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.”

Gabriella's POV

I didn’t react. I simply turned back to my book, turning the page with a bored look on my face.

Thomas glanced at me, then he sighed. “Let’s go to the study.”

As they walked away, I waited for a minute, before I closed the book in my lap and quietly got up to follow them.

Thomas shut the study door behind them, but I pressed my ear against the door.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Claire hissed. “Why have you been ignoring me?”

He groaned. “Claire, calm down—”

“Don’t tell me to calm down! Do you have any idea how humiliating it was to have to come here because you refused to answer my calls? What is going on?” She snapped.

There was silence, then Thomas released a sigh. “Ella is still recovering. She has been acting strange, and I don’t want her getting suspicious.”

Claire scoffed. “Suspicious? Suspicious of what? You were supposed to poison her, Thomas, not nurse her back to health like some caring husband!”

I clenched my jaw.

“I did what I had to do,” he snapped back. “If I hadn’t taken care of her, she would’ve known something was wrong. I can’t rush this, Claire. We need her to trust me.”

She groaned. “Trust you? Ugh, it’s pathetic watching you play the perfect fiancé. You’re enjoying this, aren’t you? All the attention she’s giving you, all the love. Tell me Thomas, have you fallen in love with her?”

“What kind of question is that?” He retorted. “I am trying to make this work. She has to think I’m her everything, that I would never hurt her. That way, when the time comes, she won’t even see it coming.”

My stomach clenched, and I ignored the pain that shot to my heart. I knew all these already.

She huffed. “But—”

Thomas cut her off in annoyance. “No buts, Claire,” He snapped, “You’re ruining everything with your clingy attitude.”

She gasped, clearly shocked. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” He growled. “I’ve been handling this perfectly, but you keep pushing. You couldn’t even wait for me to call you back? You had to show up here like some jealous girlfriend?”

She snorted. “Jealous? Of her? Don’t be ridiculous.”

Thomas scoffed. “Then stop acting like it. You’re making things complicated. I need her to trust me completely. If you keep behaving like this, she’ll start asking questions.”

Claire groaned. “You act like she’s smart enough to suspect anything.”

They thought I was so stupid, and I guess I had been. Not anymore.

He sighed, his voice was quieter, “You don’t understand, Claire. If I push too hard, if I make the wrong move, she’ll back out. And if she backs out, we get nothing.”

She groaned in frustration. “Then hurry up, Thomas! The wedding was already postponed once because of her last miscarriage. We can’t afford to wait again.”

So, that was why Thomas had been trying to coddle me after this miscarriage. He didn't want the wedding to be postponed like it had been before.

She continued, “It’s very annoying. Just like the last time we were close to ending everything, then she got pregnant, and we had to get rid of it. It’s like bad luck follows her womb or something.” She snorted cruelly.

My fists clenched at the reminder of the pregnancies that I had lost because of them.

Thomas didn’t respond, after a moment, he muttered, “It’s not bad luck.”

She huffed. “Obviously. It’s just her stupidity. She actually thought you wanted to have kids with her.”

Thomas's voice was quiet as he replied. “She wanted a family.”

She snorted. “And? That’s not our problem, Thomas. And it’s starting to look like you don’t actually want this to end.”

He scoffed. “Shut up, Claire. I just don’t want to rush this. What nonsense are you saying?”

“Bullshit,” She spat. “You’re starting to feel guilty, aren’t you? Tell me, are you starting to like her?.”

“I never said that,” He snapped, his voice was sounding really angry. “What is your problem?! If you want to keep acting like an insecure girlfriend and ruin everything, then go ahead!”

Claire stammered, “I'm sorry, I—”

Thomas cut her off. “You're acting so impatient because of jealousy. Do you know how far we've come? And now because of your stupid insecurity and impatience, you want to destroy everything!”

“We've been planning this for years, Claire! You're the one who even brought up this plan, do you remember?!”

Claire’s voice was quiet as she repIied. “Of course, I remember.”

She paused for a moment before continuing. “I saw her first. I was the one who realized how rich she was. And then I came to you with the plan.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. They had been together… before I even met them?

I swallowed hard, holding the wall for support. It had all been planned. From the moment I met Thomas, everything had been a lie.

Some minutes later, Thomas returned, with a blank expression. Claire followed behind him with irritation on her face.

I picked up my book again, flipping the page casually. “Everything alright?” I asked, keeping my voice steady, as if I wasn't breaking inside.

He forced a smile. “Yeah, just some last-minute wedding details.”

She released a fake giggle. “You know how I am, Ella. I just want everything to be perfect for you.”

I smiled back at her, making sure it looked very genuine. “I appreciate it, Claire. Thank you.”

She blinked at me in surprise, then she quickly hid it with another fake smile.

“You're welcome,” She replied.