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CHAPTER 1

RUBY'S POV

I didn't want to be here, but I didn't have a choice either.

After eight years of being in the shadows, hiding away from the scandal that ruined my life, here I was again, facing the framed image of the man who destroyed my life and abandoned me when I needed him most.

"So sorry for the loss dear. It must have been so devastating for you when you heard the news" a woman whom I had never seen before, said to me and all I did was stare at her.

I was in no mood for keeping a facade or making them think I was sad over the demise when I felt nothing like it.

When she realized I wasn't going to offer her even a smile, she broke eye contact with me and walked away. That must have felt so embarrassing for her and it satisfied me to know she probably felt that way.

Bunch of fakes.

I wanted to scream at everyone who pretended to be consoling me for the loss, wanted to yell at them to leave and smash the picture that was placed delicately on the wall before me but I couldn't bring myself to do that. Not when I was in so much shock at the moment. I never got the closure I wanted and it hurt.

"Be nice Ruby. You may need some of these people later on" my best friend, Clarissa whispered to me when she joined me where I sat and I glanced at her. I was in no mood to be nice.

"Only if they leave me alone. Then I can be nice" I told her with a straight face and she chuckled to herself.

She was the only one who stayed when everything was dwindling for me. I even considered taking my life but she saved me and I was forever going to be grateful to her for that. She had no idea but I intended to pay her back for her help and kindness someday and I knew it was close now.

Looking around the hall, I couldn't bring myself to understand how they thought I would feel any sort of sorrow for the loss of my adopted father.

The same man who threw me out onto the street when I was no longer of any use to him.

If he had any other relatives, I was very sure I wouldn't be here to honor his funeral.

I wouldn't even be their first option.

With a sigh, I ran my sweaty palms down my all-black dress before I stood up from my chair and headed to the pew where the speaker of the funeral stood with a microphone and waited for me to come over and give my speech on how wonderful a father he was to me, how he loved me and did great things until his death but everyone one of us in this hall knew that was all bullshit.

They were still going to sit with fake smiles and gobble it all up though. Because that was all they were very good at… pretending. I was once like that too and sometimes, I wondered if I was still that way.

Offering a fake smile to the speaker, I took the microphone from her while she gave me a look of pity and I had to fight down the urge to slap it off her face because I hated it. I hated when people looked at me with pity.

It was the exact reason why I moved to a new place where no one knew me so they wouldn't pity me.

"I hope you heal from the loss dear," she said to me softly and I gave her a cold gaze with my fake smile still plastered on my face. She looked terrified when she saw the look in my eyes and with that, she rushed off the stage.

What was with everyone offering fake condolences to me when they all knew what happened eight years ago?

Did they think I could just forget it all and act like any of this mattered to me?

After taking a moment to rearrange my thoughts, I faced the crowd to give my speech and silence filled the large hall.

Darting my eyes around to glance at all of them before I began my speech, there was suddenly the sound of footsteps coming toward the hall and I turned to the door, wondering who else it could be when everyone who was invited was already present.

The door opened and I felt my blood run cold when I saw who it was. A shiver ran through my body as I stared at him in the flesh after eight years again and anger, pure rage filled me up when I remembered how he ended it.

How he ended us.

With just a phone call he called off our engagement while I was waiting for him in my dress, all made up and excited for our pre-wedding photoshoot. I felt like a fool while it was so easy for him to tell me he wasn't marrying me again just because I was adopted.

He even had the nerve to call me a fake pretending to be rich.

And now, he dared to show up at my father's funeral uninvited.

I was mad before but now?

I wanted to burn down the whole place but there was only one thing ringing in my mind nonstop.

Poker face, poker face, poker face!!!

I couldn't let him get to me again. I was over him and he meant nothing to me any longer so I tried to maintain a stable emotion and keep a blank face.

That was what I kept trying to tell myself but it seemed I felt otherwise because my body was betraying me.

Goosebumps graced my skin as my heartbeat got faster. I felt sweat coat my forehead and my breathing became shallow too.

It had been eight long years but he still had an effect on me and I despised it so much.

Our eyes met and his face was unreadable.

I let my gaze look him over from head to toe and as usual, just as I could recall, he was dressed in a black two-piece tailored suit that hugged his muscled 6'6 frame. His hair was all slicked back but he let a few strands down his face, and his jade-green eyes found mine when I looked up.

He didn't look like he had aged a bit over the past eight years and it pissed me off to see that he was doing so well after what he did to me.

We kept on holding eye contact for what felt like forever and I wasn't sure if it was all in my head but I caught a glimpse of his gaze softening and I quickly looked away only to notice how tense the hall had become after he walked in.

Everyone present knew about my history with Dax Kellen. The man who ruined my life in one single day by just calling off our engagement because of his petty sentiments.

They all also found out I was an adopted daughter that same day he broke up with me because it seemed like the universe had ganged up against me then and the media had caught a whiff of it…

Shaking my head to get rid of the memories that had haunted me since that day, I looked back up at the crowd and smiled before I started giving my speech.

I made sure it was short and brief because I didn't have much to say and I also made sure to thank them all for showing up even though it was just a lie and when I was done, there was a brief applause as I made my way back to my seat.

"Shit! He's here Ruby. What are you going to do?" Clarissa asked me and it was a struggle to not turn around and look at Dax again. I could feel his melting gaze on the back of my head and I was panicking on the inside.

"I'm leaving Clarissa. Are you coming?" I replied as I turned to look at her and I could see how sorry she felt for me when she noticed how disoriented I had become from just seeing Dax Kellen again.

I had thought of this moment a million times, replayed it over and over in my head and planned how I was going to ignore him and walk away just to show him that I was over him.

But now, with him standing a few feet away from me, I was slowly losing my bravado and it infuriated me to know he still had such a stronghold on me. I felt disgusted with myself and I could feel tears prickling behind my lids already. I wanted to go home and sleep it off.

"Oh, baby! Of course, you know I'm coming with you. Fuck all of this anyways. Come on, let's go home, Sally must be waiting for us" she replied and I knew she was trying to make me feel better so I smiled as we both stood up, grabbed our bags, and headed for the door.

Poker face, poker face, poker face!!!

The closer we got to the door, the faster my heartbeat increased but I still tried to keep a blank face and avoided making eye contact with Dax who still stood by the door with his bodyguard. I knew he was watching me but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction he wanted by looking back. Not like he mattered to me anymore.

"Ruby" he suddenly called for me, his voice deep and calm as I remembered but with a tinge of softness surrounding it and I froze but I still didn't look at him. I couldn't. I was scared to meet his eyes.

"You don't have to do this if you're not ready, Ruby. You can just walk away if you want" Clarissa coaxed me while she gently took my hand and squeezed to help me stay calm and I swallowed. She was right, but I couldn't get myself to move. His voice still unnerved me.

"Sorry for the loss, I hope you can get over his absence with time," he said to me and I chuckled. What a hypocrite! Trying to patronize me when he was the one who made me get thrown out by the man I was pretending to mourn over.

I finally mustered up enough courage to look at him and he had a depth of warmth in his eyes.

"Now you're looking at me" he almost whispered before giving me a lopsided smile and I eyed him with venom. The man pissed me off just as much as he made me uneasy.

"I don't want to talk to you, Dax" I fired at him and he bowed his head for a moment.

"I just need a moment with you Ruby. It won't take long, I just want to talk to you" he replied and I sighed.

"Too bad then because I don't want to" I replied and turned to leave but then he caught my hand and I looked at our hands as he held mine. He held me gently just like he used to whenever we walked down a park at night on a date and I hated how a simple touch from him invoked those memories.

So I quickly pulled away and glared at him to let him know I didn't want him near me.

"Don't you dare touch me again, Dax Kellen. you have no right to and like I said, I definitely have nothing to talk about with you. Have a good day… or don't" I made sure he heard the utter rage in my voice and I walked away after that with Clarissa still tagging along.

"Atta girl. I was so proud to see you put him in his place. That son of a bitch" she said and I giggled.

I had never felt so better.