CHAPTER 11
Dilvan
Dilvan found his yellow Ferrari in long-term parking at the airport, jumped inside and avoided the speed limit as he drove toward home.
With his heart beating as fast as he was driving, he didn’t know exactly what he’d do when he saw her, but one thing was for certain – he owed her an apology.
He also needed to confront his mother to find out why she’d kept it a secret that Gabrielle was the donor who’d saved his father’s life.
He needed to talk to her asap. From his perspective, the way he’d been treating Gabrielle was his mother’s fault.
Things could’ve been so much better had she been forthcoming with this information.
Yeah, he needed to see his mom first, so instead of driving home, he went straight to her house.
His heart pounded when he finally pulled up.
He wasted no time exiting his car, walking up to the door, and barging inside, heading straight for the library, which also doubled as Padma’s office.
Through the double French doors, he saw her sitting behind her desk on the phone.
Pushing both doors open at the same time, he yelled, “Why didn’t you tell me! ”
Padma frowned and told whomever she was talking to on the phone that she’d call them back. Then she looked up at Dilvan and asked calmly, “Why are you here, son? You’re supposed to be in California on a shoot.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about Gabrielle?”
Padma rose from her seat. “I don’t know what your problem is, Dilvan Alexander, but you will not take that tone with me in my house!”
Dilvan ran his hand over his head. “Okay,” he said, lowering his voice. “Why didn’t you tell me about Gabrielle?”
“Tell you what about Gabrielle?”
“That she was the donor who saved Dad’s life. Why didn’t you tell me, Mother? Why didn’t you tell me? Things would’ve been so different if you would have told me.”
“I had no reason to tell you.”
Dilvan placed his hands on his head out of complete frustration. “What do you mean you had no reason to? She’s my wife.”
“Oh, now she’s your wife.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ve never claimed her as your wife before, my lord,” Padma snapped.
“I know what you’ve been doing to her, Dilvan, and now, she’s your wife?
Why? Because now she means something to you, huh, since you know she saved your father’s life, but before you knew that, she was just ugly, poor, and disgusting.
You made her eat on the floor and in the rain–you forced yourself on her and now she means something to you–you good for nothing piece of crap!
” With trembling lips, she said, “I’m ashamed to even call you my son! ”
A look of complete shock covered Dilvan’s face. He couldn’t say a word to defend himself.
“Do you know why I chose Gabrielle for you? I chose her because she was the exact opposite of you. She’s kind, modest, she’s not obsessed with her looks, and she is perhaps the most unselfish person I know.
It was my hope that some of her traits would rub off on you, but instead, you tortured her.
You intentionally hurt Gabrielle–an innocent, young, beautiful woman that I love like she was my own daughter. ”
Tears filled Padma’s eyes. She continued, “She’s the woman who saved your father’s life, and you treat her worse than a stray dog! But guess what? She will not suffer at your hands ever again. She will not lose another baby because you want to have temper tantrums whenever you don’t get your way.”
“What?”
“Yeah, you heard me. She just got out of the hospital after having a miscarriage after you pushed her to the floor, and you know what the sad thing is? This is the second one she’s had. Two–two babies that she’s lost because I put her with an idiot!”
Dilvan thought back to Tuesday night when he’d pushed Gabrielle to the floor. He dropped his head in shame. He had no defense.
“And you know why I didn’t tell you about her being the donor for your father?
I’ll tell you why. I didn’t want you to love her because of something she did for our family.
I wanted you to love her because you recognized the goodness in her–the eagerness to be your wife and fulfill her role as your wife.
But you were too stupid to see that you had the perfect woman at your fingertips, and now she’s gone. ”
Dilvan frowned.
“Yeah, that’s right. I moved her out of that torture chamber you call a home, and she’s never coming back.”
Dilvan turned around and rushed out of his mother’s home. He sat in his car, thought about all he’d learned from his mother. Gabrielle told her everything. Apparently, his threats weren’t enough to keep her silent.
He struck the steering wheel out of frustration. His mother said she’d moved Gabrielle out of his house, but had she really?
There was only one way to find out.
He started the engine and peeled out of the driveway, speeding to get home.