Page 188 of The Bonus

“Come, let’s…” He holds his arm out to her. “We should go outside and talk.”

Lucia and Dominic are watching on with great interest.

He opens the front door and gestures to it. “This way.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” she screams like a maniac.

Uh-oh.

Gabriel rolls his lips, clearly angered. “Grace…take the children to Debbie’s, please?”

“No,” Ariana screams. “They should know what you’ve done.”

Gabriel’s eyes flick to meet mine with an urgency. “Now.”

Ahh…

“Come on, kids.” I grab my keys. “Your father needs to talk in private.”

“You stay right where you are!” she yells at me.

The children freeze on the spot.

“Grace!” Gabriel demands.

“Now,” I yell. I grab Dominic’s and Lucia’s hands and drag them out the back door and we race down the steps, we rush out the front to the car and I hear glass smash inside.

Argh, she’s trashing my house now.

“What’s happening?” Dominic demands.

I have no idea how to respond. “Umm…” I open the door of the car with force. “We’ll talk on the way.”

Ariana starts screaming and yelling inside, and it echoes through the neighborhood.

Oh man…she’s completely losing it now, and who could blame her. She found her newly ex in his silk boxer shorts with another woman and his kids. If only she knew what actually happened last night…she does.

That poor, poor girl.

“But we’re still wearing our pajamas,” Dom protests.

“That’s fine,” I splutter as I push him in the car.

Another thing smashes from inside. Shit…is he safe? Should I call the police or something?

We bundle into the car and take off down the road like maniacs.

“Who was that?” Dominic demands.

“Your father’s friend.”

“Why was she crying?”

I grip the steering wheel with white-knuckle force. How the hell do you answer that question? I can’t lie, he saw it with his own eyes. “She and your father used to date and he broke up with her and she’s clearly upset.” My eyes flick to meet his in the rearview mirror. “It’s okay, these things happen sometimes between adults.”

His eyes hold mine, and I can see his little mind running a million miles per hour. “He always makes girls cry, doesn’t he?”

My heart sinks.

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