[Ava]"Princess!!" Gabriel held his hand on the table, trying to regain himself. I stood still, staring up at him."Baby!!" My heart skipped as Gabriel began walking towards me. I had all the opportunities to leave and run back upstairs, but my legs had a mind of their own and remained glued to the floor as Gabriel hovered over me.I took a deep breath as I slowly looked up and met his gaze. His eyelids dropped, weighing down the corners of his eyes like anchors. He caged me up, his hand on either side of the counter as he stared deeply into my eyes. The memory of the video immediately flashed before my eyes again, and a heavyweight crushed my chest, making it difficult for me to breathe."Move!!" I cursed myself inwardly for how weak my voice sounded just having him so close. I reminded myself repeatedly of who he was and what he had done. He killed her, he killed my best friend."Please, Princess!" Gabriel whispered, his eyes fixed on mine as he tightly shut his eyes before snappin
[Ava]"Hey sunshine," I froze and felt my heart sink, even without looking I already knew who it was. I slowly looked up, putting down my coffee, and there he was standing in front of me with a smile on his lips, dressed in a tuxedo with his silver orbs fixed on mine. "Hi... hello," I stuttered, swallowing the sudden lump that formed in my throat as I stared at Caleb."Are you okay?" Caleb asked, taking a seat opposite mine and reaching out to take my hand in his. I stared directly into his eyes. My heart stung as his hand touched mine. Of course, I'm not fine, I'm seated right here trying to clear my mind because I just found out that my boyfriend is behind your sister's death."I'm...I'm okay, how are you... I mean, why are you here?" I stuttered, biting down on my lower lip, trying to calm the turmoil brewing inside of me."Sunshine what's wrong? You don't look good, please talk to me is everything okay?" Caleb asked again, a look of concern etched on his forehead. I nodded at hi
[Ava]"Hey, are you okay?" Caleb glanced at me, his eyes darting between me and the road as he extended a hand in my direction. I nodded hastily, waving him off but he persisted, handing me a bottled water. I uncapped it and gulped down half of the contents, exhaling deeply as the cool liquid soothed my parched throatCaleb's eyes locked onto mine for a second, his expression concerned. "I'm sorry, are you okay now?" He asked softly, I offered him a reassuring smile and a gentle nod, tucking the bottled water between my legs as I released a slow deep breathThat was unexpected, God!! Not here, what am I supposed to say? I could feel heat coursing through my cheeks as I wished he would just forget whatever he asked right now, but my hopes were dashed when his voice came once more. "Did I say something I shouldn’t have?" Caleb asked, my brows furrowing as I turned towards him"No...I mean..." I cursed myself inwardly as I stuttered. Put yourself the fuck together Ava"You don't seem ok
[Ava]We got out of the car, and every breath I took felt like a suffocating weight crushing my lungs as we walked slowly into the cemetery. I knew my way around because I always visited her.We walked slowly, and I tilted my neck to look at Caleb, who was holding the cake box while I held the bouquet. As we got closer to Remi's grave, I noticed Caleb's forehead creasing into a big frownTime seemed to warp and distort, stretching out seconds into agonizing minutes as we got closer. We paused in our tracks as we stood before her grave. My heart skipped a thousand beats as my eyes wandered up to her name elegantly etched into the granite headstone.The entire environment spun around me like a carnival ride, making me disoriented and dizzy. I felt as if my entire being was leaving my body as pain and guilt coursed through my body"Are you okay?" Caleb's voice almost made me jump, jolting me out of my reverie. I stared up at him, seeing that he had placed down the cupcake he had in his
[Gabriel] I was pacing back and forth in Logan's sitting room, it was 9 p.m., and Ashley had called me making me drive as fast as I could over here when she said she had not heard from Ava, and if I said I was not on the verge of losing my mind, then I must be lying. Where has she gone? Ashley said she left her at the studio during break hour and she had not heard from her since then. I paused on my track, turning to Ashley, who was seated beside Logan, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You didn't hear her mention going anywhere at all? Is there anywhere you think she might be? Or a place she normally goes?" I asked Ashley, and she shook her head. "She angrily left when I tried to talk to her, I could have just stayed by her side, I shouldn't have said what I said, this is my fault!" Ashley said, bursting into tears "Nothing is your fault here, will you stop blaming yourself?" Logan scolded Ashley, pulling her closer to his body. I dug my fingers into my scalp, staring at
[Gabriel]"Where the fuck is Ava? Put my woman on the phone right now if you don't want me to burn you alive! What the fuck are you doing with her damn phone?" I snapped, and I heard a slight chuckle on his end. Was my mind playing tricks on me?"She's in my house and like I said before, she's not in a good state to take calls right now," the idiot repeated."What the fuck do you mean by that?" I cursed loudly, and within seconds the phone beeped and immediately went dead on his end.I groaned, raking my hand on my hair as I handed the phone back to AshleyI marched towards my car ignoring Ashley who was asking me what was wrong, I stepped into the car and Ashley ran over to the passenger seat, sliding in"Gabriel, what's wrong? Who picked up her call?" Ashley gripped my hand, her finger digging into my skin as she quivered slightlyI ignored her, dialing Jaxon's number, I'll fucking skin that dude alive. I groaned pressing the phone to my ear and on the first ring Jaxon picked up"B
[Ava]Caleb had asked me to eat something for the third time, but I refused, eating was the least of my concerns right now. I had turned on my phone earlier for no stupid reason, I should be hating myself so much right now that I am concerned about a man who murdered my best friend. Why do I have to turn on my phone to stare at his picture? And then Ashley's call came in. I didn't want to talk to her because I was still upset about what she said at the studio, so I asked Caleb to pick up and tell her I didn't want to speak to anyone"Thank you!" I muttered to Caleb as he handed me back my phone. I took the phone from his grasp and switched it off, putting it aside."Sunshine!!" Caleb called out, taking a seat next to mine where I was seated in the dining room. I stared up at him. I had been crying for hours nonstop since we stepped into his house, and Caleb had been trying to ask what the problem was, but how could I say a word to him?"I don't like the way you are, it's breaking my h
[Gabriel] I watched as the warmth in her gaze dissolved giving way to a frightened expression that seemed to whisper a thousand unspoken terrors. My heart ached as I watched the look of terror in her eyes. I couldn't take it any longer, the fear in her eyes, the way her body trembled like a watered leaf, and how the first look in her eyes when I walked all vanished, replaced by hatred. My fist clenched into a ball as I turned on my heels and made my way out, halting in front of Caleb, I looked up at him, and he furrowed his brow. I could see a look of amusement dancing in the idiots' eyes. My hand ached so much to pin him to this wall and unleash all of my fury, but I bottled it up and moved much closer to him. "Make sure to keep your hands to yourself, if you try anything funny, you will not last another hour on this planet!" I snapped at him, his lips stretching into a smirk that he quickly concealed before walking out on me I wanted to go back there, grab her, and walk out
[Ava] In less than two hours, we were all in front of the police station. Gabriel arrived thirty minutes after I called him and explained everything to him. And when he arrived, Mrs. Carla asked him if he was the Gabriel who we talked about in the recording the one her daughter knew five years back Gabriel went ahead and explained some things to her and she hasn't said a word since then "This way, Ma'am!" Gabriel held my hand tightly as he led us all into the police station. My heart was hammering in my chest, and the look on Mrs. Carla's face was one I couldn't understand. Gabriel and I walked right after Mrs. Carla and Ashley followed behind us. Logan was supposed to be here, but he said he had something important to deal with at the office. I watched Gabriel pull out his phone and press it against his ear. "We’re here!" Gabriel said and hung up, tucking his phone back into his pocket and staring back at me. "Are you okay?" Gabriel asked, pulling me into his arm "I'm fi
[Ava] "There's something you should listen to!" My heart hammered against my ribcage. I stared at Ashley and she gave me a firm nod as if she knew how much I needed it. I took a deep breath and pulled my phone from my bag, turning towards Mrs. Carla who was still standing and confused about what I was saying. "Big Auntie, please sit," I held her hand and led her to the couch. She sat down and I plopped down beside me. Her eyes did not leave mine, her brows were creasing even further I cleared my throat, fidgeting with my gown as I swiped up my phone to find the saved recordings. "You can do this, Ava!" My inner voice chimed in, soothing my racing heart that was hammering against my chest. My hand hovered over my screen, I took a long deep breath, pressed the play button of the recording, and increased the volume loud enough for her to hear. I watched as Mrs. Carla's brow furrowed, I gulped down hard, my eyes fixed intently on hers "What kind of human are you, Caleb? How
[Ava]"Ava," Big Auntie called, her eyes laced with concern as she took my hand In hers"How are you? What happened?" I opened my mouth to speak but shut it back, her eyes moved from me to Ashley, and she paused as if taking in Ashley's appearance."You...you came here the other night with a guy and said..." Ashley interrupted her before she could finish"Yes, ma'am, we came to see if Ava was here when we couldn't find her.""Please come in, is everything okay? What happened? They said you were last seen with my son but I tried calling him too but up until today his number is not connecting!" Big Auntie voiced out as she opened the door for us, I gulped down hard as we walked into the house"Auntie, Ava!" My eyes darted to the side of the room where Cassie was running towards me. A smile curled at my lips as I opened up my arms for her. She hugged me tightly, and I lowered myself to her height, ruffling her hair softly."My Cassie, how are you doing baby?" I cooed, pulling out her lo
[Ava]I could hear Caleb's voice, smiling and grinning to my face as he matched my tummy continuously with his booth, I was pleading for him to let me go that he would hurt my child, his hand clamped around his tummy where I had mistakenly shut him"Please stop, you are going to hurt my baby..." I tried to wrap my hand around my tummy, with tears streaming down my cheeks, my whole body quivered, I could hear my name being called from a distance"Ava!!!" The voice sounded more vivid to my ear, causing my eyes to snap open with force. I shot up from the bed, sweat dripping from my forehead as my heart hammered against my chest."Mama, are you alright?" My gaze shifted to Logan, who was sitting at the side of my bed, and it dawned on me that I was having a nightmare, my hand immediately wrapped around my tummy bf Gabriel's words echoed in my head again, our baby is no more Tears streamed down my cheeks as I stared around but Gabriel was not anywhere near "Ava calm down!" Logan drew clo
[Gabriel]"Does this sound familiar?" I groaned out watching as all the color in Caleb's face drained immediately, I watched his eyes widen, his jaw clenching and unclenching as I played the recording from the beginningMy hand tightened on the phone, I was trying all I could to keep my cool."Fuck!!" I cursed just as the recording got to the part that triggered something inside me, I sprang up from my chair, throwing the phone at Jaxon as I charged towards Caleb. My fist flew towards his face, connecting with a loud crack. I pulled back, my hand coiling for another, as I threw another and another until I heard the sound of his bones cracking"How dare you?" I fumed, taking a step back but the fucker had the guts to still smile at me, he stared at me twitching his nose as he spat out blood"Guess the bitch was smarter than I thought!" Caleb mumbled, groaning out loud with the smile that was still plastered on his face"Amateur," Caleb mumbled staring deep into my eyes. "Five fucking y
[Gabriel]"I will always love you princess!" I mumbled under my breath, my chest tightened, my hands itching to grab and break something. The pounding in my skull matched the beat of my pulse. My body coiled, about to snap, and I knew the only way to calm the storm was to let it loose.I swallowed hard, holding Ava tight to my body as she quivered. Her hand tightened on mine, and I could feel her fingers digging into my skin."Hmm," Ava hummed, my hand tightened on hers, placing a soft kiss on her neckI carefully placed her down on the bed as I noticed soft snores escaping her lips. I stared at her lips which were curved upwards. My hands moved to her cheeks and I wiped away the tears that were still streaming down her cheeks."I will deal with him princess, I may hand him over to the police like you want, but I will do whatever I want after that or I won't be satisfied!" I mumbled under my breath, tucking a few strands of her hair at the back of her ear, plopping down, I placed a so
[Ava]"Our baby didn't make it, you miscarried!" The words echoed in my head like a mantra, my eyes were wide open, my hand clutched protectively against my tummy, and I felt my breath hitch as if the air had been sucked out of the room. For a moment, I couldn't move or think. Five weeks pregnant, the words echoed in my head over and over. I Miscarried"Deep breath, Princess!" I heard Gabriel's voice, his hand moving up and down my back, my vision blurred, the room faded into nothing, and the air became thick and choking. I couldn't speak. All I could feel was the sharp ache of something I never got the chance to know being ripped out of meI was pregnant? I had a life growing inside of me, was that the constant nausea that I had been experiencing for the past few days? Was this why I felt so disgusted when I saw certain foods? I had a life in me but my baby is no more. I lost my child because of Caleb. Tears blurred my vision, I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out
[Gabriel]"What do you intend to do to him? You heard everything!" Logan asked, and I shut my eyes for a second, my fingers curling, nails digging into my palm as the recording replayed in my head over and over."My woman needs to get better first, man. I really can't think straight at the moment, but one thing is certain, my hand will get stained." Logan's eyes narrowed slightly, a smirk curved on his lips and he nodded. He could tell I was serious about it.~~~~~~~~It's been two days since we came back from the hospital, we ended up spending four more days before we got discharged, and my baby was recovering faster than I expected, I had not left her side for a minute, and I wasn't planning to until I was sure she was fine"So, are you going to talk to me now? If Caleb ran off, then let me know so we can report him to the cops, I have the evidence of his confession, if you arrested him then tell me, I deserve to know!" Ava snapped at me I did not allow her to speak about anything
[Gabriel]"Is everything okay? What's wrong?" Logan's hoarse voice snapped towards me, I gritted my teeth hard, cursing under my breath as I stared at Logan, his eyes were brimming deep red, my eyes shifted towards Ava, who had her gaze fixed on me as well."Is that the results, what's wrong?" Logan asked yet again making my jaw clench hard"Nothing serious, he just filled me in on some details and her prescriptions!" I lied, but there was no way I was fucking letting Ava know about this in her current condition, she needs to get better, and I will find a better way to tell her everything."But, you..." Logan's words trailed off as he met my intense gaze, I tiltled my neck a bit and he sure understood that I wanted him to shut the fuck up as he clamped his mouth shut, but I didn't miss the look in Ava's eyes as she stared from me to the file in my hand"That's a relief!" Logan said through gritted teeth. "But there's something you should listen to!" My gaze returned to Logan, and he e