Chapter 2

Angelina Fernandez. The woman whom Gabriel had loved for years; the woman who had broken his heart three years ago and fled abroad; and the same woman he expected to have back until their wedding three years ago. It was a name Leonica would never forget. Because even on their wedding night, the name Gabriel moaned out was still "Angelina", not remembering the one lying under him was his new wife. Leonica should have already given up this loveless marriage if Grandma hadn't asked her to. Grandma never liked Angelina, and she always believed that Leonica was the best wife choice for Gabriel. "Gabriel," Leonica called out and then reminded him, "You promised Grandma you'd stay away from that woman." "Are you threatening me?" Gabriel questioned with cold eyes on her. Hearing her talk about his late grandmother, he couldn't help but feel enraged. "You're in no position to talk about my grandmother." She was about to say something else when he turned to face the driver and instructed. "Stop the car." His sudden instruction caused a wave of confusion to wash over Leonica. Her brows creased as Gabriel ordered her coldly. "Get out!" Leonica's eyes widened and she froze on the spot. "What?" Did he...did he really mean that? Asking her to get out in the middle of a road where cars rarely came by at this time point. Then how should she come home? "Get. Out." Gabriel reiterated with a stern and authoritative voice. "G-Gabriel," Leonica called out, her voice trembling. "Get out, or I will make you," Gabriel growled again. At this point, the driver had gotten out and was already holding the door open for Leonica, his eyes apologetic. Leonica didn't have a choice, so without any other choice, she got out of the car. As soon as she was out, Gabriel slammed the door close. The tears she had held back rolled down her face, as the Rolls Royce sped away and disappeared from her sight. Suddenly, the ache in her heart seemed to have traveled all the way down to her stomach and the sharp pain hit her. In a few minutes, everything went dark and silent. Leonica woke up to the sound of hospital machines beeping and hushed whispers beside her. Her lashes fluttered open and she found herself lying on a hospital bed, her arms hooked up to an IV. Slowly, she turned her head to the side, her eyes landing on the familiar faces of her parents. The blonde who was her mother, Cassandra, was the first to notice that she had opened her eyes. "Oh honey, you're awake!" She exclaimed, a sigh of relief escaping her. "We were so worried." Her father, Benjamin, chimed in, his expression filled with worry. "Dad...Mom..." Leonica croaked, her voice weak and throat dry. "I'll get her a glass of water," Cassandra said, rising from her seat and walking out of the room, leaving her husband and daughter alone. "Honey, are you alright? Are you feeling better?" Benjamin asked, taking his wife's previous seat. Leonica looked around the room with her eyes, before looking at her father and asking. "Why am I in the hospital? What happened?" "You don't remember?" He asked and she shook her head. Benjamin pressed his lips into a thin line, sighing seconds later before he began his explanation, "You had passed out on the road when a couple driving by saw you and rushed you to the hospital. You had mine and your mother's number stored as your emergency number, so the hospital called us as soon as you arrived." "Oh," Leonica could only say, frowning instantly when the memory of Gabriel's cold face rushed back into her mind. "They told us you'd collapsed because of anemia and overwork. Just in case there are any other problems, the doctors have run some tests and the results just came out," Benjamin continued, pulling her out of her thoughts. "What did the doctors say?" Leonica questioned, not missing the sad and worried look that crossed her father's eyes. "Darling," Cassandra walked back into the room, carrying a glass of water. Leonica looked at her and noticed that her eyes were a little puffy and swollen like she had been crying. "Drink this." Cassandra placed the glass of water on the table beside the hospital bed and handed it to Leonica. With a nod, Leonica accepted the glass and gulped down the cool water, feeling the dryness in her throat slowly disappear. "I heard you talked about the test results." Cassandra addressed her husband as she sat down. Benjamin nodded his head. Leonica, who had her ears trained on their conversation, was not able to hide her confusion. "What is it, Mom? What did the doctor say?" She asked. Benjamin and Cassandra glanced at each other for a few seconds, communicating through their eyes, before turning to their daughter. "The reason why you passed out was because of slight complications. You're two months pregnant, Leonica." Her mother informed after holding her hands tightly and a bit excitedly. "What?" Leonica asked in surprise. She...she was two months pregnant?!