Aveline
I got married to the oldest mafia heir alive...
The same girl who once loved me like I was her last breath.
Now? She stands in front of me, yet feels a million miles away.
"Ruby," I whispered.
She turned while adjusting her cuffs, her voice cold enough to burn.
"Yes?"
"Where are you going?"
She raised an eyebrow and walked toward me, slow and sharp.
Then she leaned in, her breath brushing my skin like a threat.
"Don't forget you chose this hell," she whispered.
"You hate me? I'll make you hate me more and more, Aveline."
My eyes widened.
I clutched my dress tightly and said nothing.
She stepped back. "I'm leaving for work. Do whatever you want with the rest of your day."
She walked out.
And I sank onto the couch.
She was right.
She gave me the choice to run.
I stayed.
---
Leon barked and bounced toward me, tail wagging, full of chaotic joy.
"Leon, you're growing up so fast," I said, giggling.
That husky was the only thing in this house that felt alive.
I remembered... she had a separate room for art.
Curious, I started wandering through the house.
Familiar halls. Familiar air. But something was off.
When I opened the door to the studio, my heart paused.
It was... empty.
Once filled with color, light, portraits of me—now just bare walls.
It was like she had never even touched a brush.
Like art had died here.
"Where did she put everything?" I asked the butler.
"Master placed all the artworks into a separate room," he said. "She strictly ordered that no one is allowed to enter."
I pouted.
"She's such an idiot."
Whatever. The room's empty, I could at least dance here.
"Thanks, Butler!" I said, waving him off.
(He's Mr. Kan, but I call him Butler because... well, I can.)
---
Afternoon slid by.
Alia and I gossiped on the phone.
Now I was bored out of my mind, so I decided to play with Leon in the backyard.
He made me laugh so hard with his silly moves.
He was everything Ruby wasn't—soft, goofy, free.
But somewhere between his barking and the breeze, my thoughts got heavy.
What if she never came back?
What if her mafia life swallowed her whole one day?
What if she died… and I never knew?
Sometimes I'm afraid of her mafia personality.
I shook it off.
It was dinner time.
I waited.
Because… isn't that what a wife does?
She's playing the husband role.
I'm playing the wife.
---
It was already midnight, I mean past midnight I was waiting for her.
The front door creaked open, echoing through the house.
I walked to the hallway and saw her.
Ruby.
Hair messy, still absurdly attractive.
Her coat in one hand.
Her eyes? Stormy. Exhausted.
"Why are you still up, Aveline?"
She didn't even bother to look at me when she asked—just cold, flat, tired.
"I was waiting for you. You came late," I said, keeping my tone steady.
"Don't wait for me, Aveline."
It wasn't about dinner.
It was a warning.
For life.
And then I saw her knuckles—bleeding.
She tried to walk past me, her shoulder brushed mine.
But I reached out and gently tugged her shirt cuff.
"Ruby… you're bleeding."
She didn't flinch. "It's nothing, Aveline. Leave it."
"No."
This time I grabbed her hand properly.
"Please, Ruby. Let me treat it."
Instead of answering, she asked:
"Did you eat, Aveline?"
What the hell?!
She was bleeding—and she's asking me if I ate?
"Idiot Ruby," I mumbled. "Come with me."
She didn't have the energy to argue.
I dragged her to her room, and she let me.
She sat down on the bed.
I sat beside her, gently holding her hand, examining the damage.
Her knuckles looked like she'd punched someone.
Or something.
Not once.
Repeatedly.
I wrapped her hand with a soft bandage.
I was tired. Hungry.
I hadn't eaten because of her.
Then suddenly, she spoke.
"Come with me."
I blinked.
What was she up to at midnight?
Did I read too much dark romance or… was this real?
I followed her to the kitchen.
She heated the food.
For me.
"Eat. I can't handle your family's drama—especially your sister's—if you faint. They'll blame me."
Ouch.
That stung.
Like a slap… dipped in honey.
But I ate.
Past midnight.
Sleepy.
Drained.
She went to the bathroom.
I waited.
I wanted to re-bandage her hand in the morning before she left early again.
But I didn't even realize…
When I fell asleep on her bed.
---