"W-W-What happened, wife!" Karl stammered, his voice shaky as he held Milo tightly in front of him like a human shield. Milo blinked in confusion and looked up at Ruby with innocent eyes. He didn’t understand why she looked so scary right now, with her brows furrowed and eyes cold like a storm waiting to burst.
Adrian, sitting on the edge of the sofa, slowly turned his head and stared at Karl with a sharp gaze. His eyes narrowed slightly, full of quiet suspicion. He didn’t say a word, but his stare made Karl flinch a little.
"What happened?" Ruby repeated, her jaw tight. "Soulstream and Fat Fish happened."
Karl’s blue eyes went wide as the realization hit him like a slap. "Oh..." he breathed out, and took a tiny step back, still clutching Milo.
Julian expression darkened. "What actually happened?" he asked, his tone unusually stern. "Brother Karl, what did you do?"
Ruby’s voice cracked with anger as she snapped, "Ask him! Why did he sneak into my room?! Why are my project files gone? Why is my whole game missing?!"
Julian froze for a moment, then looked at Karl with disbelief. His eyebrows shot up, and he took a sharp breath. "You went in her room?" he asked, his voice low. "I saw you sneak out yesterday... but I didn’t think—" He didn’t even finish. He was already glaring at Karl.
Ruby’s breathing grew heavier, her shoulders tense. "That project... I worked on it for weeks. During Milo’s surgery, during every stolen moment. Even if the asset files are somehow gone... the entire setup, everything I built inside the engine—it’s gone." Her voice cracked slightly at the end, and she bit her lip to keep it together. "Do you know how long it takes to rebuild something from scratch?"
"I-I’m sorry, wife..." Karl’s voice was barely a whisper now. His eyes started to shine with tears. "You can make it again... right?"
Ruby’s laugh was hollow. "How easy for you to say that, Karl."
Milo tugged on her sleeve softly. "Wife... don’t be angry..." he muttered, looking worried now.
But Ruby looked exhausted—beyond angry. Her eyes closed for a moment, and she pinched the bridge of her nose. The headache from yesterday returned like a spike behind her eyes.
Then Karl, as if not knowing when to stop, added under his breath, "And you lied to me... you said you can’t watch Soulstream on your ectoplasmic tablet..."
That was the final straw.
"Enough!" Ruby snapped, her voice echoing in the living room. "I tolerate your childishness every day, Karl. Your mischief, your tantrums, even when you sneak things behind my back—I let it go. But there is a limit!"
Her voice shook. Her hand clenched into fists. She took a deep breath and pointed at him. "Last time, you got kidnapped because of your carelessness! We all suffered. We almost lost you. And now this? You opened software you don’t understand and reset everything I built. Everything!"
"Don’t say that!" Karl shouted back, tears brimming. "I didn’t know! I was just looking inside your ectoplasmic tablet! I don’t know how to use it, okay?! I didn’t know that would happen!"
The room fell silent for a second.
Even Milo shrank behind Karl, sensing the fight turning heavy. Ruby’s lips pressed into a thin, trembling line as she looked away, her jaw tight. She couldn’t even look at them anymore. She turned around and stormed into her room. The door slammed open and then slammed shut.
A moment later, the door opened again.
She came out quickly, putting on her raincoat with sharp movements and grabbing her car keys from the hook. Her expression didn’t soften, even when she passed by Julian.
"Wife, wait—!" Julian hurried toward her, reaching out to stop her. "Where are you going? Let’s talk—"
"I just need peace," Ruby said flatly. Her voice didn’t rise. It fell. Tired. Cold. And final.
"Wife!" Milo shouted behind her, but she didn’t turn back.
The front door shut behind her with a dull thud, and a silence fell over the house like a heavy blanket.
Ruby started her car, her hands trembling slightly on the steering wheel. She didn’t know where she was going.
She just needed air. Space. And quiet.
Because when you give everything you have and still lose something precious... it hurts deeper than anger.
It’s a kind of exhaustion that no apology can fix right away.
"Brother Karl!!" Julian snapped, his voice trembling not with anger, but with frustration and worry as he rushed over. "I always said—don’t mess with wife’s things! How many times have I said this?!"
Karl flinched. He was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, head lowered like a scolded child, his fingers fidgeting nervously with the hem of his sleeve.
Julian paced in front of him, his chest rising and falling fast. "Yesterday, I saw you sneaking out of her room. You said you were just looking for your pin! I believed you! But look what happened now!"
Karl didn’t say anything.
"If you had done something wrong," Julian continued, his voice rising slightly, "you should’ve called me. You should’ve told me right away. If there was even a small mistake in that ectoplasmic tablet, wife would’ve known how to fix it! She could’ve saved it before anything broke!" Julian ran his fingers through his hair, clearly panicked now.
Karl opened his mouth, then closed it again. His lips quivered. "I didn’t think it would go that bad..."
"But it did!" Julian shouted, then immediately caught himself, his voice softening as he rubbed his chest. "Now look what happened. It’s almost dinner time and wife walked out of the house, all alone. She didn’t even take her phone. She didn’t say where she’s going." He pressed a hand to his chest, heart aching. "She looked so... tired. So hurt."
Julian crouched in front of Karl, grabbing his shoulders tightly. "You need to fix this, brother Karl. Not just with words. You need to understand how much you hurt her. She made that project with her heart—through sleepless nights, through Milo’s hospital days. It wasn’t just files. It was part of her strength. And you broke it."
Karl nodded slowly, his eyes now filled with guilt and regret. He looked toward the door where Ruby had left.
"I didn’t mean to," he whispered. "I just... I thought I’d find something fun....."
Julian closed his eyes, breathing deeply.
To be continued... 🪄