Page 51 of Velvet Corruption

The name dropped like a stone between us.

For a split second, I thought about how easy it would be to get rid of him. A slip in the shower. A staged overdose. A rope tied just tight enough. It’d been a long time since I handled things personally, but for that asshole, I’d make an exception.

Instead, I just wrote his name down and moved on. I could save my murder fantasies for next time I got bored waching Ruby’s house.

"Okay. Now for the fun part," I said, flipping to the medical history section. "Allergies?"

"Shellfish," she answered. "And I’m sensitive to certain antibiotics."

I scribbled it down, noting how her posture stiffened slightly. I could tell she hated this—hated giving me access to details she kept locked up tight. Still, she didn’t stop me.

"Any surgeries I should know about?"

Her jaw tightened. "I had surgery when Rosie was born. C-section," she said quietly, as if daring me to say something.

I blinked, my pen freezing mid-stroke. I hadn’t expected her to share that. Something about the way she said it made me feel like I was trespassing on something deeply personal. "Noted," I murmured, writing it down without further comment. “Medications?”

She hesitated for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly. "None right now."

I wrote that down too, glancing at her. Her face was blank, but there was tension in her voice—like this conversation was hitting too close to home. I moved on to the next question carefully. "Family medical history?"

She tensed even more, and I could feel her resistance rising. "Why don’t you skip that one?"

“Can’t. It’s on the form," I said, tapping the paper lightly. "Come on, Ruby, work with me here."

Ruby shook her head, muttering something under her breath. "Fine. Mom died of breast cancer when I was twenty-eight.”

“Fuck. I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks,” she said. “Let’s keep going.”

“Dad?”

“Never met him. Can’t answer that. Keep going.”

"Okay, calm down. I know you’re excited about the form, but I can only write so fast,” I teased, hoping to break the tension. She didn’t smile, just closed her eyes briefly like she was trying to center herself.

The door opened and the nurse stepped in, all business. “Rubiela Marquez?”

She stood up, swaying slightly. I followed, steadying her before she could refuse the help. “Please call me Ruby.”

The nurse smiled politely. “You can come on back. Your husband can join you if you’d like.”

I didn’t wait for Ruby to correct her. I was already on my feet. “That’s me. Coming.”

Ruby shot me a murderous look. “He’s not—”

“No problem,” the nurse said, stepping aside to let us through.

Ruby turned to me, lowering her voice to a harsh whisper. “What the fuck are you doing? You’re not my husband.”

“You heard her,” I said with a smirk. “It’s policy. Husbands get to come back.”

“Kieran—”

“Relax. I’ll be on my best behavior.”

She glared at me, clearly torn between telling me off and realizing I wasn’t going to back down. Finally, she exhaled sharply. “Fine. But if you pull any shit, I swear to God—”