GABRIELLA

Chapter 3

GABRIELLA

I had slept off crying and even in my sleep I cried. I hated the life I was living yet I couldn’t do anything but hope that things became better.

My head ached dangerously and my entire system felt so weak. The rays of the sun shot right into my eyes and I groaned, I felt sick.

“Got you breakfast in bed, princess. If your husband won’t, I will.” I sighed softly, there she went with her usual aggressiveness against Kian. He wasn’t so bad. He was sweet a few times.

Audrey dropped the tray of food on the bed while I struggled to sit up, annoying groans escaping my lips.

“I made pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs and topped it up with whipped honey and orange juice to go with it.”

“Thank you, chef.” I teased her as I tried to smile but my body was too weak for my lips to curve into a full smile.

“What’s wrong with you? You don’t look good.” I watched my best friend. The most beautiful blonde woman I know. Her hair was wrapped with a claw clip and she was in her gym outfit.

“Your eyes are so swollen, you had cried all through the night.” Her hand touched my forehead and she gasped immediately.

“Ella, you’re burning up,” She sighed and pushed the tray of food aside so she could sit beside me.

“It’s just a fever, it’ll be over soon,” I murmured.

“But you're burning up.” Her voice itched with worry and for a while, it felt so beautiful to have someone worry about me.

“I’ll be fine.” I smiled and finally sat perfectly on the bed while she watched me with so much worry like I was going to die.

“This man keeps hurting you, I hate it. Isn’t it enough that your stepmother and stepsister have made your life a nightmare? Does he also have to?” Her voice cracked like she was about to cry, her eyes watered.

Audrey Willow, my best friend since Elementary School. She had been with me through the highest part of my life and the lowest and I had also been there for her too, although she hadn’t faced a single pinch of what I had faced because she had the perfect family but I prayed hard every day that she never faced a pinch of what I had.

Audrey was the only person who understood what I was going through, she had been my friend even before I lost my mother and when I lost my mother when I was in 7th grade, she spent days and nights at my home comforting me and when my father got remarried, she had attended the wedding with me and I had her shoulder to cry on.

It was no news that the reason I lived a horrible life was because my stepmother somehow managed to poison my father's heart against me and made things so hard.

“I wish you could just run away from everything, these people do not deserve you.” Her perfect blue eyes watered and I watched her try to blink back her tears but to no avail.

“I cannot run away from my problem, I have to face it and I love Kian. I know he does too and maybe if I give him a child, he’ll love me too.” She rolled her eyes at me and quickly stood from the bed.

“I ask myself if I do not love you enough but I know that the love I have for you will never make up for the love you’ve lacked, so I wish that he loves you the way you ask for.”

“Audrey…” I had no doubts that she loved me but maybe I was starved of love for too long.

“I love you, Audrey.” I pulled her into a hug and she held me tight like I was going to slip away from her hand.

“I love you too, I have to run, call me if you need anything.” She pulled away from me, stood from the bed, and walked out of the room leaving me to an empty room and a portion of a really good breakfast.

I thought that after I had eaten I would feel better but I felt worse, I felt even weaker.

Audrey came back a few hours later and the frown on her face when she met me in bed wrapped like a burrito was so funny but I had no strength to laugh.

“I’m not listening to you.” She dropped her Stanley tumbler on the bedside table.

“I’m taking you to see my doctor.” Her hands were at Akimbo as she watched me try to argue but to no avail, I had no idea why I felt so weak.

After not much argument, Audrey helped me get cleaned up and helped me change into a pair of clean jeans and a pink top, it smelt like her, my best friend.

We’d gotten ready and Audrey had to cancel her appointment because of me while we drove, she had tried her best to stay out of my business but she was so pissed with the way people around me treated me, most especially my father.

I didn’t know if I had a father anymore, I just had a man who birthed me and decided to make my entire life miserable, taking everything that belonged to my mother and giving it to his new wife.

We reached the hospital after millions of rants from Audrey about how she hated my entire family. I love her so much because she doesn’t have filters and I was not annoyed that she was talking about them that way, I didn’t like them either.

After sitting in the waiting room filled with other patients for what felt like an eternity, I was finally called in and my best friend, being the woman she is, made sure she was by my side as I explained the symptoms to the doctor.

“Mrs Rhys, take this.” She handed me a tube-looking container and a pregnancy tester.

I rolled my eyes inwardly.

“You know how to use it do you?” She asked and I nodded and gave a tiny glance to Audrey.

How wouldn’t I know how to use this? I’ve done hundreds of these tests in the past three years.

“Then you shouldn’t have a problem, the bathroom is that way.” She pointed at the door adjacent to where we sat and I looked at her for a few seconds. Did she know what she was implying? The doctor, a middle-aged woman, in a pink scrub, had beautifully brown eyes that matched her brown hair. She would know what she was implying. She wasn’t my doctor, she was Audrey’s. She would.

I stood from my chair and my best friend followed, I got into the restroom and did what I had to do while Audrey waited by the washroom mirror.

When I was done, I got out and anticipated the results of the test.

Every single time I ever tried to take a test, my heart broke a million times even before I saw the result.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror, huge dark circles had covered my eyes, my brown eyes had so much pain in them and my hair was roughly put up in a messy bun which was held firmly by a claw clip.

I looked so tiny and stressed. Only now as I stared at the mirror did I realize that I had lost so much weight and I no longer looked healthy.

“I wish I could take all of this pain away from you.” Audrey came to my side and her arms wrapped around me softly. I stayed in her arms subbing and after a few more minutes, I finally found the courage to ask her to look at it.

“What does it say?” I asked, still wrapped in her one-sided hug, staring at the mirror, at my broken self.

She picked it up and a second later a gasp escaped her lips.

“Gabriella Rhys!” She screamed! She never calls me that.

“What’s that?” I asked, my heart beating, is it what I think it is?

“You’re pregnant!” My eyes grew wider in seconds, my heart skipped and I turned to stare at her. Audrey was as surprised as I was and a glitter of happiness was in her eyes.

I looked at it, I needed to see it with my eyes.

“You. Are. Pregnant .” She stated her voice was unshaken.