Chapter 38 Anna
Ipull myself up and walk out of Gabriel's office. My head is swirling, and exiting the room makes everything real, and tears start to flow again.
I walk past Lydia, who doesn't say a word and watches me go up the stairs, heading for Gabriel's room—our room.
Shutting the door behind me, I collapse on the bed and breathe in his scent, sobbing into his pillow.
The uncertainty of everything forces my stomach to remain in knots. Despite attempting to breathe and relax, thinking it's not good for the baby, I can't. My emotions are too strong.
I stare at the wall, which, through my constant flow of tears, is blurry.
After some time, it comes into focus, and I realize I've finally stopped crying.
Not because I'm feeling any better, but because I have nothing left.
In every aspect of my emotional self, I've bared it all today, and my body just can't take it anymore.
I feel tired, drained, and mentally fatigued. It's as if I've run a marathon and collapsed after finishing. I close my eyes, but all I see is Gabriel's face, his look of betrayal, his anger.
After a while of lying there, the room starts to get dark with the setting sun. It's in this darkness I feel truly alone, vulnerable, and lost.
Suddenly, I hear the handle to the door turn, and I look, assuming I'll see Lydia. But as the light from the hallway rushes into the room, I see Gabriel standing in the doorway. I wipe the hair out of my face and sit up. My heart feels like it's going to explode as my chest tightens.
He just stands there for a moment, not speaking. He takes a step forward, leaving the door open to keep some light in the room.
"Anna," he says, his voice low. "I have a proposition for you."
I hold my breath, bracing myself for whatever comes next. Gabriel moves closer, his eyes never leaving mine.
"You're going to leave the FBI. Completely. No more contact, no more missions. You'll integrate fully into my life, into the family." He pauses and clears his throat. "You'll do all this to become my wife."
Wife?
I exhale as my eyes widen. Did he just say wife? A sudden mix of fear and longing swirls in my chest.
"We'll never revisit your past with the FBI again," Gabriel continues, his tone firm with no room for argument. "That part of your life is over, buried. You're Anna now. If anyone asks, tell them it's your middle name or a nickname you've always gone by."
I nod slowly, still processing his words.
"This is non-negotiable, Anna. It's the only way forward."
I see in his face that the anger I saw earlier is gone, replaced by determination and something else—a vulnerability I've never seen in him before.
"Gabriel, I—" I start, but he cuts me off.
"Think carefully before you answer," he says. "There’s no going back."
I close my eyes, running the decision through my mind. Everything about me, everything I've worked for, fought and scraped to earn—gone. But as I place my hand on my stomach, I realize that all those things brought me here, to this moment, and all that I could ever want is in this room.
"Okay," I say, opening my eyes to meet his. "Yes, I'll do it. I want to be your wife, Gabriel. I want to be with you. I want us to be a family. No matter how fucked up our situation may be, I want to live it with you."
Relief washes over his face, and it's quickly replaced by the fierce possessiveness that normally fills his eyes—the type that makes my heart flutter.
He rushes toward me and pulls me to my feet.
"You know I would have forced you if you said no," he says, looking down at me with a slight smile.
I nod as I stare into those damn green eyes. "You could ask me to do anything, and for you—I would."
"The same, Bella," he says as his lips come crashing against mine in a kiss that's both tender and demanding.
When we break apart, Gabriel cups my face in his hands. "Anna Falcone."
"I like the sound of that."
"Mine forever, Bella," he says, rubbing my cheek.
I smile. "I'm yours, Gabriel. And you're mine."
He smiles, and I feel his eyes fill with lust and desire.
"And now, I'm going to claim the last of you."