Ruby's jaw clenched. "Trouble? Stefan," she turned to him, "do you also agree with them? Do you also think I'm here to cause trouble and that I shouldn't speak with you privately?"
Stefan looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged slightly. "If you want to talk, I don't mind. But I'd like my wife to stay. She's always been with me, even during important business meetings. There's nothing I'd hide from her. You can speak here and no, I don't think you came to cause trouble thinking about all I've heard about you."
Ruby froze. Each word from him stabbed deeper than the last. He thinks Ivy is his wife.
He doesn't know... and he doesn't suspect anything.
Her lips trembled, her knees felt weak. But still, she looked him in the eye and asked, "What if I told you I love you?" she said, voice barely steady. "What if I told you all this—everything you think you know—is a lie?"
She asked and for a moment, everywhere went silent, everyone taking in the gravity of what her words mean.
