Julian sighed, his chest heavy with a quiet frustration. Every afternoon, his brothers would drift off to sleep, leaving him with nothing but the empty silence of the house. He often kept himself busy, cleaning, organizing, and occasionally chatting with Angeline’s husbands but today, even those small distractions felt insufficient.
With nothing else to occupy his hands, Julian decided to sit down with his notebooks. He recited the alphabet to himself, writing out new words to expand his vocabulary. When the stillness became too much, he stepped outside with a broom to sweep the areas around their home, the rhythmic swish of bristles against stone a small comfort.
Just as he was finishing, a familiar voice called out from behind him.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he turned to see Levi standing there, a sly expression on his face.
"Levi?" Julian’s voice carried both shock and apprehension. A knot formed in his stomach as fear crept into his heart. Why was Levi here?
"What are you doing here?" Julian asked, frowning.
Levi’s expression hardened, his eyes narrowing. "That’s exactly what I should be asking you," he said, a smirk playing on his lips.
"What do you mean by that?" Julian asked cautiously, his brow furrowing deeper.
Levi tilted his head, his smirk widening. "Don’t you think it’s strange how often your wife goes out lately? Don’t you think that’s... suspicious?"
Julian stiffened, understanding where Levi was heading with this. His jaw tightened.
"I don’t believe you," he said firmly, his tone steady despite the flicker of doubt that Levi’s words had ignited. "If that’s all you came here to say, you should leave." He gestured toward the road, dismissing Levi.
But Levi didn’t back down. Instead, he chuckled lightly, his smirk turning colder. "Why are you so defensive? I was just passing by and thought I’d say hi. By the way... where is your wife?"
Julian’s frown deepened, his patience wearing thin.
Levi’s eyes gleamed with mischief. "Oh, and one more thing, Julian... it’s been two years since you got married. Why aren’t you pregnant yet?"
That struck a nerve. Julian’s face darkened, his composure cracking. Levi’s words hit where it hurt the most.
Levi noticed the change in Julian’s expression and pressed on, feigning innocence. "Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked something so private. I’m just curious, you know?" He smiled mockingly, clearly enjoying Julian’s discomfort.
Julian clenched his fists, his lips pressed into a thin line. Levi knew exactly what he was doing—planting seeds of doubt and insecurity in Julian’s heart.
Before Julian could muster a response, Levi waved dismissively. "Anyway, I’m getting late. Goodbye, Julian." He turned and walked away without looking back, leaving Julian standing there like a statue.
For a long moment, Julian didn’t move. Levi’s words echoed in his mind, stirring thoughts he had tried to suppress.
It wasn’t as though he hadn’t wondered why Ruby never looked at him or any of them with the affection a wife usually reserved for her husband. She kept her distance, avoiding even the simplest touches. Not once had she kissed him, held him close, or shown any sign of desire.
Sometimes, Julian questioned himself. Was he unattractive? Was something wrong with him?
Levi’s taunting words replayed in his head, mingling with his own insecurities. Was it possible Ruby didn’t like him? Or was there something deeper going on?
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Julian made a decision. He needed to try—tonight. He didn’t want to give up on his marriage. He liked Ruby, truly, and he had no intention of breaking the sacred bond they shared.
Marriage, to Julian, was a lifelong promise. No matter how difficult things became, he wasn’t ready to let go. He would find a way to connect with Ruby, to bridge the distance between them.
Thinking about this he walked back into the house, his heart heavy but resolute. He had to try. He couldn’t let doubt or fear dictate the future of his marriage.
Lyra was delighted when Ruby said she didn’t want anyone else in the tent while she worked on editing. In Lyra’s mind, this was a clear sign of Ruby’s lack of confidence. She smirked, imagining the scene where Ruby would fail miserably, humiliate herself, and run off with her head hung low. Lyra couldn’t wait for the drama.
But inside the tent, Ruby was the complete opposite of nervous. She felt thrilled to be back working on a computer again. The screen lit up in front of her as she analyzed the software. It wasn’t as advanced as the ones she had used in her previous life. The editing software here lacked essential tools like detailed color grading, proper layering, or advanced keyframe animations. It did have basic transitions, a few filters, and some rudimentary effects for sci-fi themes, but nothing compared to the robust systems Ruby was used to.
Even so, Ruby knew how to make the most of what was available. She smiled slightly as she got to work.
The scenes she had been given included today’s footage, which featured a casual conversation under a morning sky, and yesterday’s footage—poorly executed battle shots. Honestly, the latter was a disaster. If it were up to her, she would have reshot the entire thing. But who was she to make those decisions?
She shrugged it off and focused on the task at hand. Opening the software, she imported all the footage into the project. The interface wasn’t intuitive, but Ruby wasn’t one to complain. She dragged the files onto the timeline, her brows furrowing as she examined the tools.
It took her about ten minutes of experimenting to fully understand the layout. She explored how to adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation, and how to use the limited transitions to her advantage.
Starting with the footage from today’s shoot, Ruby carefully brightened the darker areas. The raw footage was underexposed, making the actors’ faces look dull and lifeless. She corrected the lighting, bringing a natural glow to the scene and making the morning atmosphere more believable.
—To be continued...🪄