Her REV LOVE

C-9

Jason cut across the busy streets of Manila, driving through the evening's traffic. He glanced at Ruth, who sat beside him, in the passenger seat, dimly lightened by the ongoing streetlights. She appeared to be deep in her thoughts as she stared across to the distant skyline.

What did Frank Laurent want?" Jason finally asked, his voice carefully measured. He squeezed the steering wheel a little harder, his knuckles whitening.

Ruth turned her head slightly, her eyes meeting his inquiring ones. "A partnership," she said simply.

Jason's jaw tightened. "Did you agree?" His tone was calm, but the undercurrent of tension was unmistakable.

“I told him I’d think about it,” Ruth replied, her voice carrying a hint of annoyance. She turned her gaze back to the city lights outside. The memory of her encounter with Frank earlier that evening made her stomach churn.

Six years. It had been six long years since she had narrowly escaped the explosion that should have taken her life. And Frank? He was at the center of it all-a man she'd vowed never to forgive.

Jason's silence stretched between them as they approached her apartment building. "I don't trust him," he said finally, pulling the car to a stop.

Ruth exhaled softly, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Thanks for the ride, Jason. I had a good time tonight."

"Can I come up? Say hi to the little ones?" he asked, a hopeful edge creeping into his voice.

Ruth smiled softly but shook her head. "It's late, Jay. Maybe some other time. Goodnight."

Jason's disappointment flickered briefly in his eyes, but he masked it. "Goodnight, Ruth. Sleep well.

As she stepped out of the car and walked into the building, Ruth felt the weight of the day bearing down on her. Her thoughts were a tangled mess of past pain and present complications. Frank Laurent's reappearance had dredged up memories she'd worked so hard to bury.

---

Inside her cozy apartment, the sweet smell of lavender greeted her. She kicked off her heels and went into the living room, where her five-year-old twins, Ethan and Ella, were huddled together on the couch, a tablet precariously balanced on Ethan's lap.

"Mommy's back!" Ella exclaimed, her face lighting up as she ran to her mother.

Ruth swept her daughter up into her arms, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Why are you two still up? It's so far past bedtime," she teased.

Ella giggled. "We were waiting for you. Ethan said he couldn't sleep without your goodnight kiss.

Ethan looked up, his expression far more serious than a child’s should be. “We wanted to make sure you’re okay, Mommy,” he said, his small voice filled with concern.

Ruth’s heart softened. She crouched down, pulling both children into a tight hug. “I’m okay, my loves. Mommy’s just a little tired.”

As she kissed their foreheads, Ella piped up. Her big brown eyes were so full of curiosity. "Mommy, who was that handsome uncle at your party? The one who grabbed your arm?"

Ruth stiffened. "What do you mean, Ella?" she asked, keeping her tone light.

Ethan's voice cut in sharp and observant. "The man who looks like me. He was with a woman in a wheelchair. Is he our daddy?

Ruth's breath hitched in her throat. She didn't say anything for a while. Ethan and Ella had always been perceptive, but she hadn't expected them to catch on so quick.

"It's complicated, Ethan," she said cautiously, moving a strand of hair that fell across his forehead. "Let's not discuss this now, all right?"

Ethan nodded solemnly, but Ruth could almost see the cogs whirring in his mind. Ella, on the other hand, wasn't one to be so easily swayed.

"But, Mommy, if he's our daddy, why isn't he here with us?" she asked innocently.

Ruth's chest contracted. "Ella, sometimes grownups make mistakes. But the most important thing is that we have each other, and we're happy, right?

She nodded slowly, though she wasn't entirely satisfied. Ruth kissed her again and gently pushed the twins toward their bedroom.

---

Later that night, Ruth stood by the window, staring out at the twinkling city lights. Her thoughts meandered back to Frank. It had been a shock, seeing him again after all these years. He had changed, yet his presence still carried that same intensity that had once drawn her to him and later shattered her world.

Memories tumbled in her head: the betrayal, the explosion, years of rebuilding her life from ashes. Frank Laurent was the name she'd sworn to forget, yet here he was, barging back into her life with a proposition she couldn't ignore.

Her phone suddenly buzzed, pulling her from her thoughts. She picked it up and frowned at the unknown number flashing on the screen.

"Hello?" she answered cautiously.

Ruth," the now familiar voice on the other side sent a shiver down her spine. It was Frank.

"What do you want, Frank?" she asked coldly.

"I'm not your enemy," he said calmly. "All I'm asking for is a chance to explain."

Ruth's grip tightened on the phone. "Explain? You think you can waltz back into my life and undo everything you've done with a few words?

You don't know the whole story," he said, his voice steady with an undercurrent of urgency. "I didn't abandon you, Ruth. I was trying to protect you."

She laughed, a bitter sound. "Protect me? That's what you call blowing up my life and walking away?

Frank was silent on the other end. A moment later, he spoke, "Meet me tomorrow. Just give me an hour. If you still want nothing to do with me after that, I'll leave you alone."

Ruth hesitated as her mind whirled with emotions. Going against her better sense, she found herself saying, "Fine. One hour.

She hung up and set the phone down, her chest heaving. Tomorrow would finally hold answers, but it would also open old wounds she wasn't sure she was ready to face.

‐

The next morning, Ruth sat across from Frank in a café nestled in one of the least busy areas of Manila. Early morning sunlight streaming through the window underlined the furrows on his face as he searched hers for words.

"You have one hour. Start talking," Ruth said, her arms crossed.

Frank leaned forward, his hands clasped together. "Ruth, everything I did back then was to keep you safe. The explosion… it wasn't meant for you. It was meant for me."

Her eyes narrowed. "And that's supposed to make it better? You let me believe you were dead. You let me raise our children alone, thinking their father was a monster.

Frank's face relaxed, "I didn't know there were twins. If I had." He broke off, guilt darkening his face.

Ruth shook her head. Her voice was shaking with anger as she said, "You've made your choices, Frank. And now you're expecting me to forgive you?"

"I'm not asking for forgiveness," he whispered. "I'm asking for the chance to make it right.

Ruth stared at him, her emotions in a tumbled riot. Frank Laurent had been one of those men full of secrets, and she didn't know how far she could trust him this time either. Still, for the children, for the questions that came eventually, she knew she had to confront reality.

"This isn't an invitation for falling back into our lives," she finally said. "I will listen. For their sakes.

Frank nodded, a flicker of hope lighting up his eyes. “That’s all I’m asking for.”