Ruby felt deceived. Defeated. Of course he wouldn't succumb to her demands. She cursed herself for not recording their conversation. She cursed herself for not carrying her phone with her at all times.

She wasn't thinking straight. She could see no other option in front of her. Instead of leaving, she walked back to his land..

"I couldn't stand staying here anymore. Every time I saw him, I felt disgusted. I wanted to peel off my skin and pull out my hair.

I couldn't sleep or eat. My stomach would be empty but I kept vomiting.

I wanted to quit college Pa. I wanted to leave them all behind. I wanted them out of my life. But your dreams, your expectations... I couldn't fail you. For me, your happiness was far more important than anything else. You were more important to me over everything else, including my dreams..."

Ruby didn't know what to do. She only knew that she had to do something to punish him. She wanted him to suffer, and she wanted to point at him and laugh when he would begs her for mercy. She wanted him to die...

That's when Sara came back into her life by a coincidence, this time with a solution to her problem. She told Ruby about the small 'gathering' she was having for the Professors and a few students, and challenged Ruby to steal the scholarship back.

She wore one of her beautiful dresses, wore her makeup and tried to look her best, as she grabbed her clutch and set off into the night. Ruby was determined.

At the party, Sara and Laksh had made it clear of how unwelcome she was. They were shooting daggers at her throughout the night. She had seen Lee at the party after what it felt like a million years. Seeing him then, made her realise how simple her life was once upon a time.

And then she found whom she was looking for. Thompson's jaw almost dropped when he saw her at the party.

"Hello professor," she greeted Thompson and the one he was chatting to. "Yes, hello," said Thompson and then resumed talking to his companion.

"Prof. Thompson, I had something very important to discuss with you. It's about the retest," she interrupted their conversation again.

Without the crowd noticing, the two escaped into a bedroom rather inside the house, far from the crowd.

"What is it Ms. Rose?" asked Thompson as soon as they walked in.

"There is no one here. Stop acting," she said, her voice now serious. Thompson placed his glass of champagne on the side table.

He turned to her and said, "What is it then? I told you I can't give you a retest."

"I have proof. I have proof about what you did to me," she said. She waited for him to turn around or walk away. She wanted him distracted.

"What proof?" He asked.

"I won't tell you. Give me my pictures and I'll destroy the proof."

Please look away, she prayed, her hand tightening around her clutch.

He laughed, "Ms. Rose, that's what I like about you. You never give up, even though you have nothing to save yourself. And you are so innocent, so pure, that you can't fake it."

Her eyes that were on him until then, turned away from him. She felt like vomiting again.

He walked to the mirror in the room, and admired himself. "I knew this suit looks good on me."

Ruby slowly opened her clutch and her hand tightened around a small bottle.

"My wife had selected it for me."

Ruby desperately tried to force herself to open the bottle. But she couldn't for some reason. She couldn't do it...

He walked back to her and leaned in, before he whispered, "But that night I learned that you are more of my taste."

Thompson walked out of the room smirking.

Ruby stood, as still as a statue. She had failed. She was waiting for her chance and she had gotten it. Even then she couldn't do it. She wasn't cruel enough to kill someone.

But more than losing her chance, his words had made her feel worse. She felt like scraping off her skin, like having a long bath and never leaving the tub. She felt a distaste in her mouth. She wanted to clean it. Though her stomach was empty, vomit was making its way through her esophagus again. She felt rotten. She felt... dirty.

She walked into the living room, ready to leave. Lost in thoughts, she didn't notice where she was walking towards or whom she had passed by. That was until she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Ms. Rose, are you alright?" It was Prof. Sloan. "You don't look so good."

He took a glass of champagne served on a nearby table and gave it to her. Ruby just stared at him. He continued.

"I was hoping to meet you for a long time. I know we had our differences but I just wanted to let you know that I never wanted you to fail or get expelled. I had genuinely thought that this stream wasn't for you."

Ruby felt a bit dizzy but she tried to listen.

"I had noticed that you were struggling and you had been comparatively very quiet since your first few months in college. I had seriously considered asking you to meet the university counsellor. But if you haven't noticed, I'm more on the quieter side."

She started paying attention to his words.

"But then a student showed me one of your performances at a restaurant or something. You were very good! I myself am a music enthusiast so I know what I'm talking about. I actually know a few people in the field. So, if you want, I'll help you connect with them."

Her hands shook and her eyes filled with tears. The glass slipped out of her hand, fell onto the floor and shattered into pieces spilling it's content.

She hurried back into the depths of the house and found an empty room. Walking in, she locked the bathroom door behind her.

Tears poured onto her cheeks as she muffled a cry. She stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, and she stopped crying. She couldn't believe that she had such a poor judgment of character. She was so wrong about everyone around her, that it had driven her to the current extremely messed up situation.

She thought of all the good people in her life. Pa, Alex, Mary... And people who were good but she had never realized it, like Prof. Sloan. If her situation wasn't so fucked up, Prof. Sloan would have played a major role in attaining her career in music, in attaining a normal life.

But her life wasn't so simple. And to her there seemed to be just one way out.

Ruby rummaged her clutch, but couldn't find what she was looking for. She dumped it's contents into the sink in frustration, and then found it. A small glass bottle with a tiny bit of dull pink powdered dry flowers lying at its bottom. She emptied it's contents into her mouth, opened the pipe and drank from it, swallowing everything.

There was a sudden bang on the bathroom door. Ruby grabbed all her things and stuffed her bag. When she opened the door, Laksh stood on the other side, sputtering nonsense. Unable to deal with an immature Laksh, she immediately left the party.