ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED TO THE BILLIONAIRE SINGLE DAD (Gabrielle and Damon) novel Chapter 135

GABRIELLE’S POV

“You heard me,” Phoebe said. “His name used to be Damien Gravari before he changed it.”

I blinked. “Why would he change his first name but not his last? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I wish I could make sense of it myself,” she said, her voice dropping as she continued. “That’s what I need to talk to you about. You should be careful-”

“I don’t want to hear what you have to say if you want to beat around the bush,” I said as I moved to get into the car.

“Please, wait,” she stopped me. “Fine. I’ll be direct.”

Hesitantly, I turned back to her. “Go on.”

“Years ago, a massacre happened in a private island in Naples,” she started. “A large number of bodies were found by the shoreside. So the news called it The Bellariva Massacre.”

I raised a brow. “Is this a fucking joke to you? A massacre? How come I never heard anyone mention it?”

Phoebe shook her head. “The families involved carried out a massive cover up. It was popular for days after but suddenly, the news just stopped reporting on it and everyone moved on.”

I felt my stomach tighten, a chill crawling up my spine. “I find that hard to believe. How could people just move on from that?”

“They were too busy trying to save themselves to care,” she answered. “For weeks after the massacre, the town was literally hell. Bodies were dropping like flies everywhere.”

I blinked, trying to process her words but she continued.

“The island was rumored to be exclusive to the elites whose children needed reforming to carry on their legacies,” she said. “ The Gravaris were one of the founding families.”

My chest tightened.

She hesitated, her voice shaky as she spoke. “You might hate me for what I’m about to say but I have to. I have been stalking your husband for a few months now.”

I froze, my hand gripping the car door so hard my knuckles ached. “Stalking… him? How dare you?”

My voice was sharp, but my mind felt numb, trying to process the weight of her words.

Phoebe’s gaze didn’t waver. “I needed to understand who he really is and what he’s capable of. And I need to find out what happened on that island.”

I stepped back instinctively, my stomach twisting. “This has to be a joke. And if it is, it isn’t funny. Why are you so interested in this anyway?”

She pulled out a card from her purse. “I’m an investigative reporter. Your husband has been MIA for the past weeks so I decided to find you instead.”

I took the card to see it was her ID.

“I am very interested in this case and I wanted to ask if you know anything that could help me,” she continued.

I handed it back. “Why do you think I would I know anything about it?”

“Because your husband does,” she said, searching my face for a reaction. “I have reasons to believe he witnessed it, or at least knows what happened there.”

CHAPTER 135

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My hand went to my stomach without thinking, as if I could protect what was inside me from the storm that Phoebe’s words had unleashed.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

Phoebe’s green eyes bored into mine. “I also need to know why he changed his name. Is there anything you can tell me?”

The silence that followed was suffocating.

My chest heaved, my mind racing with images I didn’t want to see, and choices I didn’t want to imagine.

“I… I need to think,” I managed, my voice shaky.

I clutched the car door like it was the only thing keeping me grounded, sweat beading on my forehead.

“About?” She pushed.

“Just stay the fuck away from me,” I snapped, rage surging through me all of a sudden. “And stop stalking my husband like a creep. Leave us alone.”

Her mouth parted to speak but I didn’t wait to listen.

I opened the door and got into the car, my hands shaking as I thought about everything she told me.

“Who was that?” Fiorella asked, her eyes on mine. “What did she say to have you so upset?”

I shook my head, wiping the sweat away with an handkerchief. “Nothing. She’s nobody. Just some fangirl of Damon’s as usual.”

Fiorella nodded slowly. “Okay. What would you like to eat?”

“Anything,” I answered absentmindedly.

Who the hell was woman and what was she talking about?

It didn’t make any sense to me so I pushed tried to it to the back of my mind–and failed. I couldn’t even speak to Damon about it as we were no longer together.

I wondered what he could be doing right now. Did he think about me as much as I thought about him?

Or maybe he’d moved on.

The Bellariva Massacre.

The thought came to my mind again, and goosebumps formed on my skin.

…Gabby?” Fiorella’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “Are you sure she was no one?”

Shocked, I turned to her and tried my best to look calm. “Yes. I’m just… thinking about the baby.”

She nodded slowly. “I understand. We’re at the cafe now.”

I looked around. “Oh.”

As we got out of the car and walked into the building, I forced down the memory of my conversation with Phoebe.

Fiorella and I spent the rest of the day sightseeing together.

I was bored out of my mind, so it was impossible not to think about my conversation with Phoebe–or about Damon.

True to the doctor’s advice, I managed to keep my food down after taking my medication. But a gnawing urge lingered, and I had to fight the impulse to stick a finger down my throat.

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CHAPTER 135

+25 Bonus

By the time we got back to the house, the sun was already dipping below the horizon.

We walked in, laughing at a joke Fiorella had made, when we froze. Rhys was standing by the door, one side of his face red and

swollen.

I gasped. “Oh god. What happened to you?”

Fiorella immediately burst into laughter.

He scowled at her. “What’s so funny?”

She wiped tears from her eyes, still giggling. “I just… never thought I’d see you looking like a tomato, Rhys.”

He glared at her. “This isn’t funny.”

I couldn’t help but smile despite myself. “What happened? Did you fall, or did one of your girlfriends finally teach you a lesson?”

Rhys’s jaw tightened. “Damon did this to me.”

My stomach clenched and my smile dropped. “What?”

Even Fiorella stopped laughing.

Rhys crossed his arms. “He came here looking for you and when I told him you weren’t available, he started a fight.”

I bit my lip, feeling my head spin.

Damon came for me.

Fiorella put a hand on my arm. “Gabby… are you okay?”

I shook my head slightly, trying to push the panic down. “He… he came here? Today?”

Rhys’s eyes softened slightly. “Yes. Remember when I told you he was fine?”

I nodded. “Yes. Why?”

He sighed. “I lied. He has been isolating for weeks and from what I saw today, he wasn’t thinking clearly. He was drunk so early in the morning, angry… and desperate to find you.”

I froze, and I didn’t get a chance to respond before he continued.

“I lied because I didn’t want to make you feel worse,” he said. “But now I see I shouldn’t have. You both need each other.”

My eyes burned with unshed tears at the thought of Damon isolating and probably hurting himself in a dark room.

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