AUTHOR’S POV
AVERY GAVE GAVIN TIME TO download what had happened before she entered the room. She put on her cloak of self-control, ready to take in all he had to say.
She wrapped her arm around him from behind and rested her head on his back.
Caressing his chest she said softly, ” I know you are blaming yourself, don’t. It’s Sydney’s fault, I don’t know what she did but I promise, I overheard her conspiring with that lumberjack.”
Gavin was shaking with anger and hurt. Enough, enough. He screamed silently. Avery’s words were like a loud cacophony of sirens in his ear.
” On the bright side, we finally have this place to ourselves and Sydney is out of the picture.”
Gavin turned to her, his jaw tight as he uttered, ” Bright side? What’s f**king bright about that?”
Avery sneered. ” You wanted a divorce; you’ve got it. Aren’t you happy?”
Gavin looked around hopelessly. What have you done? What have you done? It all poured down on him like hot oil on his body. It ravaged his mind far beyond ruin. Sydney wasn’t his wife anymore. She’s free to be with another man. He can’t see his kids as much as he used to. His mother-in-law was gone because of him.
His eyes trailed to Avery’s and then he realized it was all her fault.
” You, you lied to me. You knew Ashley was going to die, didn’t you?” Gavin barked, hot tears growing in his eyes.
Avery looked nonchalant. ” Please, Gavin don’t even blame me for any of this. I told you what I heard, and you could have called Ashley to confirm, but you didn’t. ”
She rolled her eyes and wrapped her hand around his shoulder then whispered, ” Let her go, she doesn’t deserve you. I deserve you, we can start a new family with our baby. It will be just three of us.”
Gavin stared down at her hotly, ” Don’t get ahead of yourself Avery. Once that baby is born, I’ll give you as much money as you want, then you can take your sorry a** and leave my house. ”
Gavin peeled her arm away from his and grabbed his coat from the coat hanger.
Avery spoke quickly. ” So you are going to abandon your child, Gavin?”
Gavin half looked at her. ” You will live here, not the baby. I know what you are capable of doing to my child and I’d never let it off with an unsympathetic woman like you.”
Everyone who knew Avery knew how much she loathed children. She’d been pregnant before, and although the baby passed twelve weeks, Avery went ahead with an abortion.
” Where are you going, Gavin? ” Avery shouted angrily.
Gavin ignored her and walked out of the room. Avery growled. She resisted the urge to chase after him and smack him in the face.
” Like I’d want to have a family with you. To hell with you.” She spit out the hair touching her lips and continued venting. ” You’ll regret bringing me to your home, Gavin; I’ll kill you before you can send me away. This place would be mine. Your wealth, mine. Your fame, mine. ”
She laughed cruelly. ” Everyone will pay. ” She held her chest. ” Everyone.”
A few minutes later, Sydney and her kids were standing at the front door of Sofia’s house.
Sydney pressed the doorbell. Faint sounds of rumbling came from inside.
Sydney heard Sofia say while panting. ” No, I’m not expecting anyone.”
Sydney regretted not telling Sofia she was coming. She must be having a visitor.
” Why’s she breathing like that mommy?” Emily, who had also heard Sofia’s panting, voiced in concern.
The door opened before Sydney could reply.
Sofia’s eyes widened seeing them. She was tousle-haired, her chest was rising and falling, and she wore only a shirt that clearly belonged to a man.
She blushed in embarrassment.
” Um… Sydney what are you doing here?” She asked nervously.
She’d been too busy spending a hot evening with Gil to turn up the television or her phone.
Sydney said tiredly. ” Um, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt… you.”
Sofia noticed Sydney had been crying. Her heart lurched, ” Are you okay, Sydney? Co… Come in.”
She made way for them to enter. Sydney and Emily got in while Ethan stared at her frowning.
” You have something on your lips.” He gestured to the white-ish substance by the corner of her lips.
Sofia flushed and quickly cleaned it. She got uncomfortable when Ethan kept staring at her. ” Come on, get in.” She pestered.
Ethan rolled his eyes and said before walking in, ” There must be a man in this house.”
Sofia got in to see Sydney and Gil talking. She held a laugh, seeing him dressed in her baggy shirt that was extremely tight on him. She wondered how he put it on so quickly.
Emily was looking at the tattoo on Gil’s waist in awe. ” Mummy, he has a tattoo. I can spell this word. Can I get one?”
” No baby tattoos aren’t for kids,” Sydney said stressfully.
Sofia chirped in after noticing Sydney’s mood. ” There’s a room over that corner, Emily and Ethan, you can go take a nap while I talk to your mommy.”
Emily and Ethan hurled into the room without a fuss. Sydney looked at her with grateful eyes and collapsed on the chair.
Sofia sat next to her, ” Are you okay? What’s wrong? Your eyes are swollen.”
” Is everything okay Sydney?” Gil voiced in concern.
Sydney sniffed. ” No, but I’m fine. I just needed to stay far away from my hus- Gavin.”
Gil’s phone rang and he excused himself.
Sofia held Sydney’s shoulder and spoke reassuringly. ” You are getting me scared, what’s wrong? You can trust me.”
Sydney fought back tears. There was no way in hell she was going to cry because of Gavin.
She said with a wry smile. ” We, um… Gavin and I divorced.”
” Huh? Wait, are you for real?” Sofia said with wide eyes.
” Yes, it was bound to happen anyway. Don’t worry, I’ll um… Leave tomorrow. I just needed a place to stay for the night.”
Sofia pulled her into a tight hug. ” I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. You can stay as long as you want, I don’t mind.”
Sydney chuckled, making Sofia pull away and look at her even more worriedly. ” Are you sure that’s all that happened?”
Gil walked into the room, clutching his phone tightly. He looked at Sydney pitifully. He’d seen the news about her mother’s death. More like, heard it from Gabriel who called to ask if he knew where Sydney was.
Sofia looked between both of them when no one said anything. Her heart raced.
” What’s wrong, Sydney? Please talk to me.” Sofia edged on.
Sydney looked at her as she smiled grimly, ” It’s nothing; I’ll be leaving for Arizona tomorrow; you can come with me. Uh, my mother needs to be sent off properly to the Lord.”
Sofia’s jaw dropped at Sydney’s statement. She was more shocked at Sydney’s indifferent tone than the fact Ashley was dead. She was the one crying instead of Sydney.
” Let it out Sydney, don’t keep it in,” Gil advised worriedly.
Sydney was stiff on Sofia’s body. No amount of tears would bring her mother back. She shut her eyes and cried internally. Then, it wasn’t only Sofia she heard crying. She’d seen Ethan and Emily eavesdropping. It was better they knew now than tomorrow when they’d see their grandmummy pale and lifeless.
When Sydney had put Ethan and Emily to bed, she heard the front door opening and then heard Gabriel’s impatient voice.
Her heart was beating fast as she heard his footsteps getting closer.
Sydney turned to look at Gabriel as he stopped by the door.
She put on a fake smile that made him mad. ” I didn’t know you were coming.”
Gabriel said briskly, ” Let’s talk outside please.”
Sydney nodded and walked out with him to the patio. They stared at the pool in silence. Gabriel’s silence was enough to make Sydney emotional. She knew what he’d say. He’d tell her to cry and take out all her emotions, but it wasn’t so easy. It wasn’t one bit.
Sydney spoke, the silence burning into her. ” I’m sorry I pushed you yesterday.”
Gabriel looked abreast at her. ” You pushed me because you had to beg him for money.”
” I needed the money, Gabriel.”
Gabriel wanted to stop himself from sounding jealous but he couldn’t. ” I doubt you did. ”
Sydney looked at him. ” I said I’m sorry Gabriel.”
He uttered softly and looked at her. ” I don’t care the faintest about you shoving me. What I’m mad about is that you didn’t care to tell me what was happening to your mother.”
Sydney looked away. ” It would have been a waste.”
He looked hurt. ” I helped you before, I could have helped you again. I told you before, my help is unrequited. It wouldn’t kill you to ask for help.”
A tear slipped from Sydney’s eyes and she cleaned it. ” You couldn’t have helped me, Gabriel; twenty million is a lot of money.”
Gabriel scoffed, ” Lots of money. Twenty million is nothing, if you had asked for it, I would have given you. There’s nothing you’d ask me to surrender to you and I won’t.