ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED TO THE BILLIONAIRE SINGLE DAD (Gabrielle and Damon) novel Chapter 141

CHAPTER 141

GABRIELLE’S POV

The blood on my hands had already dried, but I still couldn’t stop staring at it.

Damon had been in surgery for hours.

And no one would tell me if he was going to live… or not.

My heart squeezed.

I didn’t even want to consider the second option but every minute stretched endlessly, and with each second, the fear that Damon might not wake grew heavier.

He was fighting for his life behind those doors.

And I was standing outside them, carrying his child and wondering if our baby would grow up without a

father.

Fiorella’s shaky voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “You must be thirsty. I’ll get you some water.”

I nodded, my throat still sore from screaming.

She left, and I pressed a trembling hand against my stomach before breaking into a sob again.

I looked up again at the double doors leading to the operating room as if staring hard enough would make them open.

They didn’t.

“…have you arrested for stopping me,” I suddenly heard a familiar voice outside the door. “Do you know who I am?”

“Ma, it’s a direct order from the family-”

The door pushed open, cutting the nurse off as Beatrice marched into the private suite.

“Where is she?” She thundered, her eyes scanning the room until they fell on me. “How dare you?”

I just stared at her, wiping the tears off my face.

The nurse gave me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I tried to stop-”

“It’s fine,” said, waving at her dismissively. “Leave us.”

She nodded and walked out of the room, shutting the door gently behind her.

I finally turned to Beatrice. “What were you saying?”

She raised a brow. “How dare you speak to me like that? And how dare you stop me from coming to see my grandson?”

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Her voice was so high–pitched it was giving me a headache.

“If Anya hadn’t called me I wouldn’t have known that he was here,” she said. “Luckily, she knew I was in Italy to visit family and sent me to check on him before she got here. Only to find out you stopped them from letting me in.”

I had called the house to inform them because Anya deserved to know what had happened to her child’s

father.

If I had known Beatrice was in Italy I wouldn’t have bothered.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not in the right headspace to deal with your drama right now,” I said in a low voice.” You can sit and wait quietly for the surgery to end, or you can leave.”

Beatrice stared at me like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She was quiet for a moment, then she laughed, the sound sharp and humorless.

“You have quite the nerve,” she said slowly. “My grandson is fighting for his life and you’re sitting here giving me orders?”

“Grand–nephew,” I corrected. “And I’m not giving you orders. I’m just asking you to lower your voice when you speak to me.”

She didn’t look too pleased with my response, and something told me she wouldn’t be lowering her voice anytime soon.

Her expression twisted into disdain. “You dirty whore. I can see you’ve forgotten your place. You sit here pretending to be sad, but you’re secretly hoping he dies, aren’t you?”

My nails dug into my palms.

Maybe I’d been too quiet in the past, and it had given her the impression she could walk all over me–but I was not in the mood right now.

Not anymore.

“I knew it and I tried to warn Damon but he wouldn’t listen,” she continued. “You did this to him to take all his money, didn’t you? You’re a thief, and if you cut me out of his will, I’ll make you bleed.”

I let out a dry laugh. “There would be no will reading because my husband is not dead. You call me a thief and in the same breath, you’re talking about his will as if he’s already gone. Doesn’t that make you a hypocrite?”

It did.

She was a very cruel woman.

Beatrice gasped, clearly not expecting my reaction. “Selene would never spoken to me like that and that’s why she’d have been a better wife for Damon. You’re nothing but a gold–digging harlot-”

“If you came here just to insult me,” I said, keeping my voice calm even though I was dying inside to

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snap, “then please leave. Or I’ll have security drag you out.”

Her eyes widened.

I saw her raise her hand to hit me–no doubt–but I beat her to it and lifted mine faster.

My hand connected hard with her face before I could talk myself out of it.

Beatrice staggered back, clutching her cheek, and her eyes wide in disbelief. Rage burned through her like wildfire, but for a moment, she was speechless.

The click of the door made us both turn.

Fiorella had returned, holding a glass of water for me. “What’s going on here?”

I spoke before Beatrice could. “Damon’s grand–aunt was just leaving. She is exhausted from her drive here and needs rest.” I turned to her. “Don’t you?”

Beatrice hesitated, her breath coming fast, and her hand still hovering near her reddened face.

Then slowly, almost grudgingly, she turned around and walked out.

Fiorella moved closer to me and handed the glass over. “Drink. You need strength.”

I nodded and lifted the glass, my hands still trembling slightly. “Thank you.”

She hesitated. “When you told me the woman from the hospital yesterday was nobody… were you lying?”

. She meant Phoebe.

I cleared my throat. “Why?”

“Because she’s in the hallway. She just told me she wants to speak with you,” Fiorella replied.

I almost choked on the water.

What the hell did she want now?

She must have kept stalking Damon even after my warnings.

My mind went back to our last conversation. Phoebe had mentioned something about Damon being marked… so maybe she knew who shot him. Maybe she’d come here to bargain with me again.

Rhys’s men had been after the shooter the last time he called. If they had found them, I would’ve known by now.

I needed to speak with her as much as she needed to speak with me.

Fiorella’s eyes searched mine. “Why did you lie to me?”

“I’m sorry,” I said, guilt heavy on my chest. “It’s just… complicated and I didn’t want to drag you into it.”

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She looked upset. “Oh. I thought we were friends. I’m sorry for assuming.”

My chest tightened. “Of course, we are. That’s why I need you to trust me on this. I’ll go speak to her and hopefully, this is the last time we ever see her.”

A moment of silence passed between us.

“I’ll trust you, but this better be the last time you lie to me,” she said, eyeing my hands. “And maybe you should wash your hands first before you go.”

I dropped the glass after drinking the rest of its contents and walked into the bathroom to wash my

hands.

When I returned, Rhys was there and he was standing beside Fiorella as they argued about something in

hushed tones.

They straightened up and stopped talking when they noticed me.

Rhys didn’t look like his usual self. He seemed more withdrawn and less… him.

“I see he’s still in surgery,” he said, his voice soft but with an edge to it. “How are you feeling now?”

A lump formed in my throat but I pushed through it. “Look at me. What do you think?”

His jaw tightened but he didn’t respond.

I exhaled. “Have you found out anything about his shooter?”

“As a matter of fact,” he said. “I have. And I have them in my custody as we speak.”

My chest tightened.

I walked closer to him, rage pumping through my veins. “Who is it?”

He stared at me for a second before finally speaking. “If I tell you,” he said calmly. “I need you to promise

to leave the revenge up to me.”

I blinked. “Why?”

“Just promise me,” he said.

“Fine,” I returned. “I promise. Just tell me who did this to him.”

I could see rage and something else swirling in his eyes.

His fist was clenched by his side. “Emily. Your twin. The bullet was meant for you but… Damon ran into it to protect you.”

All the air seemed to vanish from my lungs.