Compared to her, Tina and Demi were beautiful and full of life in the lab. Why would a guy like Sullivan notice her, when she was nothing special?

There was silence on the other end of the line.

Ruby was about to hang up when suddenly, Sullivan's voice came through again. "Ruby, I won't deny it, when I first approached you, I did have other motives. But after learning that you've had similar experiences, I became drawn to your resilience.

"I can promise you now, I really like you. It is not for any other reason, but because I truly care for you."

His tone was sincere, and for a...