regretting loving him

Lauren’s P.O.V. (Continued)

“What the f**k? Are you trying to kill me by popping out of nowhere in front of me?” I yelled at Gabriel Westfield, my now ex-husband.

My hold on my suitcase was so tight that I almost dug my nails inside my palm in fear.

“What are you wearing?” he asked me in a shocked voice, looking at me from chest to toe, completely taken off guard by my sudden change in appearance.

I smirked smugly and slowly took a step towards him, twisting my waist a little, taking a seductive pose in front of him, which I never did.

I could see gears turning inside his brain, and for a second, lust and admiration crossed his eyes too.

“This is who I really am, Mr. Westfield. I changed my appearance back then only not to make you develop an inferiority complex, as you were already going through severe depression.” I replied to him arrogantly as his gaze locked with mine in the end.

I could see shock and disbelief pooling into his eyes.

“Babe. Are you okay? Shall I come to get you?” Joyce, my best friend and also my business partner asked me worriedly. I forgot that the call was still going on.

“Nah. I am good and will be at your place in half an hour. Gather everyone; we are having a blast tonight,” I replied to her and took a step back so that I could step aside and walk away from Gabriel.

I didn’t want to even breathe in the same air as him now.

“It’s already around midnight, honey, and you need a good night’s sleep instead of booze. Come to me. We will have our own small party. I am calling Nick and Rose, though,” Joyce said to me, and I felt warmth in my chest.

This is my best friend. Always knows what I need the most.

“Go and change, Lauren. This kind of dressing doesn’t erase the fact that you are just an orphan with no family and friends. Where do you think you will go at this hour, huh? And please, jealousy doesn’t suit you. Don’t put your safety at risk only to piss me off.” Gabriel lectured me sternly, glaring at me as if I had committed a grave sin.

But what hurt the most was what he said about me being an orphan. I told him that I am an orphan to hide my real identity and family background. My parents died a few years ago in an accident, but I am not an orphan.

What hurt the most is that he used that excuse to hurt me. How could I fall for a jerk like him?

“Narcissism is a very serious disease, Gabriel. And what good did it bring to you that you have parents, huh? Your father is busy fooling around with his mistresses, and your mother is busy cleaning his mess. You were drowning in sorrow and depression after your accident, and the woman for whom you divorced me is the one who left you first, and then, your parents discarded you like an unwanted piece of furniture. If it weren’t for me and my patience towards you, do you really think that you would be standing in front of me now?” I didn’t want to snap at him, but he crossed the line.

His eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets in shock, but I didn’t stop.

“You are the most despicable and ungrateful person that I have ever met, Gabriel. You were about to end your life because of what that woman (I raised my hand in the other direction) did to you back then. It was me (I pointed a finger to my chest) who not only took you out of depression but also gave you hope that life is still beautiful, and yet you are here… berating me and slapping me with this orphan tag.”

I was now yelling at the top of my lungs, holding my phone tightly in my hand, resisting slapping him.

“I signed the divorce papers, and we are finalizing it tomorrow morning. This is our end, and you have no right to say or demand anything of me, Mr. Gabriel Westfield. For me, you were nothing but a patient for whom I stooped myself low to the level of a nanny for three years. Whatever feelings I had for you in my heart vanished the second you taunted me for being an orphan. We are done.” I roared at the top of my lungs in the end.

I was now trembling hard because of the anger. I pushed him away hard to clear my path and marched towards the staircase, dragging my suitcase with me.

“Stop now, Lauren. Don’t you dare take a step forward, I warn you.” I heard Gabriel yelling behind me, but I had enough for tonight.

Three years of my life I gave to this piece of s**t. I was really out of my mind or had hit my head hard somewhere to the extent that I became so dumb as to treat him and let him get everything back that he lost because of that accident.

“Lauren, honey. Are you there? Talk to me, Lauren.” I heard Joyce's muffled voice coming from my phone. I wanted to tell her that I am okay, but I was now overwhelmed by everything that happened in a short span of three hours.

Gabriel suddenly grabbed my arm harshly, and I yanked my arm away from his grip with all my strength, sending him away, stumbling so hard that he fell to the ground on his face.

“Keep your filthy hands away from me, or I swear to God that I will break them to the extent where no doctor in this world will mend them.” I roared at him, showing the full strength of my anger.

I didn’t control my strength in a fit of rage.

Result???

He crashed on the coffee table beside the couch. He groaned in pain, lying on the shattered pieces of the vase and other things that were on the coffee table before.

I scoffed and then stormed towards the exit. I had had enough for this night, and now I wanted to run away from here as far as possible.

To my relief, he didn’t come after me again. I went straight to the garage and stopped at the entrance while breathing hard.

I looked at the far corner of the garage, where I had parked my car three years ago. It was still covered, but I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

I slowly walked towards my car. My feet felt so heavy, as if someone had tied tons of weight around my ankle at this very moment.

I didn’t agree to this arrangement out of love, but I developed feelings for this ungrateful creature. It might be the proximity or his dependency on me. What it is, I am the only one who is heartbroken.

I removed the cover from my car and loaded the suitcase in the trunk. I loved my car. So, I maintained its services regularly, and the tank was always filled with gas.

I always thought that I was just a bit paranoid for being so cautious. Now, I am glad that I always trusted my mind, not my heart.

“If you leave tonight, you will never come back, Lauren. Think carefully before leaving,” Gabriel yelled from the entrance of the garage.

I scoffed, didn’t pay attention to his threat, and slipped into the driver’s seat.

I flipped my middle finger through the window at him before igniting the engine.

Gabriel continued screaming behind the car, but I just pressed the accelerator and stormed out of the garage.

It didn’t take me long before I hit the main road. I continued pressing the accelerator, as there was almost no traffic on the road.

“Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.” I screamed at the top of my lungs to vent the unbearable pain out of my chest. I hit the wheel a few times to vent the rage out of my chest, which was making me unable to breathe.

I made so many mistakes in my past, but loving Gabriel was the worst mistake. I didn't regret healing his legs, but I am now regretting falling in love with him.

I continued screaming while hitting the wheel from time to time while driving steadily. Suddenly, a beam of light from the opposite side of the road blinded me immediately.

Before I could even blink, my body was thrown forward and then backward with so much force that I felt all my internal organs crushed.