Chapter 15 - The Lady in Black (1/2)
”So who is she?” the lady in black repeats, with fire in her eyes.
Gabriel Tan gazes at her dumbly, as if he has regressed back to his childhood.
”No, who is she, Gab?” Claire asks, regaining her bearings. She's not going to stand idly by while this woman, with all her annoying sense of self-entitlement, asks the burning questions. ””Who's this who thinks she owns you?”
Gabriel Tan sighs. ”Claire, this is Michelle Alcantara, my ex. Michelle, this is Claire, my new girlfriend…Err, fiancée.”
”Fiancée my ȧss,” Michelle hisses. ”I don't believe that. Stop playing your games, Gab. And let this poor girl go. She deserves better. She doesn't have to be part of your stupid pretend game.”
”She's not pretending,” Gabriel protests.
”I'm not pretending,” Claire seconds.
As a response, Gabriel takes Claire by the waist and presses her body against his. ”We are in love, Michelle. So please don't stand in the way of our love!”
Upon hearing that, Claire dies a little inside. Where does Gabriel get all these cheesy lines? Why is he acting so stupid, so erratic now? Claire realizes maybe this woman really hurt Gabriel for her to have this effect on him.
”Oh, my God, Gab!” Michelle laughs. ”'Don't stand in the way of our love'. Come on! Two weeks ago you were going to marry me!”
”Two weeks ago I caught you cheating on me!” Gabriel retorts.
”Two weeks ago, I was drunk and didn't know what I was doing,” Michelle says. ”Can't you even forgive just one indiscretion? We were together for years, Gab!”
”Exactly!” Gab says, getting a bit angrier now. ”That's what I am saying. Years. How long had we been together? Ten years? And you had the gall to destroy that just for a one-night stand with that a-hole!”
”I never intended that to happen!” Michelle says, almost on the verge of tears. ”They slipped something in my drink. Next thing I knew, I was in that room…”
”Aw, stop it!” Gabriel groans. ”I don't want to hear it all again!” He turns to Claire. ”My love, I'm sorry about this. My ex-girlfriend is trying desperately to win me back.” He turns to Michelle. ”But that won't ever happen.”