Claire felt like she had lost everything. Her plan to kill Gabriella had failed. She needed to go into hiding, because she knew the police would come looking for her.
She knew Ginny would rat her out. They weren’t very close cousins. They had just worked together because Ginny wanted Gabriella out because of a man, just like her.
She ran a hand through her hair, pacing her apartment.
The door burst open, and she jumped into the air in fright, but she was relieved to see that it was
Thomas.
Thomas was back. He was here.
She smiled, rushing forward to hug him.
“Oh my love, I missed you.” She exclaimed.
She scrunched her nose. He was smelling, like he hadn’t bathed in days. She pulled away from the hug when she realized that he wasn’t hugging her back.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, hoping that he had come back to his senses and had given up on Gabriella.
Thomas looked horrible. His eyes were wild, his hair was disheveled, and he looked like he had been sleeping on the streets. He was acting maniac.
“I came for the rest of it,” he muttered, his eyes moving around the apartment.
Claire frowned, crossing her arms. “What?”
“The money. The documents. The jewelry. Everything we took from Gabriella. The ones she didn’t find out about” He started moving, pulling open drawers, shoving things into a bag.
Claire’s mouth fell open. “Are you crazy? What’s going on with you?” She yelled.
He ignored her.
“What will you gain from that?” She screeched.
“Maybe I’ll gain her trust again,” Thomas replied. He sounded hopeful.
Claire gaped at him. He wasn’t joking, he genuinely believed that. “No! I won’t let you do that!” She stepped in front of him, shaking her head furiously. “What about our child?”
For the first time since he barged in, he hesitated. But only for a moment, before he continued without even looking at her. He didn’t pause or slow down, because he didn’t care. Just Gabriella mattered to him.
Her heart pounded in her chest. “Thomas, listen to me. You can’t just run back to her like this. Do you even hear yourself? You want to return the things we stole and act like what? Like she’ll just forgive you?”
He let out a short, bitter laugh, without glancing at her. “Maybe. Maybe not. But I have to try.” Claire took a step forward, breathing heavily. “Try? Try? You think she’s going to take you back? After everything we did? After-” Her voice cracked, “After the babies we killed?” Thomas flinched at that, but he quickly shook it off. “She’ll forgive me. I know it.”
Claire shook her head as tears ran down her face. “No, she won’t.”
2/2 97,4%
5:40 pm
DDD
He didn’t respond. Instead, he zipped up the bag and hung it over his shoulder. Claire felt he stomach drop. He was really going to leave. Just like that.
“You’re insane,” she whispered. “You’re actually insane.”
He shoved past her as he grabbed the last of the stolen goods.
Claire felt pain burning through her chest. “Thomas! You can’t just leave me like this!”
Claire grabbed his arm, but he wrenched his arm out of her grip and pushed her hard.
Pain exploded through her as she crashed to the floor. A sharp agony shot through her stomach at the force of the impact.
She gasped, and her hands flew to her abdomen.
No. No, no, no. She thought to herself.
Thomas was already gone.
A warm liquid flowed out from between her legs. Blood.
She was losing her baby.
She screamed in horror, but she knew no one could hear her. She crawled towards her phone to call for help, but it was too late.
She lost consciousness.
Thomas ran out of Claire’s apartment, and rushed off towards Gabriella.
He glanced at the bag in his hands, and he smiled. Gabriella will forgive him now.
He didn’t care about the money anymore, all he wanted was Gabriella to look at him the way she did in those pictures. With love, happiness and warmth.
That was all he wanted. The money and everything else was worthless to him.
He smiled again as his mind played out his future with Gabriella and their children together.
5:40 pm DDD
Chapter 23
