GABRIELLA

Chapter 5

I didn’t realize I was still standing there, frozen.

His words echoed through my mind, Let’s get divorced, Gabriella.

It should have ended me right there. I should have collapsed. I should have screamed, thrown something, begged but I didn’t. I just stood there, numb.

I didn’t even notice when Audrey grabbed my hand.

Her voice sounded like it was underwater. “Ella… let’s go. Please, let’s go.”

I watched, as Rebecca adjusted her red dress like she hadn’t just ripped my world part, with her overly manicured hands.

Her smirk was faint, smug, cruel. She was enjoying every second of my heartbreak.

“Kian?”, i called trying to reassure myself, there’s no way i heard right.

“Why, Kian?" I asked, barely louder than a breath.

Kian didn't even look at me. He adjusted his sleeves with all the indifference in the world, like I was nothing more than a disruption to his schedule, a meeting he couldn’t wait to be done with."

My lips moved, but I wasn’t sure what I was trying to say. “You—“, I started but I the words in my head didn’t seem to make any sense.

I started moving gently but hurriedly, Audrey lead me out.

I didn’t say a word. Not when the secretary stared at me like I was a ghost.

Not when we got back into the elevator. Not even when Audrey slammed her car door and cursed until her voice cracked.

My hands were on my stomach. Instinctively.

Protectively.

There was a life inside me.

His child.

The same man who just told me he wanted a divorce.

The same man who said I couldn’t give him a child.

He didn’t know.

And he wouldn’t.

He didn’t deserve to know. Not anymore.

I finally let the tears fall, my shoulders shaking with the uncontrollably sobs, my chest hurting from all the effort i put in to make this marriage work, the insults I endured form Kian, his parents, my parents, everything came crashing down.

Audrey pulled into her driveway. She didn’t ask questions. She just opened my door, helped me out, and walked me straight into her apartment. She placed the ultrasound photo on the coffee table. I stared at it blankly with my teary eyes.

“You’re staying here,” she said softly, brushing my hair back like I was a child. “You’re not going back there. I swear, Ella, I’ll fight the devil himself before I let you walk back into that house.”

I didn’t argue.

I couldn’t.

There was nothing left in me to fight with.

I curled up on her couch, pressing a pillow to my chest, as if it could stop my heart from shattering more.

I wasn’t sure how long I stayed curled up. The sun but the sun had dipped and the sky turned gray, and the lights outside her apartment flickered on one by one.

My phone vibrated.

I didn’t want to look.

But I did.

KIAN: Don’t drag this out, Gabriella. I’ll have my lawyer contact you tomorrow.

No emotion. No remorse. Just another transaction, who am I kidding, a bitter laugh leaving my mouth, I had always been a transaction,

Like I was a deal gone wrong,

I dropped the phone to the floor, letting the screen go black.

I was pregnant.

Alone.

And being divorced by the man I had given everything to.

But as my fingers brushed my belly again, I knew one thing for sure.

He may have taken everything from me—love, dignity, but he would never take my child.

My child, I liked the sound of that, I alway wanted a child not only because Kian wanted an heir but because I wanted someone that I would love…that would love me too.

And this time, I wasn’t going to break.

As I lay down, my eyelids grew heavy , and sleep slowly began to take me. even as I drifted off, one thought echoed over and over in my mind.

How was I going to survive this?

I had to face the truth, Kian never loved me. Maybe I always knew.

But I thought, at the very least, he had standards, that he cared about appearances, about what the world thought of him.

Clearly, I was wrong!

The next morning, I woke up with a pounding headache and a bitter taste clinging to the back of my throat.

My stomach twisted violently and I barely made it to the bathroom in time, stumbling , racing to the toilet.

The sound must have woken Audrey, because seconds later, she was at my side, her warm hand gathering my hair and holding it out of the way while I retched up last night’s dinner.

“The morning sickness huh?” She asked forcing a chuckle.

she rubbed soothing circles on my back while I heaved, then turned on the tap and handed me a glass of water. I rinsed my mouth and sagged back, my body trembling and weak.

She crouched beside me, brushing stray strands of hair off my damp forehead. Her gaze was soft, filled with concern.

“You’ll be fine,” she whispered. “I’m here for you.”

I looked into the her m eyes, eyes that had never turned their back on me, when the words fell from my lips before I could stop them, quiet and aching.

“I need to go back.”

Her eyes widened. “No,” she said quickly, almost pleading. “Not to him, Gabriella.”

“I’m not going back to stay.” I reached out, gently squeezing her hand to calm her. “I just need to collect my things… to end it properly.”

She stared at me for a second longer, then gave a small, reluctant nod. “I’m coming with you,” she said firmly, already rising to grab her car keys.

But I reached for her arm. “No,” I said gently”, Audrey, I need to do this… on my own.”

Seeing the seriousness on my face, understanding slowly dawned in her eyes, and she gave a small nod.

"I'm here," she whispered, her voice soft but serous. "Just call me, and I’ll come running with my bat ready to beat the hell out of that loser."

She pulled me into a hug, and we stood quiet, steady

Then she wrinkled her nose and leaned back slightly.

"You smell," she muttered suddenly.

A burst of laughter escaped both of us loud, real, and needed. She hugged me tighter like she was holding the broken pieces of me together a little longer.

"Pack your bags and come right back, okay?" she whispered against my hair, and I nodded.