The Bottom Line: His Suffering

Allison POV:

For weeks, I tried to reach Gabriel. Calls went unanswered. Emails bounced back. He was avoiding me, burying his head in the sand, hoping I'd just disappear or fall back into my prescribed role of the hysterical wife. But the old Allison was gone, replaced by a colder, sharper version. The one who understood that silence was not weakness, but strategy.

I found him at the annual Developers' Gala, a glittering affair held in the city's grandest ballroom. He was there with Kaia, of course, both of them radiating an artificial glow, surrounded by their sycophants. Kaia, surprisingly, had managed to claw her way back into some semblance of social standing, thanks to Gabriel' s relentless PR efforts.

I walked in, a ghost in my own life, but a force in theirs. My simple black gown was understated, elegant. I carried a sleek leather portfolio. My eyes were fixed on Gabriel, across the crowded room.

He saw me. His smile faltered. Kaia, following his gaze, stiffened. A hush fell over their table.

I walked directly towards them, my heels clicking on the marble floor, each step a hammer blow to their carefully constructed illusion.

"Gabriel," I said, my voice calm, polite, when I reached their table. "I' ve been trying to reach you."

He recovered quickly, a practiced charm sliding into place. "Allison, what a surprise. You' re looking… well." His eyes flickered to the portfolio in my hand. He knew.

"Thank you," I said, extending the portfolio. "I believe you' ll find this useful."

He hesitated, then took it, his fingers brushing mine. A shiver, not of recognition but of revulsion, ran through me. He opened it, his eyes scanning the documents. The color slowly drained from his face as he read. It was the asset division agreement, meticulously detailed, leaving nothing to chance.

He scoffed, a harsh, humorless sound. "Is this some kind of joke, Allison? You think you can just… walk away and take half of everything? After everything I' ve built?"

Kaia leaned in, her voice a whisper, but loud enough for me to hear. "Gabriel, what is it?"

He closed the portfolio, his eyes blazing at me. "She thinks she' s entitled to a fortune, Kaia. Our fortune." He turned to me, his voice dripping with disdain. "You know, Allison, Kaia will never be a threat to your position as my wife. This marriage is purely… a business arrangement now. A necessary evil, really."

I met his gaze, a strange sense of peace settling over me. "You' re right, Gabriel," I said, surprising him. "She' s not a threat. Because I' m giving you back your position. And your 'necessary evil.' You can have it all."

His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What are you talking about?"

"This marriage," I replied, gesturing between us, "has become a cage. A burden I no longer wish to carry. I' m tired of being the hysterical wife, the inconvenient truth. I want out."

A few curious glances were thrown our way from nearby tables. Gabriel' s face hardened. "You want out? After all these years? And you think you can just demand half of everything because of some fabricated emotional distress?"

"Oh, it' s far from fabricated, Gabriel," I said, my voice cold. "And it' s not just emotional distress. It' s infidelity. Repeated, blatant infidelity. With an employee. And in our state, that carries a significant penalty in asset division. Not to mention the company' s declining value since you started focusing more on… other priorities." My gaze flickered to Kaia, who visibly flinched.

Gabriel' s face went from pale to a dangerous shade of red. He gripped the portfolio so tightly his knuckles were white. "You think you can extort me?"

"Extort?" I smiled, a chilling, humorless smile. "No. I' m just taking what' s legally, ethically, and morally mine. And a little extra, for pain and suffering. For the miscarriage you caused. For the abuse you inflicted. For the public humiliation."

He opened his mouth, then closed it. He looked around, suddenly aware of the eyes on him. His perfect image was crumbling. He knew the laws. He knew the cost of scandal. He knew I had him cornered.

He let out a short, sharp laugh, a desperate attempt to regain control. "This is a performance, Allison. A pathetic attempt to get my attention."

He still thinks I want his attention. The thought was a bitter, metallic taste in my mouth. He was a coward. A narcissist. A man so utterly devoid of empathy that he couldn't comprehend a quiet, dignified exit.

He snatched a pen from the table, his hand shaking. "Fine!" he spat, his voice barely controlled. "You want your money? Take it! But you' ll regret this, Allison. You' ll come crawling back. I' ll give you exactly one week to reconsider. After that, this agreement is final." He scrawled his signature across the bottom.

"There' s no reconsideration, Gabriel," I said, taking the signed papers. "This is final."

He glared at me, his eyes filled with hatred. He still thought I was bluffing, playing a game. He still thought he held all the power.

I turned and walked away, not looking back. The ballroom, once a symbol of our shared ambition, now felt like a tomb. I walked out, into the cool night air, and didn't look back at the life I was leaving behind.

I moved into my brother Arnulfo' s small but cozy house by the beach. It was a stark contrast to the mansion I' d shared with Gabriel, but the salty air and the sound of waves were a balm to my raw soul. Arnulfo, my fiercely loyal older brother, and his bright ten-year-old daughter, Bea, welcomed me with open arms.

The day Bea came home from school, she was buzzing with excitement. "Aunt Allison! You won' t believe who I saw!"

"Who, sweet pea?" I asked, smiling, enjoying her childlike energy.

"Kaia!" she chirped. "She was at the school, talking to the principal. She said she' s joining the parent-teacher association!"

My blood ran cold. Kaia? Here? I had moved to Arnulfo's house, a quiet, unassuming neighborhood, far from Gabriel's world. This couldn't be a coincidence.

Then, the worst happened. A few days later, I was in the kitchen, preparing dinner, while Bea was playing in the living room. I heard a sudden, sharp cry, followed by a sickening thud. My blood ran cold.

I rushed into the living room. Kaia was standing over Bea, her face twisted in a sneer I' d never seen before, a stark contrast to her public persona. Bea was on the floor, clutching her head, tears streaming down her face. A porcelain vase lay shattered beside her, remnants of what looked like a struggle.

"What have you done?!" I shrieked, my calm shattering instantly. My niece, my little Bea, was hurt. All the icy control I had cultivated vanished in a primal surge of fury.

I lunged towards Kaia, pushing her back, my hands already shaking with a rage so potent it scared me. "Get out! Get out of my house, you psychopath!"

Kaia stumbled back, her face morphing into an innocent pout. "Mrs. Kaufman! I… I just tripped! And Bea… she pushed me! She' s always been so rude to me!"

Bea, still sobbing, looked up, her little face streaked with tears and fear. "No, Aunt Allison! She… she called you a bad name! She said you deserved everything that happened! And when I told her to stop, she… she threw the vase at me! And then she pushed me down!"

My blood ran cold. The sheer malice. The blatant lie.

Just then, the front door burst open. Gabriel stood there, looking from Kaia to Bea on the floor, to me, trembling with rage.

"What the hell is going on here?!" he roared, his eyes instantly locking onto Bea.

Kaia rushed to him, clinging to his arm. "Gabriel! She… she attacked me! And Bea is always so aggressive! She started it!"

Gabriel didn't even hesitate. He looked at Bea, who was still crying, clutching her ear. Without a word, he strode over to her, his hand raised. He brought it down with a sickening crack against the side of her head.

A collective gasp escaped my throat. Bea' s cries stopped abruptly, replaced by a choked whimper. Her eyes, wide with terror, stared at Gabriel, then slowly rolled back. She collapsed, unconscious.

"Gabriel!" I screamed, a raw, animal sound tearing from my throat. "What have you done?!"

He stood over Bea, his chest heaving, his eyes still burning with rage. "She deserved it! For hurting Kaia! For causing trouble!"

My heart stopped. My own child, our child, he had let die. And now, my niece. My precious Bea.

I dropped to my knees, cradling Bea' s limp body. Her small ear was already swelling, red and bruised. A thin trickle of blood emerged from her ear canal. She wasn' t responding. My world tilted.

I looked up at Gabriel, a deep, guttural sound tearing from my throat. "You monster! You absolute monster!"

I scooped Bea into my arms, heedless of the pain in my own body. I ran towards the door, pushing past Gabriel, who stood there dumbfounded.

"Allison! Where are you going?!" he yelled, reaching for me.

"Don' t you dare touch me!" I shrieked, kicking out at him, my heel connecting with his shin. He stumbled back, clutching his leg. "If anything happens to her, Gabriel, I swear to God, I will make you pay! I will ruin you! I will kill you!"

I ran out of the house, Bea clutched tightly against my chest, her stillness a chilling weight. I wasn' t just leaving him this time. I was leaving the old me behind. And the new me… the new me was coming for him.