Chapter 90: Chapter 90

RUBY.

"There's nothing to talk about Toby," I said. I stood up and handed the baby over to him.

"Your reaction says it all, we have a lot to talk about," he said, standing up and balancing Jeremy on his hip.

"Stop playing with me, let's not pretend we are in a real relationship here. We are in the last lap of our marriage so can we just focus, after the elections then comes our divorce." He had nothing to say to me after that because my words rang true. I didn't need him to play nice guy right now. We just had to do what we had to do. I stormed off to my room and slumped on my bed.

The first thing I did when I woke up from sleep like any ordinary day was check on Jeremy. It was pretty early in the morning so when I found his bed empty I panicked. I checked the living room and kitchen for any sign of Jeremy or Toby and when I didn't find them I decided to venture into the strange territory, Toby's bedroom.

I knocked softly but there was no answer so I pushed the door back and proceeded into the dark room to find the covers drawn up and a lump underneath. My first thought is that Toby is under the covers alone and Jeremy is missing but I decide to cling to logical reasoning. How could he be missing? Who would take him from his nursery in our secure pent house? I prayed that I'd find him cuddled up under the covers with Toby as I moved toward the bed and pulled the covers back. I released a sigh of relief when I found Jeremy cuddled between Toby and the pillows. I stared at them in contentment for a moment before pulling the cover back over them. If only they were mine to keep but unfortunately only one of them was mine.

I headed back to my room to get ready for the gym. I wore yoga pants and a matching sports bra and then threw a hoodie over it. I took the elevator ride down to the boxing gym in our apartment building reminiscing on how I stumbled upon boxing at my lowest. I came across the flier when I has so much anger in me I thought it would swallow me whole. The lightness I felt both physically and emotionally after just one session had me hooked. I knew I was going to be coming back over and over again.

I started with some stretches and then some basic strength exercises. I could already feel my mood lifting as I completed my lunges. Then came cardio, I skipped hard and fast till my breathing came out in short pants. When I couldn't go on any further I sat on the mat to drink some water and rest before venturing into the main exercise. My endurance and recovery time was way better than they used to be. My instructor tossed me a pair of boxing gloves, which meant it was time to go back to work again. He was a man of few words, it was difficult to adjust to his ways at first but now we were perfectly in sync. He took me through the drills, as I delivered punches to the pads he wore on his hands. When we were done my bra top was soaked through with sweat but I was content. I never thought I'd be one of those people who would find solace in exercise but look at me now. I was at the height of fitness throughout my life and I had a basic knowledge of how to defend myself if it came down to it.

As I showered, I finally allowed myself to bask in the significance of the day. Today was my graduation day and my birthday. I was turning twenty-four, which meant I had one more year till I came into my trust, one more year till I would be wanted dead. It's crazy how the time flew by. My time in College was not what I expected it to be with all the added responsibilities of being Mrs Daniel and Jeremy coming in at the tail end but I was proud of how I handled things.

I didn't go crazy as most girls would in shopping for my big day. My closet was filled with clothes I hadn't worn at all and some I had only worn once all thanks to Clara and her many impromptu shopping sprees. So l didn't see the point in shopping for a new outfit for the occasion. I settled on a short black and brown lace dress after much contemplation. Then I paired it with a pair of nude pumps and a matching purse. I put my hair in my signature ponytail and did a simple make-up look to tie the whole outfit together. I grabbed the jewellery set I got from Toby as an anniversary present and put them on at the last minute. It was just the quickest thing I could find, I wasn't wearing them for any sentimental reasons whatsoever.

I strutted confidently down the stairs, knowing that I looked like a million bucks. There was a huge banner with happy birthday written on it displayed in the living room and a smaller one saying, congratulations on your masters. Every space was filled with flowers and balloons. It was the last thing I was expecting and my heart swelled but I quickly shut it down. I remember the first birthday I spent married, everything about the Daniel's was for show. I'm sure pictures of our living room would be all over the internet.

I headed for the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast before I had to run. The post-workout smoothie I had before my shower wasn't doing anything for me anymore.

"Happy Birthday to you," Toby sang. A small cake, with a candle shaped like a number twenty-four, sat on the kitchen counter and he had Jeremy on his hip.

"Thank you," I said shortly taking a seat at the breakfast bar. He deposited Jeremy in his high chair and proceeded to make me a plate.

"Who made breakfast?" I asked as he placed my food before me.

"I did," he said. I tentatively cut into a pancake and brought it to my mouth. It was good.

"This is good," I said. I had been planning to make myself some cereal or something like that but this was much better.

"Thank you," he said. At some point, I began to feel self-conscious as he watched me eat.

"Ruby, I know we didn't start on the right note and that even now our relationship is about to expire but I want us to at least be friends. If not for anything then for Jeremy's sake. What do you say?"