Ariana’s POV
“You know, when Marco told me you could be bothersome, I tried to ignore it,” Ruben said, pain threading through his tone.
“But now I believe him—because I can see it all too clearly.”
The fact Marco said that was a quiet jab, but I took it.
“Well, sorry for not wanting to play dumb through all this,” I shot back sarcastically.
“I’ve given you an answer—whether you like it or not. I’m going back now,” Ruben said, already turning away.
“There are a lot of things you haven’t told me yet,” I called after him, raising the phone in my hand.
He took two more steps before glancing over his shoulder—from the phone to my face. He sighed heavily, then turned and kept walking.
“Hey!” I called again, but he didn’t stop this time.
I exhaled slowly, trying to keep my cool. The be
