Chapter 9
GAbrIELLA
I sat alone in the bustling café, staring out the front window, awaiting my guest.
The past few months had been a whirlwind.
I moved across the country, started a new job and ramped up divorce proceedings. Nico tried to fight me on everything, though our case had grown a lot more complicated. I wasn’t playing nice anymore.
I made multiple claims against my soon-to-be-ex-husband, including fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress, breach of fiduciary duty. And I didn’t stop there, choosing to go after One Care Fertility Clinic for medical malpractice.
My world had been irrevocably blown to pieces, so it was only fair that the aftermath be far-reaching and just as devastating. No one was safe.
I had made it to the anger stage of the grief cycle—although that word didn’t fully encapsulate the acuity of rage continuously writhing inside me.
It was a living, breathing entity, a starved beast that was desperate for the downfall of anyone who had played a part in my pain, no matter how minuscule.
Sometimes, those dark thoughts scared me. Hate didn’t come naturally, but Nico had turned me into a person I did not recognise.
There were only a select few I could now rely on and confide in. And one of them just happened to enter the café.
Daisy beelined for me, her green eyes holding an underlying hurt that reflected my own.
I stood upright at her approach, and we enveloped each other in a tight hug.
It was the first time we’d ever met in person, yet she was the sole entity on Earth who knew what I was going through in that exact moment.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” I repeated like a mantra, guilt a constant companion ever since I had sent the incriminating evidence to her inbox.
“Don’t ever be sorry. I was wilfully blind, but no more. No more, Gabriella.”
Her words gave a modicum of relief before we both broke down in tears in the middle of a crowded café. Yet we didn’t care, the release cathartic and long overdue.
Through my private investigator, Nico wasn’t the only husband found implicated in all manner of nefarious acts. His new bestie and enabler—Lucus Miller, the international pilot—was frequently seen by his side, with all evidence leading to foul play.
I had met my husband’s new friend only once, and thought him charming. He was charismatic and devoted, even showing off pictures of his beautiful wife with shining auburn hair—the woman who sat across from me.
Initially, I’d been thankful for their connection, as Lucus and Daisy had chosen a child-free lifestyle. He openly shared his views, which seemed to ease Nico’s burden about our not being able to conceive. Now I knew how absurd that truly was.
The only positive that came out of their friendship was the unlikely one I found with Daisy, forged through joint betrayal caused by those who claimed to love us the most. They had unwittingly brought us together, and I was thankful to have her support.
We settled in our seats, mugs in hand, as we relayed the latest from our depressing lives.
“Have you filed for divorce yet?” I asked.
“He still doesn’t know that I know… I haven’t confronted him yet.”
My jaw literally dropped open before recovering. “How are you doing it, Daisy? How have you kept it under wraps so long?”
“The thought of revenge and maximum damage. He deserves nothing less.”
I raised my cup in salute, then took a sip when she hit me with her own question.
“What are you going to do now?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Between all this legal stuff, I’m kind of lost.”
“I thought you wanted a kid?”
“I did. I do. Above all else. But—”
“But what? You froze your eggs, right? And you don’t have that loser holding you back anymore. So, what other excuse have you got for me, Gabby?”
“It’s not that easy. There are risks involved, and I’d have to find a donor. These things take time.”
“Donor? There’s lots of eligible men out there. Hell, my best friend didn’t know her soulmate was right beside her until the dropkick husband was out of the way first. There are many eligible bachelors around. You’ve just got to be willing to open your eyes.”
What she spoke of was a pretty dream—one I desperately wanted to pursue when the time was right.
“I’m going through a divorce.”
“And?” Daisy snarked. “You gonna let your bastard ex-husband steal this from you too? Stop giving Nico power where he no longer has none. Get pregnant or don’t get pregnant. Just make sure it’s what you want. Not anyone else, just you.” She shrugged. “Take back your power.”
“How are you taking back your power?”
Daisy winked. “One message at a time,” she said, all cryptic, like she was the keeper of a monumental secret. “And what’s that other saying? To get over someone, you have get under someone else. Well, it’s my friend’s divorce party coming up, and I know the perfect place to test that theory.”
I smiled at the vivacious woman before me, wishing I could steal just an ounce of her self-assuredness. “Like a rebound?”
“Exactly like a rebound.”
Just as I was about to reply, an instinctual tingle made my gaze swing to the door to catch Leonardo entering. And when he caught my green gaze with his grey one, his smile stretched wide, brightening his face. He was beautiful.
“Phew,” Daisy said. “Now, there’s your rebound, Gabby. Oh, shit, he’s coming over here.”
She was talking about my Leonardo. I had asked him to join us on his lunch break so he could meet my partner in crime.
Leo stopped at our table and bent down to kiss my cheek. “Ella,” he said in greeting. The gesture was innocent—one we’d had since the beginning. So why were flutters erupting in my gut all of a sudden?
I half-assed an introduction between Daisy and Leonardo. And when the latter left us to grab a coffee, the former immediately seized my hand over the table.
“You little holdout! This is the Leonardo, the best friend you just moved in with?”
“Yes.”
Daisy gave an overexaggerated sigh. “Why is everyone else so lucky? Why didn’t I get a hot, available, male best friend.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Gabriella, are you blind? You just happen to have the perfect donor right here. Instead of wasting time at a clinic, you should try it the old-fashioned way. You know, for research purposes.”
I giggled, heat rising to my cheeks. “Leo is more than a rebound or someone to be used. He’s my rock, my other half, the person I turn to when—”
Daisy nodded along. “Mmhmm. Tell me more about how amazing he is…”
Right then, Leo placed three fresh coffees on the table and took the seat closest to me. “Looked like you both needed a top-up. I asked the barista to repeat your previous orders,” he said, all nonchalant, as if his sweet words weren’t causing Daisy’s eyes to bug out.
“This isn’t fair.” She groaned.
“Oh, do you want me to take it back?” Leo asked.
“No. But if Gabriella here doesn’t take it, I’m gonna spank her myself.”
Leo laughed, grey eyes dancing with mirth. “I’d love to see that.”
Daisy raised the rim to her lips before whispering so low only I caught the words, “I’m sure you would.”