Page 30 of He Doesn't Deserve You

Detective Johnson stood up and nodded. “Yes. I’ll take you to her.”

Gabriel followed Detective Johnson down the corridor to an interrogation room. The detective knocked softly on the door before gently opening it. As they entered, Gabriel’s eyes zeroed in on Emily. Approaching her with clenched teeth, he hissed, “This is all your fault.”

Emily placed her hands on the table, slowly pushed her chair back, and stood up, visibly struggling to maintain her composure. The sound of his voice, a reminder of his betrayal, boiled her blood, but her anger would have to wait. Their daughter was in danger. She lifted her eyes from the table and fixed them on him, her voice trembling. “Let me explain.”

Emily cast a pleading glance at the officer she had spent the last several hours with. “Can we have a minute?” she asked.

“Sure.”

The two officers exited the room, closing the door softly behind them. The moment they were out of earshot, Gabriel erupted. “I hope you’re happy! Look at the mess you’ve created.”

“I didn’t know what else to do,” Emily said, her voice heavy with guilt. “I was only trying to protect her.”

Gabriel’s eyes widened in disbelief. “By running off with your boyfriend?”

“He’s not my boyfriend. He was helping me,” Emily insisted.

“Some help,” Gabriel muttered, pacing the room in frustration.

“Sit down, and I’ll explain everything,” Emily urged.

Gabriel reluctantly took a seat, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “I can’t wait to hear this.”

“It all started that night at the hotel,” Emily began. “Sydney got a call—Kevin had fallen, and Mark was rushing him to the hospital.”

Gabriel cut her off impatiently, “You should have left with her, and none of this would have happened.”

“I was going to leave, but Sydney convinced me to stay. The room was already paid for, and I was so mad at you. I wasn’t ready to go home yet,” Emily admitted.

“I’m not having an affair,” Gabriel shouted, his frustration boiling over. “If you had given me a chance to explain, you would have known that!”

“I did give you a chance to explain, but you chose not to come home!” Emily shot back, her voice seething with anger.

“I got stuck at work,” Gabriel replied defensively.

Emily, clearly in no mood for excuses, snapped, “Do you want to hear what happened or not?”

Gabriel rolled his eyes and said, “Go on!”

“After Sydney left, a man took her seat beside me,” Emily recounted, studying Gabriel’s reaction. She hesitated, weighing whether to be completely honest or to withhold some details. Noticing his flared nostrils and clenched jaw, she decided to hold back. “He must have tampered with my drink when I went to the ladies’ room. The next thing I remember is waking up in my hotel room, alone.”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed; suspicion and hurt flickering across his face. “Did you sleep with him?” he demanded.

His words ignited a blaze of fury within her, even more intense than when she had seen the credit card statement. “I don’t think so,” she said, her eyes burning into him, searing him with every gaze. “You have some nerve to even ask me that, given your extramarital affairs.”

Unable to face him any longer, she stood up and walked across the room, putting as much distance between them as possible. With her back to him, she crossed her arms tightly over her chest and let out a long, shaky breath.

“I already told you I’m not having an affair,” Gabriel insisted.

She whirled around, eyes flashing with defiance. “And I don’t believe you,” she spat back.

Gabriel opened his mouth to deny it, but Emily held up a hand, stopping him. “Now is not the time to discuss this with you. Ava is in danger.”

That caught his attention, and he sat up straighter, curiosity piqued at the mention of proof.

Emily returned to the table and sat down. “The next morning, I knew immediately something was wrong. The room looked like there had been a struggle,” she explained.

His expression shifted to one of genuine concern. “Why didn’t you report it to the police or go to the hospital?” he asked, his voice filled with both worry and confusion.

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