Page 72 of He Doesn't Deserve You

“Great. Would it be possible for me to sign the adoption papers in advance? That way, once the paternity results come in, everything will already be in order.”

Kathy frowned. “I’m sorry, but we have to wait for the results before we can proceed with that.”

“Oh, alright,” Gabriel replied, his voice tinged with disappointment. “Is there anything else you need from me?” Gabriel asked.

“No, that’s all for now. I’ll reach out as soon as the results are in,” Kathy assured him.

Gabriel stood up and extended his hand. “Okay, thank you.”

Kathy shook his hand and responded, “You’re welcome.”

Gabriel left the social services office, determined to try again to catch Roman alone. Finding Roman alone, he lightly tapped his open door before entering the room.

Roman, who had been resting, opened his eyes and smiled. “That was quick,” he remarked. But when he saw it was Gabriel, the smile faded. “Emily’s not here,” he said. “She went to get some lunch.”

Stepping closer to the bed, Gabriel said, “Actually, I’m here to see you.”

Roman sat up straighter in his bed. “I don’t see what we could possibly have to discuss,” he said.

“I understand if you don’t want to talk to me. But I need to say a few things, and I’d appreciate it if you would hear me out.” Gabriel exhaled and ran a hand through his hair. First, thank you for caring for Emily and Ava when they were in trouble. I shudder to think what could have happened if you hadn’t been there for them.”

“Yeah, well, you wouldn’t need to thank me if you hadn’t gotten them mixed up in all of this in the first place,” Roman retorted.

Gabriel dropped his head. “You’re right. I’ve made a mess of everything. I’m not asking for forgiveness; I take full responsibility for myactions. So many people have been hurt because of me. Everyone would be better off without me, which brings me to the second thing I wanted to say. I’m going away for a while, and I wanted to ask if you could look after Emily and Ava in my absence.”

“So that’s your plan? You create this giant mess and then run away, leaving Emily to clean it all up?”

Not wanting to be talked out of his plan, Gabriel grew annoyed. “Are you going to look after them or not?” he snapped.

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll be the man you couldn’t be,” Roman retorted.

“Thank you. One more thing—please don’t tell Emily about our conversation.”

Roman shook his head in disbelief. “You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”

“Yeah, I know,” Gabriel muttered as he left the room.

Gabriel left the hospital, drove straight to the liquor store, and bought their largest bottle of Jack Daniels. Then, he checked himself into the Holiday Ann. Gabriel was assigned room 217, and he couldn’t help but find it fitting. Room 217 was where it all began—the first time he slept with Lily. It was where the turmoil had started, and now, it seemed, it would be where it all would end.

39

Emily left the hospital feeling as though a tremendous weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Despite the uncertainties and the many issues still to be resolved, her criminal charges had been dropped, and she and her loved ones were safe. In the end, that was all that mattered.

However, her happiness dissipated the closer she got to the high school to pick up the boys. A growing nervousness churned in her stomach as she braced herself for the inevitable questions that awaited her and Gabriel. She parked the car in front of the school and called Gabriel while waiting for the boys. The call went straight to voicemail, so she left a message.

“Hi, I’m at the school picking up the boys. We’ll be home in a little while. I just wanted to make sure you’re there, as you promised to talk to the boys after school. Okay, see you soon. Bye.”

The boys climbed into the car just as Emily ended the call, their sour expressions portraying their foul moods. Hunter slammed the door and glared at Emily. “Is it true?” he demanded.

All the color drained from her face as her mind raced, trying to fathom how they could have found out. “Is what true?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“That Dad had an affair, and two women are dead because of it?”

Emily’s stomach turned. “Where did you hear that?” she asked, fighting the urge to be sick.

Hunter tapped his phone’s screen a few times before holding it up to her. “It’s all over the internet,” he said grimly.

Taking the phone from him, Emily scanned the article, searching for the source: Maggie’s brother, Michael.

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