Valentine's Vows; Love, Lies And A Fake Engagement のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

RUBBY'S POV The night air was thick with the scent of different perfume, alcohol, and something else I couldn’t quite place. Maybe it was fear or even regret, Maybe it was the feeling of being somewhere I didn’t belong.The club was the last place you would see me, but today was different, Cynthia finally had her way.I tugged at the hem of my dress as Cynthia led me deeper into the club, her laughter ringing through the reverberating music. I hadn’t wanted to come. I had made that clear. But Cynthia had a way of twisting words, of making things sound like a good idea when they weren’t."Come on, Rubby," she had coaxed over the phone. "You’ve been so down lately. Just one night out, I swear. No strings attached."I should have said no, owing to the fact that I would leave with my parents that day, But after the call from the orphanage, after realizing I had to stay behind a few more days to support a little boy through surgery, I felt restless. The young boy kept insisting I come, s

ALEXANDER'S POV It was embarrassing to say that I had stalked her all day.From the moment she came to the office till that night at the club, thankfully my presence had saved her from danger.I couldn't take away my eyes from her face as I carried her to my car, even as I lay her down on her bed, I just stared at how peaceful she looked. The next morning, as I remembered all that had happened, I kept telling myself that I just cared about her wellbeing and nothing more; I would have helped any other girl in that condition.I exhaled deeply and went downstairs to the sitting room.The city lights stretched beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows of my penthouse, but they did nothing to distract me. My eyes flickered to my phone for what felt like the hundredth time, hoping, no, praying for a call or a text from Rubby.Nothing.I exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over my jaw. She was still angry. I couldn’t blame her. After everything Mirabelle called her, after lying to her. What reason di

RUBBY'S POV "Thank God you are here," the Matron exclaimed."What's happening?" I askedShe shrugged her shoulders and led me to the doctor's office.The hospital walls seemed colder than usual, their sterile white tones made my skin prickle. The air smelled like antiseptic and anxiety, thick and suffocating. I sat beside the little boy’s bed, watching his tiny chest rise and fall with difficulty. His breathing was shallow, his body too frail for someone so young. The sight of him, helpless and in pain, brought tears to my eyes. It broke my heart.The doctor’s voice earlier still echoed in my head.“He needs immediate surgery, but we can’t proceed unless his parents sign.”The matron and I had pleaded with them. We explained, over and over again, that he was an orphan and that there were no parents to sign for him. But the hospital stood firm. A couple must sign."We can't take such risk here, a couple must sign an undertaking," the doctor explained."He is from the orphanage downto

RUBBY'S POV "You still want me to leave?" Mirabelle asked. "I've got other things I think you should listen to." That was when I stood up, I didn't want to hear any other thing.The walls of the hospital seemed to close in around me, the weight of Mirabelle’s words and Alex’s silence laid heavy on me. My hands trembled at my sides, my heart pounding so loudly I could barely hear anything else. “Rubby, please… just let me explain," Alex said. He really did have the guts to explain what was so clear and visible."Explain? Explain what?" I asked, pushing my chair slightly behind me.What did he want to explain? That he had been using me? That everything had been nothing more than a game to him, that I'm dirt? Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not here. Not now, I couldn't afford to let them see me cry.Mirabelle was still thrashing in the grip of the hospital security, screaming obscenities at Alex, and at me, but that was not my concern. I had gotten the a

ALEXANDER'S POV I swallowed hard and moved away from him, clenching my fist by my sides. The tension in the room was suffocating.My mother stood between Kevin and me, her sharp eyes darting between us. “Enough,” she said sternly, her voice slicing through the thick atmosphere like a blade. “This childish bickering stops right now. You both need to man up; this is getting too much. Would you ever love yourselves?”Kevin scoffed, rubbing his jaw from where I had punched him earlier. “Childish bickering? Are you seriously taking his side? Well, I'm not surprised; he's always been the favourite child.”My father, who had been silent for most of our argument, finally spoke up. “This isn’t about sides, Kevin. This is about responsibility. And you’ve proven time and again that you’re not ready to handle the weight of this company. There are other small companies under your guidance, yet you've not done anything there not to talk of this one.”Kevin’s face turned red. “Excuse me?”My father