Chapter 107: Chapter 107

RUBY.

We never made it home that night, I was looking forward to staying in a familiar and safe environment and cuddling my baby. Somewhere that held great memories, the mansion had become that for me. Instead, I ended up on a private flight to an undisclosed location.

We had both checked out of the hospital, I was wearing regular clothes again. Toby had brought a comfy dress I didn't even know I owned. It had pockets at the sides and I was enjoying the feel of my hands inside them. I was excited to be going home with Toby and I wouldn't even lie, my mind wandered to a future with us.

I had told the police everything, about Yasmin's involvement with Jeremy's kidnapping and she was going to be arrested. With her out of the way then maybe if I told Toby about what happened and if I explained to him about that being the reason behind all those harsh words I used on him then things could go back to normal with us. We could even get married again, I was already imagining the wedding.

The detective I had met earlier showed up in the parking lot and ruined my planning.

"Hi, Ruby, can we talk in the car?" Tony took a protective stance beside me. I could see things from his angle, some strange woman in the hospital parking lot was asking me to get into her car.

"Toby this is…," I trailed off when I remembered I never got her name. "She's a detective." He nodded but he didn't back down.

"You could get in the car with her or we could discuss this in your car with you behind the wheel but these are matters we can't discuss out in the open." We got into Toby's car, he sat in the driver's seat like she suggested and we both sat in the back to discuss.

"We need to get you out of town."

"Why?"

"Your father is plotting again, he sent someone to the hospital to finish what Aiden started but thankfully our men intercepted him."

"What?" Toby's voice rang in the small space. He looked between the detective and me.

"You haven't told him?" I glared at her.

"You told me not to tell anyone."

She shrugged, "you two looked close and you let him join us for this meeting so I just assumed."

"My father is a murderer, he killed my mother for her inheritance and now he wants to do the same to me." His mouth is open.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's been hard to come to terms with." He reached out and ran his finger down the sides of my face. I leaned into his touch.

"You've been carrying so much alone," he whispered to me. It felt like we were the only ones on the planet then. Nothing else mattered.

"Can we get back to the matter at hand," the detective said, breaking the spell.

"I don't want to run, I want to fight," I said, meaning every word.

"It's not the time for that," she shook her head. "A reliable source tells me that he has a mole planted at the mansion, he plans to kill you quietly and blame your death on Aiden or something," she said. My blood boiled in fury.

"Why can't I confront him?"

"We need more evidence."

"The videos, aren't they enough?"

"I want to nail him without a doubt, with no arguments."

"And the video won't do that?"

"We can't tell, so many arguments might come up."

"If I confront him, then I can get him to confess on tape, " I said. The idea excited me. I wanted to tell him how I felt about his low-life behaviour, and how betrayed I felt.

"You can't risk your life like that," Toby who had been quiet all through the conversation said.

"So it's better for me to run." They both said nothing but their silence screamed a resounding yes. I knew they wouldn't let me near him. "I don't understand how the videos won't hang him in court," I said in resignation.

"The courts can be tricky, the videos are old and not very clear. The witness who took them has also refused to testify. We need more solid evidence." Toby nodded in agreement. Both of them had teamed up against me.

"What about Jeremy?" I wasn't going anywhere without my son.

"What about him?" Toby asked like he didn't comprehend my question. I glared at him. "Have a little faith in me, I can take care of him."

"She said there was a mole at the house, I don't think it's safe."

"You're the target here, and I don't think it's safe for you to be on the run with a baby." We argued it out but they had me outnumbered two to one, I couldn't win.

We drove straight to the airport, I didn't even get to tell my baby goodbye. "I'm doing some digging, hopefully, we get something to pin him soon and then you can come back," she had said but when exactly was soon.

While we waited for the plane to be ready in the VVIP Lounge Toby cooked up a story that I was traumatised by the experience so I decided to go away for some time.

I was off with no return date, a hulk of a man who didn't speak whether out of discipline or an inability to, I didn't know. I tried talking to him but he would only stare at me as if he could see right through me. It was obvious he heard and understood me but he just wouldn't or couldn't reply. Let's not rule out that fact.

As we ascended into the clear night skies a deep feeling of loneliness overcame me. My fingers touched my sore neck, my chin resting softly against the back of my palm as I looked out the window at the world below. . I felt so small and alone. The last time I felt like this was when my mother died.

When Aiden was choking me, I fought him till the last minute, and when I thought everything was over, Toby swooped in. I had imagined dying at that moment. In the past for me dying sometimes seemed like the easier option. When I still thought my mother committed suicide, in those moments I'd sympathised with her but now I know better. I know how a mother feels in her dying moment, how I felt. All I could think about was Jeremy. I needed him. I needed to come back for him.

I thought back to Toby and I's goodbyes. A warm hug, a kiss on my cheek and a promise of something to come. I needed to come back to him too.

Soon.