Substitute Wife For The Blind CEO
Chapter 107: Peace

Chapter 107: Peace

Rayna unlocked the front door, still faintly smiling as she stepped inside. The warmth of the evening lingered in her skin, in the soft fluttering in her chest, in the memory of Ethan’s touch—so gentle, so deliberate—as he’d tucked that stray hair behind her ear.

She sighed quietly and leaned against the door after closing it, kicking off her heels with a soft groan of relief. Her heart still hadn’t slowed down, and it wasn’t from the walking. It was something else. Something headier, lighter. Something she hadn’t let herself feel in a very long time.

"Finally."

Rayna jumped, her eyes flying to the couch where Ruby sat cross-legged with a bowl of popcorn in her lap, wrapped in a throw blanket like a late-night gossip fairy waiting to strike.

"Ruby!" Rayna pressed a hand to her chest. "You scared me! I thought you would already be asleep."

Ruby grinned impishly. "Please. As if I could sleep knowing my best friend was out on a date with her ’Mr. Ethan’ after vanishing for two hours."

Rayna chuckled, kicking the shoes farther into the corner before making her way toward Ruby. "It wasn’t two hours."

"It was three and a half, thank you very much. You left at seven. It’s past ten-thirty."

Rayna sat on the armrest beside her sister-friend, tossing her bag onto the nearby armchair and reaching into the popcorn bowl without asking. "What are you, my parole officer?"

"Nope. Just the girl who had to sit here replaying the last five years of Grey’s Anatomy to stop imagining you locked in a trunk or spiraled at the back seat of your car, smashing him," Ruby quipped, then narrowed her eyes teasingly. "So... how was it?"

Rayna popped a piece of popcorn in her mouth, chewing slowly and pretending to be bored. "It was fine."

Ruby’s brows shot up. "Fine? That’s all I’m getting after waiting this long?"

Rayna sighed, tilting her head back and letting her hair fall behind her shoulders. "Okay. It was better than fine."

Ruby squealed, setting her bowl aside. "Now we’re talking! I want details. The good kind. What was he wearing? Did he pull your chair out? Did he pay or go dutch like a villain?"

Rayna laughed, the sound genuine and bubbling. "Slow down!"

Though she was happy about the date, she was even more happier Ruby was interested in the details. Atleast talking about it would keep her mind off Stefan.

"No. Spill. Spill now, or I will go full interrogation mode."

Rayna rolled her eyes, though a smile was playing at the corners of her mouth. "Alright, alright. He was already there when I walked in. Wearing this white shirt, sleeves rolled up—"

"Oh, I love a rolled sleeve. It screams effort without screaming effort."

Rayna smirked. "Let me talk!"

Ruby mimed zipping her lips and gestured for her to go on.

"He smiled at me when he saw me. Like... like he was really happy I showed up. Not just because he expected it, but like he was relieved."

"And how did that make you feel?" Ruby asked in a mock-therapist voice.

Rayna shrugged, softer now. "Warm. Seen. Nervous. All at once."

Her voice drifted a little and Ruby’s teasing faded into curiosity.

"So.... did you feel safe with him?"

Rayna nodded. "Yeah. From the second I sat down. It was easy. We talked about work, life, childhood... stupid stuff like cereal being the height of adulthood. And he laughed, Rubes. Not like a fake ’I’m being polite’ laugh. Like a real one. He listens. Like, actually listens."

Ruby smiled knowingly. "So, when exactly did you go from ’this man’s probably a creep’ to ’he might be my future husband’?"

Rayna groaned. "Oh my God, shut up. I never even said any of that." f.r(e)e\webn.ovel.co\m

"No, no, I’m serious," Ruby said through a giggle. "You were so insistent that he was trouble and you weren’t interested or even liked him. And now look at you! Glowing!"

Rayna chuckled and leaned back beside Ruby, hugging a pillow to her chest. "You can’t blame me for being wary. Men aren’t exactly winning medals these days."

Ruby’s teasing smile faded into something gentler. "You’re right. I don’t blame you. After what happened with Aaron... it makes sense. You were hurt. Lied to. That kind of betrayal? It doesn’t just disappear."

Rayna nodded slowly. "Yeah. I guess that’s why I’m being so careful now. Even though some tiny part of me wants to just dive in headfirst and call him my boyfriend already."

Ruby looked at her, eyes shining. "Really? And what’s the other part saying?"

Rayna sighed and pulled the throw blanket over her legs. "Take it slow. Not just for my sanity but because I need to be sure. I need to know this man isn’t going to charm his way into my life and then ask for my account password or even take my money without my consent."

Ruby snorted. "Fair. The day a man asks for my bank info is the day he gets reported for treason."

They both laughed.

Rayna’s smile softened. "But really... I want to take it one day at a time. I want to see who he is without all the romantic fog. I want to know Ethan. For real. And if he really wants to know me, then we’ll figure it out."

Ruby nodded, deeply understanding. "That sounds like a healthy plan. You deserve something real. Not perfect. Just honest and steady."

Rayna looked at her with a curious frown. "Do you think I’m being paranoid?"

"No," Ruby said immediately. "I think you’re being smart. And for what it’s worth... I saw the way you were smiling when you walked in. That wasn’t fear or paranoia. That was hope."

Rayna blinked, her throat tightening. "Yeah," she whispered. "I think maybe... just maybe... I’m starting to hope again."

They were quiet for a moment, lost in the calm comfort of the room, the faint sound of traffic outside, and the soft hum of the ceiling fan above.

Ruby reached over and took her hand. "Whatever happens, you’ve got me."

Rayna smiled, squeezing her hand back. "And you’ve got me."

A yawn escaped Ruby, and she snuggled deeper into the couch. "Okay, now that my curiosity has been fed, can we please watch something stupid and fall asleep halfway through?"

Rayna grinned. "Absolutely. But I’m picking the movie."

"As long as it doesn’t have subtitles. I’m too sleepy to read."

Rayna stood and grabbed the remote. "Deal. And Rubes?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for waiting up. It means more than you know."

Ruby gave her a sleepy smile. "Always, Ray. Always."

As the movie flickered onto the screen and the popcorn bowl made its way back into Rayna’s lap, she felt something settle in her chest.

Peace.

It didn’t mean everything was figured out. But for tonight, she had hope, she had her friend, and she had something to look forward to and that was enough.