Gabriella's POV

A week later, I was discharged from the hospital, and Thomas took me home.

I had bought that house, a luxurious five bedroom house, under Thomas's name as a birthday gift to him. He had looked at me that day like I was his sun, and he announced that he would protect and cherish me all the days of my life.

I scoffed internally. I had been so stupid to believe his lies.

~

Thomas had been hovering around me all day.

From the moment we stepped into the house, he had been acting like the perfect fiancé. He cooked for me, he helped me take my bath, he adjusted the pillows, making sure I was comfortable. His eyes watched me carefully to make sure I was okay.

“Are you okay, baby?” he asked, sitting beside me. “Do you need anything?”

I shook my head, forcing a smile. “I’m fine.”

He reached for my hand and squeezed it gently. “You should rest. I don’t want you straining yourself.”

I almost laughed. Right. Because you care so much.

I watched him act concerned and worried. But inside, I was just waiting for him to leave.

Finally, in the evening, his phone buzzed. It was a message from Claire, but he quickly picked up the phone, covering the screen so that I wouldn't see it.

He read the message, then he sighed. “I need to handle something at the office. I'll be back very soon” He promised.

Good.

He leaned forward to kiss me, but I turned my head, causing his lips to brush my cheeks instead. He hesitated for a moment. “I’ll be back soon, Ella. Try to rest, okay?”

I nodded, keeping my expression blank. “Okay.”

The moment the door closed behind him, I got into action.

I quickly grabbed my phone, and dialed the number of the private investigator that I had been in contact with for a week now.

“Ms. Sullivan,” a deep voice greeted me with my maiden name. "I was expecting your call.”

“Tell me what you’ve found,” I said, wasting no time.

“I’ve traced the missing funds. Most of it was transferred into offshore accounts that your fiancé set up under different names.”

I closed my eyes, as I gripped the phone tighter. “How much?”

“A huge amount, and that's just for the ones I could find. There are still more. Some assets are still under your name, but he's been transferring them to himself by forging your signatures.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “I can't believe I didn't notice all this money leaving my accounts.”

I took a deep breath. “I want a full report. I need to know everything he has that belongs to me, and how to take back everything.”

“I’ll have the details ready for you tomorrow,” he confirmed.

“Good.”

The next step.

I grabbed a suitcase from the closet and started packing. I tossed out old belongings, and gathered things I no longer needed or wanted, like the matching pajamas I had gotten with Thomas.

When Thomas came home an hour later, he found me folding clothes, and throwing things away.

He frowned. “Ella? What are you doing?”

I turned to him with a flat stare. “Packing.”

He looked at the open suitcase, and the scattered clothes. He looked confused and nervous. “Packing for what?”

I shrugged, keeping my back to him

“For us,” I murmured. “We’re getting married, Thomas, things are about to change. We need a fresh start.”

His worry vanished instantly, and he smiled in satisfaction.

“You’re right,” he said, “It is a fresh start for us. Anything I can do to help?”

I shook my head. He had no idea that my fresh start wouldn’t include him.

~

That night, as he slept, I stole his phone. I tried opening it, but it wouldn't open.

I frowned. His password had been Claire's birthday, he said that she dared him to do it.

Looking back now, I realized it had been a big lie. I had believed him that time because I was naive and stupid, thinking that they were just friends, playing harmless games.

I racked my brain, trying to think of other options, but I quickly ran out of ideas. At the end, I returned the phone feeling frustrated and upset.

The next morning, before I woke up, Thomas had already woken up, and he served me breakfast in bed. Thomas had never done that before. The soft look in his eyes as he served me looked almost genuine, almost like he cared.

I scoffed internally as I picked the food. That was a stupid thought. He was obviously pretending, like always. At that point, I didn't have the appetite to eat.

“Are you going to invite your father to the wedding?” Thomas asked, as he sat beside me, watching as I ate.

I paused, glancing at him before I replied coldly. “No,”

Thomas sighed, “Ella, I know that things between the two of you have not been going well, but he's your father. He should be here for your wedding. I don't know what he did, but come on, can't you both work it out?” He said softly, placing his hand on my leg.

I almost flinched at his touch, but I forced myself to relax.

“I'll think about it.” I replied in a dismissive tone.

I furrowed my eyebrows when I noticed that his hand was creeping upwards.

“What are you doing?” I queried coldly.

He gave me a coy smile. “Come on, Ella. It's been a while since—”

I cut him off immediately. “Absolutely not. Get your hands off me! I was just discharged yesterday!” I snapped.

Thomas flinched at the tone of my voice. “I'm sorry,” he mumbled, then he walked out of the room with a hurt look on his face.

Gabriella's POV

Thomas didn't leave like I thought he would. Instead, he came back up a few minutes later to apologize.

“I wasn't thinking, I was insensitive. I'm sorry.” He said softly.

I forced a smile, nodding briefly before I continued typing on my phone.

His face brightened.

A knock sounded on the door, and before we could respond, the door opened.

Claire walked in like she owned the place. That was how she always did.

“Hello lovebirds.” She sang, but I could see a dark look in her eyes. “I hope I didn't spoil the moment. Today is your dress and suit fitting day for the wedding. We can't be late.”

I frowned at her. “Go wait downstairs for us, and next time knock on the front door and wait for someone to open the door for you. Don't just barge in” I said firmly.

There was shocked silence for a moment as they both stared at me.

Claire furrowed her eyebrows at me for a moment, looking confused, then she forced a smile. “Don't be absurd, Ella. I can't remember the last time I knocked. This is like my second home.”

I resisted the urge to scoff at her. “Well, you need to start knocking now. We need privacy.” I replied firmly.

Claire turned to Thomas for help, but he shrugged.

“Ella is right, Claire. You need to start knocking.”

Claire gaped at him in disbelief. He gave her a look, and she clenched her jaw in anger, before she swallowed her rage down, forcing another smile.

“Okay, got it. Now, hurry up. We have a lot of things to do.” She sang.

I didn’t argue when Claire insisted on sitting in the front seat when we entered the car. She smirked in victory, teasing me about wanting to sit close to her in-law. I didn't reply her as I simply got into the back seat

I kept quiet throughout, but Claire kept talking. She kept reaching for Thomas’s hand as she spoke, but I noticed that he kept drawing his hand away.

I stared out the window, uninterested.

By the time we arrived at the luxurious store, Claire looked so excited. “Ella, I can't wait to see you in your dress!” she squealed.

Immediately I wore my dress for a few seconds, I quickly took it off. There was no use when I wasn't getting married.

Behind me, Claire and Thomas were getting fitted for their own outfits. Thomas looked handsome and charming in his tailored suit. Claire clung to him, helping him to adjust his tie and clothes like a wife.

I sat on a chair in the store, rubbing my temples as I waited for Claire to change back so we could go.

Claire’s voice called out from behind me.

“Oh, Ella, do you mind?”

I turned and annoyance flicked through me as I stared at her.

Claire stood in the middle of the room, wearing my dress.

My wedding dress.

She twirled slightly, watching herself in the mirror. “I just wanted to see how it looked on me,” she said with a soft giggle. “I hope you don’t mind.”

To my surprise, Thomas was glaring at her fiercely. “Claire, take that off. That's Ella's dress.” He scolded her sharply.

Claire frowned at him with surprise on her face. “I'm just messing around, Thomas. Chill.”

“Well, it's not funny.” Thomas snapped.

The store owner walked in at that moment, oblivious to the tension in the room. She smiled. “You two make such a perfect couple,” she commented, gesturing to Claire and Thomas.

Thomas opened his mouth to protest, but before he could, I spoke first.

“Yes,” I said smoothly. “They do.”

A strange, unreadable look crossed Thomas’s face, as he stared at me. Claire, on the other hand, looked very smug.

I just smiled coolly with a blank expression on my face.

On the way back, when Claire insisted on sitting in the front, Thomas refused vehemently, and threatened to leave Claire behind if she refused to stay at the back seat. Claire wasn't pleased. She kept grumbling in the back seat.

~

The next day, I fell ill. In the morning, I could barely move.

I felt so weak. My head was pounding, and breathing was difficult. I didn’t know what was wrong, but I could barely keep my eyes open.

Thomas was by my side throughout.

He held a cloth to my forehead, whispering softly to me. “Shh, Ella. I’m here, baby. Just rest.”

He stroked my hair, spoon-fed me, and made sure I was comfortable. He stayed by my side all day and night, never leaving, with concern in his eyes.

I could feel my heart soften towards him.

What if he did care? I knew what I heard that day, but what if I had been wrong?

Maybe… maybe I had misunderstood. I could ask him to explain.

The next morning, I was better, but I was still tired. Thomas sat beside me, watching me eat the toast he had made.

“Feeling better?” he asked softly.

I swallowed my bite, nodding. “Yeah.”

He gave me a warm smile. “Good.”

There was silence for a moment, and several questions ran through my mind.

“What are you thinking about?” He asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I hesitated, then I replied. “I think you should change your password. I don't want Claire's birthday to be your phone password. Change it to something else.” I said, purposely trying to get his answer on his next password.

He raised a brow at my words, then he smiled. “I’ve actually changed it. It's 1402, the date of our first kiss.”

My fingers froze around my fork.

Our first kiss.

I remembered that night. The way my heart had pounded when he whispered my name right before he kissed me.

A lump formed in my throat. He remembered.

Thomas kissed my forehead. “I’ll go take a shower, okay? Call me if you need anything.”

I nodded absentmindedly, lost in thought.

Thomas's phone buzzed with a message.

I turned to his phone that was on the nightstand, and I reached for it slowly, hesitating. Why did I feel guilty?

I shook off the feeling and typed in the password.

The screen unlocked instantly.

My breath caught in my throat. It was Claire.

Claire: I'm sorry for doubting your loyalties. Now that you poisoned her, causing her to fall ill, I'm convinced that you're still mine. I love you.

My blood ran cold.

Gabriella's POV

I felt like I couldn't breathe. Those words kept circling in my mind. Thomas had drugged me. He was the reason I had been sick, and he had been here taking care of me after poisoning me.

I scoffed bitterly. I had almost fallen for it, I had almost let him fool me again.

When Thomas came out of the shower, I was pretending to be asleep. I wouldn't be able to hide my reaction to this news, and he would know that something was wrong.

Thomas pressed a soft kiss on my forehead. “Have a good night's sleep, Ella.” He murmured.

I resisted the urge to flinch at his touch, no matter how repulsive it felt.

Over the next few days, Thomas still didn't leave my side. He kept caring and tending to me. The few times he left my side was for the marriage preparations, but nothing he did moved me. I knew what he was capable of, and how evil he really was.

However, I barely spoke to Thomas after that night. Every time he touched me, every time he looked at me with those soft, loving eyes, I wanted to ask him how he could pretend so well. How he could poison me, plan my death, and then sit beside me, stroking my hair as if I were the love of his life.

But I said nothing. I kept my distance from him, and I only answered when necessary, using short sentences, nothing more.

At first, he didn’t notice. He thought I was still weak, still recovering, especially as he had been very busy with the wedding plans.

But after a few days, the silence started to get to him.

“Ella,” he murmured one evening as we sat together in the living room. I had a book in my lap, but I wasn’t really reading it. I could feel Thomas watching me for a while with an unreadable look in his eyes.

I glanced at him for a brief second, before I turned my attention back to my book, silently telling him that I was listening.

He shifted closer to me. “You’ve been quiet lately.”

I kept my face blank. “I don’t feel like talking.”

Concern flashed across his face. “I know you’re still grieving, baby. I get it. I know how much you wanted this child.” His voice was soft. “But I promise you, next time will be different.”

My hands tightened on the book. Next time?

Thomas cupped my cheek, lifting my face toward him. “We’ll try again, Ella. And this time, I swear to you, the pregnancy will stay.” He said so sincerely, like he really meant it.

I forced a smile, “Thank you.” I murmured.

He released a deep breath of relief. “That’s my girl. I love you.”

I allowed him to pull me into his arms, resting my head on his chest as he murmured soft words that meant nothing to me.

A sharp sound interrupted us, his phone was ringing. I glanced at the name on the screen quickly before he flipped the phone over with a frustrated groan.

It was Claire.

This wasn't the first call from Claire today. Claire had been calling and texting Thomas non-stop for days, but he had been ignoring them.

I watched him, lifting an eyebrow at him, but he said nothing, avoiding my eyes.

“You’re not going to answer?” I asked, tilting my head.

Thomas sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair.

“You know Claire,” he muttered. “She’s always such a perfectionist. She probably just wants to go over the wedding arrangements again.”

I nodded slowly, pretending that I believed him.

“She’s been calling a lot,” I commented. “It must be important.”

Thomas hesitated, then he shook his head. “It’s not. I don’t want to deal with it right now.” He squeezed my hand gently.

“Your well-being is my number one priority, Ella. Everything else can wait.”

I scoffed internally. Liar.

Before I could say anything else, a sharp knock came from the front door.

Thomas hesitated for a moment before he got up to answer the door.

The moment he opened it, Claire stormed in. Her heels clicked against the floor sharply. Her eyes immediately found me, and she sneered slightly before she hid it with a fake smile.

“Ella,” she said sweetly, though I could still hear the sharpness in her tone. “How are you feeling? You look… better.”

I shrugged, forcing a smile. “Yes, thanks to Thomas.”

She scowled for a split second before she released a forced laugh. “Oh yes, Thomas. Thanks to him. He's such a wonderful person. Is that the reason he hasn't been picking his calls?”

Thomas placed a hand on her arm, squeezing it in warning. “Claire, not here,” he muttered under his breath.

She rolled her eyes, “Fine. But we need to talk.” She glanced at me, before she turned back to Thomas. “Alone.”