Chapter 2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 2\u00a0<\/p>\n
I dragged my exhausted body to pay the hospital bill with the last bit of money I had on me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I got back to the room, Gabriel was sitting by the bed playing on his phone. He looked up and frowned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just gave birth and you\u2019re already running around? Are you trying to kill yourself?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That irritated look was nothing like the gentle man I\u2019d just seen in the hallway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It reminded me of when I first found out I was pregnant \u2013 he\u2019d stared at the ultrasound and sneered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGet rid of it. Kids are too expensive right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back then I was stupid enough to think things would get better once his business picked up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So I worked as a waitress during the day, washed dishes at restaurants at night, juggling multiple jobs. I even squeezed prenatal checkups into my lunch breaks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now I finally got it. He wasn\u2019t worried about affording a kid \u2013 he was worried my baby would take away what belonged to Vera and her child.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I covered the needle marks on my hand and gave him a fake smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you thought of a name for the baby?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gabriel\u2019s fingers paused on his phone screen, not even bothering to look up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHaven\u2019t thought about it. Just pick whatever.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at the ceiling and laughed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
>\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last week I\u2019d seen his notebook in the car with over thirty names circled in red pen, with notes like \u201cVera says this one has good meaning.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He remembered every single thought that woman had.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But for the baby I\u2019d nearly died giving birth to, he said just pick whatever.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My fingers typed \u201cdivorce papers\u201d into my phone and sent it to the lawyer I\u2019d already contacted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Late that night, I went to get hot water from the utility room and heard sticky breathing sounds from the fire exit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are cameras everywhere here. If we get caught\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gabriel\u2019s voice was full of suppressed excitement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vera giggled, her fingernail tracing his throat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what? She\u2019s stuck in bed and can\u2019t move. Even if she saw us, what could she do?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me, between her and me, who understands you better?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gabriel\u2019s voice was sweet as honey. \u201cYou, of course. She doesn\u2019t have half your charm.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hands shook as I held the hot water, steam fogging up my glasses and burning the corners of my eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
20.50\u00a0<\/p>\n
You Thought Cilantro Was Just a Flavor? It\u2019s Actually My FU, Cheater!\u00a0<\/p>\n
8.0%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 2\u00a0<\/p>\n
So all those late nights when he came home smelling like strange perfume that was evidence of their affair!\u00a0<\/p>\n
.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I got back to the room, I saw a dark figure hunched over my baby\u2019s crib. I rushed over and pulled him away it was Vera\u2019s son.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He shook off my hand, his eyes full of hate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all your fault, you sick freak, and this little bastard too! You stole my daddy! I want you both dead!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He lunged at me, biting and scratching my arm. Before I could push him away, he crashed into the bed frame with a loud thud, then clutched his forehead and started wailing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Gabriel burst in, he saw the kid crying and me protecting the baby\u2019s crib.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The slap across my face was so hard I could hear my teeth chattering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cElena! You can\u2019t even deal with a little kid? What\u2019s wrong with you!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I held my burning cheek and looked at him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs this really what you think of me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Panic flashed in Gabriel\u2019s eyes and his lips moved slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then Vera ran in with her clothes disheveled, the red marks on her neck especially obvious under the harsh hospital lights.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all my fault for bringing Lucas here.\u201d She hugged her crying child while wiping away tears. \u201cHe just wanted to see his little brother. How could this happen?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The boy immediately screamed \u201cShe called me an unwanted bastard and pushed me!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I grabbed Gabriel\u2019s arm desperately. \u201cI swear I didn\u2019t do anything!\u201d My nails dug into his skin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gabriel jerked his hand away, his face cold as ice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough! He\u2019s only four years old \u2013 you think he\u2019d lie?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2661 (0)\u00a0<\/p>\n
(0)\u00a0<\/p>\n
09:59\u00a0<\/p>\n
You Thought Cilantro Was Just a Flavor? It\u2019s Actually My FU. Cheater!\u00a0<\/p>\n
8.4%\u00a0<\/p>\n
You Thought Cilantro Was Just a Flavor? It\u2019s Actually My FU, Cheater! by Mark Twain 11 Chapter 2\u00a0 Chapter 2\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cilantro-taste-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20261\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}