As soon as Ella hung up, she took a deep breath, trying to gather her scattered thoughts. Could Fabian have fathered Tania’s child? It seemed improbable, yet the thought gnawed at her. She’d always sensed a strange connection between them. Could that connection have gone farther than she’d realized? Ella paced the room, her mind racing. If Fabian was truly involved with Tania in this way, that would explain some of his behavior his loyalty to her, even after all she’d done. It might also explain why he’d been so quick to help with her revenge plot against Tania. But to think he was still tangled up with her? It felt like another betrayal.
Ella’s mind drifted back to her last talk with Fabian, recalling his haunted expression as he admitted how Tania had taken advantage of him. He’d told her that Tania had assaulted him, violating not just his trust but his body. Ella remembered how he’d looked away, ashamed and angry, as if revealing that truth stripped him of every last shred of dignity he’d managed to cling to. Her heart twisted with the memory Fabian had become a reluctant pawn in Tania’s twisted schemes. And now, the evidence seemed to confirm that Tania was carrying Fabian’s child once again, this time through a disturbing violation.
How would Fabian take this news? She could only imagine how it would affect him. He was already struggling with guilt, regretting his choices and the web of secrets and lies that had bound them all together. Yet here was another strand to tie him to Tania, another cruel twist that would forever connect their lives. Ella thought back to the moments when Fabian had shown glimpses of a caring, protective nature. He’d stayed in the shadows to protect her and her children, even after she’d discovered his past betrayal. It had always seemed like he was atoning for something, driven by regret and responsibility. But this? This would break him.
Her phone pinged, interrupting her thoughts. It was an email from Ethan. She opened it but didn’t reply, her fingers hovering above the screen as she read his message. He was reaching out, trying to bridge the chasm that had grown between them, hoping to talk about Grace and the tangled web that Tania had woven around them. But how would she tell him that the same man who had fathered Grace was the father of Tania’s unborn child? And that this latest pregnancy had occurred through an act of violence? The thought was sickening.
“Why are things getting so complicated again?” she muttered to herself, pacing as her mind tried to process the layers of betrayal and manipulation. She couldn’t bear to imagine how Ethan would react if he found out the truth. He was already struggling with his feelings toward Tania, his anger and resentment bubbling beneath the surface. This revelation would only deepen his wounds.
Desperate to confide in someone, Ella picked up her phone and called Derek, filling him in on the disturbing details she’d pieced together. “Tania is pregnant… and the father is Fabian,” she said quietly, the words heavy with disbelief. “He told me what she did to him, how she assaulted him. I’m almost certain that’s how this pregnancy happened.”
Derek’s silence on the other end of the line spoke volumes. Finally, he exhaled sharply, a sound of shock and anger. “Wow, Ella. That’s a lot to take in. How… how is Fabian handling all of this?”
“When we last spoke, he seemed okay, but only just. I think he’s barely holding himself together,” Ella replied, her voice tinged with worry. “He’s been regretting most of his decisions lately, and I’m afraid this news will only push him further down that path.”
Derek paused, his voice softening. “This could break him, Ella. If you’re right, and this child is his… he’s going to carry that burden. He might not even be able to look at himself, knowing he’s connected to Tania this way. You should consider how you’re going to approach him with this.”
The weight of it all threatened to crush her. Ella knew she had to be careful with Fabian; he was in a fragile state, a man torn between remorse and resignation. Part of her wanted to shield him from this latest twist, to protect him from the devastating truth, but she couldn’t deny him the right to know.
“What should I do, Derek?” she asked, her voice a quiet plea. “If I tell him, it might shatter him completely. But if I keep it from him… I’d be no better than Tania, keeping secrets to manipulate him.”
Derek sighed, thinking carefully before responding. “You’re right, Ella. He deserves the truth, no matter how hard it is. But you can’t drop this on him without any support. Maybe… maybe we can figure out a way to tell him together. He needs to know, but he doesn’t need to face it alone.”
Ella nodded, feeling the weight of his words. They were more than just allies now; they were friends in a shared battle, trying to protect the ones they cared about from the fallout of Tania’s schemes. Ella resolved to be there for Fabian, to offer him whatever comfort and support she could. She couldn’t undo the past, couldn’t erase the betrayals, but she could stand by him as he faced this brutal truth. As she ended the call with Derek, a new sense of determination filled her.
Ella sat down, resting her hands on her lap as she tried to imagine the conversation with Fabian. She hoped he would be alright, that he’d find a way to take this news without letting it destroy him. After everything he had endured, he deserved some peace. But could she really be the one to bring it to him, knowing that her words would only reopen his wounds?
A wave of guilt washed over her, followed quickly by a surge of anger toward Tania. How many lives had Tania tainted? She thought of the twisted web that bound them all Ethan, Fabian, herself. Even her children were inextricably caught in Tania’s grasp, despite her every effort to shield them. Tania’s presence was like a poison, seeping into every part of their lives, turning love into hatred, loyalty into regret.
Ella picked up her phone again, scrolling through the recent photos of Leo and Liam. Their innocent smiles offered her a sense of calm she couldn’t find anywhere else. The twins were her light, her reason to keep going, no matter how complicated things became. She couldn’t let Tania’s games continue to drag them all down. Fabian, too, was someone she wanted to protect, even if he didn’t think he deserved it.
Her mind wandered to the past again, to the day she’d confronted Fabian about his role in Tania’s schemes. She remembered the haunted look in his eyes, the self-loathing that seeped through his every word as he admitted his part in the deception. And now, he was burdened with yet another child from this nightmare, a reminder of his vulnerability and the pain he could never seem to escape.
Her phone buzzed again, and this time it was a message from Derek: Let’s meet tomorrow. We can come up with a plan to break it to Fabian gently. He needs to hear this from us.
Ella typed back, Thank you. I’ll be there. She leaned back, staring at the ceiling, her heart heavy with the looming confrontation. She knew that Fabian would be devastated. But she also knew he’d find some way to survive it just as he had survived everything else Tania had inflicted on him.
“Whatever it takes, we’ll get through this,” she whispered to herself, the promise hanging in the quiet room as she steeled herself for the path ahead.