Gabriel Ferrara engaged to Ariana Rosal.
I search her name and click on images.
My stomach heists, picture after picture of the most beautiful Italian winnan you have ever seen.
Long dark hair, perfect olive complexion, a figure to die for and looking like she’s just stepped off a runway. She’s everything that I’m not.
Not that Feare, I hate him.
I’m so infuriated with myself that I wasted all these years working for him while pining for a man who didn’t even know I existed.
What the hell was thinking?
I hate what he did to me, but damn it, I hate that I’m now the one feeling guilty as if I’ve done something wrong.
He asked me to stay away and I did just that
Dominic walks out in his Little League uniform and I smile, “You ready to go”
He nods in an over exaggerated way. “Uh huh.“.
“Lucy,” I call “We’re leaving, honey.”
I throw our bag of snacks over my shoulder. I just need to get on with it
Itap my foot as I wait for Deb to answer her phone. Ring ring, ring ring.
“Pick up
The crowd cheers and I pretend to he excited. The very last place I want to be today is at Little Leagur
Teant get on with it, I’m freaking the hell out.
You’ve reached Deborah, leave a message.
“Call me urgently.” I whisper into the phone. The crowd all cheers and I push the phone into my ear to try and cancel the noise. “Shit’s gone down
had shut.” I hang up in a rush. “Where the bell is she? Debbie is the only person who knows the whole story.
“Where is she?” I dial her mumber again.
“What’s wrong?” She answers first ring.
“Thank god.” I stand. Excuse me.“I squeeze p talk privately.
Where are you? lask
I’m away for the wedding
past the other parents who are sitting in the stand. “Excuse me.“I need to get away from everyone so I can
“Oh god, I completely forgot.“I drag my hand through my hair. “Sorry to interrupt.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Gabriel turned up at my house. * Silence,
“Did you hear me?” 1 stamtive.
Gabriel who
mesare Dainu Your Submissive Win!
“Gabriel Terrara.” I snap as my eyes bulge from their sockets. “Win other Gabriel is there?”
“Oh fuck”
“He knows.”
“He knows?” she whispers in a panic. How does he know?”
I don’t know”
“What happened?”
“We were leaving to go to ballet and 1 had toast hanging out of my mouth and then he turned up and I know that he knew and feried and then Dom went into crazy guard dog protection mode and I thought Gabriel was going to kill him. ”
“ObAria. Shit, this is bad. This is really, really had.”
Ipinch the bridge of my nose as I listen. “You think?
What
are you going to der
“I don’t know, he was furious and he left and then?
“I googled him and he’s getting
getting married som
“To who?”
“Tent know, some beautiful Italian batch.”
“And then what? She cuts me off
“Good, good riddance, Fuck off, asshole, and leave us alone.”
“Why would he come here when he’s getting married?” I whisper angrily
Silence.
I can almost hear her brain ticking over.
“I mean, it doesn’t make sense,” I stammer, “Why now?” “Oh “She gasps as if having some kind of revelation
What?
“He wants to buy you” “What? [frown.
“He wants to ensure you never talk so that his new wife never finds out about his illegitimate children.”
That idea rolls around in my brain, that doesn’t sound like him. “I don’t knins
Think about it, why else would he be coming now? How would he have found out now if he didn’t know all along?”
My eyes widen. “You think he’s known all along?”
“I don’t know, but this is fucking suspicious if you ask me.”
“What if he tries to take them? I whisper as I begin to panic. “What if he wants custody?
“He won’t
“What if he takes me to court, I dont have the honey he does to pay for fancy lawyers”
,” she says. “Trust me, he’s coming to make sure you never talk”
“He wont,”
“You think?”
Tear fills me. “Deb
It’s okay, Aria. Relax Panicking is not going to help You are their mother; he can’t show up here and take them, that’s not how it works. The
courts are not going to give custody to an absent workaholic.”
Inod, feeling a little better. You’re right-
He didn’t want to see you agali, he told you that point blank. You went to tell him and he refined to see you, you are not in the wrong here.
“I should have called him and let him know I was pregnant, I knew it
I back then and I still know it now.”
The would have made you terminate the pregnancy,” she whispers angrily. The already told you it was going nowhere and that he wanted nothing more to do with you. You’ve done the right thing, you told everyone that it was a donor sperm pregnancy. You want nothing from him and you could have taken him for millions. Billions, eveIL”
“You’re right” I feel a little more empowered. Tim overreacting, arent
17
“Probably not, but I don’t think it’s the scenario that you think it is,”
I hear someone’s voice in the background on Deb’s phone. “You go back to your wedding. Sorry to bother you.”
“It’s going to be fine, Vee. I’ll be home Tuesday.”
“Okay.” I hang on the line, not wanting to get off the phone.
“Love you, bye.” She hangs up and the crowd cheers. I turn back to the game as I feel a little of my equilibrium return. This is all fine fine, fine, totally
They say that no news is good news, I only wish that were true.
A storm is coming
I can feel it brewing all the way from New York
I glance over to Lucy and Dom as they tie on the couch, watching television.
y oblivious to their mother’s inner turmoil.
Happily
It’s Sunday night, and I don’t know what to do next. I haven’t heard a word from Gabriell since he left here yesterday morning
Should I call him?
I glance over at my two precious babies lying top to toe on the couch, a blanket over them, so oblivious to everything. I need to make sure that’s how it stays. They cannot be affected by any of this, I won’t drag them through it
Ill call Galnel tomorrow and ask him to meet. This needs to be amicable between as. He’s getting married soon and he can move on with her and have children of their own and live happily ever after in their penthouse in New York
But I need to make something absolutely clear with them from the beginning.
These children are mine…
“Come on, guys.” I pack up the school lunches and put them into their bags. Let’s roll.” Monday mornings are always hectic, but when you haven’t slept for two nights, they are especially chaotic. I handle everyone’s backpacks onto their backs and we walk out the front door. I stop on the spot
A black car is sitting in my driveway.
The driver grows
Tuck
sme a stifled smile and gets out of the car and stands beside it
Acting cool as a cucumber, I walk down the front steps and unlock my car. Jump in the car, guys.“
“Whos that?” Dom asks.
Chapter 53
“My friend. Get in the ear.” I open the backseat door and wait as they climb in Islam the door shut and walk over to the man. “Can I help you?”
“Hello, Miss Whitmore.” He smiles. “My name is Berson, I’m here.“le ems pervous. “Mr. Terrara sent me, I have a doctor in the backout
accompanying the
I glance down and can’t see into the car through the blacked out windows. “What are you doing here?”
“Mr. Ferrara has instructed us to carry out paternity test. He gives me an awkward smile. Whar?
“No.”
“What do you mean?
I mean no, what else could I possibly mean?”
“Miss Whitmore, I strongly advise that you go ahead with this”
“And I strongly advise you to keep out of my business. My children have school today and will not be taking any such testa”
but I still can.
“Just one moment.” He dials a number on his phone. “Hello, le turns away from me so that I can’t hear what he’s saying, but |
Is that Gabriel on the phone?” I ask. He listens for a moment. I’m not sure
He nods.
can. She said no
I walk over and snatch the phone from him “Listen here, you selfcentered son of a hitch. “I sneer-“You stay the hell away from me and my children. If you dare came to my property again without an appointment, I will call the police quicker than you can say the words restraining order.” I hang up the phone and pass it back to him “Goodbye, Benson.” I get into my car and pull out of the driveway.
Fuck you
