The Return of Chaos

Gabby rested a gentle hand on her belly as she moved through the grand hallway of the mansion, her footsteps light, but her heart heavy. Four months pregnant and still feeling like a guest in the home that should have offered her peace. Phil had done everything to make her comfortable, but the lingering shadow of Carina loomed over them both.

And now, Carina was back.

She arrived unannounced, stepping through the door like she still owned everything—like she hadn’t abandoned the life she pretended to build. Her high heels clicked arrogantly against the marble floor as she eyed Gabby with a mixture of disdain and something far more dangerous—jealousy.

"Well, well," Carina said, eyes scanning Gabby’s slightly rounded stomach. "You’ve been busy."

Gabby didn’t respond. She offered a soft smile, one that didn't reach her eyes, and excused herself to the garden. She wasn't one for confrontation.

Phil, however, wasn’t so silent.

"Carina, we agreed—"

"No," she interrupted sharply, stepping closer. "You agreed. I was pushed out of this picture, Phil. Now you treat her like she's your wife. She’s living in my house. Carrying my child."

"Our child," Phil corrected, his voice firm. “The one you said you didn’t want.”

Carina’s jaw clenched.

"I made a mistake," she said. “I want to fix it.”

"You didn’t make a mistake, Carina. You lied. You manipulated me into a marriage with a fake pregnancy. And when I gave you a real chance at a family, you disappeared."

Her eyes narrowed. "So now you're in love with her?"

Phil didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.

That silence said everything.

Carina stormed out in a fury, her pride bruised and her power slipping. She called her father, John Gordy, expecting backup. What she got instead was the unexpected.

"I already know, Carina," he said coldly. “Phil told me everything. You lied to him. Manipulated everyone.”

She stared at her phone in disbelief.

“Gabby’s done nothing but bring peace to the mess you made. I’m standing with her.”

Stung, humiliated, and desperate to reclaim control, Carina did what she knew best—she ran to a club.

By midnight, she was drunk, loud, and dancing with anything that had a pulse. Paparazzi didn’t miss a beat. The photos hit the news by morning: Carina Gordy—heiress, divorcee-to-be, and now scandal headline.

Flirting with every man in the bar, touching them inappropriately, slurring her words—she was a beautiful disaster, a tabloid dream.

Gabby saw the headlines but said nothing.

Phil, however, walked into the garden that morning with the paper in hand. His jaw was tight, and his eyes dark with disappointment.

“She did this to herself,” he muttered. “And she thinks I’ll come running.”

Gabby looked up at him, her voice soft. “Are you?”

He shook his head, placing a hand over hers—over the small life growing inside her.

“No, Gabby. I’m running to you. She made her bed, now she needs to lie in it."