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“I need to face this, Axel, and I need to do it my way.”
“Then we face it together. If you need to go back to do that, fine; if you want to do it here, fine. Whatever you want next, Ruby, it’s your choice. Just know that I love you.”
Her expression softens. “I love you too, Axel. And while I’m not happy with what you did, I understand it.” She lets out a long breath. “I forgive you.”
My heart expands, and I pull her into my arms. Relief drives a sob out of me, and I kiss her hard, and she responds with the same hunger. The lobby erupts with applause, and I remember where we are and the guests and staff watching us.
I pull back and step in front of Ruby, suddenly aware of why she was hiding in the first place. She touches my shoulders and steps beside me. “It’s all right. I’m done with hiding.”
She slips off the floppy hat, and her red hair cascades over her shoulders.
Her chin lifts, and she scans the room, as if daring someone to film her. Then her gaze rests on me, and the fire and strength are back.
“I could do with your support, thank you. But we do this my way.”
“Your way. Of course. Just tell me what you need.”
A slow smile spreads across her face. “Call Daphne. I’m calling in a favor.”
16
RUBY
Daphne adjusts her ring light, which is positioned in front of the stand holding my phone.
“Tell me when you’re ready, and I’ll hit record.”
I take a deep breath and try to calm the butterflies in my stomach. Axel shifts position, and my gaze snaps to him. He gives me a small smile. “You got this.”
His solid presence, watching from the corner of the room, grounds me.
When I called Daphne about wanting to tell my side of the story, she suggested a video post. It was my idea to forgo makeup or filters. This is me, raw, telling my story.
I was up half the night practicing with Axel. It’s not a vindictive message. It’s not getting back at Cameron, or Bastion, or the podcaster who enabled them. It’s a call to rise above the hate, to judge people on their actions, not their body shape. It’s a challenge to all humans to be the best version of themselves they can be.
It’s part of an idea that’s been forming in my mind over the past few weeks. While I have this moment in the spotlight, I want to use it for something good. It wasn’t my choice to get this attention, but since I have it, I want to use it.
Daphne helped me flesh out my idea, and when I admitted to her I was thinking about starting a podcast, she helped me plan it out and find the gear to record it.
This video is both a call to action and an intro to my podcast, Give Me Real. A response to the hate that’s online, a space where women can talk about the things that really matter. I’ve already got a lineup of women who are kicking ass at life in different ways. Daphne helped me start with local women. I’ve got Paige, who started a landscaping business while being a single mom; Kayla, who quit the corporate life to become a yoga instructor; and Trish, living off-grid and raising four daughters with her mountain man husband. If you look hard enough, the world is full of successful women doing life on their terms.
If I can use my fifteen minutes of fame to launch something for the greater good, then I will have made my mom proud.
From the corner, Axel’s steady presence settles my nerves. There’s something I also discovered. Behind successful women are their support teams, their communities, or the strong men who stand next to them while they shine. Axel is my strength, pushing me forward. When I confessed my idea to him, he was as excited as I was.
He offered to bankroll it, but this is something I have to do on my own. It’s a scrappy start, recording on my phone in Daphne’s spare room. But if I can attract sponsorships, it could grow. I’m not leaving my day job just yet, but hopefully someday.
“Are you ready?”
Daphne’s voice brings me back to the present.
With a final glance at Axel, I take a deep breath. “I’m ready. Hit record.”
EPILOGUE
RUBY
Three months later…
