Ricardo P.O.V
I felt my blood froze when I heard her utter that nickname. There is only one person on this entire planet who calls me by that nickname. "Ruby?" I whispered, not able to process that she is calling me out of nowhere after all these years. What could possibly have happen to make her desperate enough to call me of all people, at night with such panic.
"I nee-d yo-ur hel-p. He's go-going to k-ki-ll me whe-n he gets ba-ck," her voice quivering in fear. "Ok. I need you to calm down, and tell me what is happening right now?" I ask her calmly hoping that she can calm down enough to explain what is happening.
"I'm in seri-ous trou-ble. I made R-Rufus mad and now I think he's going to kill me and Da-Dante when he comes back!" she explains in a rush. "Alright. I'll come to your place. Give me the address," I instruct her without asking questions as she sounds like she is about to have a panic attack.
Once I write down the address she rattle off on a sticky note, I told her that I'll be there as soon as possible before rushing out of the bedroom. I didn't bother to change out of my shorts and plain white cotton t-shirt, and I all but ran to the front door, grabbing the keys to my Audi and ran to the garage.
As soon as I enter the car, I start the engine and put the address that Ruby gave in the GPS before I quickly reverse out of the garage and drove to her location. As I drove, I call the police to help detain and arrest the man called Rufus. The policeman that I call assures me that they will be there as soon as possible with an ambulance just in case before disconnecting the call.
While driving as fast as I could, cutting people when I could, I couldn't help but to think about what is happening to Ruby to make her so terrified that someone is going to kill her and who is this Dante person. Furthermore, why would she call me of all people instead of the police?
I thought she doesn't care for me at all. All these thoughts ran through my head and before I know it the GPS inform that I have arrived at my destination. The apartment complex is quite old looking and not a safe place for a woman to be living in.
The second I can find a parking space in front of the apartment complex, I shut off the engine got out of the car and lock it before sprinting to the apartment room number that Ruby gave. I ignored the very old looking elevator and find the stairs and began running up until I reach the fifth floor.
By the time I reach the right door it is already 9:40pm as I look at my watch. I was breathing hard from running up the stairs as fast as I could and I was about to knock on the door when I heard a lot of bangs like something loud just fell and shouting coming from inside the apartment.
The moment I heard that I forgot about knocking and tried to open the door but of course it is locked so I did the only thing I could and that was to bust the door open myself.
I forcibly kick the door open as hard as I could, and it took me five tries before the door burst open and slam against the wall with a loud boom. My legs are throbbing a bit but what I see inside the apartment distracts me from my pain as the whole place is in utter chaos.
Furniture's are overturn, lamps were on the floor broken, broken glass everywhere. The apartment basically looks like it has been hit by a tornado. However, I am brought out from inspecting the house by screaming that is coming from behind the wall of the living room.
I hurriedly ran to where the screaming is coming from, ignoring the sounds of my shoes crushing the glass that is covering the floor, as I ran. The moment I reach behind the wall I see a dark hallway that has two doors line up in a row on the right.
All the doors are closed except the last door that is wide open and I can see light coming from the room. Moreover, it also where all the screaming and crashing noise is coming from so, I ran to the room.
My eyes took a second to adjust to the bright lights in the room and the first thing I see when my eyes adjust to the lighting is a figure of a rather large man, a few inches shorter than me, with jet black messy hair and wearing an old ragged and stained white shirt with old track pants, standing by the bed shouting at something on the floor.
His right arm is raised like he is about to hit something, so I look down to see what he is about to hit, and I see Ruby laying curled on the floor, sobbing while holding her stomach that is covered in blood. As soon as I see that, my blood froze, and I am overcome with rage that I didn't even have time to think before I quickly grab his hand before he has the chance to hit her again.
He asks "Who-" but didn't get a chance to finish his sentence because I punch him square on his jaw. Then I got his arm in a firm grip, and I pull him towards me and as he loses his balance, I kick the back of his leg so that he would fall and fall he did but he was quick to get up and retaliate managing to punch me quite hard on my face that it made me stumble a few steps back.
As I steadied myself, I could taste blood as my lips are bleeding, but I just wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. As I wipe my mouth the guy angrily ask me "who the heck are you? What are you doing here?" I stare at him in anger and spat out, "I'm your worst nightmare."
The guy's eyes just narrowed before he charged me like a football player, but I just stood at the same spot, brace myself and when he when he swing his arm to punch my head I ducked down and hit his ribs as hard as possible that I heard the satisfying crack sound that indicates that I broke his ribs.
I grin when he gave a painful growl and began to turn around, but I quickly got him in a headlock and pull him to the ground. Once he is lying on the floor, I secure him in a tight hold before I punch his face repeatedly until his face is unrecognizable and I only stopped when I am certain that he is unconscious.
After I stopped punching him, I can feel my bloodied hand throbbing as I clench my fists but then I hear a quiet groan that made me turn around and I see Ruby trying to get my attention, so I quickly ran to where she is still lying on the floor.
"What happened? I thought you said that he would be back in an hour or two!" I told her concern leaking in my voice as I cradle her head on my lap making sure I don't jostle her too much, as I don't know where she could be injured.
She coughs; specks of blood escape her mouth. "H-He ca-came back faster than I thought he wo-would," she stuttered looking very tired and drain of energy. "It's ok! Everything is going to be alright now! The ambulance is coming. They will get you to the hospital and get you treated," I said in a firm voice even though I felt like breaking down inside from seeing her in this horrible state.
But her bloodied lips pull up a little in a small smile and she shakily lifted her dirty bloodied t-shirt, and I couldn't stop the gasp that escape my mouth. Her stomach has a couple of stabbed like wounds and a lot of blood is coming out of the wounds.
I didn't notice the increasing puddle of blood surrounding her, as I'm to focus on my fight with that guy. "I-I don't th-think I'm go-going to make it. But be-before th-that I-I need t-to tel-tell you some-thing," she stutters, looking determinedly at me.
"It's okay save your strength until the police get here with the ambulance," I said in a strain voice trying hard to keep tears from escaping my eyes, while trying to stop the bleeding from her stomach with my hands. She just shook her head at me and clears her throat before speaking.
"I need you to kn-know the rea-son I left you th-three years ago was be-because Rufus, threaten me that if I didn't di-divorce you and get mo-ney from you he would de-detonate a small bomb that he tied on me when he press the but-button on the re-mote. There was a code to de-tach the bomb so I co-uldn't remove i-it" she says without stuttering too much but she did cough violently until more blood came out of her mouth.
I begged her to stop talking but she stubbornly continues. "Nor-normally, I would have told him to ju-just blow me up as there is no way I wo-would do that to you, but I just fo-found out that I was pregnant be-fore he kid-napped me and I co-couldn't let our child get kil-killed before he or she has the cha-chance to live. So, I agreed and you know the re-rest," she said as she relax a bit like a weight has been lifted of her shoulders.
My heart stop beating for a second. I have a child and all these years whenever I saw couples with children, I wished I can have that. But now I know I had a child all along who I never knew existed. I could feel my eyes watering.
"So, you gave him all the settlement money that you received. Bu-but why would he want you to divorce me?" I ask, not understanding why this Rufus person would want her to do that and still having a little problem digesting the fact that I have fathered a child that I didn't even know about.
"He told me he has be-been stalking me ever since he saw me wa-walking in the mall one day be-because I was the pre-prettiest girl he ever seen and as a bonus I was ma-married to a rich guy, so he wa-wanted me and the mo-money at the same time." I felt like I couldn't breathe as my chest tightened up from thinking about what she had to go through and the pain and suffering she had to endure.
"I tho-thought that when you got home, I could tell you but h-he at-attach a de-device on my shirt and i-if he hears I sa-said some-something I shouldn't he would press the button. Th-that's why I couldn't tell you that night. I was so scared that day. I wanted to sur-prise you about me being pregnant, as I know you wanted a child, but he ruined it. I didn't know what else I c-ould do. I'm s-so sorry," she sobs.
I could do nothing but just hug her as I couldn't make any words come out of my mouth right now and I let the tears slide down my face one after the other. After a few seconds she lifts her right arm shakily and points to a rather large wooden wardrobe that is in front of us and said, "Dan-Dante is in the-there."
I knew she is talking about our child, as I wanted to name my child Dante if it was a boy. Now I remember that name. She remembered when I told her that if I have a son, I wanted his first name to be Dante.
As gently, as I possibly could I laid her head on the floor and walked towards the wardrobe, I took a deep breath before opening the creaking door. I took a sharp breath because the first thing I see when I look inside the wardrobe is a sleeping toddler that is almost a carbon copy of myself. The only thing that is different is he has his mother's vibrant red hair that I love.
He must be about 2 years old now. I wipe the tears with my hands, and I gently pick him up so that I don't accidently wake him up, as I don't want him to see his mother in this condition. It will traumatize him for the rest of his life.
I carried him to where his mother is lying down so that Ruby can see that he is ok besides a little bruise and cuts here and there. I'm so grateful that she managed to protect our child from getting severely injured or worse killed. I shook that thought out of my head. All that matters now is that he is safe, and I will not let any to harm come to him ever again and shower him with all the love he deserves.
When I reach her, I adjust him in my arms in a way that she can see his sleeping face. As soon as Ruby sees Dante's face a radiant smile bloom on her face making her face look brighter despite her face looking pale and covered in blood.
"M-my baby boy," she whispers. I brought his face closer to hers and watch as her bloody lips shakily place a kiss on Dante's small forehead before she whispers "ta-take care of h-him and please let him kn-know that I always have, and will always love him," before her eyes start too slowly close.
When I register her words, I shout at her to keep her eyes open and wait for the ambulance, but she gave a faint smile as her eyes closes and did not open again no matter how loud I shouted or shook her. I sob saying, "I love you! I can't raise him without you! Please don't leave me!"
Me shouting caused my son to wake up from his slumber. He looks around startled trying to figure out what happened when he sees his mother laying there in a pool of blood and starts to cry loudly and I feel helpless. I don't know what I am supposed to do right now as I don't know how to comfort a child that is crying.
As I sat there covered in Ruby's blood, with the sound of my son's crying I hear the familiar sounds of the police's siren from the distance.