From: Unknown

"When you are in the eye of the storm, you are often not aware of the whiplash around you." -Hugh Bonneville

☔︎・☔︎・☔︎

"This is why I told you to tell Gabriel," Bianca said, stressing out after I told them of what happened at our confrontation.

We are currently at a cafe near our homes. Khaila is on video call and drinking coffee with us.

"It still bothers me how Sandra casually interacts with us without knowing that she's actually holding a grudge towards Lianna and Gabriel and possibly all of us," Stella said.

"What will you do now?" Khaila asked.

I shrugged before taking a sip of my coffee. "My family is falling apart and I don't know what to do."

"You know there is a way to end this, right?" Bianca said. "Talk to Sandra."

"I will but–" I sighed. "I don't know how I can talk to her. I don't even know if Gabriel is up for it," I admitted.

"Have you two talked after what happened?" Tori asked.

I shook my head as a response. "He doesn't even sleep next to me now. He sleeps on the couch in our room," I added.

"At least he still stays in the same room," Hope said in a positive tone, hoping it would brighten the mood.

All of us sighed before drinking on our mugs. I'm kind of getting guilty that I burdened them with our problems.

"Her son," Stella said, breaking the short silence.

"What about him?" I asked.

"What will happen to Marina and him?" Stella asked.

"Well, it's up to Marina to decide whether she would accept him again or not," I answered.

"How about you? Would you want him to be your daughter's boyfriend again?" Khaila asked.

"Whatever would make her happy will make me happy as well." I smiled a bit.

I stand by what I said before. Marina is already old enough to know what would be best for her. I would always guide her throughout but the decision will always be hers.

"That Alexander Parker, was it?" Hope said. "Oh, I'm sorry. Alexander Planes," she corrected herself.

"He was also a victim of his mother's schemes. When I stopped by their school to give Faith her notebook that she left at home, I saw them together. I witnessed the way he looked at your daughter, Lianna. It was love. It's not pretend anymore, it was real." Hope looked directly at me, wanting me to understand that Xander should not be treated as a foe. "He looked at Marina like how Gabriel looked at you," she added.

"That is what Sandra failed to realize. The possibility of his son falling for the enemy was high," Tori said.

I stared at my almost empty cup. I feel so bad for Marina and Xander. They could've been happy together if it wasn't for me.

I was broken out of my reverie when somebody's phone rang. Bianca immediately grabbed her phone from her bag and answered the call.

"Damon, I am going to kill you," she whispered, and Hope, Stella, and Tori laughed.

I chuckled lightly as well. We had a deal a while ago that the first person that got called by their husband will have to pay for all of our drinks.

I lost twice at this game before because Gabriel gets paranoid whenever I stay out of the house for too long. I didn't expect him to call this morning though because I didn't think he would care if I left early.

"Talk to you, girls later. Mother duty calls," Khaila said before ending the video chat.

"I have to go as well. I still have to prepare breakfast and drive Maxwell to school," I told them before finishing my drink and standing up to leave.

"Hey, Lia," Hope called.

"We'll always be here for you, okay?" Stella said, holding my arm.

"You are more than just our friend, you are family," Tori added.

"Through all the good times and the bad times, we'll face it together." Bianca smiled.

I felt tears starting to gather in my eyes. I walked towards them and gave each of them a hug.

I will forever be grateful to the heavens for giving me friends that turned into the greatest family.

☔︎・☔︎・☔︎

I slowly opened the front door of our house, cautious enough not to make any noise that could wake everyone up.

When I got in safely, I lazily walked to the kitchen to drink some water and to prepare breakfast.

I got a little startled when I saw Gabriel leaning on the countertop and is already drinking a cup of coffee.

"Oh, you're awake," I said before walking to the cupboard to get a glass.

"I couldn't sleep when I noticed you went out," he answered while watching me get water from the fridge.

"Sorry, early mornings are the only time I could hang out with the girls," I said, looking at him before drinking.

After drinking a full glass of water, I placed my glass on the sink before opening the fridge to decide on what to serve for breakfast.

"Lianna," he called while I was taking out the egg tray.

"Yeah?" I said, still not looking at him.

"Can I hug you?" he asked. I immediately set down the tray and looked at him.

"Aren't you-"

I couldn't finish what I was about to say when he walked towards me and hugged me. I closed my eyes and pulled him tighter.

For the past few days, I finally felt at ease. I finally felt safe. I missed him so much.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that alone," he whispered. "I'm sorry, Juliet. I swore to go through every pain with you but I failed."

"It's fine, Gabriel. It's all my fault anyway," I said, caressing his back.

We stayed like that for a couple of minutes. I didn't want to let go of him yet. Having him in my arms is the greatest feeling in the world. It feels good to be back home.

"So are we good?" I asked, looking at him and smiling a bit.

He kissed my forehead before answering, "Yes, my love."

Even though I still want to keep hugging him, I got out of his embrace and started to look for something to prepare in the fridge again.

"Will you talk to Sandra?" I asked.

"We'll see," he answered.

"Will you help me make breakfast?" I asked, raising the pack of bacon.

He chuckled. "Okay," he said before grabbing the bacon from my hand.

I shook my head and smiled before grabbing the pan and started preparing breakfast.

☔︎・☔︎・☔︎

"Good morning, everyone!" Marina cheerfully greeted when she entered the dining room.

I looked at Gabriel and he smiled at me. I slightly pinched myself to make sure I am not dreaming.

"Good morning, Ariel," Gabriel greeted back.

Marina smiled at him. Seeing my daughter smile again after a few days felt soothing. I thought it would take me a while to witness that again.

I watched her eat. She was okay as if nothing ever happened. For the first time after a few days, my worries subsided.

After breakfast, Gabriel helped in placing the dishes in the sink before walking to the garage to start the car and take Marina to school.

While Marina was waiting for Gabriel at the front porch, I stood next to her.

"Hey, Marina," I said, getting her attention.

She smiled a bit. "Hey, Mom."

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She nodded as a response. "No, I did not get sudden amnesia," she said, clearing up the confusion. "I just chose to forget about it just for today. I set my mind to return to the time when Xander and I weren't together yet. I just want to try if that's possible."

"Marina, I–"

"Stop saying sorry, Mom. We were all victims here," Marina said, comforting me.

I held both of her hands and faced her to me. "Your Dad and I will fix this. You wouldn't have to worry about a single thing." I squeezed both of her hands. She nodded as a response.

After a few seconds, Gabriel pressed the horn, indicating that Marina could get in the car now.

"Call us immediately if something happened," I reminded her.

"Okay," she answered before grabbing her bag and getting in the car.

The both of them waved at me before I watched them drive away. When I couldn't see them anymore, I looked at Maxwell who was standing at the front door.

"Is Ate okay?" he asked.

"Yes, love," I answered so he would not worry. He smiled. "Go get ready," I told him and he nodded before walking to his room.

I was about to walk to the kitchen to do the dishes when my phone beeped, indicating an incoming message.

I immediately picked it up to check on it and my eyes widened out of shock after reading the message and finding out who it was from.

Lianna, it's Sandra. Let's settle this once and for all. Meet me at the rooftop of my building tomorrow at 8 pm sharp. Come alone if you don't want your daughter to get hurt.