"If a person is seriously injured as a result of someone else's negligence, then they are entitled to compensation." -Robert Rinder

Always remember that your parents did this to you, Gabrielle. -H💋

☔︎・☔︎・☔︎

"I told you, Lianna. Nothing good will ever come out by letting your daughter date!" I heard Dad tell Mom.

"I just want our daughter to be happy, Gabriel. Is that too much to ask?" Mom retorted.

I slowly opened my eyes. Dad is sitting on the chair beside my desk. He's still wearing work clothes and it looks like he rushed to get home from his business trip. Mom is sitting beside me on my bed.

I took a deep breath before standing up. "Marina, " both of them called, concern evident in their tone.

"Are you okay?" Mom asked. I want to laugh and scream. I was never okay and I will never be due to them.

I shook my head as a response before looking down. I wanted to curse them but they're still my parents and I respect them so much.

"What's the address of that boy?" Dad stood up. "I am going to–"

"It's not his fault, Dad, " I cut him off.

"W-What?" His eyes widened.

I sighed. "You're at fault too."

"What did I do?" Dad asked.

I shook my head. "I want to know too. What did you do that made Sandra Planes want to get her revenge? Xander is her son."

Dad held his breath. "He's– what? How?" he asked, shock evident in his tone.

"Sandra planned everything. She was the reason why I'm like this and her greatest plan was to make me fall for her son so he would end up shattering my heart." I laughed bitterly. "She succeeded. It fucking hurts."

"Why is Sandra taking revenge?" Dad asked.

"I don't know," I answered. "Care to explain why, Mom?" I faced Mom. She sighed before diverting her gaze to the ground.

"You know what she's talking about?" Dad asked Mom. Mom nodded lightly as a response. "Lianna," Dad said in disbelief.

"Gabriel, I'm sorry," Mom said, starting to tear up. Dad unconsciously returned to his seat while still staring at Mom.

"What are you hiding from me, Lianna?"

"I just... I was scared," Mom said, wiping her tears. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before saying, "It all started a few months before I found out I was pregnant with Marina."

"No, don't go just yet," Gabriel said, pulling me to sit on his lap. We are currently in North Carolina to visit our parents.

"You could come with me if you want. I mean it's just Bianca. I'm sure your cousin won't mind if you went with us." I faced him.

"But I'm too lazy to leave the house," he whined while burying his face on my back.

"Then stay here and let me go then," I said, trying to remove his hands from my waist.

"What if you stay and let's do something else?" he said, leaving kisses on my shoulder and neck.

"Gabriel, your parents might hear us," I whispered.

"They wouldn't mind."

"Bianca's waiting for me," I said, pushing his face off a little.

He laughed. "Okay, okay. Later, then," he suggested, wriggling his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine," I answered and he smirked before letting go of my waist so I can stand. "I can use your car, right?" I asked.

"Sure," he answered. "Keys are in the desk," he said before laying back down.

I grabbed his keys from his desk and said goodbye before leaving his room. I saw his parents in the living room and I greeted them before walking out of the front door. I hopped in Gabriel's car and drove to Bianca and Damon's house.

"We can't go to the mall. Damon won't let me," Bianca said when she opened the door for me.

"Hello to you too," I said before entering.

Bianca is already in her second trimester of pregnancy. She loves to go to places lately because she says she can't do that anymore when she's in her third trimester but Damon won't let her because he's too scared for Bianca and the baby.

"Why did you call me here?" I asked, sitting beside her on the couch.

She sighed. "There's something you and Gabriel should know about Sandra," she started.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What is it?"

She bit her nail. "I wanted to tell you long ago but you and Gabriel were still fixing some things so you could live in New York permanently. I don't want to burden you with this issue."

"Bianca, just tell me."

"A few months after your wedding, Sandra went to Aunt and Uncle's house," she said, referring to the house of Gabriel's parents. "She was causing a scene. I was there because I had to talk to Aunt Claire about something. Sandra wanted for you and Gabriel to face her. We invited her inside the house after her short scene and there we found out what she was mad about."

"Why was she looking for me and Gabriel?" I asked.

"Sandra had a child with Gabriel," she revealed and my eyes widened in shock.

I felt nervous. My hands were sweating and I started overthinking. What would happen to Gabriel and me? Will he run back to Sandra to start a family with her?

"Where i-is their c-child n-now?" I asked, trying my hardest not to stutter but failed.

"Sadly, their child was not born." She sighed.

"What?"

"Do you know about cryptic pregnancy?" she asked and I shook my head as a response. "Turns out back when Damon and I got married, she was five months pregnant then."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "But she doesn't have a baby bump."

"That's what cryptic pregnancy is. Her pregnancy results came out negative and she doesn't feel the usual pregnancy symptoms but she is pregnant and she only found out when she got a miscarriage," Bianca narrated.

I fidgeted with my fingers to stop it from shaking. It was hard for me to take all this information in. "Her miscarriage, how did it happen?"

"She did not take her breakup with Gabriel lightly. She kept drinking and tiring herself out. Not to mention the stress she was feeling which is very bad for her baby." Bianca shook her head. "She's blaming you and Gabriel for the loss of her child. Gabriel needs to talk to her and you should talk with Sandra as well."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Isn't it too late to talk to her?" I asked.

"You still need to have this conversation with her. Please work things out, okay?" Bianca said, holding my hand.

I smiled at her before nodding. "I'll tell Gabriel."

☔︎・☔︎・☔︎

"What is my baby thinking about?" Gabriel asked when he saw me staring at the wall. He sat next to me and hugged me, resting his chin on my shoulder.

What Bianca revealed to me never left my mind. I kept thinking if I should tell Gabriel or if I should keep it from him. It is his right to know that he had a child with Sandra but I'm scared. I'm afraid that he would leave me when he finds out. I'm scared that guilt will eat him up and realize that marrying me was the wrong decision he has ever made.

"Let's go home?" I asked, facing him.

"We are home, Lianna," he answered.

I sighed. "I mean– you know what I mean."

"Anything wrong?" he asked, looking at me.

I shook my head. "No. I just remembered that I have something to do back in New York."

"But what about your mom? We were supposed to stay at your house next week, right?"

"Yeah, but this is important. We'll just visit my mom tomorrow before we go." I gave him a small smile.

He kissed my cheek before tightening his embrace. "Your wish is my command."

"Gabriel, I love you," I said in all certainty.

He was a little shocked by how serious I told him that but then he smiled and gave me a quick kiss on the lips before saying, "I love you too, baby."

I closed my eyes and hugged him back. We were like that for a few minutes when my phone suddenly rang. I looked at the caller ID and Bianca's name flashed on the screen.

I got out of Gabriel's embrace and excused myself before walking inside the bathroom to talk to Bianca.

"H-Hey," I nervously answered the phone.

"Did you tell him?" she asked.

"I-uh... I did," I lied.

"What did he say?"

I took a deep breath. "We'll be flying back to New York tomorrow."

"What?! Doesn't he want to talk to Sandra?" Bianca asked in disbelief.

"He does not want to reopen the past, Bianca." I held onto the sink because I felt my legs shaking so much. "There's nothing we could do about it so let's just move on."