"Mamá…" Ruby called softly with a hoarse voice, wanting to approach and talk.However, her mother was now screaming loudly without stopping, throwing pillows and blankets at Ruby. She chased her away in fear."Go! Don't come here! Don't follow me anymore! Go away!"More tears streamed down Ruby's face. Ruby was unable to avoid the impact of all the objects thrown at her."Mamá," Ruby whispered, allowing the pillow to hit her face, followed by the blanket, and lastly, what looked like a flower vase. Ruby saw it, but her eyes remained empty as the vase struck her forehead."Oh my God!" Right after that, the nurse who had been accompanying her entered, pulling Ruby away and pressing the blue button near the door."Vieja!" (Old lady)The nurse approached Ruby's mother, joined by a few others who had just arrived. They tried to calm her down but couldn't. They couldn't be rough, but the hysteria continued.Ruby didn't go far; she just crouched by the door, covering her face with her hands,
"What is ADDF?" Ruby asked."Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation. It's a foundation dedicated to discovering Alzheimer's drugs." Lita clarified, "They aim to treat, prevent, or cure Alzheimer's.""I've never heard of it." Ruby frowned. If such a foundation existed, Ruby would have heard about it by now. She had done extensive searches for medications and other treatments related to Alzheimer's."The foundation is in America. There’s nothing like it here. However, the drugs and discoveries are still very experimental. None have been proven to be 100 percent effective yet. But at least there might be something that can slow down the disease's progression."Lita mentioned a glimmer of hope that Ruby hadn't felt in a long time. She hoped that her mother would no longer look at her with a strange face."Where exactly is ADDF?" Ruby asked, more animated now. Even a grain of hope was enough for her."New York. I'll provide you with brochures and additional information.""I’m interested!" R
“Hiding what? You’ve got it wrong.” Esli nervously released Ed’s hand before his own could be severed.“I just want Liz to enjoy herself when she meets her friends.”Esli tried to persuade him, but Ed kept walking inside, not knowing where Liz's room was but guessing it would be on the second floor.“Wait, Don Rosas!” Esli followed in a panic, cursing under his breath.“Hey! Where are you going?”Just as Ed reached the end of the stairs, Ruby greeted them sweetly, looking normal, but her shoulders moved slightly, hiding her labored breathing. It was clear she had been running, but she tried to look as if she hadn’t.“Where have you been?” asked Ed. Ruby had emerged from the hallway leading to the back exit.“Oh, I was just seeing my friends off. They just left.” Ruby forced a smile.“What happened to your forehead?” Ed approached Ruby and tilted her head up. The bandage was quite large.“This? I fell while fooling around earlier. It’s a small wound, but my friends insisted I wear a ba
“Are you crazy?!” Ruby couldn't hold on to her tongue any longer. She wanted to curse at Esli.“Why? This should be an easy task. I see he's already quite interested in you. You just need to seduce him a bit more. Use your body, or whatever; just make him worship you.”Ruby's hand at her side clenched into a fist, preventing herself from grabbing a vase and throwing it at Esli's face. She couldn't understand how someone could be so heartless.“You might think I'm cruel, but believe me. Rosas deserves what's happening to him. You don't need to feel sorry for Rosas or act sanctimonious like Ja—just follow my instructions. That way, you can be with Jade again soon. The sooner you make him fall in love, the sooner I'll give your mother back.” Esli sneered.Meanwhile, Ruby's head was pounding. Her mind raced, searching for a way forward.“Two hundred million pesos. I want 200 million as payment,” Ruby stated firmly.“You must be insane!” Esli raged again.That amount was indeed fantastic.
Ed was about to dive into the pool, but then he saw Ruby moving her hands and feet. She didn't appear to be drowning; she was swimming normally. It wasn't an accidental fall or an accident. Ruby intended to swim.Still, it was an odd decision given that it was nearly three in the morning.Ed stood waiting, unmoving and silent, by the pool's edge. Because there weren't any bright lights around, Ruby was unaware of his presence.Ruby kept swimming back and forth until she finally stopped and stood still in the middle of the pool. She hung her head, her wet hair covering her face. Ed saw her body shaking, naturally thinking it was because of the cold. But then he realized that her hunched shoulders and back were caused by crying. There was no sobbing, but Ruby then covered her face with her hands."Why are you crying?" Ed moved closer and sat by the pool's edge, knees bent.Of course, Ruby was startled. She had been very sure she was alone."You're... why... here?" Ruby inquired, wiping
"I won't ask, but I'll tell you to go to sleep. You've had enough swimming,” Ed said, putting down the towel and turning away.He would leave and sleep somewhere else—change clothes and cool down—because his body temperature was much higher than it should be, as he vividly remembered Ruby's wet, naked, and glistening body.“Cold,” Ruby whispered as Ed held the door handle.“No wonder.” Ed snorted, then turned around, approached the thermostat, and raised the temperature to make it warmer.“Next time, don’t have the idea of swimming before dawn,” said Ed, heading back to the door.“Still cold,” Ruby whispered even more faintly.“Is it still not enough?” Ed glanced at the temperature monitor. He began to feel hot. His room was never more than twenty-two degrees. He had already set it to a warm temperature of 25 °C.But as he was about to adjust the temperature again, a connection was made in his brain. It wasn't the temperature that was the problem.“Do you want me to stay?” Ed was hesi
The request eventually became a hassle for Ed, as he had to think about the destination while Ruby fell back asleep. The medicine the doctor gave was quite potent, it seemed. Perhaps it was for the best, so she wouldn't get carsick.And now the medicine's effect was wearing off because Ruby was starting to wake up again."Where are we?" As she straightened up, Ruby inquired. Her head felt much better, and her body wasn't very warm anymore."Guadalajara." Ed, who didn't have a specific destination, just drove out of habit and ended up in Guadalajara."Oh, your work place." Ruby wiped her face, clearing the stickiness from her eyes, and then looked around. This was the first time she had visited the city, though she had heard of it often. Her mother frequently referred to Guadalajara as a place to avoid, not as a place to visit. She said it was dangerous.Ruby had never been interested in disobeying that order since it was so far away, but now it was too late, and the place no longer se
Ruby woke up drenched in sweat, her body sticky, and she couldn't remember when or how she had fallen back asleep. She remembered drinking and sitting on the sofa, but nothing happened after that."Don't get sick," Ruby muttered irritably. Ruby rarely got really sick before this, but then again, she had never gone swimming in the middle of the night before.Ruby looked around and nearly screamed in surprise when she saw Ed lying next to her. He was sound asleep, still fully dressed.Ruby immediately felt guilty. She was the reason Ed had such an extraordinary day. Due to excessive stress, she had inadvertently dragged Ed into her randomness. Meeting her mother, Esli, and her new plans were too much to think about all at once.Ruby made a mental note that she must not lose control like she did yesterday. What she had done was irrational.Ruby got out of bed, and the first thing she did was lower the air conditioning temperature. She knew the room was warm because of her ability to see