Chapter 3 End of a Love Story

EMERALD

TOWARDS THE ENTRANCE of the living room, I hear voices filled with laughter. My father must be catching up well with Gabriel. The room is jovial, unlike my mood. I want to kill someone, and by someone, I mean a scornful man in the form of a boyfriend. I clear my throat, announcing my presence, and the men shift their attention to me.

"Sweetheart, you're home. Gabriel and I were catching up. He was just telling me a funny story.

Did you know he was a superb soccer player at a very young age?" My father asks.

"Was he now? He never told me that. I bet there are so many things he hasn't told me. Right, Gabriel?" I force a smile, my eyes glued on him.

"Well," Father gets up from his seat. "I'll go check on my beloved wife. She must be missing me."

There's silence for a few seconds after my father leaves. A weird type of silence. Gabriel is still seated, while I'm glued to the same spot, shooting glares at him. At the man I've considered important to me for months. At the man I couldn't envision my future without. At the man who made me believe I was special. At the man who, despite a few bumps in our relationship, I always found a way to reason with and defend him.

Well, I overdosed, should have known your love was a game (A line from one of my favorite songs). I make a mental note to put it on repeat for the next few days, this time relating to the lyrics, especially the we don't talk anymore part.

"How have you been, babe?" he finally gets up to approach me, ignoring the unspeakable tension in the air.

"Feeling better now that you're here," I lie. He smiles, closing the distance between us.

"I'm glad you're here," I insist. He doesn't wipe the smile off his face.

"Really?" He asks.

"Yeah," I nod. "So you can explain to me why a woman almost burned me to ashes for wrecking her home." I snap.

His lips twitch in a split second. I almost miss it. Something tells me he knows exactly what I'm talking about. Although he tries to mask it-to feign ignorance-his first expression already gave him away.

The tiny piece of hope I was still holding, that it was just a crazy woman's antics, flies out the window. I know the lying Gabriel face. I've seen it a few times. When he crafted excuses not to spend time with me. Or when I found him in the wrong place. Mostly when he'd lie about his location, and by some luck, I'd find him at a different one.

Speaking of which, just how many red flags from this lying bastard did I ignore? Was it the fact that I was so in love with him? Or was I so obsessed with having what my parents had that I always thought we would work things out, no matter the issue? That is a dangerous fit.

The realization of how I overlooked so many things slaps like an electric shock on my skin. I always got hung up on the fact that relationships can't always be perfect, but how much more can one take? Maybe I clung to the positives of our relationship a little too much and turned a blind eye to the red flags. Or maybe Gabriel was just a fucking good liar..

Before he parts his lips to defend himself, I ask, "How long have you been lying to me?"

"Emerald," he sighs.

Right, that's another lying Gabriel. He calls my name and then goes silent for a while, which I usually take as his way of buying time to concoct a lie. His actions prove he already knows what I'm talking about.

"Lindsey, right?" I proceed.

He rakes his fingers through his hair. "Emerald."

"If you call my name one more time, I'll slice your throat."

"She is a stalker who's obsessed with me. I heard what happened at the hotel. That's why I came to check on you. Did she hurt you?" He cups my face, looking into my eyes. If I didn't know better, I would believe him.

Actually, I used to believe him before this. I guess it takes one tragic incident to open your eyes. How many times did he use that move on me? God knows how many lies he got away with.

Gosh, I knew love was blind. But stupid?

I shove his hands off my cheeks. "A stalker?"

His hands fly to his waist as he nods. "Yes."

One can definitely do better.

"What...Now you're a celebrity that girls are obsessing over?"

He purses his lips. "Baby, can we talk about this calmly?"

I swallow past a lump. "Why? So you can lie to me calmly?"

"I'm not-"

"Then let's go find Lindsey and warn her against ruining our relationship. Can you do that?" I cut him off.

It's an outrageous idea, I know. But I would love to see Gabriel's response.

He could deny the allegations and throw Lindsey under the bus. That wouldn't be any good for me either. Besides, the woman sent a clear warning a while ago. From everything that has transpired, it's evident she has a lot of power. For her to threaten a hotel like Galaxy?

And how is she with Gabriel? I have so many questions about their relationship, but asking will be of no use to me.

"There's no need for all that, Emerald." Gabriel holds my shoulders, and once again, I shove his hands off me.

"Then tell me the truth," I demand.

The room falls silent for a while. I can feel my raging heartbeat. With every beat, it strikes anger.

I scoff. Maybe this time, he's actually lacked the words to convince me.

"If you're not going to speak, it only means one thing... That being said, get out of my house." I point to the door.

"We're done."