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Music Recommendation: Mystical Magical by Benson Boone.
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"I don't think she came this way, bro?" Derek's friend, Raymond, exhaled– a yawn of exhaustion and fatigue from driving for hours escaping his parted lips. He pulled up by the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere, keeping the engine running. "I think we should go back. Everyone must be worried sick waiting for us."
"No!" Derek half barked. "We have to keep searching? My wife is out there, broken and alone with another man. I need to bring her home?" His voice cracked with a mixture of guilt, anxiety, and anger.
"But we've been driving for hours, man." Raymond's brow furrowed. "We have been to five different counties already, asking the same questions. But no one has seen them or the car. God, she could be anywhere right now."
"With another man," Darek growled.
"And whose fault is that?" Raymond lashed angrily at his best friend. "What were you thinking when you decided to get in bed with your future wife's cousin?"
"Come on Ray. We've been through this already. Enough with the blaming game. I said I was sorry. I made a mistake with Bailey."
"A mistake!" Raymond flared up as if Ruby were his younger sister. "Dude, you don't call cheating on the one woman who has helped put your life together and sacrificed everything to be with you a mistake."
"I get it." Derek punched his fist on the dashboard. "I was a fool. But Ruby didn't make things easy for me. She wouldn't let me touch her and Bailey kept flashing the green light. Yes, I was stupid. But I've got blood flowing through my veins. I'm a man and I've got needs."
"How is that working for you right now?" Raymond felt like punching Derek in the face. "Ruby is raw gold, bro. She could be with any man she wanted to. You even told me yourself that she was keeping her body for you. God...I was so jealous of you. How could you mess up such a beautiful thing?"
"Do you know what...." Derek got out of the car – anger rising like a tsunami in his veins. He slammed the door shut, his fist clenching as he moved around to the driver's seat. "...Get out of the car."
"What?!" Raymond's brow arched in surprise as he turned off the ignition while Derek yanked the door open. "Are you going to beat me for telling the truth?"
"Beat you!" Derek scoffed, that thought already crossing his mind. "I'm not going to beat you, man, for countlessly calling me a jerk to my face."
"Which you are." Raymond spat while shifting his head backwards.
"Ray... please." Derek gritted his teeth in rage. "Every second could put my wife in danger. I got to find her. So stop wasting my time and get out of the car. I'm driving."
"No way, man." Raymond shook his head. "Your head is too messed up to drive. I'm not planning to die tonight."
"Get out of the f*cking car, man," Derek grabbed Raymond by his suit jacket and pulled him out forcefully.
"You're making a big mistake, bro." Raymond straightened his rumpled jacket as Derek slammed the door shut in his face.
"Get into the car or I'm leaving you here." Derek boomed, starting the car engine.
"If you want to kill yourself, be my guest but there is no way..."
"Now, Ray!" Derek's voice thundered, and Raymond bolted to the front passenger seat while cursing under his breath.
"Just know that I'm doing this because of Aunty Donna and your father." Raymond hissed.
"Whatever..." Derek scoffed as he sped off.
"Where to now?" Raymond quickly strapped his seat belt while earnestly praying they wouldn't die in a car crash.
"The city!" Derek spat out without looking at his best friend.
"The city! Dude, it is already 9:00 PM. Aren't you worried that we might get mugged on the way?"
"I don't give a f*ck! Ray." Derek whipped his head sideways, flashing him a dangerous glare. "I just need to find that bastard who dared to run away with my wife and show him why he shouldn't mess with the Bishop."
Raymond scoffed but didn't say anything. He didn't want to end up with a fist in his face, seeing the way Derek was at his breaking point.
-
-
Ruby, now changed into a simple flowing dress, sat on the sandy beach shore with a blanket draped over her slender shoulder.
The cold sea breeze blew her flaming red hair across her face, as she stared at the make-shift wedding ring on her finger–a symbol of her marriage to Kai Treshvire.
When she woke up this morning, she didn't anticipate her day would end up this way–married to a complete stranger and staring hopelessly at the calm sea, wondering what the heck she had gotten herself into.
"Mom would freak out for sure..." She chuckled to herself, tears of regret and betrayal slipping down her flushed cheek.
The approaching sound of someone forced her to quickly wipe her streaming tears.
"Hey wifey..." Kai called casually, kneeling by her side while holding a tray of tantalising barbecued fish and some colourful rainbow drink.
"What's this?!" Ruby flashed him a cold stare.
"Dinner," Kai smirked, carefully dropping the tray down.
He was looking even more handsome now that he was wearing a sexy two-piece cream shirt and short set, with the first two buttons undone.
Ruby found herself shamelessly admiring those beautifully sculptured broad shoulders and those sexy full lips as he spoke softly.
She found herself wishing he could unbutton his shirt and reveal those perfectly chiselled abs that were already making her toes curl and her core slightly moist as she remembered what they looked like on that unforgettable night.
When her eyes slowly met his, staring right back at her, she almost passed out from embarrassment. She quickly turned her face away and mumbled an apology.
"You don't have to be, wifey. Remember, we are married now and everything you see here belongs to only you."
"Yeah right!" Ruby sneered. "As if you do not have thousands of girlfriends waiting for you back home."
"Actually.... I don't." Kai picked up one of the disposable paper plates and served some of the barbecued spicy fish on it.
"You don't expect me to believe such lies right?" Ruby sneered.
"I don't expect you to believe anything?" Kai brought the plate up to her. "I just want my wife to eat something tonight and stop thinking about everything."
"I told you before... I'm not hungry." Ruby snapped angrily at him.
For some weird reason, she found the smell of the barbecue fish, which had been her favourite in the past, nauseating. "Take this smelly stuff out of my face." She slapped the plate out of Kai's hand, and it fell on the white sand.
When their gaze met, she immediately regretted her actions as she saw the look of disappointment in his eyes.
But she didn't get the chance to apologise as her nauseating feeling hit harder with the smell of the barbecue fish filling her nostrils. She quickly cupped her mouth and sprang up to her feet, her eyes widening with panic.
The blanket draped over her shoulder fell to the sand as she hurried away from him before expelling the yellowish liquid substance in her gut.
Crying and vomiting at the same time, Ruby thought the night couldn't get worse until she felt those tender reassuring hands stroking her back gently, while his other hand held up her hair.
"Please go away...I look terrible. I don't need your pity." She wiped her lips with the back of her hand, embarrassed by her current state.
Kai ignored her as he signalled one of the resort workers who came running with a bottle of water towards them.
"Here... rinse your mouth with this and drink a little water. It will help you feel better."
Ruby collected the bottle from him with trembling hands and washed her mouth while splashing some on her face.
"I'm sorry about the food," Kai said softly, collecting the bottle of water from her when she was done. "But I can't let you go to bed on an empty stomach. Just tell me what you want and I'll get it immediately for you."
Ruby bit down on her lips, needing someone to hold her at the moment, more than anything in the world.
Pushing aside her pride for at least tonight, her voice cracked as she whispered.
"Can you please hold me?"
Kai's eyes lit up like fireworks as he pulled her into his warm and loving embrace. He whispered softly into her ear, while his hands stroked her back.
"Let it all out, Ruby. I'm not going anywhere."
-
-
The brilliant morning sun bathed the horizon in a golden glow, chasing away every trace of the previous chaotic night.
Jonathan and his wife, who had barely closed their eyes the entire night –while praying for the safety of their daughter – were seated in the living room with some extended family, drinking coffee, when the sound of an approaching car forced everyone out of their seat.