"Is it morning already?" Ed asked with a sleepy voice. He woke up because Ruby moved beside him."Yes. I'm going to help Tita and comfort her. She feels very guilty about Javier being sick." Ruby found Tita crying last night. Javier's illness hit Tita hard; she felt it was her food that caused it."Huh?" Ruby was already sitting up, but suddenly Ed's hand grabbed her, pushing her back onto the pillow.Ruby squirmed, giggling, as Ed pressed his face against her neck. Immediately, Ruby began to express dissatisfaction due to the fleeting tickling, which was swiftly followed by a delightful sensation."Later," Ed mumbled. It wasn't as if Ruby could run away. Ed's hand was really holding her down, keeping her lying down.Ruby cursed again, her heart aching with disappointment at Ed's lack of action beyond a simple hug. Ruby felt a strong urge to cleanse her mind. It seemed too chaotic with lust. Ed simply desired to embrace her, and there was nothing improper with that; it was merely the
“We're fine.” Ed continued to respond, and his words should have been accurate. They didn’t do much—mostly Liz just slept—but all the casual chatting wasn’t bad.“She’s not afraid of me anymore.” Out of everything, Ed was most grateful for that. So did Javier.“Ah… What a relief!” Javier exhaled as he lay down on the sand.“I was worried she’d stay away from you, but it worked out.” Javier patted his brother’s arm, laughing again.“I’m starting to see that your idea wasn’t bad.” Ed stood up, brushing off the sand, then extended his hand to Javier. He was going to help him up, but Javier refused.“I still want to stay here. You go back first.” Javier waved his hand dismissively.“Tita will cry if you don’t eat.” Ed was going to ask him to eat at home.“Then just call me when it’s ready.” Javier gave a thumbs up, complying with the second request.“Okay, but come inside if the sun gets too bright. Your skin isn’t pale enough to sunbathe.” Ed glanced at the bright sun in the sky.“Yeah,
“You’ve scared her enough, Tia.” Ed sat down and immediately rebuked Mia as she entered the dining room with Pedro.Ed didn’t need an explanation as to why Liz chose to call Javier, who was at the beach. She was clearly intimidated by Mia, and understandably so. Mia’s attitude hadn’t changed at all, as proven last night at the hospital.Ed had thought Mia might be a bit more lenient after returning from that vacation, but distancing Mia from Liz was useless.“Are you talking about that bitch?” Mia squinted her eyes.“Liz. Her name is Lizeth,” Ed corrected patiently. He knew what his strong-willed aunt was like.“She’s still a bitch to me. I will never forgive her father! Just remember that! Ramos doesn’t deserve to be part of the Rosas family! If you took Marco Reyes into consideration, the situation would be different." Mia insisted.“Liz didn't do this to m
"ED!"Ruby's voice finally echoed, and Ed released his grip. Angelo collapsed, coughing hard."I'm sorry..." Angelo gasped and tried to stand. Ruby was confused again. If anyone needed to apologize, it should have been Ed, not Angelo."You've got some nerve lying to me so blatantly." Ed's voice grew lower."Sorry, but Javier asked for this. I... didn't agree. But Javier insisted." Angelo swallowed several times to steady his voice."You still dare to defend yourself?!" Ed hissed."Let's hear his explanation first. Don't get angry yet." Ruby felt the need to intervene again. They wouldn't get any answers if Ed stayed angry."I'll explain. There's no use hiding it anymore." Angelo nodded with a resigned look on his face.Ed wiped his face, which suddenly throbbed with pain. It was a sensation he hadn't felt in a long time, now resurfacing with his chaotic thoughts."Everyone, out." Ed didn't specify who he was addressing,
“Are you satisfied?” Ed croaked as he saw Javier open his eyes and look around.Javier squinted, not in anger but with a smile. The oxygen tube was now just under his nose, making his smile very obvious.“You can still smile? You think everything is okay?!” Ed shouted.He really didn’t want to be angry at him, but Ed didn’t understand how Javier could still smile. There is nothing to laugh about right now.Javier slowly lifted his hand, wanting to reach Ed’s cheek, but he couldn’t stretch that far, and his hand couldn’t move any further.Ed finally bent down so that Javier’s fingertips could touch him.“You… shouldn’t be angry. You’re old. Anger makes you look even older.” Javier tried to laugh but ended up coughing.“Enough.” Ed hissed, half-standing to call the doctor if the coughing didn’t stop, but Javier grabbed Ed’s
"I'll kill anyone who asks again. I don't care who." Ed muttered lazily.Ed felt he had given a simple order: no one was allowed to enter the burial area except those who were already permitted. However, there were still foolish individuals attempting to request entry.Ed didn't understand why so many people wanted to make him angry when he was trying to stay sane. Ed couldn't even remember how he got through the day. His brain seemed unable to store memories properly."I already gave them a chance at the chapel earlier, and that was enough. If they want to say goodbye, pray, or whatever, then that's enough." Ed would not change his mind even if someone begged. Lori was the only person allowed to accompany him to the graveyard besides his family. There was just a single individual, and that quantity was already overwhelming."I understand, Don Rosas." Otiz nodded, then turned and ran out.Ed leaned back, closed his eyes, and pressed his throbbing t
Ruby stared, though she didn't want to, and tried to focus on Lori, who was still sitting with her face covered by a cold towel—easing the headache and swelling from crying too much.But Ruby's eyes kept drifting to that corner of the room. Ed was sitting with a drink in his hand, and Mayte was beside him.They were talking. Ruby wasn't sure what they were discussing, but they were conversing. For quite a while. Too long, in Ruby’s opinion. Offering condolences shouldn’t take that long.Ruby sighed as she saw Mayte reaching out and holding Ed's arm.“Nothing special,” Ruby thought to herself, her eyes narrowing. Ed nodded and patted Mayte's hand.“Just comforting.” Ruby mumbled, convincing herself that nothing would happen between the two of them. It was normal for Mayte to offer her condolences. She must have known Javier.“Who’s comforting whom?” Lori responded, lifting the towel from her face and following Ruby's gaze.“Huh?” Ruby was startled, only to realize that she had mumbled
But the bathroom was empty. Ruby felt a bit relieved, but her anxiety hadn't eased. Ed had clearly said he was going to sleep when Ruby left to take Lori home.Ruby reached into her bag for her phone, trying to call Ed to ask (and scold him if he was working instead), but Ed's phone was in the room. Ruby stared at the vibrating device between the sheets. Ed had indeed come to the room, but now he was nowhere to be found.Ruby quickly went out to look for him, but the only people moving around the house were the servants cleaning up after the guests, tidying up as usual.“Excuse me, but have you seen Ed?” Ruby asked one of the servants.“Oh, Don Rosas... I saw him go out earlier.” The servant pointed to the side door that leads to the beach.Ruby immediately ran outside. She deeply regretted leaving Ed to take Lori home.Maybe she shouldn’t have left Ed alone. He had looked much better than Lori, who could barely stand, but that didn’t mean he felt any better. Ed was very close to Javi