CHAPTER 2

Camila’s POV

The following morning, I walked into Isabella’s apartment even though I was still in a daze from last night’s event. I needed to clear my head and Isabella always knew how to comfort me. Besides, she wanted to talk to me about Gabriel last night but I wasn’t in the mood to drive. 

When she opened the door and saw me, she greeted me with wide arms open, and for a moment, I let myself believe everything would be okay. As if expecting my visit, she made my favorite cake and we talked over coffee. Truthfully, I couldn’t thank her enough for always being by my side. 

“I can’t believe he would do this to you!” 

“I don’t know what went wrong, Isa. I thought we were fine. How could he just...ask for divorce?”

“The bastard!” she hissed. “Mmm, but you are a strong woman, Cams. You always have been, so I’m sure you’ll get through this,” she reassured me  while holding my hand. 

I wanted to believe her but everything felt so wrong! 

“Thanks, Isa. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I said but as I spoke, her phone buzzed on the table. My eyes flickered to the screen, and my breath caught in my throat. Gabriel's name. “Why is Gabriel texting you?” I asked but she quickly grabbed her phone. 

“Oh, that? It’s just work stuff. You know how he gets about deadlines,” she replied but I was suspecting the truthfulness of her words. 

Something felt off, but I pushed the thought away. She was probably telling the truth. After all, she was my best friend!  But why would he text her?

“Anyway, are you free tonight? Shall we go bar hopping like the old times?” I proposed but she quickly shook her head. 

“I’d love to but I have something else to do tonight. I’m sorry, Cams but I already said yes to my other friend,” she told me and I furrowed my brows. 

“Another friend? Who?” I asked because we have the same group of friends. 

“Mmmm, you don’t know him,” she said. 

“Oh, I see. Are you dating now?” 

She nodded. 

“Well, enjoy your date then,” I told her and she smiled. 

“What about you, Cams? Are you going back to your Mom’s place?” 

“Why should I? I’m still married to him,” I replied without revealing that the house where Gabriel and I lived belonged to me. I purchased it when I was still single and we  had a prenuptial agreement.

“So, you’ll be at home?” 

“Yes, but I may have to start packing my things,” I mumbled.  

“Do you need my help?” she offered. 

“Mmm, I can manage, Isa. Thank you.”

Because Isabella and I seldom spent time together, we decided to have lunch in her apartment. Then afterward, I went home with a box of cake that Isabella personally baked for me. 

When evening came, I expected Gabriel to come home and apologize for last night but he didn’t come. I waited until nine before I decided to call his number but just like earlier, there was no answer. 

I tried not to get disappointed and convinced myself that he was just probably working overtime in the office. But I needed answers. He was probably drunk last night so I needed to confirm if he really wanted the divorce  or it was just a prank.  

I called his office number but there was no response so I took a deep breath while trying to think things over.  Then, I made a quick decision to check my condo unit. I’ve never been to that place after marrying Gabriel but I believed I would live there after the divorce because I planned to sell the house afterward. 

It was past nine when I arrived at the building and the elevator ride to the 12th floor felt endless. I could hear the soft hum of the building as it climbed and every time the doors slid open for another stop, I had to force myself  to stay calm. 

When I reached my floor, I walked down the hallway, and stopped in front of the door to the unit. The keys jingled in my hand as I unlocked the door and stepped inside, but as I moved toward  the bedroom, I froze after hearing voices. 

Familiar voices, actually!

 Trembling, I pressed my ears on the wooden panel to eavesdrop a little more. 

“Gabriel... you always know how to make me feel special,” she said and my eyes widened in disbelief. 

I stood frozen outside the door, and my breath caught in my throat. Then, I pressed a trembling hand against the wall to steady myself. That voice….it can’t be… Isabella!  To dismiss the thought, I shook my head several times and then I edged closer to the door. 

My heart was pounding so loud I could barely hear anything else. Slowly, I reached up to slip in my hearing aid because I was desperate to catch every word. I needed to know. I needed to hear it clearly!

“You know I’ve missed you,” Gabriel’s voice was low and it was so different from the way he talked to me yesterday. “You’re the only one who’s ever understood me, sweetheart,” he added. 

And at that moment, I pushed the door open just enough to see inside, and my stomach twisted as my worst fears were confirmed. Gabriel was on the bed, his shirt was halfway unbuttoned, and his body was pressed against…Isabella! 

As I watched them, tears burned behind my eyes. Gabriel leaned closer to her, and his lips were brushing her ear as he whispered things I had never heard from him. 

“You’re perfect, sweetie. I’ve always loved you and I never stopped thinking about you,” he said and my heart crumbled while listening to him because he had never said those words to me. 

“I can’t believe you stayed with her for so long,” Isabella murmured as her fingers traced his chest. “It must’ve been awful, right?” 

Gabriel sighed and replied, “It was awful but I had no choice. My mother insisted that I should marry her, but I never loved her, sweetie. So now that Mom is dead, I can marry you, finally!” 

Shit! 

I cursed inwardly when he kept giving assurance to Isabella. Then, I gripped the doorframe so hard my knuckles turned white. Awful? My body trembled with the force of my pain, and even if he had already told me he never loved me, it was still painful to hear! That’s all I had been to him?

Damn you, Gabriel! 

I couldn’t stand it anymore and the room spun around me. My vision blurred as I tried to hold back the sobs that were clawing at my throat. 

“I’m so glad you’re back in my life, Gabriel,” Isabella purred. “Now we can finally be together…like we were meant to be.”

I felt like I was going to be sick and I wanted to scream at them, but I couldn’t move. I was frozen and trapped in the doorway while my heart was breaking piece by piece! And to add insult to my injury, Gabriel leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. 

Then, he captured her mouth in a passionate kiss; something I hadn’t seen him in so long. Maybe never, and then he whispered something in her ear that made her giggle.  Once and for all, I couldn’t take it any longer. A sob escaped my lips and the door creaked as I stumbled backward and hit the wall. 

Then, the noise caught their attention. Gabriel’s head snapped up and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw me standing there. For a split second, guilt flashed across his face, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. He didn’t even bother to move away from her.  

“Cams,” Isabella said softly while pretending to be surprised. 

I couldn’t find the words to confront her. My throat was tight and my voice strangled by the betrayal that suffocated me. All I could do was stare at Gabriel and it was enough to break my heart into a million pieces.

“How long?” I finally managed to choke out the question in a trembling voice. “Since when have you fucked my husband, Isa?” I demanded to know and she flinched at my inquiry.

“It doesn’t matter, Camila. Isabella is the one I’ve always wanted!” Gabriel insisted.

“You owe me the truth, Gabriel,” I said while trying to act normal in front of the traitors. 

“Fine! It’s been a while. Isabella and I…we’ve always had something between us, and she’s the one I truly wanted. I met her first,” he said coldly. 

As he kept talking, I wanted to scream. The injustice of it all was suffocating! Then, I recalled how Isa behaved on my wedding day! She acted as if Gabriel was a total stranger, and yet my bastard husband claimed he met her first! 

“Damnit, Gabriel!” I shouted and my voice broke as I pointed at him. “I was the one who stayed by your side, Gabriel. Not her!” 

“Cams, I didn’t want things to turn out this way,” Isabella said softly while sitting comfortably on the bed as if none of this affected her.  “But you have to understand... Gabriel and I, we have history.”

“History? You’re my best friend, Isa!”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Cams,” she said with fake innocence. Then, she reached out toward Gabriel and rested her hand on his arm.

Then, Gabriel spoke. “As I’ve said last night, there was always someone else, and that someone else is Isabella. I want to spend my lifetime with her,” he said and she nodded as if she was supporting his statement. 

“I didn’t want to hurt you, Cams, but you have to understand that Gabriel and I were always meant to be together. You were just…in the way,” Isabella quipped and her words sliced through me like a blade. 

“You will regret this,” I whispered. “Both of you. So, how long?” I demanded to know when they started to betray me. 

“Camila, please, it’s not what you think,” Gabriel started.

“Not what I think? You’re with her,” I spat.  “My best friend? How could you do this to me, Gabriel?” I shouted and then Isabella tried to come closer to me. 

“Cams, I didn’t mean for this to happen. I didn’t—”

“Don’t!” I snapped, pulling away. “Don’t touch me. You were supposed to be my friend!” I shouted at Isabella before turning my back. 

I couldn’t stay there a moment longer so I grabbed my purse and bolted for the door. Then, I slammed it behind me. My heart pounded in my chest, and my vision blurred with tears. How could everything fall apart so quickly?

I fumbled with the elevator button, desperately needing to escape, but the tears wouldn’t stop. The walls felt like they were closing in on me and when I stepped into the elevator, my body trembled as the doors slid shut.

Then, the dam broke. I leaned against the cool metal wall and let out the sob I’d been holding back. My chest ached, and it felt like my heart was being torn apart all over again.

How could Gabriel, the man I had loved, and Isabella, the woman I trusted most in the world, do this to me? I wiped my tears with the back of my hand, trying to compose myself, but it was useless. The sobs came harder, and I slumped against the wall.

"Hey, are you okay?"

I hadn’t even noticed that someone else had been in the elevator. My head shot up and I was startled. Through my tear-blurred vision, I saw a man standing just a few feet away. Embarrassed, I quickly turned away.

“I’m fine,” I choked out.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to intrude, but you don’t look okay.”

"It’s nothing," I mumbled.

“Sometimes, it helps to talk. Even if it’s just to a stranger.”

I finally forced myself to look up at him, ready to brush him off, but when our eyes met, my breath caught in my throat. He wasn’t a stranger at all.

I knew this man!

For a moment, we just stared at each other and neither of us was speaking. It had been years. So many years since I’d seen him. 

“Daniel?” I whispered and he gave a small nod. 

He gave a small nod, his eyes searching mine, and suddenly, everything felt even more surreal. Of all the people I could have run into today, of all the possible moments, it had to be him.

“Camila,” he said softly, as if testing the name on his lips. “It’s been a long time.”

I felt my heart twist in my chest, not sure if it was from the shock of seeing him after so long or from everything that had just happened. My hands trembled as I tried to make sense of the situation.

“What...what are you doing here?”

“I live here,” he said simply.

“I can’t believe it’s you,” I murmured.

“Neither can I,” he replied gently.

I was uncomfortable in his presence but fortunately, the elevator dinged as we arrived at the lobby. The doors slid open, and for a second, I considered stepping out and leaving  him. But instead, I stayed frozen in place and stared at Daniel. 

“Did he cheat on you?” he asked all of a sudden and I was confused how to respond. 

I was about to speak when he pressed the button going up again. I snapped my brows when I looked at him, but he just grinned. Then, before I could find the words to say another more, Daniel stepped closer.

“I never thought I’d see you again, Camila. But maybe this time, it’s different. You don’t have to explain,” Daniel said quietly, his eyes searching mine. “But… if you need a break, someone to talk to, you can come with me.”

My mind was screaming to run, but my heart was too broken to refuse. I didn’t say anything, but Daniel closed the gap between us. 

“Or… we don’t have to talk. Maybe you just need a distraction. You look you’ve been through enough,” he muttered. 

Something in his tone shifted, and when I looked into his eyes, there was a heat there I hadn’t noticed before. My breath hitched as I tried to process what was happening. Was he… suggesting what I thought he was? Before I could even fully comprehend, Daniel’s next words confirmed it.

“Do you want to sleep with me?”