Ruby's POV
The sky bled gold when I opened the floorboard for the last time.
My hands trembled as I pulled out the cloak, the knife, the pouch of food, and Evie’s final letter. It was creased from where I’d read it a dozen times, but I didn’t care.
Sunset. River path. Run.
I tucked it into my sleeve and strapped the coin pouch around my waist, fingers fumbling with the ties. My pulse thudded in my ears like war drums. Everything inside me screamed that this was real. This was happening. There was no turning back.
I paused once, my palm pressed to my stomach.
“You’re ready,” I whispered.
The baby didn’t stir,but I felt it. That quiet hum of life. The reason I’d survived this long. The reason I was still fighting.
The reason I couldn’t fail.
I crept to the door and pressed my ear a
