As the days went by, Sydney felt more lonely and hollow inside.
Ethan and Emily were barely home, since Gavin got discharged, he always picked them up from school and took them out. While Gabriel, on the other hand, had been eerily quiet and distant.
Normally, he’d stay for breakfast, and they’d talk for an hour before he bundled woods to his bike and drove off to God knows where, but when she woke up, she found him gone.
She’d tried asking him what was wrong but he kept changing the topic.
The only thing keeping Sydney from dying of boredom was the laptop Gabriel had gotten her. He got all the programming in check so it wasn’t a pain in the arse using it.
She’d begun writing cooking books and animal welfare books, dedicated especially to her mother and kids.
She may not be the brightest in the science or commercial field, but she knew a hell lot about wildlife, animals, and food. It had been all she and her mother ever talked about.
Our world before modernization.
Her thumbs had begun to ache from typing, she was happy when her phone buzzed. Finally, a reason to stop typing.
It was a private number.
Sydney fell on the bed, sighing before saying, ” Hello.”
” I’m coming over.”
Sydney shot up from the bed and blinked. She looked at her phone again and placed it back to her ear.
” Why did you call with a private number? And, no, you are not; you don’t know where I stay.”
” I know you wouldn’t answer if you knew it was me coming, and yes, I do; I’m driving to you right now.”
Sydney rubbed her brows stressfully. She felt the urge to end the call and continue typing.
” Please, Gavin, stay away from this place. You know the media is on your tail 24/7, I don’t want them finding out where I stay.” Sydney said wearily.
She was tired of always exchanging words with him.
Gavin went mute for a while. ” Don’t worry, I’m pulling your legs.”
It was obvious. He didn’t know how to drive a far distance and his arm was injured.
None of them said anything. They listened into the silence, wondering how wrong they had gone as couples. How many mistakes they had made. How it ruined them. Shattered. Broke. Destroyed.
Scratching her temples, Sydney said softly, ” If you only called to joke around, I’m ending the call. I was doing something before you interrupted.”
” No, I um… didn’t just call for that. I wanted to speak to our kids.”
It was the first time he’d called them their kids in a long time.
The muscles around Sydney’s heart tightened. Why does he keep doing this? Why now when everything had been destroyed and there was no chance of silver lining?
” Why didn’t you call them, you have their phone number?”
” I needed to hear your voice again before I lost my peace of mind. Babe- Sydney, the diner offer’s still on the table.”
” Make sure that it’s a table for one.” She ended the call and threw her phone away in frustration.
Burying her face in her palm, she kept asking herself why she still let him affect her. It dawned on her, the only good piece of advice her father had given her was not to give her heart to a temperamental playboy who had a screw loose somewhere in his brain.
If she had listened, it wouldn’t have hurt so much leaving him. Now, it’s a cross she had to bear for the rest of her life.
She would have divorced him in spite and hatred, not in love.
” At his first word, you should have ended the call and saved yourself from grief.”
Gabriel said, standing by her room door.
He had been there long enough to hear her conversations with Gavin. Long enough for his heart to shatter more than it already had.
Control.
Sydney’s head flipped upon hearing his voice. Her eyes shot to him, taking the sour expression on his face.
He didn’t linger on her gaze, he walked away as soon as she looked at him. He didn’t want to see the affection she had for Gavin in her eyes before he’d go crazy again.
Gabriel went out to the patio where Emily and Ethan were playing soccer with the ball he’d gotten them.
Emily saw Gabriel and waved to him heartily. Ethan corked a brow and looked at Gabriel smiling at them wryly.
Ethan couldn’t deny he appreciated Gabriel’s care and support for his mother. He learned Gabriel had returned to the hospital after dropping them at Sofia’s. Ethan could see he cared about his mother but he didn’t want to get his hopes high. His father had sown a seed of cautiousness in him.
He thought twice about every step he took, every breath he breathed.
Gabriel strolled to the lake and sat on a high rock, staring into the water.
The movement of the water ripples spoke his life in three words.
Constant. Grim. Inaccomplishable.
He’d been dwelling on Avery’s words. He didn’t know if he could trust her, but it was a tempting deal.
Gabriel imagined a family with Sydney and her kids in the Netherlands. He’d take them on an air balloon and be the best father and husband Gavin ever was to them.
The thought sounded surreal in his head. Ho, ho! You can have what isn’t yours but it wouldn’t make you or either of them happy.
The wicked voice laughed at him.
Gabriel growled and grabbed a stone then threw it into the lake in fury
His phone vibrated in his pocket. He let it ring for a while before he answered the call.
Gil’s voice came sharp, ” When did you plan on telling me about the f**king shit you did?”
Gil was barely angry but with the thoughts of Sofia moving around with Randy Owen, a gym trainer he hated the day he set his eyes on him and Sofia’s interlocked fingers, Gil couldn’t help but throw his weights around.
” Watch the way you speak to me.”
Gil rolled his eyes frantically.
” We are best friends, I’m not scared of you.” Partially.
” I don’t have the time to banter words with you, I’m cutting the call-”
” Listen to your father Gabriel, go see a therapist. If you keep this up-”
Gabriel flung his phone away in anger and it crashed into the lake.
He didn’t need therapy! He was fine. Mentally stable and all right. Anyone that told him to see a therapist should get their head checked first. Gabriel growled silently.
As a child, he had always had uncontrollable desires. He got everything he asked for and things he didn’t ask for.
It was when he was fifteen that Alfred began to notice his son’s desires began to get rabid and unhealthy. He stopped giving Gabriel what he’d wanted all the time and Gabriel would often get panic attacks and do everything he could to get what he wanted.
It was when his mother died that Gabriel’s condition became deadly. Alfred forced him to see a psychiatrist and it was found Gabriel had pathological desirability. The Doctor recommended him drugs to help mitigate his condition but Gabriel kept saying he was fine and didn’t bother taking the drugs.
As years went by, his condition only became more dangerous. Whenever he got triggered he was like a mythical creature in the process of shape shifting.
One thing Gabriel was good for was concealing his madness till he’d finally snap.
__________
Gavin had called and spoken to Ethan and Emily. Emily was so excited about what Gavin had told her, she ran to share the good news with her mother.
Sydney was still pondering about Gabriel when Emily ran into the room.
” Mommy, Daddy said we are gonna have dinner at the fun park tomorrow! He said I should tell you to dress pretty like his little princess.”