropped my arm, letting the bandage unravel and fall to the floor.

"I need to check on her," he said, already moving toward the door.

"But my arm..."

"That can wait." His voice was cold again, all the gentleness gone. "Sofia needs me right now."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Am I seriously expected to just stand here bleeding while you..."

"Because of YOU, she's upset!" Dale's eyes flashed with rage. "You attacked her, Ruby! The least you can do is give me space to make sure she's okay!"

He left the bedroom. I heard him in the living room, his voice soft and soothing.

"I'm here, Sofia. What's wrong?"

"I can't stay here," Sofia said, her voice trembling. "Not with her. I can't be around someone who attacked me and then plays the victim!"

"Sofia, please don't go"

"No! I'm leaving. Don't try to stop me!"

I heard the front door open, then slam shut. The entire apartment shook.

Then Dale appeared in the bedroom doorway, and the look on his face made my blood run cold.

"Look what you've done," he said, his voice low and dangerous.

"Dale, I didn't"

"You couldn't just apologize, could you? You couldn't just admit what you did and make this right!" He grabbed his phone, already dialing. "She's out there alone, upset, and it's all your fault!"

The call went to voicemail. He tried again immediately.

"Sofia, please pick up," he said into the phone. "I'm so sorry about Ruby. Please, just tell me where you are. Let me come get you."

She hung up and tried again, and again.

I stood there, my arm still bleeding, watching him fall apart over another woman.

"Dale," I said quietly. "Can we please just talk?"

"Not now!" He didn't even look at me. "I need to reach Sofia. This is your fault. If something happens to her, it's on you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means if she hurts herself because of what you did today, I'll never forgive you." His eyes were ice-cold when he finally met mine. "Never."

Dale tried calling again, still no answer. He left another voicemail, his voice desperate and breaking.

"Sofia, I'm begging you. Please just pick up. I'm worried sick. I need to know you're safe."

I watched him for a long moment and then I turned and walked toward our dresser.

On top sat the only thing I had left of my parents, a framed photograph from their anniversary dinner two months before the accident. I picked it up carefully, needing something to hold onto. Something real.

Dale appeared beside me, his phone still pressed to his ear.

"Are you seriously worried about a picture right now?" he snapped. "While Sofia is out there, alone and upset?"

"This isn't just a picture"

"I don't care what it is!" He grabbed the frame from my hands roughly. "You need to understand how serious this situation is!"

"Dale, please, that's all I have of them"

His phone buzzed with a text. He looked at the screen, and his face went completely white.

"Oh God. She says she doesn't want to live anymore. She says the pain is too much."

"Dale"

"This is because of you!" He was shaking now, trembling with rage and fear. "She's talking about hurting herself because of what you did!"

"I didn't do anything! She's the one who..."

"Shut up!"

He threw the frame.

It hit the wall with a sickening crack and the glass exploded. The photograph fluttered down, landing face-down on the debris.

I stared at the pieces scattered across the floor. My parents' last smile, destroyed.

"Dale," I whispered, my voice breaking. "That was my parents."

But he wasn't listening. He was typing frantically on his phone, his fingers flying across the screen.

"I need to find her before she does something terrible." He grabbed his jacket and keys from the bedside table. "I'm going to look for her. Don't wait up."

"Dale, please..."

But he was already gone. The front door slammed behind him.

I stood alone in our bedroom, surrounded by the wreckage of the only photograph I had left of my parents.

I knelt down slowly and picked up the damaged picture. The glass had cracked right through my mother's face. The frame was completely destroyed.

My phone buzzed.

A text from Dale: "Found Sofia. Taking her shopping to calm her down. She needs new clothes after today's trauma. Don't wait up."

Shopping. He was taking her shopping while I bled.

Another text: "BTW, use your own money if you need anything. I'm using my card for Sofia today. She deserves it after what she went through."

I stared at the messages, something cold settling in my chest.

Then a third text arrived: "Sofia says she might forgive you eventually. If you apologize properly. Think about what you did today."

I sat on the floor, holding the ruined photograph of my parents, reading his words over and over.

Then I heard a key turning in the lock.

But Dale had just texted that he was with Sofia. Shopping.

The front door opened, Footsteps in the hallway, It was light to be Dale's.

"Ruby?" Sofia's voice called out, sweet as poison. "Are you still here? We need to talk."

Chapter 3

I scrambled to my feet, still clutching my parents' broken photograph.

Sofia appeared in the bedroom doorway, looking perfectly composed. Her makeup was flawless. Her hair styled. She didn't look like someone who'd just had a breakdown.

She looked victorious.

"What are you doing here?" I managed to say. "Dale texted that he was taking you shopping."

"Oh, that." Sofia waved her hand dismissively. "I told him I needed to pick up something from my car. He's waiting for me downstairs." Her eyes swept over me, the damaged photograph in my hands, the blood on my clothes, the tears on my face. "You look terrible."

"Get out."

"This is Dale's apartment too. I have every right to be here." She stepped closer. "Besides, we really do need to talk. Woman to woman."

"We have nothing to talk about."

"Don't we?" Sofia sat down on the edge of my bed, making herself comfortable. "You need to understand something, Ruby. Dale doesn't love you anymore. He hasn't for a long time."

"He and I have been together for months," Sofia continued.

"The thing is," Sofia said, standing up, "Dale feels guilty about you. Your parents died, you were all alone, and he felt sorry for you. But pity isn't love, Ruby. It never was."

"Stop."

"He's too kind to tell you himself, so I'm doing it for him. It's time for you to leave. Move on. Find someone who actually wants you instead of clinging to someone who's just too polite to break your heart."

"Dale has a surprise planned for you tonight. "You'll see." Her smile widened.

She left, her footsteps light and confident down the hallway.

I got another text from Dale: "We need to talk. Be ready in 20 minutes. We're going out."

Then another message: "Wear something nice. The blue dress would be perfect."

I stood in front of the mirror, wearing the blue dress Dale had requested. My injuries were hidden under makeup. My hair was done and I looked almost normal.

Almost.

Dale appeared behind me, freshly showered and wearing cologne. "You look beautiful," he said, kissing my cheek. "Ready?"

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." That smile again. The one that used to make me feel safe. "Trust me. You're going to love it."

The drive to The Azure was silent. Dale kept checking his phone, smiling at messages I couldn't see.

When we arrived at the elegant restaurant, a hostess led us through the main dining room. But we didn't stop at any tables.

She took us to a private room in the back.

"Dale, what is this?"

"You'll see." He squeezed my hand. "Just trust me."

The hostess opened the door and my world shattered.

At least thirty people filled the room. Balloons with decorations and a banner that read "Happy Birthday Sofia" in gold letters.

And there, in the center of it all, stood Sofia. She was wearing the exact same blue dress as me.

Except hers was designer. Perfect and beautiful and mine was the cheap knockoff.

Sofia's eyes found mine, and that smile, that cruel, satisfied smile, spread across her face.

"Ruby!" she exclaimed, rushing over. "You came! Oh my God, we're wearing the same dress!"

Everyone turned to look and I understood.

This wasn't a surprise for me.

This was my public execution.