Then, Ruby asked instantly, “Do you know her, Hayes?”
Meanwhile, the rest had the same opinion as Ruby, and they waited anxiously to hear his response. Likewise, Adriana and Hailey, who were within earshot, waited to hear him too.
“I used to know her until the shoplifting,” he answered and they laughed heartily, while Adriana and her friend were embarrassed.
“Silly girl, "Johnny added. 
Now, Ruby was excited with Hayes' standpoint and built on it. She faced Adriana and challenged, “Come and see him if you can. Pig.”
Now, Adriana, who thought that Hayes was not aware of the misconstrued case at the mall, was openly embittered, and she turned to leave. 
Then, she heard Carmine's voice, which rubbed it in, “Thief.”
“I'm innocent," Adriana cried out. 
Now, to rub salt into her injury, Ruby leaned on Johnny who was sitting on the bonnet of his car, and Johnny felt good. 
Then, he whispered, "Thank you for your understanding, my Ruby.”
As usual, she would not reply. Then, Hayes called out, “Let's go for a drink.”
“Wow!” The girls exclaimed. 
To ensure that Hayes was not left alone to Adriana's advantage, the girls volunteered, “We are riding with you, Hayes.”
“Oh! It is my pleasure.”
Johnny and Stanley had never had it good like that before. They got into their car, while Carmine and Ruby got into Hayes' car. Ruby took the front seat and fastened her seat belt, like Hayes' kid sister, while Carmine sat behind and cast a taunting look at Adriana, who was still standing there. 
Then Hailey asked with concern, “What is her relationship with him?” 
“I can't say, but they seemed related.”
“You are right. I can see the resemblance.”
Meanwhile, Francis and Princeville got into Johnny's car, and he turned on his ignition and waited for Hayes to move. Eventually, he moved and Johnny drove behind him.
Then, Adriana and Hailey walked away in shame. She regretted ever exposing herself to Ruby she was Johnny's former girlfriend. Not too long, Hayes parked in front of the garden and Johnny parked beside him. Without delay, the girls got out excitedly. They had a good time as Ruby sat beside Johnny and they chatted freely. Hayes never suspected that there could be a rift between the two.
“Thank you for the treat, Hayes," they appreciated him one after the other.
“Consider it as nothing. I'm glad that I met nice people like you.”
“We hope to see you soon, Hayes,” Ruby remarked.
“Yes, but not with the shoplifter," Carmine added authoritatively. 
They laughed heartily and Hayes took his leave.
“See you soon," they waved and watched him drive away.  
Now, Francis and Princeville had to find their bearings. Therefore, they greeted them and left. To Johnny's surprise, the jovial and happy Ruby suddenly withdrew to her shelves and walked to the car. Johnny looked at Stanley and Carmine before he walked to meet her, and they followed suit.
“What would you like to have for dinner, my Ruby?”
Johnny inquired as he attempted to open the car door for her. She ignored him, and he opened the door all the same. Stanley opened the door for Carmine and she got in. Then, Johnny got into the car too. 
When he settled down, he looked at Ruby and asked, “My baby, should we go to the mall?”
“So that you will shoplift," Stanley added jokingly. 
Now, it was difficult for Ruby to hold back her laughter, so, she burst into an unrestrained one and everyone laughed too, but the bliss did not last long. She remembered that the only man she loved was nude with another woman and cried more than she had ever since the previous day. Now, the vehicle was calm, and it was only her voice that was heard.
“It is too much for me to bear, Carmine. (Sob). Why me? (Sob Sob)”
Johnny took a deep breath and fought hard to restrain himself from crying too. 
Then, he attempted to pull her closer, but she violently pushed his hand away and yelled, “You are disgusting.”
In her opinion, she believed that Johnny slept with women every day and night. 
Then, Carmine pacified, "Baby girl, stop. It is your Johnny that you are talking about. Can we go to the house and talk it over?”
“No. There is no point in coming to the house. She needs time to be healed,” Johnny flared up.
Now, Stanley perceived that Johnny was angry, and intervened, “Guy, hold on. We can go to the house and talk things over.”
Meanwhile, Johnny had turned on his ignition and drove off. He headed towards the girls' hostel while Ruby sobbed profusely. When he got there, he halted, got out of the vehicle, and walked to the passenger's side. Likewise, he opened the door for her and she got out of the car. 
Furthermore, he shut the door and walked back to his seat. Nevertheless, Stanley got out as well and held the door for Carmine to get off, and she did. 
He hugged her and advised, “Kindly take good care of her.”
“I will. See you tomorrow.”
“See you too.”
She waved at Johnny, and he refused to wave back. He drove off angrily the moment Stanley got in. Soon, they were at home. 
Then Stanley asked, “What is the meaning of this, Johnny?”
“I don't want to talk about it,” he snarled at once.
 Likewise, Stanley shrugged his shoulder and allowed him to be. Then, he sat on the couch opposite him and turned on his phone. He went through Ruby's posts and the various comments. He observed that most of the comments came from their haters, and he commented.
(Any more comments on this.....)
Now, it was as if a cold wind blew and the commentators went to sleep.
Three Weeks Later
Johnny and Ruby had the worst phases of their lives in that period. They were careful about where to wash their dirty linens anyway. So, it was difficult for their friends and colleagues, especially their haters, to discover the Cold War between them. Meanwhile, Carmine and Stanley felt the heat, but they endured it. Nevertheless, Ruby missed her monthly flow, and she attributed it to stress and irregular menstruation. However, she noticed that she urinated a lot and was unnecessarily weak. 
Then, she confided in Carmine that evening when they had dinner together. 
After listening to her experience, she inquired, “When last did you treat fever or malaria?”
“I can't remember. Could that be the cause?”