Ruby was led outside to the living room where Roman, Williams, Tessy, and Dera stood waiting. The moment her feet touched the living room tiles, her body almost caved in from the weight of fear and uncertainty.
Every breath she took felt like inhaling fire, and the sheer tension in the room was so heavy it pressed against her chest like an anvil. Her pleading eyes, desperate for some kind of mercy, landed first on Tessy's confused ones.
But the look on Tessy's face, which was softened with worry but clouded with confusion, didn't calm Ruby one bit. In fact, it reminded her of just how serious the situation was. That look wasn't comforting; it was evidence that Tessy herself didn't know what to believe.
The tense atmosphere forced Ruby to lower her eyes, and once she did, she kept them glued to her toes like they held the answers she couldn't find. Her fingers twitched at her sides, wringing the hem of her apron as her pulse pounded violently in her ears.
