Ruby's POV
They used to smile when they saw me.
Now, they look away.
Not with pity.
With judgment.
With something colder.
I walked through the halls of the Shadow Ridge estate, my steps soft, my shoulders squared,but inside, I was trembling.
Because I could feel it.
The shift.
The turn.
The eyes that had once looked at me with respect, now narrowed with suspicion.
And I didn’t have to ask why.
I already knew.
Jake was poisoning them.
He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to. He didn’t point fingers or make public accusations. That wasn’t his style.
No, Jake did it in whispers. In half-truths. In carefully placed doubts that spread like fire in dry woods.
“She’s been distant,” I overheard him say once. “I worry she’s not well.”
“The pressure is a lot for her. Maybe too
