ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED TO THE BILLIONAIRE SINGLE DAD (Gabrielle and Damon) novel Chapter 48

CHAPTER FORTY–EIGHT

GABRIELLE’S POV

Damon didn’t come back home that night.

I tried not to think too much of it, but every hour that passed made the house feel bigger… and colder.

I’d have spent my time with Lila but she didn’t even want to speak to me anymore. I didn’t see myself as her stepmother.

I never did.

I didn’t want to fill a role that wasn’t meant for me. So I called her my friend instead–someone I could laugh with, and someone I could care for without crossing lines.

Maybe if I had taken the stepmother route things would have been different.

I exhaled and pulled the blanket higher over my shoulder, trying to chase away the sting sitting behind my ribs.

The bed felt too big without Damon beside me, and too empty without Lila’s little footsteps running past the door.

For the second time since moving into this house, I felt… alone.

*

***

Anya sent her driver the next morning to pick up Lila.

I stood by the door, watching her walk to the car while the driver held her bag. A part of me hoped she’d turn back and wave like she used to do.

But she didn’t.

My chest clenched as I watched her get into the car without so much as a quick glance. Our eyes met through the window, her pretty blue eyes, which were usually bright and chatty, were now cold and guarded, as if she were looking at a stranger.

Or worse… an enemy.

She rolled the window up, cutting herself from my view. Then the car eased down the driveway, disappearing behind the gates like she couldn’t get away fast enough.

“I wouldn’t take that personally,” I heard from behind me.

I turned sharply, my hand flying to my chest. “Fiorella–God, you’ll give me a heart attack one of these days. When did you get in?”

She smiled, her curls piled into a messy bun, and a beaded leg chain glinting around her ankle as it peeked from beneath her flowy skirt.

“Last night. You looked like you were about to cry,” she said, stepping beside me. “Having trouble with the girl?”

“Yes,” I sighed as I walked to sit on the couch. “Apparently, she thinks I like her daddy more and I’m trying to separate her family.”

Fiorella frowned a little, sitting across from me. “Those don’t sound like the words of a six–year–old girl.”

I sank deeper into the couch, rubbing my hands together. “I know. But she said it. All of it. And she meant it.”

Fiorella tilted her head, studying me. “Kids don’t usually form sentences like that unless someone puts the ideas in their head.”

My stomach tightened. I didn’t want to think about that. I didn’t want to think about Anya whispering things into Lila’s ears while brushing her hair or hugging her too tightly.

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CORPIO FORTY–LIGHT

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“You think Anya is telling her these things?” I asked.

“She could be.”

That didn’t make any sense but it was the only logical explanation. Everything was going well between us until Anya got here.

“But why would Anya do that?” I asked, running a hand through my hair. “She’s Lila’s mother so I can’t say she’s jealous of our relationship”

“She could be jealous of your relationship with Damon,” Fiorella said with a shrug, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I stared at her. “That doesn’t make sense either. She hates Damon and seems to be over him.”

Fiorella snorted softly. “Please. People say they’re over someone all the time. Doesn’t mean they like watching that person be happy with someone else.”

I blinked. “I wouldn’t say Damon is happy with me. I can’t tell. Do you think she cares that much?”

“I think she cares enough to poke the bear,” Fiorella said, leaning back against the cushions. “And you, my dear, are the bear.”

I covered my face with both hands. “Great. Fantastic. I’m the villain in a six–year–old’s story.”

“You’re not,” she said quickly. “You’re just the easiest target. Kids repeat whatever drama they hear around them. Lila’s probably confused and hurt. And her mom feeds her a little… flavor.”

I groaned. “A little flavor? Fiorella, she told me I’m separating her family.”

“Exactly,” she said pointedly. “That’s not kid vocabulary. They usually don’t care about these things.”

I sat there, deep in thought as she walked over to the window.

going to tell him?”

“Damon’s back,” she said, turning to me. “Are you

I shook my head. “No. I’ll speak to Anya first before I

She nodded. “I’ll be back.”

tell him anything.”

Then she walked out of the living room.

I stood up and opened the door, bumping into Damon immediately. His eyes were dark and rimmed with tiredness.

“Did you get into a fist fight with a raccoon?” I asked, cocking a brow.

His blue eyes were icy as he pushed past me and up the stairs. I followed him, curiosity getting the better of me.

We entered his bedroom and I shut the door behind me.

“Hello?” I asked. “What happened to you? Where were you last night?”

He dropped his suitcase on the table and undid his cuffs. “Work.”

“That doesn’t look like work,” I said, stepping closer and crossing my arms. “Your hair is in a mess.”

He just pulled off his watch and set it down with a soft click.

“Damon.”

He said nothing.

Just the sound of him loosening the first few buttons of his shirt with stiff, irritated fingers.

I moved to stand in front of him, forcing him to face me. “Talk to me. What happened?”

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CHAPTER FORTY (CHT

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He finally lifted his head.

And God… he looked exhausted and rough.

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