Love Never Dies (an Unconditional student/teacher romance)

Chapter Fifteen - Baby of Mine

Emily flicked back from the page she was on and the end of the book. There was a massive gap year between page 101 to 254. It finished from when Leonie was taken away, right up until Ruby was thirty years old.

It was dated early winter, 2017.

Ten years later...

Ruby wrote about how she and Adam had bought a place together and married. Ruby was now a free liscenced journalist, and Adam running his own electrician company. Adam's fighting days had finally ceased now.

The first bunch of pages, Emily mused, were boring. She was already aware of most this because during Ruby's writing days, she kept Emily updated with 'a monthly gossip'.

Emily, who was just back from the supermarket down the road from her B&B, sat down on the chair in her bedroom and thought over what she just read in the car. Ruby was known to be Ruby Sun now, not Anderson. Ruby believed that she found Adam's companionship pleasant but not as pleasant as... his. That's how Ruby directed Dr. Andre up until the ending of the book - him or his.

'It still hurts to think or even write his name, never mind write it." She once wrote. Ruby didn't talk much of her daughter, for that too hurt her. She once sent a gift to her old midwife Ella years ago, in the hope she would perhaps forward it to wherever her daughter was. It was the painting Ruby created back in high school. The painting of the father, who she disguised as being an A-listed actor.

'The pain comes and goes most of the time. I know she's better off without me, but it still does not stop me from hoping and praying that one day I'll get her back and him too. If only he was fucking here!!!!!'

Emily read about the phonecall Ruby's house received in late December. A glint of hope for Ruby.

"Tell me exactly whay you said!"

"Calm down! I just said this to him: Mr. Sun speaking, how may I help you? 'Cause I thought it was one of your colleagues. Anyways, after they asked for you, I said: sorry mate, she's not in the now. D'ya want me to keep a message or... Erm, are you still there? Oh, OK then! Who will I say called? An old friend? Will do. See ya, mate! It was somethin' along those lines..."

Adam flashed me a quizzacle glance, watching me for my reaction. Trying not to look too interested, I started unpacking the shopping bags whilst asking, "Did he say anything else?"

"Who said it was a he?" His quizzicle look was replaced by a pecular frown. "Meh! No, he didn't. But he sounded really familiar though. Can't quite put my finger on who he sounded like. Anyhow, I'll help you unpack babe."

Like a blind ghost sleepwalking, I put down the bags, walked past Adam's halted figure, mounted my spiral stair case and entered my study.

Desperately typing 1-4-7-1 into my phone - in order to figure out the last number which phoned, hoping it would be his - I looked out the window and stared at the snow covered roads and houses.

'The number of the last person to call you, was, -" The number was immediately recognisable and was identified as being Paul Stewart's number - Adam's grossly still current best friend.

I shudered as my hopes crashed and burned to ashes. I could hear Adam quietly humming downstairs while putting the shopping away for me. My tears hardened and fell like icicles from my chin.'
Ruby's memoirs were getting shorter and shorter. Throughout her paragraphs, Emily pointed out to herself how Ruby's style in writing was slowly changing. It was shorter, more aggresive and snappier. Indeed this was the Ruby she remembered from last year - snappy, tired and emotionessly bitter. Why on earth didn't Ruby just tell her? Who knew. It might have been easier on her if she did.

But then, now that she thought about it, maybe it wouldn't have beeen easier. Nearing to the end of the book - just a few pages away - Ruby wrote of Adam's anxiousness and edginess around her. She was constantly writing down Adam's remarks which he often made to frighten her.

'It still makes him sick to the bone with jealousy; the fact that he knows that I love him. Ever since he spied on us kissing back in high school, he's always been fill with rage and jealousy. His words still remain to haunt me to this very day. I will end you, he threatened. A part of me, which was shrinking to a small part, still fears that Adam will stick by his words. And if he were to ever figure out the elaboration from someone that I had an affair with him countless times, then he would literally carry out his threat amd do it. Kill me. But it was Adam? He wouldn't. He'd most likely get someone else to do his dirty work. Someone like Paul Stewart for instance. However, the fact that my husband was threatening me opposed to nothing to me.'

Emily kept repeating: Leonie, Leonie, Leonie! Where was she? Did she recieve the painting? Ruby never wrote about her, only Adam and him - Leo Andre.

Two chapters to go. Emily's back was aching and her eyes stinging to due over-reading, but she didn't care. She was due home in two days, and she still hadn't been to the last adress on the book.

Ooh! How Emily feared for the end. Because, just like Ruby, she had a feeling what the outcome of loving a foribidden man would do to Ruby.