Substitute Wife For The Blind CEO
Chapter 80: All That Matters

Chapter 80: All That Matters

The golden rays of the evening sun peeked through the half-closed blinds of the cozy guest room in Rayna’s Florittle apartment.

Outside, birds chirped softly as the town settled into a calm hush, but inside the quiet room, Ruby sat curled on the edge of the bed, her arms wrapped around her knees. Her phone was clutched tightly in her trembling hand, and silent tears streamed down her cheeks.

She’d been sleeping peacefully because she was jetlagged only to be awaken by the sound of her ringtone.

With sleepy eyes, she’d picked up the phone wondering who had been calling her. Her heart had skipped several beats when she realized it was Stefan. The same man she’d been married to in Ivy’s name for over six months.

The man whose child was growing inside of her. Though that alone wouldn’t have broken her to the point she was now. He was also the man that had betrayed her the most.

Her mom, Ivy, Elizabeth, they’d betrayed her but Stefan? He did more than that. But it was all her fault. She had known he wasn’t hers in the first place but had gone ahead to fall for him. Now she was hurt.

She’d thought he’d called by mistake by he called the first time but the dam in her eyes had broken when he called the second time.

What did he want? Why had he called? Did he know she was the one with the phone? Was that why he’d called? If that were true then why hadn’t he dropped a message? Why didn’t he try to call her again? Does he know everything now?

Had he seen the ultrasound result? Was that what had set off the alarm in his head? Was he comparing her with Ivy now? Was there any differences? All these questions kept ringing in Ruby’s mind after Stefan called her line and the more she tried not to think about any of that, the more she thought about it.

Rayna, humming lightly and balancing a bag of fresh groceries in her hand, pushed the front door open with her hip and stepped in. She had taken her time at the store, picking ingredients carefully, thinking Ruby might be in the mood for something warm and homey tonight. After all, it had been over six hours since Ruby retreated into the guest room to rest since she was jetlagged. Sixteen hours of travel from Zeden was no joke, especially for someone pregnant.

She put the groceries down in the kitchen and glanced toward the hallway. Her brows furrowed with concern. She should be awake by now, she thought. A small tug of unease pulled at her chest.

"Let me just check on her," she mumbled to herself, heading to the guest room.

She gently pushed the door open, expecting to find Ruby asleep or maybe lounging with a book or maybe anything to while away time, but the moment her eyes landed on her friend, her heart dropped.

"Ruby!" she rushed to her side, kneeling beside the bed. "Oh my God, what happened? Why are you crying like this? Are you okay? Is it the baby? Do you want to hurt yourself or the baby? What’s going on?"

Ruby shook her head furiously, unable to speak. Her body trembled as she sobbed harder, still clutching the phone as though it was the only thing holding her together.

Rayna followed her gaze and noticed how tightly Ruby held the phone. Something about it seemed off. Her best friend was broken... and the phone clearly had something to do with it seeing how tightly she was holding it.

Without waiting for permission, she gently but firmly pried the phone from Ruby’s grip. Ruby didn’t resist not because she didn’t want to but because she didn’t have the strength or the energy.

Rayna tapped the screen and immediately saw what had triggered this avalanche of pain. There it was — two missed calls. The name flashing on the screen made her heart sink.

Stefan. How could he have called? Does he know about the truth or what?

Rayna let out a soft sigh, her eyes softening. So that was it. Stefan had called. But why?

She turned to Ruby and sat beside her, wrapping an arm gently around her shoulder.

Ruby finally found her voice, though it was cracked and weak. "He called... Rayna, he actually called. What does that mean? Does he know? Is he starting to feel the difference? Do you think he suspects now? What do I do? Why did he call? Or... or maybe it was just a mistake... maybe he dialed by accident. If it was, he wouldn’t call twice would he?" .com

Her voice broke again as another tear slipped down her cheek.

Rayna hugged her tighter. "I know what you’re feeling, Ruby. I really do. That tiny call... it gives you hope, doesn’t it? Makes you think maybe he’s realized something... maybe he’s finally figured out it was you, not Ivy, who stayed by his side."

Ruby nodded slowly, her eyes glassy. Her lower lip trembled.

"But, Ruby... this isn’t the time to hope," Rayna whispered gently. "You’re pregnant. You’ve been through so much already. And all this hoping — it’s only going to tear you apart inside. Crying like this, stressing yourself over what-ifs... it won’t help you. And it won’t help your baby. I’m sure you know that. Your baby needs you strong and healthy, Rubes. Can you try to forget him and all that happened just for the sake of your child?" free\we,bnovel.c o(m)

Ruby turned to her, the pain in her chest heavy and raw. She could understand what Rayna was saying—more than that, she knew Rayna was right.

Instead of thinking about Stefan and what he was thinking, hurting herself in the process, perhaps it was time to focus more on herself and the tiny baby growing inside her. The symbol of her time with him. Perhaps that was all she could ever have and it should be enough for her.

She’d known he was never hers to love and that she could get hurt by loving him so why was she trying to kill her child in the process? She shouldn’t be doing this. She thought with a shake of her head as she sniffled.

"You’re right. You’re right, Rayna. I can’t keep doing this to myself. I don’t even know why he called. And if I keep waiting... hoping... I might fall apart again. I can’t let that happen. Not now. Not with this baby growing inside me."

She wiped her eyes and looked down at the phone. For a moment, she stared at the screen, at Stefan’s name.

Then she handed it to Rayna. "Throw it out. Discard the SIM, the phone — I don’t care. I don’t want it anymore. I don’t want anything that connects me to him. I want to concentrate on myself now. On my baby. That’s all that matters."

Rayna smiled softly, her eyes full of pride and love. "That’s my girl. We’ll get through this together. One day at a time."

And for the first time since she arrived in Florittle, Ruby exhaled deeply, her tears slowing. Her heart still ached — it probably always would — but for now, she had made a choice. She would move on.