I TOOK a deep breath as I stared at the suitcase in front of me.
This is it, Bianca. No more backing out.
Today, I finally decided to escape from Gideon. I couldn't allow myself to stay with him any longer.
After what happened that night... five days ago... I suddenly found the courage to leave.
I know how powerful Gideon is. I have all the reasons to be scared of him. But if I continued to be like this—scared, weak, and pathetic—I would lose my baby.
I shut my eyes when I remembered how terrified I was that night... when I thought I already lost my baby.
"If something happened to my baby, I would have fucking killed you, Gideon Henry." I angrily muttered to Gideon. The corner of my eyes were hot with unshed tears.
I was lying on our king-sized bed after our doctor left.
Of course. The powerful and ruthless Gideon Henry didn't drive me to the hospital. Instead, he called for a private doctor to come to his house.
My hand protectively held onto my belly. The doctor told me I only had a minor bleeding earlier, and I have nothing to worry about because my baby is strong. When he asked me about what happened earlier, I told him I accidentally slipped on the staircase.
"Really, Bianca?" Gideon retorted, giving me a sharp and cold look from the door of the room. "You really think you could kill me when you can even hurt a damn fly?"
I gritted my teeth as I matched his sharp eyes. "You don't know what I can do to protect this child."
"You really love my fucking brother that you're willing to kill just to protect his child?" he asked, his voice dripping with acid.
"This is not about Charlie, Gideon."
"I told you not to say his fucking name in front of me." His jaw clenched. "If you really want to protect your baby, be a good wife to me."
"Am I not still being a good wife to you?" I hissed. "I do everything you say. I quit my fucking job. I play my part as your loving and smitten wife in front of everyone."
"Then stay that way, Bianca." He stepped towards me and sat on the corner of the bed. His hand went to my face. This time... his touch was gentle, but his eyes... they were as cold as ice.
"Continue acting like the loving wife that you are." He lifted my chin and met my eyes. "And stay the fuck out of my brother. Because the next time I see you two again, you don't want to imagine what I'd do."
I picked up my suitcase and headed to the door. I have already made up my mind. I'm leaving him.
I couldn't continue being like this. I needed to be brave. I needed to stand up. In order to protect my baby.
If I continued to stay with Gideon, who knows what else he could do next time.
I couldn't imagine losing this baby inside me. No. I couldn't let that happen. Never.
I placed my hand on my belly as I put my suitcase in the trunk of my car.
I promise I'll give you a good life. I'll work hard for the two of us.
Gideon was currently on a three-day business trip to Atlanta. With him away, this was my chance to escape this hellhole.
Gideon... he's really confident that I would never escape from him. That I would continue to be the obedient, fearful wife that I was.
You're wrong, Gideon. And thanks for underestimating me. I said sarcastically.
I smirked as I entered the driver's seat of my car.
For one last time, I glanced at the bungalow Mediterranean style house that became my prison for months. A bittersweet smile escaped my lips as I started the car.
Thirty minutes later, I was already nearing the exit of Los Angeles. I was on my way to Texas, where my best friend Andrea lives. Gideon didn't know about her.
But I knew I wouldn't stay long in Texas. I needed to go somewhere far. Where Gideon couldn't see me. If I needed to leave everything behind and start a new life on the other end of the globe, I'd do it. Just to get away with my devil of a husband.
My thoughts got interrupted when my cell phone rang. I glanced at the gadget on the dashboard. I saw Amelia on the screen. I frowned. Why was she calling me? For a second, I hesitated on answering it. But I guessed this would be the last time I'll be hearing her voice. Unlike Gideon, his mother had been so good to me.
"Amelia, hi..." I said, after putting on my earpiece.
"B-bianca..." I frowned when I heard her sniff on the other line. She sounded as if she was on the verge of breaking down.
"Amelia, what's wrong?"
"W-we need to fly to Atlanta right now, Bianca. Prepare s-some things. I'll have s-someone pick you up at your home. He'll be there in thirty."
I swear... there was something wrong in her voice. She was like... panicking. And why do we need to fly to Atlanta?
My lips parted with a sudden realization. Did Gideon find out about my escape? And now he's using Amelia to stop me?
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. My heart started pounding inside my chest.
I glanced at the screen on my phone. How did Gideon find out that I'm leaving? Did he put a tracking device on it?
I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself.
"A-Amelia, why are we going to Atlanta?"
"M-Gideon..." Amelia muttered in a shaky low voice. "Gideon... he got into an accident, Bianca. T-the hospital called us. M-my son's in a critical condition."
"W-what?" I croaked. I accidentally hit the brake of the car in the middle of the road.
My lips remained parted as Amelia's words kept on playing in my head. Gideon... there was an accident. And he's in critical condition.
"Bianca... are you there?"
"Y-yes… I…"
My eyes widened when I saw a truck coming my way. I tried to step on the gas, but I realized it was too late. The next thing I knew, I saw my own blood before I lost my consciousness.
I woke up in an unfamiliar room. It took me a while before I could finally open my eyes and adjust to the blinding lights. "Bianca, you're awake." I stopped when I heard a familiar voice beside me. I turned to my side and saw... Charlie. He was sitting on the couch near me. He looked like he just woke up with his slightly disheveled hair and creased long-sleeve shirt. What was he doing here? My lips parted when he stood up and went to me. I looked around the room. Everything was white. My heart started pounding. "W-where am I?" I asked, my lips trembling when I saw the IV tube on my arm. "You're in the hospital, Bianca." Just like that, everything came back to me. I was finally escaping from Gideon. I was driving on the road when I received a call from Amelia... saying that Gideon had been in an accident. The news shocked me that I momentarily forgot I was in the middle of the road. Then... a truck. It was coming my way. The last thing u saw before I lost my consciousness
"OH. I'm so sorry, Bianca." Amelia cried as she pulled me into a tight embrace. It was my third day in the hospital when Amelia and Darwin came. I thought I had already become numb from the past three days. But the moment I heard Amelia sobbed, hot liquid pooled in my eyes. "My poor grandchild." I didn't know how long we stayed in each other's arms until we both calmed down. "I'm sorry it took us days before we visited you," Amelia apologized while holding my arms. I stared at her. She seemed five years older than the last time I saw her—at her own party a week ago. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Her porcelain skin was now dry and saggy. "How are you, Bianca?" she asked in a gentle voice. "Charlie told me you're not properly eating your meals." "I don't have the appetite," I said in a weak voice. She grabbed my hand and gently pressed it. "The baby... Charlie said he looked just like you." "C-Charlie?" "Yes… Bianca." Amelia gave a gentle smile. "Charlie buried
Five months ago… "Will you miss me?" Charlie asked as he rested both of his hands on my shoulders. I tilted my chin to meet his eyes. "Of course," I said, pouting my lips. "My fiance will be away for three months. I'm sure as hell going to miss him badly." Charlie was my boyfriend, who became my fiancé a week ago. We met each other three months ago in the New York public library. I couldn't forget the first time we met. I was in the adult section of the library when he approached me and asked for directions. And because I got mesmerized by his face, I accidentally gave him the wrong direction. A playful smile appeared on his lips. "Would you come with me, then?" I pouted as I played with his hair. "You know I have work, right?" I was working as a children's librarian at the New York Public Library, where we met. "Yeah." He chuckled, making his eyes turn into slits. "I'm just trying my luck." Charlie was half-American, half-Korean. He was so good looking with his mixed Asia
"LAST month, I lost a lot of money at the casino. There, I met Mr. Gideon Henry. He lent me a huge amount of money without asking for collateral… He said he's confident that I could win back all the money I lost…" I was pacing back and forth in front of Dad as I listened to his explanation. "But that didn't happen… I didn't win. I lost every penny I borrowed from him. Gideon Henry… gave me one month to pay off my debt. He said that if I didn't pay him on time, he would send me to jail." "Dad…" I stopped in front of him. I shut my eyes as my hand went to my forehead. "Why did you only tell me about this now?" We just talked on the phone last week, and he didn't mention anything to me. "Why did you keep me in the dark, Dad?" "I didn't want to give you problems, Bianca." I wanted to get mad at him. For hiding things from me. But somehow, I wanted to blame myself for not being perceptive enough. I thought he was doing fine here. I had no idea he was already dealing with something.
"DAMN." I muttered as I glanced at my bankbook on the center table. In a week, I was only able to collect five hundred thousand dollars from the loan I took out from the bank. Dad emerged from the kitchen with a cup of coffee. He placed it in front of me. "You still haven't eaten lunch." I've been staying here with my father for a week now. After filing a leave of absence from my work, I went back here to Portland. "It's okay, Dad." I gave him a small smile. "I'm still full from the pancake you made for breakfast earlier." Dad sighed as he sat beside me. "I'm sorry, Bianca. I'm sorry for giving you problems." "Dad..." I looked at him. "I'm sorry that I had to resort to gambling every time I missed your mother." He lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I have never been truly okay since your mother left me." Dad placed his hand to cover his face. My heart wretched when I realized he was crying. The last time I saw him like this was when my mother died. "I'm sorry, Bianca. I failed y
I WAS back in the present when I heard the door open behind me. I turned my head only to be paralyzed when I saw who entered the room. "What are you doing here?" I asked Charlie, looking away and bringing back my eyes to the unconscious man lying on the hospital bed. After Gideon got transferred here, I haven't seen Charlie again. Until now. "I'm here to visit my brother." He said. From the corner of my eyes, I saw him standing a few feet beside me. "You should have waited for your turn, Charlie. This is my private time with my… husband." I almost whispered my last word. "I wanted to talk to you," he said in a gentle voice. The corner of my eyes heated up. "We have nothing to talk about, Charlie." "I heard about what happened to your father from Mom," he said instead. "I'm sorry, Bianca." I bit my lower lip. I only managed to nod at him without looking his way. I was afraid my own emotions would betray me. "I'll leave you here…" I said, almost in a whisper. I couldn't s
"WHAT are you doing here?" I almost jumped on my feet when I saw Charlie outside of my hospital room. Today is my last day here in the hospital. The doctor already gave me a green light to go home. All my injuries were already healed. I only had a few scars and bruises left on me. He cleared his throat. "I'll take you home, Bianca." I tried to hide my surprise. I looked away. "There's no need, Charlie." I didn't want to talk to him. The last time we saw each other, he wanted to get the truth out of me. Charlie… he's a trigger to my emotions. "Mom asked me to take you home, Bianca." Amelia… Of course, she was clueless about everything. She didn't know… I was Charlie's ex-fiancée. "Tell Amelia I can do it alone." "You're avoiding me," he declared. I faced him. "Well, yes. I am. Because we had a past, Charlie. And I've hurt you! Wouldn't that be enough reason to avoid you?" I bit my lower lip. I needed to stop here. I was afraid that my emotions would betray me. "But we
I hastily wiped the tears on my face and stood up. "H-how long have you been here?" Did Charlie hear anything? "Didn't I say I wanted to be alone?" My voice rose a bit. No. He didn't hear it. He could not know. "I know you wanted me to wait there but it's been an hour, Bianca. I thought you got lost or something…" He took a deep breath and took something from his pocket. A handkerchief. He handed it to me. "Here. Wipe your tears." His voice was gentle. His eyes sad. I suddenly felt sorry for snapping at him. "I'm sorry… I forgot about the time." I said as I took his handkerchief. This time, I properly dried my face. "You have nothing to be sorry about." His hands were in his pocket as he glanced at the tomb in front of us. No. I have many things to apologize for, Charlie. "I'm sorry for disturbing you." His eyes went back to me. "I'll go back to the car. I'll wait for you there." "No. I'm done here. Let's go." "Are you sure? I don't mind waiting." I gave him a sma