The Cambridge Way

Chapter 1

Ruby sat with her eyes closed as the crackling and warmth from the fire pit calmed her nerves. The swift breeze of the wind sent the leaves scraping against the pavement making a sweet tune as the crickets added their own melody. With her phone nestled between her shoulder and chin, Ruby used her hands to wrap her throw  blanket around her shoulders.

It wasn't unusually breezy for a fall night, but living on a lake brought about an extra chill.

Today was the day.

Eleven years later and it still hit the same. Today was the anniversary of Demetrius's death.  Ruby's first love, the father of her child, gone.

Life wasn't particularly rough without him, but it was lonely.

Of course Ruby had her people, as well as her sweet Babygirl Karma, but she could never quite gather that feeling that Demetrius gave. It was now replaced with a feeling of dread, void, that lingering emptiness that reminded you of something missing.

It was that feeling Ruby couldn't get used to.

She hated it.

Countless hours of therapy, prayer, and the love of her daughter were all things that got Ruby through her day to day. Grief was something serious. The moment she thought things were better and she was all healed, Ruby would find herself breaking down. Anything could trigger that intense pain of realizing she would never get to see, hear, or even touch Demetrius again.

Grief was constant, but life went on.

Certain that Demetrius was her soulmate, Ruby had all but given up on love. The dating pool was trash and she couldn't quite find anyone that fit. To Ruby, what she had with Demetrius was incomparable. She had her lover and best friend wrapped in one.

He was her guidance, her protector.

Demetrius was her person.

They often spoke without words and no matter what life threw their way or how many days, months, or even years they spent apart, nothing ever felt differently when they'd come back together. Ruby and Demetrius would always pick up exactly where they left off. That's just how strong their love was. There was no denying how strong of a bond they had.

"Ruby, did you hear me?" Anastasia called out, pulling Ruby from her thoughts.

Pausing for a second, Ruby checked her surroundings before answering, "I did. But hold up a second, I think I hear something." She placed  her phone down on the seat beside her and walked further out into her back yard.

Ruby wasn't crazy. She was hearing men attempting to enter her yard.

Her closest neighbors were more than a mile away so there was no way she should have been hearing anyone near her place.

"Tasia," Ruby whispered after rushing over to grab her phone. "I think someone is trying to break in."

"What?! Aren't you outside already? Do you have your gun on you?" Anastasia panicked while gathering her things to leave. Never mind the fact that she lived more than an hour away. Her best friend needed her and she was going to be there.

"Shhh!" Ruby voiced while grabbing her gun from underneath the cushion beside her and ensuring a bullet was in the chamber.

Not much had changed when it came to the safety of herself and her child. If nothing else, Ruby held onto Demetrius's rule of staying on point. If her gun wasn't on her, it was within reaching distance for sure.

Placing the phone to her ear, Ruby held it in place with her shoulder while quickly trying to assess the situation. She heard at least two voices for sure, but couldn't be positive on how many people there were.