18– Kayden

I was just tossing the last of my duffel bags into the trunk of the SUV when the purr of an engine echoed down the driveway. I looked up just as Gabrielle’s car rolled to a gentle stop just behind mine.

She stepped out of the vehicle in a hurry, fumbling blindly with the strap of her bag as she made a beeline for my front door, her eyes glued to the steps. 

She hadn't even looked up to see me standing there.

“Look who finally decided to show up,” I jested, a bright, helpless smile splitting my face.

I was so happy to see her after nearly a day and a half of separation that I could barely contain the excitement bubbling up in my chest. 

The mansion felt like a cage without her presence.

“Hey.” She paused, offering me a tight smile before pursing her lips to the side.

“Hey yourself,” I breathed, my eyes unashamedly trailing over her frame, drinking in the sight of her. “How did you enjoy your time away from me? Did you miss me? Because I definitely missed you.”

Gabrielle looked stunned for a fleeting second. Her mouth dropped open, her mask slipping just enough for me to see the chaos underneath before she caught herself. She swallowed hard around nothing, her expression hardening.

“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting,” she said, her voice formal, stiff, and without any trace of warmth. “I’ll just go inside and get my stuff.”

The drop in her voice wasn’t encouraging at all. It felt like a bucket of ice water poured over my chest.

“Hey…” I reached out, curling my fingers around her forearm, holding her back just as she was about to brush past me like a stranger. “Your mood doesn’t exactly seem uplifted. Did spending time at your friend's place not work?”

She heaved out a heavy sigh, staring at my hand on her arm until I slowly let go. “Nothing is wrong with my mood, Kayden.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yep.”

I stepped to the side, blocking her path so that I was standing in front of her. I forced her to look at me. “So why are you frowning? And you’re being far more defensive than usual. Even for you.”

“Am I some sort of case study for you, Alvarez? Huh?” Her voice was suddenly biting, laced with a venom that made me flinch. “I said I’m fine.”

I held Gabrielle’s eyes, searching for the trace of the woman who had held my hand in the locker room. But unlike her usual self, who would proudly hold my gaze for as long as I wanted to look into her eyes, she looked away from me. She couldn't even bear to look at my face.

I blinked, a nervous breath skating out of my lungs as I shifted my gaze toward the front seat of the SUV. “Roll up the windows and turn the music up,” I instructed the driver. “Don’t listen in on our conversation.”

“Yes, sir.” The man nodded, doing as he was told.

Gabrielle exhaled a sharp breath, crossing her arms over her chest. “We shouldn’t waste any more time, the flight leaves—”

“What is wrong with you, Gabrielle?”

“Nothing.” She stated matter-of-factly. “Stop asking that silly question. If you think something is wrong, then figure it out yourself.”

Again, she refused to meet my gaze. 

The way she spoke made it clear that she had built an even bigger wall over the one she’d already been carrying around me for the past six months. 

Her body was angled away from mine, as if it disgusted her to even be in my presence.

Her words, although indirect, were basically telling me to pack my things and fuck off.

At that moment, a cold reality checked me. I had to ask myself an important question.

It was true that I liked her. It was true that I was willing to do whatever it took to win her heart. But I needed to know that she at least wanted her heart to be won. 

I needed to be certain that I wasn’t going to waste my time and energy on a woman who didn’t even look at me like I was worthy of standing in her shadow, and who wouldn’t give me an opportunity to prove otherwise.

“Okay then. But I’d like to ask a much more direct question.” I took a deliberate step forward, pushing deep into her space. “Do you think we’re going too far? Do you regret getting into this mess with me?”

The question seemed to catch her off guard. Her mouth gaped open for a split second, her eyes widening before she swallowed hard.

“I do,” she responded, her voice cold.

My heart took a violent hit with her response. It felt like a hockey puck blasted straight into my sternum at a hundred miles an hour, fracturing everything inside. But I forced my jaw to lock, maintaining my composure.

“Okay,” I murmured, my voice barely audible over the wind. “May I ask why?”

“Because it doesn’t benefit me in the slightest.” A muscle flexed in my jaw, but she ignored it, forcing her eyes to lock with mine. “I aim high, Kayden. Always. But now, this ridiculous stunt has put me in a position where every single step I take or anything I earn in my career will be either attributed to your influence or my family’s strings. And those are the two things I hate the most in this world.”

“I see…”

“Yes,” she gritted out through her teeth, her eyes flashing with equal measures of anger and impatience. “And at the end of what? Twenty-six days? I’m certain your management team will orchestrate it to make it seem like I was the villain who broke up with you. I’ll be picked apart and slaughtered by your fans for breaking their golden boy’s heart, while you get to enjoy the perks of a beautifully redeemed image without ever lifting a single finger in my defense.”

The words hit me like a blow, tearing through my chest and ripping the air out of my lungs. My heart shattered into a million pieces, the jagged shards cutting deep into my throat until I couldn't breathe. 

A burning, agonizing wave of tears built behind my eyes, stinging my vision, but I blinked them back, refusing to let them fall.

She truly believed I was using her. She thought this entire thing was a calculated play. The realization made me feel sick to my stomach.

“Okay then,” I whispered, my voice sounding fragile. “I’m guessing you want to end this right now as opposed to waiting out the remaining days?”

“Yes,” she answered without any hesitation. “I no longer want to be associated with you. Not as your handler, and definitely not as your girlfriend. I… I am deeply ashamed to be associated with a person like you, Kayden.”

Ashamed.

The word vibrated through the driveway, sealing my fate.

“Okay then. You have your wish,” I said, the pain in my chest morphing into acceptance. “Once I return from Montreal, I’ll get my lawyer and we’ll officially terminate the contract.”

“Cool,” she nodded curtly, her voice small. “I’ll go get my bags.”

“There’s no need for that, Gabrielle,” I told her, my tone turning empty. “You no longer have to maintain public appearances with me. You don't have to get on that plane.”

“It’s not about maintaining appearances,” she countered, her brows knitting together. “I still work for you. I have a professional obligation to manage your away-game press.”

“Not anymore,” I said, looking down at her one last time, my eyes dead. “As of right now, you’re fired.”

“What?” Her jaw dropped. “Is that really what you’re going to say to me right now?”

“What else is there left to say, Gabrielle? Do you honestly expect me to stand here and try to explain myself when you’ve already reached a conclusion in your heart? Do you expect me to beg and state the truth—a truth you already know but are refusing to accept?”

“Firing me is going way too far, Kayden.”

“You just told me to my face that you no longer want to be associated with me. You just said you’re ashamed of me,” I pointed out, a bitter, hollow laugh escaping my nose. “Wouldn’t it be better for you not to work for someone you despise so much?”

Just as her mouth parted to fire back a furious response, the screeching sound of a speeding car filled the air. 

Tyres squealed aggressively as a car swerved into the driveway, slamming to a halt behind Gabrielle's car.

I didn’t need to look twice to know who that car belonged to. The familiar, sickening dread flooded my veins instantly.

Before my brain could even rationalize the panic, my instincts took over. I grabbed Gabrielle by the arm, dragging her forcefully up the steps toward the front door. I threw the door open, practically shoving her into the safety of the foyer, my breath bursting out of me in frantic gasps.

“Stay here,” I ordered, my voice coming out harsher and louder than I had ever intended.

She stumbled backward, her eyes wide with shock. “What is going—?”

“Just stay the hell here and do not come out until I say so!”

Before she could utter another word, I slammed the door shut. I turned around just in time to see the man who claimed to be my father step out of the driver's side door.

He slammed it shut, reeking of cheap cigarettes and alcohol even from ten paces away.

“There he is! The man of the hour!” he laughed mockingly, a disgusting grin spreading across his face as he strode confidently up my driveway. “Now, come on, boy. Aren't you gonna introduce my new daughter-in-law to your old man?”