Angelina Fernandez.
The woman whom Gabriel had loved for years; the woman who had broken his heart three years ago and fled abroad; and the same woman he expected to have back until their wedding three years ago.
It was a name Leonica would never forget. Because even on their wedding night, the name Gabriel moaned out was still "Angelina", not remembering the one lying under him was his new wife.
Leonica should have already given up this loveless marriage if Grandma hadn't asked her to. Grandma never liked Angelina, and she always believed that Leonica was the best wife choice for Gabriel.
"Gabriel," Leonica called out and then reminded him, "You promised Grandma you'd stay away from that woman."
"Are you threatening me?" Gabriel questioned with cold eyes on her. Hearing her talk about his late grandmother, he couldn't help but feel enraged. "You're in no position to talk about my grandmother."
She was about to say something else when he turned to face the driver and instructed. "Stop the car."
His sudden instruction caused a wave of confusion to wash over Leonica. Her brows creased as Gabriel ordered her coldly.
"Get out!"
Leonica's eyes widened and she froze on the spot. "What?"
Did he...did he really mean that? Asking her to get out in the middle of a road where cars rarely came by at this time point. Then how should she come home?
"Get. Out." Gabriel reiterated with a stern and authoritative voice.
"G-Gabriel," Leonica called out, her voice trembling.
"Get out, or I will make you," Gabriel growled again.
At this point, the driver had gotten out and was already holding the door open for Leonica, his eyes apologetic.
Leonica didn't have a choice, so without any other choice, she got out of the car.
As soon as she was out, Gabriel slammed the door close. The tears she had held back rolled down her face, as the Rolls Royce sped away and disappeared from her sight.
Suddenly, the ache in her heart seemed to have traveled all the way down to her stomach and the sharp pain hit her.
In a few minutes, everything went dark and silent.
Leonica woke up to the sound of hospital machines beeping and hushed whispers beside her.
Her lashes fluttered open and she found herself lying on a hospital bed, her arms hooked up to an IV.
Slowly, she turned her head to the side, her eyes landing on the familiar faces of her parents.
The blonde who was her mother, C*ssandra, was the first to notice that she had opened her eyes.
"Oh honey, you're awake!" She exclaimed, a sigh of relief escaping her.
"We were so worried." Her father, Benjamin, chimed in, his expression filled with worry.
"Dad...Mom..." Leonica croaked, her voice weak and throat dry.
"I'll get her a gl*ss of water," C*ssandra said, rising from her seat and walking out of the room, leaving her husband and daughter alone.
"Honey, are you alright? Are you feeling better?" Benjamin asked, taking his wife's previous seat.
Leonica looked around the room with her eyes, before looking at her father and asking. "Why am I in the hospital? What happened?"
"You don't remember?" He asked and she shook her head.
Benjamin pressed his lips into a thin line, sighing seconds later before he began his explanation, "You had p*ssed out on the road when a couple driving by saw you and rushed you to the hospital. You had mine and your mother's number stored as your emergency number, so the hospital called us as soon as you arrived."
"Oh," Leonica could only say, frowning instantly when the memory of Gabriel's cold face rushed back into her mind.
"They told us you'd collapsed because of anemia and overwork. Just in case there are any other problems, the doctors have run some tests and the results just came out," Benjamin continued, pulling her out of her thoughts.
"What did the doctors say?" Leonica questioned, not missing the sad and worried look that crossed her father's eyes.
"Darling," C*ssandra walked back into the room, carrying a gl*ss of water.
Leonica looked at her and noticed that her eyes were a little puffy and swollen like she had been crying.
"Drink this." C*ssandra placed the gl*ss of water on the table beside the hospital bed and handed it to Leonica.
With a nod, Leonica accepted the gl*ss and gulped down the cool water, feeling the dryness in her throat slowly disappear.
"I heard you talked about the test results." C*ssandra addressed her husband as she sat down. Benjamin nodded his head.
Leonica, who had her ears trained on their conversation, was not able to hide her confusion.
"What is it, Mom? What did the doctor say?" She asked.
Benjamin and C*ssandra glanced at each other for a few seconds, communicating through their eyes, before turning to their daughter.
"The reason why you p*ssed out was because of slight complications. You're two months pregnant, Leonica." Her mother informed after holding her hands tightly and a bit excitedly.
"What?" Leonica asked in surprise.
She...she was two months pregnant?!
The news instilled fear in Leonica as much as it did hope.A baby was currently living inside her, serving as proof of the nights she and her husband made love together. Proof of how strong she and Gabriel's bond was about to become.Would Gabriel cancel his demand for divorce if he learned of his child growing in her womb?"I...I need to let him know." Leonica muttered under her breath, looking around for her phone.She quickly found it on the nightstand and with a smile on her lips, she dialed Gabriel's number and pressed the phone to her ears, listening to the line ring.It rang unanswered for seconds. Seconds soon turned into minutes and several more tries, but her efforts were futile.Gabriel didn't pick up.Well, how would he even have the heart to pay attention to her when his past love returned?Her smile turned bitterly as the tips of her fingers clutching her cell phone started to shiver."Enough, Leonica," Benjamin sighed deeply and took away the phone from her daughter's h
The humiliating memory of the wedding night came back to her when Leonica caught Angelina sitting comfortably on her matrimonial bed like she was the real hostess."Y-You! How did you get in here?" Leonica hissed, anger rising to the surface of her visage as a glare formed on her eyes.Angelina didn't say anything, instead, she just looked at Leonica provocatively. And the next second, the bathroom door opened from behind and Gabriel stepped out, with a bathroom towel wrapped around his waist as his wet hair clung messily to his face.Leonica's heart shattered into pieces at that moment and her eyes were filled with betrayal, hurt, and annoyance, especially when Gabriel's facial expression turned into disdain after spotting her existence."Gabriel, what is she doing here?" Leonica demanded as she balled her fists.Angelina wasted no time in scurrying over to Gabriel and shamelessly burying her face in his bare chest, acting like a scared cat.Gabriel made no effort to withdraw from he
Gabriel didn't know how to tell his feelings.The woman standing before him was clearly the same, yet the aura around her had suddenly shifted.Earlier in the day she had been pleading with him, trying to vie for his attention like a hungry wh*re and now here she was, acting like an arrogant lioness.But most of all, he wondered why his heart ached when Leonica spoke of divorce with such conviction.Wasn't her willingness to divorce exactly what he wanted?"Gabe, I...I think I should leave. I-I don't want to see you two fighting because of me." Angelina's voice pulled him out of his mind. The little woman hung her head low in his arms, trying to restrain her trembling."Stay here." He tried to re*ssure Angelina but got Leonica scoffed. Gabriel shot his angry gaze to his wife again.Angelina suppressed her smile and continued her act, "N-no. I think I should leave."She said and quickly turned around to get dressed. However, when she just took a few steps from Gabriel, she acted wobbly
Gabriel tugged his tie loose as he walked over to the bed. The duvet had rolled down to the edge of the bed, exposing the lacey nightgown she had worn to sleep.It was a s*xy lingerie that accentuated her breasts and the curve of her hips, showing just enough skin for any man to become tempted.[She’s got a d*mn hot body and no man would miss that. ]Sebastian's words came back to his mind again, making Gabriel more annoyed. Why should she dress so s*xy when her husband is not at home? Was she expecting any other man to spot this? No wonder so many men were lusting after her, huh?Slowly, Gabriel stalked towards the bed, his body moving on its own accord.His eyes were clouded with a strong lustful desire, and his pants were starting to feel uncomfortable as his hard-on pressed against the zipper.[I should court her, maybe see what she's made of in bed.]Those words were like demons to his ears. The more he imagined how other men would court her or even have s*x with her, the more he
Leonica was sitting upright on the bed, staring emptily into the space.The hickeys Gabriel left on her were still fresh, yet instead of excitement like anytime before, it only made her shudder and sick.She hated him.Hated him with a new growing p*ssion.When he was the one who asked for the divorce, the one who brought his mistress home regardless of her opinions as his wife, the one who said he'd rather die than marry her, how the hell could he do all that to her last night?In order not to hurt the baby, she dropped all her pride to beg him yet he still cared about his feelings only. And after all this, he stepped out of bed before she could wake up as if nothing happened.what the h*ll did he think she was? A free wh*re at his beck and call? Gabriel Bryce that b*stard surely had no heart for her!Leonica didn't know how long she kept this position until the doorbell rang.She had planned on ignoring it, but the person on the other end was persistent and rang the bell repeatedly,
Gabriel shot up from his seat after Christian’s words, startling both his friends.“Whoa!” Lloyd exclaimed, nearly spilling his drink on his dress.“I’m leaving.” Gabriel announced and without another word, walked out of the club room.He made his way towards his car, entered and began driving towards his and Leonica’s shared Villa.Throughout the drive there, Gabriel’s mind wandered, pondering the many possibilities of what would happen if Leonica was indeed pregnant.That would mean he was about to become a father.The p*ssing thought caused a fluttering feeling to erupt in his chest. However, he discarded the feeling as quick as it had came, his fingers tightening around the steering wheel.Before *ssuming things, he needed to speak with Leonica and have her confirm it herself.After an hours drive, Gabriel finally pulled up in the driveway of their shared Villa and stepped into the house.“Leonica,” He called out, his voice echoing off the huge living room that barely housed furni
Five Years Later.The warm sun. The sound of joyous children as they ran around the park, playing and Blooming cherry blossom.It was the start of spring, Leonica’s favorite season.Staring out the gl*ss window of the shop she was standing in, she admired the beautiful scenery of spring in Colorado.It has always been a sight that marveled her ever since she settled in Colorado. It was a peaceful neighborhood that had become her home ever since five years ago.Smiling warmly at the sight, Leonica’s attention was drawn away by the sound of approaching footsteps.“Ah, this should do the job. It’s the cutest one I have.” Marcus, the shop owner, spoke as he approached her, holding a cute black bunny toy.Leonica smiled brightly and reached her hands out, taking the plush toy and admiring it.Marcus had been a long time friend of her, having met him two years ago. She had walked into his toy shop one day, looking for a gift like a lost soul, when he spotted her.After helping her, they beg
The next day, in the affluent district of Norway city, a meeting consisting of Romero Empire’s main shareholders was ensuing.Voices bounced off the four walls of the conference room, growing louder and rowdier by each p*ssing second as one shareholder over another, had something more important to voice.“The presidential seat has been vacant for far too long,” Rodrigo began, opening his argument for the meeting. “Romero empire needs a capable president that can lead us to prosperity.”“I agree.” One of the shareholders present concurred, nodding his head at Rodrigo’s statement. “But the question is who?”“Perhaps the eldest son of the Romero family, Leonardo?” Another shareholder spoke up, however, instantly regretting her words when Rodrigo sent her a sharp glare.“Impossible.” He objected. “Leonardo is not fit to be the president of Romero Empire. He may have graduated with a business degree from oxford, but he’s still too inexperienced to take over a company as successful as this.