Ruby
Slapping that dude? Yeah, I did that. Not gonna lie—it felt good. But just as fast as my palm met his cheek, Aveline grabbed my hand. Her voice wasn't loud, but it cut deep.
> "Idiot... you just opened your fucking wound."
She sounded mad, yeah, but underneath that heat—there was something else. Worry. Real, pure worry. Her blue eyes were stormy, like oceans during a thunder night. Mireline was already on her feet, calling for the car like we were dealing with an emergency—and honestly, we kinda were.
Back at the hospital. Again. Stitch-up, clean-up, repeat. The doctor looked at me like I was a rebellious teen, not a mafia boss. Aveline looked worse—like I'd betrayed her just by bleeding in front of her.
> "You think you're invincible? Ruby, you're not made of steel!"
"You need to stop treating your life like it's disposable!"
And I couldn't even fight her on it. Not really. Because something in me wanted to be scolded by her. To be seen by her. Even if it was through the cracks.
---
Back home. That empty-ass house.
Max came in all chirpy, noticed the bandage and raised an eyebrow.
> "Yo. Why the war wound?"
But then she came in—my mother.
Correction: The woman who gave birth to me but never once made me feel like I belonged.
"You're useless. Can't even survive without getting injured."
Why? Why am I never enough? Because I'm not a boy?
Because I'm loud, angry, and don't play the pretty daughter card?
I locked myself in my room. Changed. Dropped onto the bed like a ragdoll. I told Adam I was fine, even though my heart was screaming.
But all I could think about was her.
Aveline.
Her voice was still echoing in my ears, calming the storm. Like some angel who tames devils. I grabbed my phone and called her. My fingers trembled.
> "Wanna meet?"
She said yes.
---
She stepped out of her house and I swear, for a second I forgot how to breathe.
Breathtaking. That's the word. Not overused. Not exaggerated. She was it.
We drove in silence, a good kind. The kind where hearts talk more than mouths. I parked near the lake, under that soft blue dusk sky. We sat on the edge of the wooden deck, watching the water shimmer.
> "Aren't you afraid?" I asked quietly. "Of me? Or being here alone?"
She chuckled.
"I'm with a damn mafia. Nothing's gonna happen to me."
And for the first time... I wanted to prove her right.
> "But your temper... Ruby."
She said it soft, teasing, but not mocking. Just... caring.
We stayed there for hours. Saying nothing. Saying everything.
---
Now she's sleeping in the passenger seat.
God, she's beautiful.
The way her head leaned back, hair catching the moonlight through the window. My heart didn't know how to act. I parked in front of her house and called Mireline.
> "She fell asleep. I'll carry her up."
Mireline sighed, like she expected this. "Of course you will, mafia knight."
I slipped my arm under her legs, the other behind her back. She shifted in her sleep—one soft breath—and laid her head against my chest like it belonged there. Her arms looped lazily around my neck. My heart? Skipping like a scratched record.
Her weight wasn't nothing.
She was a human—real. With warmth, and fragility, and a fire that could tame mine.
I laid her on her bed, so gentle, like placing down porcelain. Mireline stared at me like I just walked out of a drama.
> "You've got it bad, Sun."
I didn't even deny it.
> "Goodnight," I said.
"Same to you, mafia girl," she smirked.
I turned to leave... but couldn't help taking one last look at Aveline, sleeping like the universe hadn't broken her heart yet.