Impossible That's Her

“But it seems like the person in black is taller than Madam Brenda. This old woman even walks with a half-hunchback.”

"I don't think so. But I'll still blacklist her. Then, there's Tamara and Rose. Hmm, wait. I'll think about it."

While biting the pen cap, swinging the pen, and trying to remember everything, Maia seemed to be thinking about the history lesson on the construction of the complicated land of MineTown.

"Tamara Bless. Ruby remembers this name as one of Juan's childhood friends. However, it seems the woman has stopped showing up in Ruby's presence after the wedding.”

"Juan made their relationship clear to Tamara to avoid trouble for Ruby within the O'Neil family."

"Hmm, Juan is a hot guy. He's so considerate of his wife's feelings, even though she doesn't love him at all. Okay, even if this woman isn't enough to make me suspicious, I'll still consider her.”

“Next… Rose White, this woman is very suspicious,” she muttered as she digested the fragments of Ruby’s memories about Rose.

Rose White, Ruby's longtime best friend and follower in her footsteps as an artist. Her entertainment career has also been greatly influenced by Ruby and Juan.

So close are Rose's parents that she often takes over Ruby's role at home, paying more attention to Juan and Leo.

But that's an old story. Now, even though Ruby didn't suspect who her friend was, Maia's vigilance certainly couldn't be fooled. The sharp grin on her pretty lips betrayed what Maia was thinking right now.

"A hypocrite like you isn't agile enough to fool Maia. Just wait a little longer. This stupid friend of yours will be a completely different person than the one you know," she muttered, circling the name 'Rose White' in her notes.

The notebook closed firmly. Maia began to formulate a plan to replace the pieces of sadness in Ruby's life.

"First Step. Refuse to Divorce Juan. Even if I have to roll around on the floor, I refuse to divorce a perfect husband like him!" she muttered firmly.

Meanwhile, Juan, currently in his office, was feeling grumpy after hearing Mariana's strange story about his wife. It was hard not to hear about Ruby's strange behavior, something that had never happened since their marriage.

"You woke up from a sleeping pill overdose and wanted to go to Leo's school and cook for us both? Seriously?" he muttered with a sad smile.

Even though deep down he wanted to believe that Ruby could do all that for them, the fact that his household always won and slapped him to the reality that Ruby Moon was not that gentle of a woman.

"Is karma now upon her? After trying to kill herself and failing so many times, she's tired of acting out and regretting all her wrongdoings towards us?"

"Gosh... I was so naive. Of course it's impossible," he replied again, having just imagined the impossible.

As his name suggests, Juan seems incapable of touching even a sliver of Ruby's Straling-like love. Perhaps this marriage was his fault for burdening Ruby with one-sided love, but the truth is, everything he's given hasn't been enough to break through the celebrity's wall of hatred for him.

***

"Madam, please open the door. It's already noon. Aren't you going to the Young Master’s school?" asked Mariana, who had been calling Ruby several times from the front door.

Even though she's used to dealing with Ruby's situation, Mariana remains patient. Especially since yesterday, when her boss began to show signs of improvement.

This morning, Juan looked ready in his office suit. But as he exited his room, he saw Mariana still busy waking Ruby up in her room. His head was starting to spin because his wife had acted up again by locking herself in her room. And despite knocking repeatedly, Ruby still didn't answer.

“Has Leo left yet?” Juan asked as he approached, making Mariana a little surprised but still nodding in response, “What’s going on?”

"I woke Madame up as per her instructions yesterday. She said she wanted to go to Young Master's school. But…"

“Maybe she’s still asleep. Or maybe… she forgot what she said. You said she was acting strange, right?” Juan replied lightly.

“But it’s been an hour, Sir. I’m afraid Madame will do… that again,” Mariana replied with her head down, making Juan frown and come closer to Ruby’s bedroom door, “Do you have a spare key?”

The senior maid immediately nodded, "But my spare key won't work either. It seems Madame has double-locked the door," she explained.

“Ruby, can you hear me? Can you open the door, please?” Juan helped wake Ruby, even though saying his wife’s name felt awkward on his tongue.

Silence, still no response from inside.

"It seems like after speaking with you, Sir, Madame went straight to her room and said she was going to bed early so she could wake up early for Young Master's school. But why isn't she awake yet?" Mariana muttered in confusion.

“Ruby, open the door now, or I will break it down!” Juan started screaming.

Still silent. This situation prompted Juan to quickly walk back to his room. He opened the window on the balcony connecting to Ruby's. The man jumped and looked through the glass window at his wife's room. "What is she doing–, oh my!"

Juan immediately entered and approached his wife. He was shocked to find Ruby's body lying on the floor, right in front of the bathroom.

Juan began gently waking his wife, but he panicked when he felt Ruby's skin was hot.

"You're sick, but why are you locking yourself up like this?" Juan muttered in annoyance. He immediately lifted his wife onto the bed and rushed to open the door to find Mariana.

"Call the doctor, she seems to have a high fever!" he said, slightly panicked.

*

‘This seems to be a common symptom for Madam, Sir. Frequent use of sleeping pills makes her weak and prone to fainting. Consequently, even minor activity or receiving sensitive information can trigger a spontaneous reaction, resulting in fainting.’

‘Her body is so weak, so please let her rest completely and don’t burden her with stress.’

The words of the family doctor treating Ruby earlier stunned Juan. His mind was now filled with questions about Ruby's condition, who was now sleeping with her innocent, pale face.

"Exhaustion and stress. What's making you like this?" Juan muttered softly. He kept thinking about what Mariana had said earlier.

There's no way leaving the room and cooking in the kitchen could exhaust someone, huh? At least that's what Juan was confused about.

"I don't want to…"

Juan's attention was increasingly drawn to Ruby, who now appeared to be in a trance. But he didn't know what to do except move closer to Ruby's bedside.

“I don’t want… a divorce. Don’t get a divorce…” Ruby began to sleepwalk again.

“Don’t get a divorce. Didn’t you already win with my divorce agreement?” Juan muttered sadly again, “You’ll just confuse me even more if you keep doing this.”

Juan O'Neil is stubborn and determined. He holds himself accountable for Ruby, even though she doesn't love him at all.

He always tries his best to be the perfect husband for Ruby and a good father for Leo.

But what if the reason for his failure to maintain the household was Ruby's own misery? Of course, everything would be in vain.

“If I hadn’t proposed to you back then and you hadn’t been forced to marry me, maybe our relationship wouldn’t be this fragile, right?” Juan said quietly while continuing to stare at his wife’s face, “But Leo…”

His eyes began to burn at the thought of his son. Juan rose from his seat before he could show his vulnerable side by crying beside Ruby.

Right in front of the door, Mariana immediately asked Juan about her mistress.

"Please pay attention to her movements, Mariana. She shouldn't be tired or stressed. I don't think I have to tell you what to do, do I?" Juan said firmly, but with a hint of concern for his wife.

"I'm going to the office now. I have an important meeting this afternoon. Keep me updated as usual," he continued before closing the bedroom door tightly.

Unbeknownst to Juan, Maia, under Juan’s wife's closed eyes, could hear everything around her, including recognizing his silent sincerity.

As she slept, Ruby's memories continued to intrude, forcing Maia to understand everything. And after an hour of pretending to be unconscious, Maia breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why did you have to stop such sincere love?" Maia murmured through Ruby's lips. Clear tears were visible. Yes, Maia could feel what Juan was feeling.

"You loved your wife at the wrong time, but this woman shouldn't hate you that much either... And me?”

"Of course I'll save the world, hehe..." she muttered with a sad smile.

Yes, a smile hidden behind a heart that was pinched with sadness.

"But one thing's for sure, I have more time to change the course of this separation. To unite this family and find Ruby's killer!"