Prologue - Gabriel (Part 3)

Fuck, if he was going to die, then at least let it happen while he was trying to save himself.

That was the last thought that crossed his mind before he relaxed his body and let the current carry him swiftly closer to the log, and Gabriel would remember it for a long, long time.

"Hold my hand!" just as he was about to slam his face against the wobbly tree, a pale hand appeared from beneath the water, and even though the water was trying to make his body spin, Gabriel managed to grab Andrea's wrist at the last moment, getting the support he needed to lean against the trunk and lift his chest out of the water, taking a sharp intake of air that made everything inside him ache “Hurry! We need to get to the shore!” she screamed, not letting go of his trembling body for a single instant, with a strength that surprised him “I know you must be in shock! But try to move!”

And even with all the fear, the pain and the urge to vomit all the water that had lodged inside him, Gabriel found himself obeying her, climbing the trunk as best he could and following her towards the bank, inch after inch, this time with tears of relief running down his icy face, as the realization that he would survive finally hit him...

"Careful!" Andrea screamed and, in a panic, Gabriel noticed that the last strip of wood that held the fallen trunk to the rest of the tree was about to break free, taking him with it...

But a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around his waist, and in the next moment he found himself hitting the grass around the riverbank, with Andrea falling beside him, looking as if she had lost all her breath after the exertion of pull it. But Gabriel, with his back flat on solid ground and his face turned to the dark sky, could do nothing but take long breaths of air, loving each one even though they made him feel like he was on fire inside. And finally, after what seemed like an eternity, not only did the realization that he had almost died hit him, but also the feeling of Andrea starting to get up, moving away from him quickly.

“Andy!” he sat up quickly, feeling his head spin in the process "Please... Wait..."

“I have nothing to say to you.” she muttered, full of rage, and, taking a closer look at her, Gabriel could see that the sodden sweater she was wearing had fallen to the side, revealing a large red bruise on her shoulder, which had probably come not just from her exertion to make the tree fall, but also to break down the door where he had locked her in.

“I… I…” he searched for words that could at least express how grateful he was to her, but, in the midst of his confused mind, he could only find a single question “I don't understand... Why did you do that...?" Gabriel muttered, sinking his fingers into the earth around them, with such a confusion of feelings that he could barely name what he was feeling for himself and for her at that moment "I... I don't deserve it."

"You're right." Andrea finally got to her feet and, with a sinking heart, Gabriel watched her turn and glare at him with hate and hurt "You don't deserve it."

“Andy!” a man's voice shouted, and before Gabriel even turned around, his shoulder was shoved to the side and a guy hugged Andrea right in front of his eyes, taking off the top of the suit he was wearing to wrap her around it, while he asked, worried “Are you okay? God, what happened? Why are you wet?” the unknown man kept asking, until, suddenly, he turned his face in Gabriel's direction, causing him to flinch as he recognized Aaron Vamcap, Andy's older brother "You little shit... How dare you do that with the my sister?" Aaron snarled, filled with rage, as if he was capable of wringing his neck right there.

And, feeling the weight of guilt really hit him for the first time, Gabriel did nothing more than lower his head, feeling that he would gladly accept it if Andy's brother really wanted to kill him.

"I'm very sorry." he murmured weakly, but probably no one heard him, as another figure ran past him, hugging Andy as well.

“Andy...” Imogen Vamcap, the woman he'd sworn to hate forever, cried as she hugged her youngest daughter, as if her heart was ripping apart “Oh honey, I'm so sorry… I would never have let you come to this place, if I had known... That...”

“I'm fine, Mom…” Andrea's voice shook “I… I just want to go home, with you two.”

“Of course, dear. We're going home now, you'll be fine. Oh, God, look at your hands and your shoulder...” Imogen whimpered, horrified “How could anyone do this to you...” and, almost as if she felt Gabriel's gaze on them, Mrs. Vamcap suddenly she turned around, staring at him as if she could hardly believe it was all true “Why? Why that you did this to my daughter?” she asked, with so much pain in her voice that even though there was still a last spark of the anger Gabriel used to feel, he knew he couldn't take any satisfaction from her suffering.

“I… I don't know.” he swallowed hard, on the verge of tears again, feeling that even getting down on his knees and begging their forgiveness in front of them wouldn't be enough for him to repay his debt to Andrea.

"Gabriel!" instead of calming him down, his dad's voice just made him cringe even more “Oh, thank God, you're okay! Wait, Imogen? Andrea? Aaron? What are you doing here...?"

“Listen here, Ferrars!” Aaron snarled, and out of the corner of his eye, Gabriel saw that he was standing in front of his father, finger raised "I don't know what kind of vandals you are creating in this house, but rest assured that if your son approach my sister again, so I'm the one who's going to make your lives hell, you know? Fuck! What kind of bastard bullies a younger girl, for Christ's sake..."

"Bullying?" Edgar repeated, incredulous "But... Gabriel... My son would never do that..."

"Do you know? Fuck you and your son! And you better never go near any Vamcap again, if you don't want me to break both of you!” Aaron growled, walking over to where his mom and sister were still hugging “Come on. Let's go home. And don't worry, Andy. I'll deal with that motherfucker later.”

“But… But, what's going on?” Edgar asked, amazed “Gabriel? Your friends said you came swimming in the hidden lake and looked like you needed help. So what...?"

"I was drowning..." Gabriel admitted, with a fragile murmur "And Andy saved me..."

“Don't speak her name like that!” Aaron yelled at him, angrily "I should beat the shit out of you right here, you little brat...!"

"I want to leave, Aaron, please..." Andrea asked softly, touching her brother's arm "That's all I want."

"Let's go, dear." Imogen sniffled, holding her son as well, as if she was afraid he was going to do something silly “We have to get your sister to a hospital. That's all that matters now.”

“Wait… Imogen!” Edgar tried to call her, but the Vamcaps just turned around and continued walking out of the property, making Gabriel only then notice that there was a suitcase on the floor, which Andy had probably left aside in order to save him from the current "Please! Wait...! Oh my God, Gabriel... Please tell me this isn't true!” his father suddenly knelt next to him, holding his shoulders “Please tell me this is just a misunderstanding. I know my son! You can be hot-headed sometimes, but I know you never..."

“I know she is your mistress.” Gabriel blurted out, feeling that there was no longer any reason to keep it to himself.

"What?" Edgar froze.

“Mrs. Vamcap. I know you two are sleeping together.” he admitted, feeling strangely colder as he felt his dad's hands leave his shoulders, as if it was suddenly impossible for Edgar to touch him “I was mad at you... For doing it to Mom and our family... For that, I... I..."

"And you really thought I didn't know?" the sound of his mother's voice was the only thing that night that snapped Gabriel out of his shock, turning quickly to see her standing there near the two of them, her arms crossed and a disgruntled expression on her face, sleepy but certainly not destroyed or hurt like he thought she would be upon discovering an affair “I knew we should have explained to him the circumstances of our marriage a long time ago.” Sienna snorted, frustrated "Even if you are so determined to make his married life different in the future, Edgar, there's no point in hiding the truth from him..."

“What… What are you two talking about?” Gabriel's voice faltered as his parents looked at him as if he were a pitiful idiot, far removed from the pride he was used to seeing on their faces.

“I know your father has an affair, boy. Although, I can't even call it an affair since he and I don't really have a relationship.” Sienna explained, blunt as ever “We both made a deal about this from the day our families wanted us to get married. I'm sorry to burst your bubble, kiddo, but there's no love between me and your dad.”

“But…” Gabriel gasped, feeling like he was about to throw up, and not just from all the water he'd swallowed. “Why was I never told this before?”

“Because you are 16 and our son, Gabriel, for God's sake!” Edgar growled, angrier than Gabriel had ever seen him in his entire life “Is that why you were bullying Imogen's daughter? Why did you want to take revenge on her?”

“Did you hurt Adele’s granddaughter?!” Sienna snarled, suddenly wide awake "What's your problem, boy?!"

“I... I have to and go to Imogen and..." Edgar gasped, turning for a moment as if he were about to run to his lover, but instead he just took a deep breath and turned around, putting his hands on Gabriel's arms to help him up “First we have to get you to a hospital. Come on, get up.” His father backed him up, sounding concerned but still cold.

“I hope this served as a lesson for you to learn not to disobey us and come to the river at this time of year!” Sienna growled, still angry “God, how am I going to talk to Adele from here on out? I have to call her right now and think of a way to make it up to the Vamcaps! If I had known that one day you would embarrass me like this, Gabriel...! I swear you're going to regret this…!”

However, even with his mother's complaints sounding louder than usual in the silent night, the only thing Gabriel could concentrate on, as he stumbled shakily away from the still raging river, was looking in the direction where Andy and her family had disappeared, his heart aching with almost suffocating guilt as he realized he hadn't managed to properly apologize to her. Not that he thought there was anything he could say to erase the hell he'd made her life this past year… Or express the gratitude he was feeling for her saving her life.

And, as much as he knew he had no right to be feeling this way, all Gabriel wanted at that moment was to be able to see her again.

Hopefully, if she'd pitied him enough to save her life, maybe she'd also agree to talk to him sometime in the next few days.