AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Well, that’s a relief,” Nat says when I tell them I’ve accepted the apartment.
“I’m just glad you finally saw sense,” Stella says. “Even if you don’t stay and eventually look for somewhere else, it at least gets you away from Vince. But, just putting it out there, I think you’d be mad to move... just saying... but at least you can save some money with the low rent he’s offering you.”
I laugh. “I agree. Oh, my goodness, you should see the place. It’s beautiful. I’m still pinching myself.”
I doubted I could afford the rent at the start of Gabriel’s guided tour. I wondered if he forgot how much he pays me. When he handed me the piece of paper, my heart almost burst its way out of my chest. I wanted to bite his hand off, but I’ve never been one to take anyone for granted. I happily paid my fiancé more than Gabriel was asking, and I lived with him. Although the look on Gabriel’s face when I mentioned that. His eyes hardened, and his mouth pinched. He remained silent, but I could sense his disapproval.
The girls had been too. They’d not realised. When I told them, they asked how Vince could do that when he professed to love me. To me, it hadn’t been about that. I was happy to pay my way. But they couldn’t understand, not when he was bringing in a seven-figure salary and happy to brag about it. I didn’t tell them I also paid for all our food shopping.
My eyes are slowly opening where my ex-fiancé is concerned. Well, good luck to them both. I hope Yasmin enjoys picking up after him and having dinner ready on the table when he walks in. Then again, maybe she’s wiser than me.
I finish my conversation with the girls and make some dinner. My phone rings and I answer it automatically.
“Oh, so you haven’t lost your phone. I was wondering.” Vince’s sarcastic tone snaps me out of my good mood.
“No,” I reply. “But I only answer it to people I want to speak to, and stupidly, I didn’t check the caller ID before I accepted.”
“Since I’m using Yas’s phone, it wouldn’t have mattered.”
I smart at his smug tone.
“What do you want, Vince?” I say. Beginning to wonder what I ever saw in this guy.
“I want to check you got my messages?”
“Which one? You left me about twenty,” I add, letting him know how excessive he’s been.
“Well, if you’d just picked up your damn phone.” I can tell from his voice he’s getting snappy. And I don’t feel like dealing with this side of him anymore.
“Vince, your little bombshell devastated me. You understand that, right? I would have assumed you, of all people, would know how that piece of news would affect me. I thought you would have more respect for me, than telling me in the middle of a crowded bar that your girlfriend is pregnant.”
“Well, Yas is very upset. The fact you asked if the baby was mine.”
My jaw drops. Has he not heard a word I’ve just said?
“She was upset? You know what, Vince, I’ll not waste my breath.”
I barely recognise the man I’ve been with for ten years. But then, did I ever know him?
He humphs down the phone. “Did you get the message about moving out in two weeks?”
“I did.” A smile forms on my lips. Thanks to Gabriel, I’m no longer carrying that weight on my shoulders.
Silence descends.
“I can make it longer if you need me to,” he says. “Maybe you can speak to Caleb Frazer and get his friend Tristan to turn a blind eye to Friday night’s events. Your bitch friends really went to town on me.”
Blood rushes to my cheeks, and a ringing starts in my ears. “If I get Caleb to talk to Tristan, then I can stay for another five weeks?” I question, wanting to confirm what he’s saying.
“Yes. Yas is really upset. Tristan’s bars are her favourite place. We’ve been given a lifetime ban from all of them.”
I fist pump the air, a grin spreading over my face. I suspect Caleb had something to do with that. I make a mental note to thank him.
“Sorry, Vince. No can do. I’ve found somewhere to live. I’m moving out at the weekend. The apartment is all yours... and Yas’s.”
“What? How? Where?”
He chokes out the words, and I laugh. He thought he had me at a disadvantage. This is where I’d love to throw my arms around Gabriel.
