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I feel sick to my stomach as I drive away from the courthouse. What have I done?
I run it over and over in my head. The way that Daniel had come out at exactly the right moment so that the media could grab a photo of all three of us in the same frame. The way he had touched my arm and smiled at me as though we were best friends. The way he had laughed that sick laugh of his when he walked away knowing he had achieved exactly what it was he had wanted to achieve. I can't stop looping the thought in my head. Daniel's hand on my arm. The look on Hudson's face when he had seen me. How angry he had looked and how he had mouthed the word no. The expression on his face when he had said no was not short of hatred. Again, and again the scene plays in my head. Again, and again, and by the time I arrive home, I am crying so hard I can hardly see.
I ran into my house and shut the door. My whole body is shaking. I curl up on my couch and cry until my eyes are swollen, burning, and dry.
I am too scared to look at my phone. Too scared to look out the window. Too scared to do anything but stay curled up on the couch waiting for something, anything, anyone to tell me that it was going to be okay.
The sun sets and the house slowly grows dark.
The court case will surely be over by now. Hudson will most likely be heading home soon --- perhaps he is even already home.
I don't know what to do.
Finally, I gather enough courage to check my phone. There is a missed call from him.
With shaking hands, I press the green call button to call him back.
"How dare you do that to me? Was it all a massive game to you? Was your goal to try and sabotage me the entire time?" He is all but screaming into the phone.
"Stop yelling at me, Hudson, just listen for a second." I plead.
"You will never come near me again. Do you hear me? You are out of my life. How dare you put my son at risk like that. Who the hell do you think you are?" He is not even making sense, and he won't give me a chance to talk.
"Hud---" he ends the call before I can get another word out.
My whole body starts to shake. Anger. Hurt. Shock. How can he speak to me like that? Surely, he knows I wouldn't hurt him intentionally. He reminds me of his brother when he yells that way. I feel sick to my stomach.
Should I try and talk to him again? I don't think he is going to listen to me, not now. I think I just need to go to bed. Today is a write-off. It is possibly one of the worst days of my life, which is saying a lot considering everything that I have been through in the past.
I curl up in bed and try to drift off to sleep but the events of the day haunt my thoughts in a continuous loop. It's as if Daniel is never going to be gone; he will destroy my life forever.
* * *
Morning comes and I sit up. Not having slept at all. I am drained and miserable. I drag myself out of bed and into my running gear. I need to walk. I need to get some fresh air. Anything to try can clear my head and lift the ache I am feeling.
Heading down my driveway I see Hudson walking towards his car. I run over to him. "Hudson."
"I don't want to hear it, Gianna. Stay away from me." He stops me.
"You aren't being fair! Just let me explain." I demand that he at least listen to me, then he can do whatever he likes.
"What could you possibly say to justify such a selfish act? You are selfish and there is no other word for it. You need to stay far away from me Gianna and if you don't leave me alone, I will ensure that my lawyers get involved." He is seething with rage; I can feel it even ten paces away.
"Stop threatening me and just fucking listen for a second." I deserve to tell my side of this --- I am not selfish. He is wrong.
He climbs into his car, slamming the door, and all but the wheel spins out of the driveway. I have to jump to the side to avoid being knocked down.
Rage sweeps through me. Who the hell is this man? He is disgusting. He would not even give me a chance to explain what had happened. I would never have gone to court if I had not believed that he was the one who had asked me to be there. The only reason I had gone was because I thought I could help his case.
I stand in the driveway in shock, absorbing what has just happened. Then with tears running down my cheeks again, I remind myself that I have made a promise to never let a man treat me like that ever again. No matter how much I love him. He has no right to talk to me like that.
I guess he is just showing his true colors. The Drake family genes are finally coming out. No. No matter how angry he was he could have at least let me explain myself, but he did not even have the decency to do that.
* * *
Later in the day, I managed to find an article updating the public about how the court case had gone. There is another delay. They have not said, nor have they indicated if the case is leaning toward Hudson or his ex. Basically, the whole article is full of nothing but drama. It's a fluff piece, just filling print space.
I close my computer. At least I have managed to get a lot of work done today. Fuelled by anger and too overtired to think about more than one thing I somehow managed hyper-focused on just work and nothing else.
