Chapter 18: Spy Friend
After a while, Rayna sat on the edge of the hotel bed, her expression unreadable as she stared out at the skyline of Zeden through the tall windows.
Her mind was reeling from everything Ruby had just told her. A wedding switch, a blind groom, a blackmailer lurking in the shadows — it sounded like something out of one of her blog’s most dramatic stories. But this wasn’t fiction. This was real. And her best friend was right at the center of it.
She glanced over at Ruby, who sat curled up in the armchair with a blanket draped over her lap. Her eyes looked heavier now — not from fatigue alone, but from the sheer weight of the secret she’d been carrying alone for the past three days.
Rayna had never seen her like this. Not even after her breakup with Jordan two years ago. This was a different kind of tired — the kind that comes from pretending every single moment.
Rayna’s heart twisted as she watched her friend. Ruby didn’t deserve any of this.
"I still can’t believe it," Rayna said finally, her voice low. "Three days pretending to be someone else. Pretending to be her. We all know how your sister is. That’s not just exhausting, Rub — that’s dangerous."
Ruby gave a weak nod. "I know. I keep asking myself when it’s all going to fall apart. I feel like I’m walking on a tightrope with no safety net."
Rayna pulled her knees up to the bed and hugged them. "And this blackmailer... have they said anything since the last message?"
Ruby shook her head. "Not yet. But I know they’re watching. It’s not just the messages — it’s the timing. They knew I was alone when they texted. It’s like they’re waiting for something... I don’t know what."
She had been thinking about it and she couldn’t shake off the feeling that the person knew exactly where she was staying. It couldn’t be Eliana since she’d most likely still be driving when she got the message.
It was just all a mess.
Rayna frowned, her fingers tightening around the edge of a pillow. "It’s like they want you to panic. Whoever this is, they’re enjoying the control. That’s dangerous, Rub. We need to take this seriously."