Page 87 of Plunge into Obsession

But my day wasn’t over yet.

I ran my sweaty palms down the side of the sweatpants I had stolen from Gabriel’s closet. I hadn’t braved the trip back to the house I shared with Kaia for my things, because then I would have to talk to her—and convince her that I really did want to marry Gabriel.

It didn’t sound possible, considering Kaia could always see my bullshit from miles away, and it seemed I was running out of time.

That bastard Gabriel had planned for Kaia to come to the house, and she was due here in about fifteen minutes.

I shifted slightly in my seat.

“Are you all right?” Elena asked, placing a mug of what looked like hot lemon water on the kitchen counter in front of me.

Apparently, the things I would eat from now on would be carefully controlled by Gabriel. I hadn’t had a cup of coffee since I was discharged from the hospital.

I wrapped my hands around the mug and took in the warmth. “Yeah,” I said, my eyes focused on the steam coming from the hot tea. I wondered if Elena knew the kind of man Gabriel was, and if she did, why she felt comfortable working for him.

I didn’t ask her because I had yet to see them interact with each other, but every time she talked about him, there was an unmistakable fondness in her voice.

She placed a plate of fully cooked eggs on top of two slices of ciabatta bread, with tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach on the side.

It was a nice early lunch.

This was the one thing I didn’t mind about mynewlife.

“You have to eat something,” she said. “It’s not good to miss breakfast in your condition.”

I blinked down at the food, my hand moving under the table and settling on my still-flat stomach.

I had my first doctor’s appointment in a few days. Gabriel had managed to find me one and set it up himself—the controlling bastard that he was.

A small part of me still thought—hoped—it was a mistake and he would let me go.

He only kept me because I was unfortunate enough to have gotten pregnant, but the bastard had taken the risk by not wearing protection.

One of us should have been able to think a little further ahead that night, rather than getting swept away in the moment.

And now, I was paying the price.

Elena was still watching me expectantly, so I grabbed one piece of bread with an egg on top and took a bite.

She smiled and turned away after a beat, going back to the stove and getting ready to prep for tonight’s dinner.

I took a bigger bite of the sandwich, feeling much more famished than I thought.

I was nearly done with my meal when the doorbell rang. I glanced down at the small amount of food left on my plate before pushing it away, no longer having the appetite to finish.

Elena frowned at it as she wiped her wet hands on the apron.

“I’ll get the door,” she said.

I nodded.

I shifted in my seat during the one minute it took her to open the door, greet Kaia, and bring her back into the kitchen.

Kaia met my eyes, and we both froze.

She moved first, rushing toward me with a cry, and wrapped her arms tightly around me, nearly knocking me off my chair.

I let out a watery laugh and hugged her tighter.

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