With that, Ruby turned and left the study, the heavy feeling in her chest only growing as she walked down the hallway.
She quickly glanced back at the study door before heading toward the front door. The lie she had just told Stefan hung in the air, a weight she couldn't shake. How long could she keep pretending? How much longer could she wear this mask before everything collapsed around her?
As she walked to the door, the weight on her shoulders didn't feel as heavy, not for a moment. Rayna's presence in Zeden might just be the distraction Ruby needed — a brief reprieve from the tension that had been building up ever since she'd taken on Ivy's identity.
She had to admit, though, a small part of her wondered if Stefan had suspected anything — if the questions he asked were anything more than casual curiosity. But she pushed the thought aside for now. Tonight was not about Stefan. It was about a friend, and Ruby needed that normalcy more than anything.
