By the following Monday morning, Ruby dressed for work with tired eyes and a stiff jaw. She had just received a good morning message from her grandmother and it was not good.
Her granny had given her an ultimatum to end every association with Kai or prepare for her funeral.
But Ruby refused to start her new week in tears. She was done crying. She was done arguing. She was done thinking of what should and shouldn't have been.
She decided to face each day with a new purpose and hope for the best.
She stared at her pale expression in the vanity mirror, pinning had hair back in a sleek ponytail as she recited her affirmation
"I'm bold. I'm strong. I'm smart. Even though I walk through fire, like a Phoenix, I will rise from my ashes, with the flames as my wings and the burns as my victory scar. I'm unstoppable."
She smiled at her reflection and applied minimal makeup to mask the purple bruise on her cheek.
She was slipping into her heels when a slow, soft knock came at her door.
