Chapter 182: She Put Me In This Position
Gabriel's POV
"Mom, please don't go... come back..."
My voice cracked in the dark as I reached for her-but the door slammed before I could move.
I jolted awake, heart pounding, drenched in sweat.
The alarm blared beside me like it wanted to yank me out of more than sleep.
4:30 AM.
I shut it off and sat there, breathing hard, trying to understand why that dream had come back-after all these years.
I hadn't thought about her in so long. I buried that part of my life so deep I almost convinced myself it never happened.
But her face lingered-clear as day.
That day—when she packed her bags, shouted that she was done, and walked out to be with another man. She didn't look back. Just said my dad would hear from her lawyer about the divorce papers, then slammed the door like we were nothing.
She left us like we were just another chapter she couldn't wait to rip out.
I was ten.
My dad-God. He picked up the pieces. I still remembered the look in his eyes, the way he forced a tired smile through all that heartbreak. He never broke down in front of me, but I saw it. I saw him fight battles no man should've fought alone.
Friends swindled him. Partners backstabbed him. But he kept going. He worked himself into the ground to give me food, clothes—a shot at something better. He never let me feel like I lacked anything, even when we had nothing. He didn't let my mother's betrayal harden him.
He taught me what love looked like-even after she tore him apart.
A few years later, he met my stepmother, Lydia. He found love again, and something in both of us began to heal.
She was everything my mother wasn't-gentle, kind, patient. She never tried to replace my mom. She didn't need to. She became something better.
She made our house a home again.
She loved my dad the way he deserved. She loved me like I was hers, no
questions asked. That was the first time I believed in love again.
Real love.
Peaceful. Safe. Whole.
I wanted to repay them for everything. Buy them a house. Give them the comfort they never had.
That became my dream. My drive.
But life doesn't care about dreams.
A car crash took my parents while I was still in university.
That's when Angelique and I reconnected.
When I was at my lowest. When I needed someone-anything-to fill the void.
I mistook that need for love.
I married her right after college, too young, thinking I could rebuild what I'd lost.
I wanted stability. Something permanent.
But she cheated. Lied. Left me with a son-the same way my mother had left my father.
Even when Clairessa asked about my mom, I told her about my stepmom-the one who died in the crash-and left out my dad, who died too.
My real mom? She might still be out there, chasing her dreams. She never reached out, and I never went looking.
Honestly, I forgot I even had another mother besides Lydia.
She was the one who taught me everything that mattered-how to be kind, how to
be selfless, how to treat a woman. How to love. How to cook. The list goes on.
I never talk about those years. Never told anyone the full story. Maybe I thought if
I buried it deep enough, it would stay there.
But the things we bury always find a way back, don't they?
And now... Clairessa.
Her betrayal hit harder than any I'd known before. She didn't just hurt me-she deceived me. On purpose. And it tore open wounds I thought had long since healed. Not just the ones left by my ex-wife, but the ones buried deep from childhood. From every woman I had ever trusted... and lost.
And out of all the women who had hurt me-she was the one I loved the most. The one I would've done anything for. Moved heaven and hell just to see her smile. Just to be near her.
Despite everything-despite the pain, the history, the wreckage-I let her in. I thought she was different. I thought she was mine.
I swore I'd never love again.
But I did.
I fell for her. Maybe I'm still in love with her with every fiber of my being.
And now I couldn't have her.
Because of Adrian.
He's all I have left. The only family I've got. We've been through it all together.
From the moment Angelique left-Adrian was just a boy, too scared to sleep alone because the nightmares wouldn't stop.
He'd wake up crying for her night after night, and she was nowhere to be found. I offered her money, a house, whatever she wanted-just to come back for him. But she refused, unless I took her back too. And that was never going to happen.
So even when Adrian messed up blew opportunities, burned through my money —I never turned my back on him. I kept hoping he'd grow, kept protecting him. He was still my little boy... the only person I had left.
Maybe that's just a father's foolish kind of love.
I got up and went to the bathroom, still hearing the echo of my mother's voice in my head.
I stood under the shower longer than necessary, letting the hot water run down like it could wash off everything-grief, regret, longing.
I shaved, standing in front of the mirror, then stepped into black tailored slacks and pulled on a crisp white shirt, fastening each button like muscle memory.
Today mattered.
Adrian was starting at the company.
After all these years of pushing him, he was finally taking that step.
I should've felt proud.
And I did.
Mostly.
But as I adjusted my collar in the mirror, my thoughts drifted-back to her.
Clairessa.
How was she doing?
Was she coming in today?
Would she agree to my terms?
I wanted to text her.
Ask if she was okay.
But I couldn't.
I told myself space was best. That pulling away was the right thing. That it
protected all of us.
But it didn't hurt any less.
Didn't make me want her any less.
And that's what made it worse-knowing that I still wanted her.
Even after the lie. Even after everything.
But it wasn't just the lie.
Not really.
If she hadn't dated Adrian-if Adrian wasn't in love with her-maybe I could've
forgiven her.
Maybe we could've been together. Even right this moment, I should have been by her side.
But now?
How the hell was I supposed to move forward knowing it might cost me my son?
Was I supposed to fight my own blood for a woman?
Ask Adrian to step aside?
There was no clean version of this.
No outcome where everyone made it out whole.
And I hated it.
I hated her for putting me in this position.
I hated myself for still caring.
And deep down... maybe I hated the part of me still trying to use her to keep
Adrian on track.
That was selfish. I knew it.
But if one good thing could come from this if Adrian could finally grow up finally become the man,
always believed he could be mat
all of this would've meant
something.
I straightened my cuffs, looked in the mirror one last time, and muttered,
"Let's get this over with."
I made my way down the stairs...
It was still dark outside the kind of dark that usually belonged to me and no one
else.
I rubbed the back of my neck, still a little shaken from the dream.
Mornings were my reset-coffee, silence, routine. I didn't expect anyone else to
be up. No one ever was.
But as I rounded the corner toward the kitchen, I slowed to a stop.
A sound.
The faint scrape of a mug. Movement.
My brows pulled together. I stepped in-quiet, cautious-half-expecting to find
Gretchen up early. Or maybe I was just imagining things.
Then the smell hit me freshly brewed coffee.
Someone beat me to it.
And there he was.
Adrian.
He stood at the counter, one hand wrapped around a steaming mug, the other
braced on the marble like he'd been up for hours.
He looked alert-maybe even focused-but still wore yesterday's sweatshirt.
"Adrian,” I said, a little surprised. "You're up already?"
He turned with a faint smile. "Yeah, Dad. I guess I have to be. You've made it pretty clear how important today is."
"Starting at the company is a big deal," I said, stepping farther in. "Glad to see you're taking it seriously."
He gave a quiet chuckle and raised the mug to his lips. "I am. Waking up this early should count for something, right?"
I smirked. "It does. But... you're not exactly dressed for it."
He glanced down at his hoodie. "Ah. Yeah. About that—it won't take me long. Just figured I'd grab some coffee first, maybe get my head right before I change."
I moved toward the cabinet, reaching for a mug of my own. "Fair enough. How
about you go get ready, and we'll head in together?"
He hesitated.
“Actually..." he said, drawing out the word. "I was thinking I'd wait for Clairessa. I figured we could go in together."
I froze for a second, my fingers still around the handle of the mug.
Mornings used to be ours-Clairessa and me. Unless I had to head in early
for an investor meeting or something with the board, I used to love sleeping in I was always the
early riser by nature, but because of her, I learned to slow down-just enough to make sure we could ride
in together.
Even when she insisted on keeping us a secret, those quiet car rides, thosenoveldrama
kisses right before we stepped into the building... they were everything.
And now it was over. Just... fucking done.
I couldn't even begin to untangle that feeling without risking everything blowing up
in my face.
And I couldn't afford that. Not now. Not when Adrian was exactly where I needed
him.
So I swallowed it down.
No arguments. Not today.
My jaw tensed before I caught myself.
"Of course," I said, keeping my voice steady, casual. "I'll see you there, then."
He gave a small nod. "Yeah."
Then gestured to the pot behind him. "Want some coffee?"
I nodded. "Thanks."
He poured it without asking how I take it. He already knew. I watched him move the quiet confidence in
his posture, the way he was starting to cart himself like a man who meant what he said. And for a split second, I didn't know whether to feel
proud... or sick.
I took the mug from him, the ceramic warm against my palm. "Thanks," I said again, softer this time.
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