Page 36 of Missing Marcus

Saint turned to Gabby. “PITA mentioned you’re not supposed to feel stressed. Do you want Knight to stay?” The men made it clear they planned to haul him out if necessary.

Gabby gazed at Knight before sighing. “Marcus and I need a few minutes alone. Thank you for everything. Will you keep me updated on Jackie? Please tell Bryanna I’ll call her tomorrow,” she insisted.

Saint nodded. “I’ll tell her first thing. Don’t be surprised if she shows up with something sweet in the morning. I’ll keep you posted about Jackie as soon as we know something.” He sent a warning glare toward Knight before walking out with the men.

Gabby played with a piece of lint from the blanket while waiting for Marcus to rail at her. When he didn’t speak, she glanced up at him to see him watching her.

“Why didn’t you tell me about attending school?” he spoke softly.

“At first, I wanted to surprise you. When I finished my bachelor’s degree, I asked you to spend the day with me but you spun up the day before. I decided to go for my master’s degree and since I paid off your truck and my car broke down, I used part of the forty thousand from savings to put a down payment on a different car, paid off the house, and fixed the electrical issue in the kitchen.”

“What electrical problem?” he asked.

“The garbage disposal stopped working. If you recall, I asked you to replace it. When you didn’t, I hired someone. The outlet went bad. When he finished inspecting the kitchen, he found a few more issues which turned into a fire hazard. I paid him six thousand dollars to repair it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about quitting the job and interning?” he demanded.

Gabby sighed, shrugged off the blankets and rose from the couch. “It’s all moot now. There’s no reason to drudge up all my wrongs. I’m tired, Marcus.” She went into the kitchen and pulled out the meal Saint provided. She didn’t feel like eating, yet she knew the baby needed sustenance.

He took the meal from her and placed it on the counter. Taking off the lid, he stuck it in the microwave to heat up while he searched for a glass and poured her a tall glass of milk. “Sit. I’ll bring it to you,” he commanded.

Gabby walked to the small table and sat in the chair.

Knight set the milk down and sat opposite her. “It’s important to me. You’ve done a lot of things I don’t know about.”

Gabby nodded her head. “I guess it makes two of us.”

“Listen, Gabby. I might’ve jumped to some conclusions and I take full responsibility. I need you to explain things to me. I feel like I don’t know you right now.” He shook his head as if confused.

“No. I don’t owe you an explanation anymore. We’re getting a divorce. You’ve hurt me for the last time, Marcus,” she whispered. “You can go on with your life before the hospital called you. Nothing’s changed between us.”

22

Knight felt like she cut open his chest, spread it wide and yanked his heart out. He breathed deeply, resisting the urge to wrap his arms around her and hold her tightly. Hearing her tell of her frightening experience with the car accident, the new job, and the danger she found herself in, caused his head to spin. What else had he missed all this time?

“Do you expect me to walk away after what you confessed to the team? You’re pregnant, Gabby. It’s not only your life we’re talking about,” he softly reprimanded her.

Her chin lifted and her eyes appeared watery. “Yes. I tried telling you about the pregnancy when you insisted on this divorce. You didn’t care to hear me out then. Bryanna’s husband at least listened to me.”

He leaned forward, and she stiffened in anticipation of his touch. The microwave beeped. With a sigh, he got up to take out the food. When he turned, Gabby no longer sat at the table. Concerned, he walked down the hall. He knocked on the door before entering. She tossed the clothes onto the bed and fished out her cozy pajamas and scooped the other items onto a chair.

“Usually, when a door’s closed, it means the person wants privacy,” she snapped.

Knight stood at a loss on what to say. “I know it seems like it’s too late. I made mistakes. Maybe if we sit down calmly and discuss things?—”

Gabby laughed as tears ran down her face. “Now, you want to discuss things calmly. When did you decide me worthy of such an honor? Let me guess. When I discovered you told our family and friends you found me in bed with another man? Shall we revisit the day in question, Marcus? You spun up without saying goodbye. You returned without warning. In the meantime, I realized I was pregnant. I anxiously counted the hours down until you returned to tell you the happy news. When I started spotting at work, my coworker, Scott, took me to the hospital. I felt scared and all alone. My husband only sent a text saying, ‘Spun up don’t know when I’ll return.’ They kept me overnight. Scott offered to drive me home. One of the interns from work dropped my car off earlier. The office and the diner sent me flowers. Scott brought them in while I changed.” Gabby paused to grab a tissue from the bedside table. Furiously wiping her eyes, she blew her nose before returning her gaze to meet his. “The man I waited for came in, accused me of cheating and threw me out of our house. The place I made into a home for us. Now, you want to discuss it?”

Knight’s heart raced as he heard the hurt and pain in her accusations. Worried about her BP and the baby, he stepped forward and she withdrew a step.

“I don’t want you upset,” he replied softly. “The last year and a half put a strain on both of us. I can’t tell you about my mission. I did it for us —”

“Don’t.” Gabby seethed. “Don’t tell me about how strained you felt. I knew what I agreed to when I married you. A military life with my husband, who deployed frequently. You didn’t mention it meant even when you returned, you stayed absent from our lives. I’ve spent months terrified about how I’ll raise this child. Agonizing if you’d believe me when I told you about the pregnancy after how you reacted.”

He shook his head. “No. I accepted a different assignment to get released earlier from my contract. I wanted us to start our lives together.”

“We already lived a life. One in which you became increasingly distant. I accepted you spinning up at a moment’s notice and eagerly awaited each of your returns. You thanked me by accusing me of acting unfaithful and telling our friends and family.” Gabby angrily swiped her eyes as the tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

“Gabby…I made mistakes,” he whispered.

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