GIANNA

~•~

I woke up even more tired and when my eyes fluttered open, I realized I was in a strange place. It looked like a hotel room, which was weird.

Did I get drugged? But the last person I was with was Bernice. She had no reason to drug me, did she?

I quickly peeked under the covers to see that my clothes were still intact. The jeans I'd been wearing were tight and my top was still on my body. It meant nobody took advantage of me, so what was I doing here?

I looked around to find my phone sitting on one of the nightstands. When I turned it on, there were various phone calls from Brandon, my mother, my friends, and my sister. However, my eyes zeroed in on the time and date. It was eight am in the morning. I blinked in surprise. I had come to the hotel around noon yesterday. I remembered falling over when I tried to walk away but how could I sleep for over twenty hours?

The first person I called was my sister. Thankfully, she wasn't busy and answered almost immediately. "Gianna!" She exclaimed. "Where the hell have you been? Everyone is worried?"

"Everyone? What do you mean?"

"Brandon was worried you weren't home so he called Mom to check if you're with her since you said you'd be visiting us. You can understand what happened after that."

"Shit." I cursed, holding my head. I had lied to Brandon that I was visiting my parents. They must be worried as fuck. What could I even tell them? I didn't know exactly what happened to me. "I was with Bernice and passed out. I don't know what happened after."

"Bernice? What the hell were you doing alone with that bitch?"

Sheila hated Bernice even more than I did. Whenever I complained to her, she hated Bernice even more. "I don't know," I confessed, but I needed to find out what happened. Why did she leave me alone in the room? Or was she around somewhere? "I'll call you back later. I need to get back home. Just tell Mom and Dad I crashed at Emily's house."

Emily was one of the only two friends I had so that was believable.

"Well, mom called Emily and she covered for you already so don't worry about that."

I loved that girl. "Then I'll call you later. I need to call someone else."

"Alright then."

After I hung up, I called Bernice next. She was the only one who could give me the answers I was looking for.

As I waited for her to answer, I sat up on the bed and starched. My muscles were weak. Was it because I was pregnant? A lot of women complained about pregnancy but I didn't know it was that bad. It was crazy.

She didn't answer the first call but when I called her again, she picked up. "Hey, Gianna." Her voice was awfully cheery. "You're finally up!"

"Finally?" I was confused. "What happened? Why am I in a hotel room?"

"You remember passing out, right? It's probably from all the stress. I just checked you into the hotel there so you can have some rest."

It sounded fishy as fuck, but then again, this was Bernice we were talking about.

"And you just left me here?" I questioned.

"I waited with you for a few hours but there was no sign of waking up. You seemed really tired and I didn't want to disturb you."

"You could have taken me home instead."

"You're currently fighting with my brother. I didn't think you'd like that."

She made a good point there but I still couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. If it wasn't already wrong, it was about to be. Emily was acting too nice and polite. It wasn't who she was.

Brandon had called me like five times. It meant he was worried. I would have preferred for her to take me home. I didn't want him to think I was hiding away or something even if he definitely deserved the silent treatment. The very least she could do was take me to the hospital, at least. What if something was wrong with me or my baby?

I sucked on my teeth, not knowing what to do. I slept for eight hours every day. I didn't do much housework. I didn't do any office work. Nothing was overworking me to cause me to sleep for more than twenty hours at a stretch. Maybe something was actually wrong and I needed to visit the hospital again.

That would have to be after I showed my face to Brandon though to let him know that I was alive and well.

"You've paid for the room, right?"

"Of course. It's the least I can do right now. I hope you had a good rest."

I didn't but I didn't let her know that. I just hung up and picked up my bag. I checked inside to make sure everything was intact. Thankfully, the brat didn't touch anything, and my test results were still folded neatly inside. I put my phone in, wore my shoes, and left the room:

I didn't even bother to tell the receptionist I was leaving. They would get the memo soon. I just went to the parking lot to get my car and started driving home.

I didn't know why my delusional ass still called Brandon's house my home. I had already made up my mind to divorce him and I kept reminding myself of that throughout the previous day. Why was I still acting like he had a right to know what was going on with me? I didn't have to go back there. I could pack my things and go back to my parent's place. Or better yet, I could rent my apartment and live by myself.

Even as I told myself all these, I still drove straight to what used to be my matrimonial home before Bailey ruined it for me. The men at the gate opened it when they saw my car and I was surprised to see that Brandon's car was still in front of the house.

He had several cars but he had a favorite and since he was outside, it meant he hadn't gone to work yet.

I parked the car, took a deep breath, and went inside the house.

As though he was waiting for me, Brandon was sitting inside the living room. He didn't acknowledge my presence when I went in but just as I was about to pass by him and go up the stairs, he extended a file to me.

The same file I had given to him yesterday before I left the house.

I eyed him warily as I took it from him and opened it to see that he had signed the divorce papers.

GIANNA

~•~

I couldn't stop myself from scoffing. "What are these?"

"You don't recognize the papers you gave me yesterday?"

My teeth automatically gritted at the attitude in his voice. What right did he have to speak to me in that tone? "What was with the drama yesterday about you not signing it? All I had to do was give you space for you to realize you actually want me out of your life?"

My voice was laced with pain and I didn't even care if he could detect it. I had complained when he had put up a fight yesterday, but that didn't mean I wanted him to give in so easily. Couldn't he try to fight for our marriage? Did I mean that little to him?

I couldn't deny that it stung realizing that he didn't care about me as a wife. He just didn't want to be the bad person which was why he resisted divorce and tried to apologize three weeks ago.

I had given him enough grace, hadn't I? I stayed with him after learning that he slept with Bailey twice. Couldn't he fight harder? Why was the pressure all on me to keep our marriage together when I wasn't even in the wrong?

I could feel tears start to gather in my eyes so I closed them briefly and forced the tears back. I didn't want to cry in front of him anymore.

Instead of answering, Jackson stood up, opened his phone, and showed the screen to me. I squinted my eyes to see that it was a picture of me entering the hotel where I met Bernice.

I looked up at him with a confused expression. "What are you showing me?"

I saw the outline of his tongue poking his cheek as he withdrew his hand, swiped something on his phone, and shoved it in my face again. This time, it was a picture of me... me and a man in bed together.

"What the fuck?" I snatched the phone from him. "Who sent you this? What is this?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking that question?"

My top was peeking out of the covers and it was the one I was currently wearing. I gasped. Was this yesterday? Was this Bernice's doing? "I don't know who that is!"

"But somehow you're in bed with him and he's kissing you."

I reeled back at the accusation. To him, the evidence was clear that I was cheating on him, but I finally realized why I had a bad feeling all through my talk with Bernice. That bitch set me up on purpose. How the hell was I supposed to explain this? "I–"

He didn't let me speak. "If you're going to sleep with other men in a bid to get back at me, then divorce is the best option. It's better for us to separate than to ruin our reputations with the way the media is watching us."

I opened my mouth to speak but a bitter laugh left it instead. Was that all he cared about? How the media viewed us as a couple? "The media?" I echoed. "You didn't think about the media when you were fucking your childhood best friend? How do you think the media will take it when they find out she has a child for you, huh?"

"G–"

"Don't!" I stopped him before he could call me by my nickname. The nickname only he called me by. "You're so fucking hypocritical! Do you believe I'll make a cheap move like offering my body to a stranger just to get back at you? I'm not stupid! And even if I am, what position do you think you're in to judge me for it, Brandon? You fucked your best friend." He flinched at those words but I didn't mind repeating it for him. "Your childhood best friend. The same one you told me not to worry about. The same one you told me I was overthinking about. The same one you and your sister told me not to be insecure about! That's the same woman who's pregnant for you! You have no right to judge me."

"I'm not judging you." He tried to be calm but his voice rose with every word. "But do you think we should keep sleeping with others to get back at each other? Would that help in any way? Aside from the fact that we would just be punishing ourselves and will never get back to the way we were, we would be embarrassing our parents too who worked hard to solidify their reputation."

"Stop fucking speaking about their fucking reputations! I don't want to hear it!" It was the stupid reputation that made us get married in the first place. It was because of their so-called reputation that I was in a loveless marriage for two years. Fuck that reputation.

Brandon took a step back and breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself down. I couldn't even calm down if I tried. "There's no point in us arguing. I've signed the papers you served. All we have to do is file them and we'll be done with each other."

I scoffed. Done with each other. He had no right to be done with me. I was done with him, not the other way around. He should get his facts right.

"I'm going to stay at my parent's place for the day." I didn't even know why I was telling him about it but the asshole didn't appreciate it.

"Sure you are." His tone suggested that he didn't believe me and it irritated me.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That's what you said yesterday yet your parents saw no sign of you and were even worried when I called them." His tone was accusing and even if I knew he wasn't at fault for that, I hated the arrogance that accompanied his words. "You were out doing who knows what."

"I'm not like you, Brandon." I gritted out. "I'm not cheap enough to be seduced by the opposite sex and fall into bed with them."

Brandon's eyes blazed at my words but he couldn't deny them. "Then how do you explain this picture?" He put his phone up in my face again.

I slapped it away. I didn't want to see that picture. I couldn't fathom the fact that his disgusting sister checked me into a room and brought a man in there while I was vulnerable. I didn't want to accept that fact. "Ask your sister. I'm sure she knows all about it."

After those words, I went upstairs to pack a bag. I hated that I had a screaming match with him so early in the morning. I doubted such stress was good for my baby. The baby. I wanted to tell him about the baby but after the attitude he displayed downstairs, I saw no reason to.

It was clear he wasn't going to believe a word I said anyway so there was no need explaining. He wouldn't believe it if I told him I was likely drugged and framed. Even I wouldn't believe it if someone else told me. Speaking of drugs, I needed to make a quick stop at the hospital to be sure nothing harmed my baby.

I took a shower first because I didn't bother to shower when I woke up in the hotel room. I was rushing to come home, not knowing I was going to get even more disrespected.

After showering, I got dressed and packed a bag. When I got downstairs, Brandon was still there.

"For your information," I couldn't hold myself back from speaking one last time. "I didn't cheat on you and if your sister claims she knows nothing about yesterday, then she's lying."

With that, I walked out the door, not bothering to hear if he had a response or not.