Chapter 9

Mia’s laughter echoed amongst the trees and houses flanking the neighbourhood. The sun hung low in the sky, long shadows hanging over the three of them.

“Can someone please tell me what the fuck is happening here?” Gabriel’s voice carried in the wind. It was the only full sentence that their neighbour, who’s house was abreast theirs, could fully make out.

“Please call the police.” Mia ignored him, he had no right to anything. A sinister smile played on Mia’s lips as Taylor dialled numbers into her phone and put it to her ear without a word to Gabriel or Mia.

"I can’t wait for the media to get involved.” Mia crossed her arms and rocked back on her heels. Her eyes staring off into the distance as she was trapped in a scenario her mind had conjured. “Once they find out who my husband is, the uproar will be glorious.” She gazed at Gabriel. He’d been looking at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.

Taylor was holding the phone to her ears, listening to the rings.

“I can imagine the headlines now.” Mia’s eyes widened, “Mistress of Business mogul Gabriel Evans shows up at his wife’s home and gets attacked by said wife.” She giggled uncontrollably. “Or at least something to that effect. The entire world will know the truth about you both.” She scoffed unapologetically.
Everyone else remained silent, but Mia’s inner voice was triggered. She’d been threatened by everyone around her when she didn’t do as they please. She was continuously forced to act against her will, to act secretly and she’d had enough. If anyone wanted to drag her down and away from her daughter, she was taking them all with her.

“A lot of your business partners bank on your image of a family man not so? I wonder how many deals of yours will fall through once this scandal hits the public?” her gaze switching between her husband and his mistress. Gabriel stiffened at Taylor’s side. The thought of himself being exposed to entire world caused him to sweat

“That would make it so much easier for me to divorce his ass and be guaranteed my daughter’s safety.” She said to Taylor, “so call the police. I hope you are ready to explain to them and media houses why you were at my house.”
Gabriel grabbed the phone away from Taylor’s hand and ended the call.

“You cannot call the police.” He said evenly, handing the phone back at her.

“You are letting her stand there and disrespect me?” Taylor’s voice was shrill again as she looked up at Gabriel’s profile. He continued to look at Mia, his expression blank.

“You are fucking my husband and you had the audacity to come to my house and demand that I leave him, and I’m disrespectful?” Mia’s scoffed turned into a long winded burst of laughter. Taylor glared at her.

You came here to do what?” Gabriel couldn’t believe his ears. He’d never known Taylor to be this forward. He’d told her he was handling his matters, he’d fed her the thoughts he wanted her to have but never in his wildest dreams would he have thought that she would have pulled a stunt like this.

“She could have destroyed my face!” Taylor ignored his question, she grabbed his arm with one hand in a pleading attempt and she yelled at him, gesturing where she was almost hit with Mia’s cell phone. He turned his attention away from her and back to Mia’s cold eyes. He’d never seen this much raw fire in her before and even he didn’t know how to react. The entire situation had caught him off-guard.

“And yet you are unharmed.” His voice grated against Taylor’s skin like a dozen razors. Her shoulders slumped and she scoffed, her eyes searching his features for any sign of his love for her. The love he’d convinced her off just a few hours ago while she was naked and curled up in his arms. She looked at him some more…no, this couldn’t be the man that she loved. The man that she’d sacrificed so much for.

“Unless you actually want to afford me the opportunity to try again?” Mia interjected. “Perhaps then you will have a reason to play the victim.” Mia was growing tired of the conversation and drama.

“Shut up! You are so Goddamn annoying, you pest!” Taylor yelled at Mia again, this time taking a few steps towards Mia with an obvious intention.

“You need to leave.” Gabriel had caught her by the arm and pulled her back at his side. Taylor stumbled backwards, her heels sinking into the dirt.

“You are kicking me out?” her eyes glistened over as she looked at him for the millionth time.

“I don’t know what you were thinking coming her. I don’t know what you think you were going to accomplish, but your presence is creating a scene for the neighbours.” He growled into her ears and the tears rolled down her cheeks.

“I just wanted you. I wanted to help you get your freedom back from her.” She pointed at Mia.
Mia rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You still don’t get it do you?” Mia interjected, wondering how dense Taylor really was. “Gabriel isn’t here because I am keeping him here.”

“You’re a liar!” she screamed, her cheeks damp with her tears.

“I don’t have that power.” Mia said, no longer needing to prove anything to Taylor. “But, if you want to waste your life on him, then so be it.”

“Leave with me Gabriel, okay?” Taylor had turned to him, she took his hands in hers and appealed to him with her eyes. “Please, just come with me.” She repeated, her voice growing more insistent the longer he remained silent.

“All of the neighbours are watching. I have a daughter, Taylor. I can’t just leave with you, people will talk.” He pulled his hands out of hers.

“It must suck, huh? Even after everything you scarified for him. After he said he wants you and yet he still doesn’t want to be seen publicly with you and you still believe everything he says to you.” Mia snorted, the level of love Taylor had for Gabriel was unhealthy.
Taylor looked at Mia with disgust. “People’s opinion’s bother you so much, huh?” She sneered, turning her attention back towards Gabriel. “You talk about your daughter, what of mine?”

“This is not the place, Taylor.” His voice grew rougher and his eyes blazed. “I have tolerated you making a scene here, it’s time to end it.”

“Yours?” Mia couldn’t hold the word from echoing out of her mouth. Taylor never had any children, of that she was certain.

“It’s not? You scared of what people might think of you?” She goaded him, backing away from him slowly.

“You need to shut the fuck up.” His eyes warning her to thread carefully.

“Why is it that you allowed that bitch to give birth but when I got pregnant you made me abort my baby?” she questioned him, tears flowing like a stream down her face, she hunched forward clenching her stomach.

“My sweet innocent child.” She wailed, her voice marrying with the wind in an eerie cry.

“You didn’t. Please tell me you didn’t.” Mia was horrified, she begged Gabriel to say it wasn’t so. She couldn’t believe he would agree to do that to his own child.

“I gave you the choice to do as you pleased.” Gabriel shouted back at her.

“You said it was you or the baby.” She reminded him. She’d never once questioned the decision because she always thought that she’d have him for the rest of their lives. She thought they could have another child and bring it into the world with both its parents but now she was wondering if she was wrong.

“How could you choose this man over your child?” Mia could feel the contents of her stomach churning rigorously, bile rising up in her throat. She could never imagine giving up her daughter for this man or any man. The thought of how easily that could have been her that Gabriel asked to do an abortion, the thought of missing out on her daughter suffocated her. She knew that Taylor had sacrificed a lot for Gabriel but Mia hadn’t realised just how much.

Monster! He was a monster! The word flashed in her mind in bright lights and the sounds around her drowned out. The need to get her daughter out and away from him never felt this strong. She turned to the house and slowly made her way her way to the front door.
She felt herself staggering, the dewy grass prickling the insides of her palm. She sucked in a breath but nothing happened. Panic set in, her chest heaved as her throat collapsed. The top of her toes dragging along the grass as she pulled herself forward on her hands and feet. The darkness closing in on her like a cloud and soon enough no light penetrated.