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“What’s up?” she asked. There was no point talking about what he’d done to her in the alley. He would never apologize — not without telling her why she’d made him do it — and it would only lead to another argument.
“Who is he?” he hissed.
She shook her head, confused. “Who is who?”
“The fucking guy, Ruby.” He said it like she was an idiot, another of his favorite tactics. “The guy who stuck his nose in our business.”
Roman.
The name moved through her like a soothing wave.
“I have no idea.” The last thing she needed was for Adam to go apeshit on some suit who’d just been trying to help. “Some customer.”
“Seemed pretty protective for a customer.” Adam was practically spitting, his blue eyes on fire. “Are you fucking him?”
She sighed. “No, Adam, I’m not fucking him. I’m not fucking anyone. I’m too busy taking care of Olivia to fuck anyone. But if I were fucking someone, if I wasn’t too busy, it would be none of your business.”
His hand twitched, and she knew he was forcing himself not to touch her.
Not to hurt her.
They weren’t alone this time. Brooke was across the hall, staring at them, and so was Ruby’s father, who wouldn’t think twice about intervening if Adam tried to hurt her even though Adam was so much bigger.
“It’ll always be my business, Ruby. You’re mywife.”
“I’m not, Adam. Not anymore.”
“You’re the mother of my child,” he said. “That means you’ll always be my business. Always.”
It might have sounded protective coming from someone else. Nice even. But coming from Adam it was a dark kind of promise.
That he would always be watching her, that she would never be truly free.
She looked up at him. “I’ll say this as many times as I have to until you get it, Adam. You don’t own me. You can’t control me anymore. I’ll do what I want. See whoever I want. Fuck whoever I want. You’re just going to have to learn to live with that.”
His expression hardened, but when he opened his mouth to say something, he was cut off by the sound of the kids streaming into the hall, finally let loose by Ms. Moretti.
“Daddy!” Olivia bolted for her dad. It hurt Ruby to see how much she loved him, not because she wanted to keep Olivia’s love to herself, but because she knew it was only a matter of time before Olivia saw him for who — for what — he really was. “You came!”
“Of course I did, sweetheart.” He lifted Olivia into his arms. “I wouldn’t miss your show.”
“Can we get ice cream?” Olivia asked.
“Ice cream is a great idea.” Adam turned his gaze on Ruby. “Right, Mommy?”
The last thing she wanted to do was spend one more second with Adam, but she swallowed her misery and forced herself to smile. “Sounds great.”
Adam set Olivia down and Ruby took her daughter’s hand. It was small and fragile in her own.
A reminder.
Everything Ruby did was for Olivia.
She would do anything for her daughter. Sacrifice for her. Die for her. Even be cordial to the man who had abused her during their marriage.
Anything.
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