After I Left, He Fell Apart

Gabriella's POV

I lost track of how long I cried. When I was done, I was exhausted physically and mentally.

With shaking hands, I reached out for my phone on the table beside me, and scrolled through my contacts until I found the one name I never thought I would call in a long time.

Dad.

For years, he had tried to get me to come home, to leave this life behind, and get married to the guy he had arranged for me.

And for years, I had refused.

I pressed the call button.

It rang once, and he immediately picked. His familiar voice greeted me through the phone. “Hello, my dear. It’s been so long since we last spoke.”

I almost cried at the sound of his warm voice.

He didn’t sound angry that I had ignored his calls for months, and pushed him away.

“I’m coming home,” I said softly.

There was a shocked silence on the other end.

“What? Why? What happened?” My father asked.

I shrugged, even though he couldn't see me. “I've seen the error of my ways, and I want to make corrections.”

There was another short silence before my father sighed. “Alright. I’ll arrange everything for your return.”

Relief coursed through me.

“There’s something else,” I murmured.

“What is it?”

I took a slow breath. “I accept the proposal.”

Another silence.

“Accept what?” he asked, but I knew he already understood.

“The arranged marriage,” I said firmly. “The proposal you kept telling me about. I’ll do it.”

“Gabriella…” My father said quietly, his voice was filled with concern. “You’ve refused this for years, we had a big fight about it last year, and we haven't spoken since then. You told me you were in love. You said—”

“It didn’t work out,” I cut in, my voice cold. “I’m ready now.”

“This isn’t a small decision.” My father insisted. “Marriage isn’t something you accept just because you’re hurt.”

“I’m not hurt,” I lied. “I’ve thought about it, and I’ve decided. It’s time.”

My father sighed, but I could tell he wasn’t convinced.

“Alright,” he finally said. “We’ll talk more when you arrive.”

I didn’t want to talk more. There was nothing left to say.

“You’ll need a ride from the airport,” he continued after a moment. “Zander will pick you up.”.

Zander, the chubby, kind-hearted boy who never let me feel alone when we were children. He had always been there, with his round face and ridiculous grin. My childhood friend who was always ready to defend me against anything.

For the first time since I woke up, something inside me softened.

A small smile crossed my lips.

“When are you coming?” He asked.

“In two weeks, on the 19th” I replied.

“I’ll see you soon, Dad,” I murmured before I ended the call.

I set the phone down, inhaling deeply. I wanted to cry, but I had exhausted all my tears. Besides, it was time to work, and stop crying.

A nurse entered the room, and when she realized that I was awake, she quickly contacted Thomas.

A few minutes later, Thomas was back, and Claire followed behind him.

Thomas rushed towards me first, his face was full of relief and concern, like a loving fiancé. Claire followed behind with a worried expression on her face. The perfect best friend.

It was hard not to sneer at them. So I kept my face blank, empty. Cold. Like how I felt inside.

“Ella,” Thomas murmured softly with that intimate voice. He sat at the edge of my bed, and took my hand in his like he had done several times before.

The same hands that had been on Claire not long ago. I had to fight the urge to rip my hand away from him.

“I was so worried,” he murmured, squeezing my fingers gently. “You lost so much blood. We almost lost you.”

Claire stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder. “God, Gabby, you scared us.” Her voice cracked “Thomas called me, and I saw the blood, and you weren’t waking up. We—” She paused, breathing heavily as if she was about to sob. “We thought…”

Lies.

I couldn't hold it in. I blurted out. “And, it would have been so bad because it would have ruined the plans you had.”

Alarm crossed their faces, and they exchanged panicked glances.

“Plans? What plans?” Thomas said, and the two of them stared at me nervously. They were almost sweating.

I lifted an eyebrow at both of them. “The wedding plans of course, which other plans? Have you forgotten?”

They almost collapsed with relief at my words.

“Of course, the wedding plans,” Thomas echoed, “But you know that if you're not feeling up to it. We can postpone the wedding. What matters is that you're perfectly fine.” He said softly, his eyes shone with care.

I almost believed him. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I wasn't going to cry anymore.

Thomas kissed my hand, his lips warm against my skin. I felt nothing but disgust.

“But you’re okay now,” he whispered. “That’s all that matters.”

I didn’t respond.

Something unreadable crossed his face, but it was gone very fast.

“I know this is hard,” he continued softly. “But we’ll get through it. Together.” He brushed a strand of hair from my face like he hadn’t just been planning to have me killed. “We can try again, Ella. When you’re ready.”

I stared at him.

Then, without blinking, I said, “No.”

His smile faded. “No?”

“There’s no need.” My voice was flat, without emotion.

Thomas blinked. I saw as he exchanged a glance with Claire before he turned to me.

“I… I know it hurts right now, baby,” he said gently. “I know you’re grieving, but you love children. You want a baby.”

Claire nodded quickly beside him. “And when you’re ready, yo—”

“I said no.”

There was silence.

Thomas stared at me, I could see the confusion in his eyes.

I had always wanted a child. Begged for one. He knew that. So why was I refusing?

After a moment, he exhaled and gave me a small, understanding smile. “I get it, Ella. It’s too soon to talk about it.” He said with patience in his voice. “You’ve been through too much. But I know you. You’ll change your mind.”

I forced a small smile as I replied. “Maybe.”

He smiled back, looking very relieved, thinking that things were back to normal. He didn't know that I would never let him touch me again.