Ruby's POV
Something shifted in Elias's expression as he answered the phone, and my stomach clenched with worry.
I bolted upright in bed, watching his face for any sign of bad news. My mind immediately went to Bonnie and whatever fresh hell she might have unleashed.
But then his features relaxed into the most genuine smile I'd seen in days. "Understood. Excellent work, all of you."
He ended the call and swept me into his arms, his excitement palpable against my skin.
"Ruby, we may have discovered something about your mother," he said, his voice thick with hope.
"What?" The word came out as barely a whisper.
For months, everyone had insisted my mother was probably just hiding somewhere, trying to comfort me with false hope. But deep in my heart, I'd accepted she was gone forever. Dead, maybe even from the day she abandoned us.
Now they were suggesting otherwise.
