All Chapters of When Love Betrays : Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

Victoria Bathram had lived with kidney failure for five years.Five years of hospital corridors that smelled of antiseptic and fear. Five years of needles, dialysis machines, whispered reassurances, and nights where pain kept her awake while Gabriel slept beside her, one arm draped protectively over her waist. Doctors had warned her early on—her condition would worsen. A transplant was her only real chance.And then, finally, a miracle arrived.In her fifth year, Victoria was told a compatible kidney had been found.She cried that night Into her pillow. For the first time in years, hope felt real.Gabriel had been her rock throughout it all. Her husband of eight years. The man who never missed a hospital appointment, who spoke gently to doctors, who insisted on handling everything so she wouldn’t worry. He cooked her meals himself because she hated hospital food. He prayed when she was too weak to lift her head. Everyone said she was lucky.That was before the doctor came to the house

Victoria waited until the voices faded before opening her tear-reddened eyes.So it had been Aunt Mary who found the kidney donor.When Victoria had told Gabriel the news, his excitement had seemed real. He had smiled, held her hands, thanked God. She had believed he was happy for her.Now she understood.He had been celebrating for another woman.He had never planned for her to live.Her fingers trembled as she reached for her phone beneath the blanket. She typed a message to Aunt Mary, her heart pounding with every word, begging her to secure the donor immediately—and to keep Gabriel away from the process.Moments later, the door opened.“Sweetheart, you’re awake!” Gabriel said, rushing to her side. His eyes were red, his face tight with worry. “You scared me to death.”He clasped Victoria’s hand and pressed it to his cheek, his touch gentle enough to fool anyone watching.A young nurse nearby smiled warmly. “Your marriage is just too perfect, Mrs. Bathram,” she said with open envy.

Gabriel returned from the grocery store carrying bags filled with Victoria’s favorites.Fresh fruit. Crackers she liked. Soup ingredients. Things he remembered she used to crave when she was weak.He moved around the kitchen with practiced ease, rolling up his sleeves, rinsing vegetables, setting a pot on the stove. From time to time, his eyes drifted toward the living room.Victoria sat quietly on the couch.Too quietly.She wasn’t watching television. Wasn’t scrolling through her phone. She sat still, hands folded in her lap, eyes lowered, as if lost somewhere far away.Something about her felt off today.Gabriel frowned faintly but said nothing, convincing himself he was overthinking again.Meanwhile, Victoria’s mind was racing.Tomorrow.She would leave tomorrow.She needed to pack only what mattered—documents, clothes, a few personal items. Nothing else in this house was worth taking with her. She would disappear cleanly, without warning.As she calculated silently, her phone vib

Days had passed since Victoria had disappeared from his life, yet Gabriel still couldn’t accept it. Every morning, he woke with the same knot of panic in his chest, the same unbearable emptiness where her presence should have been. His mind refused to quiet itself. The house felt hollow, even with Prisca nearby. The sounds of the walls, the floorboards, the faint hum of the refrigerator—all seemed to whisper her name, mocking him.He had called, messaged, even reached out to Aunt Mary multiple times, but all his efforts were in vain. Victoria’s number was switched off, her aunt’s line went straight to voicemail, and every attempt to track her whereabouts ended in silence. His heart raced each time he imagined the worst, but he couldn’t stop himself from hoping. He refused to believe that Victoria would leave him forever.That evening, the sun had dipped low, painting the horizon in shades of orange and gold, yet Gabriel’s gaze remained fixed on the darkened road leading to Victoria’s