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Chapter 1
Five years into our relationship, I brought my boyfriend, Gabriel, home for the Christmas holidays to meet my family.
At the grand family dinner, my relatives couldn’t stop singing the praises of the man who had once been his state’s valedictorian.
But then, my single cousin, Cora, suddenly gagged and ran from the table, clearly fighting a wave of morning sickness.
My aunt, her mother, was mortified. She raised her hand, ready to slap her.
“You’re an Ivy League graduate!” she shrieked. “How could you let yourself get knocked up by God knows who?”
Cora didn’t say a word, just sobbed uncontrollably.
That’s when Gabriel stepped forward, catching my aunt’s hand mid–air. “Don’t,” he said, his voice firm. “Don’t scare her. The baby’s mine.”
He pulled Cora behind him, shielding her as he led her out of the room, leaving a trail of stunned silence in his wake.
He never even gave me a second glance.
The ballroom was a whirlwind of noise. Some people were crying, others were shouting. My mind was a complete blank.
Just minutes ago, Gabriel had been holding my hand, toasting my parents and elders. My relatives were all fawning over him, calling him brilliant, successful, and yet so humble. Now, under the glare of every eye in the room, he had walked out with my cousin, Cora.
Leaving me to clean up the mess.
“I knew it,” one of my aunts, sneered. “I always said our plain little Vivi couldn’t possibly land a guy like that. What a joke.”
“So, does this mean Vivi stole Cora’s boyfriend?” another whispered. “I mean, Cora’s pregnant. How could she do that to her own cousin?”
“Well, Gabriel and Cora both went to top–tier universities. They always did make a more fitting pair.”
Growing up, everyone had always favored Cora. She was prettier, smarter, and her side of the family had more money. In a situation like this, no one was ever going to take my side.
“Vivi, sweetie… what… what on earth just happened?”
My mother’s hand, cold as ice, found my wrist. I turned to look at her, but my eyes were drawn past her to my father. His face had gone a horrifying
shade of purple.
With a sickening thud, he collapsed back into his chair.
“Dad! Dad, what’s wrong?”
The last shred of his compasure, his carefully maintained dignity, had finally been torn to shreds in front of everyone.
From the ambulance to the hospital, my mother clutched my hand and wept. But I couldn’t afford to shed a single tear. I ran back and forth, handl- ing admissions, filling out forms, my mind numb.
It wasn’t until Dad was out of the emergency room and settled in a private ward that the reality of it all began to sink in.
I checked my phone. The only new messages were automated debit alerts from my bank for the hospital fees.
Not a single word from Gabriel.
Taking a deep breath, I headed to the pharmacy to pick up Dad’s prescriptions. And that’s when I saw him, standing in the hallway, talking to a doctor I recognized as one of his old college friends. doctor
“Man, I never took you for the shotgun wedding type,” the friend said, clapping Gabriel on the shoulder.
Gabriel’s gaze was distant. “The baby isn’t mine,” he said quietly. “I just… I couldn’t stand to see her judged like that.”
“Then why are you here in the middle of the night, getting her admitted for observation? I thought you were with her cousin, Vivi. Weren’t you two about to get engaged?”
Gabriel just hummed in agreement, a soft, noncommittal sound.
worried your girlfriend is going to lose it?”
Chapter 1
་ལ་jཔལ་
06:32
“So you’re spending Christmas Eve with Cora, and you’re not worried your girlfriend is going to lose it?”
“Cora’s well–being comes first. Once she’s okay, I can relax,” Gabriel said, his voice laced with a strange sort of resolve. “Besides, I’m going to marry Vivi. I’ll have the rest of my life to spend with her. What’s one night?”
The doctor sighed, shaking his head. “I can’t believe you’re still carrying that torch for her. After all this time. Does she even appreciate what you do
for her?”
“I don’t need her to. As long as she’s okay, that’s enough,” Gabriel murmured, more to himself than to his friend. “Being part of her family, being able to look after her… that’s all I’ve ever really wanted.”
A memory flashed in my mind. The first time Cora introduced me to Gabriel. He was already a legend at our high school, the valedictorian everyo- ne still talked about years after he’d graduated.
Cora had playfully pushed me toward him. “This is my cousin, Vivi. She’s your biggest fan.”
I was so busy blushing I didn’t notice that every time Gabriel spoke, his eyes never left Cora.
He asked me out not long after that.
All this time, I thought it was love at first sight.
I never realized I was just his way of staying close to her.
“Gabriel, a soft voice called. It was Cora, pale and frail in a hospital gown.
Gabriel rushed to her side instantly, his voice softening. “What are you doing out of bed? It’s freezing out here.”
“You were gone for so long. I got scared.”
He immediately shrugged off his expensive wool coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Let’s get you back. We can’t have you catching a chill. Just be good, let the doctors run their tests, and if everything looks good tomorrow, you can go home.”
Cora leaned into his embrace, and for a moment, they looked just like a devoted, loving couple.
My voice trembled when i finally found it. “Gabriel!”
