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So it's Sunday morning and I'm in Troy's car. We're on our way to my parents' house, where I know I'll end up confronting my father.

There's a part of me that doesn't even want to know what part Matt has been playing in this evil plan. But I have to find out anyway.

"Gabi?" Troy's voice brings me out of my thoughts. "We're here. Are you alright?"

No. My Dad's been on speaking terms with my horrible ex-husband for who knows how long and never bothered to tell me. "Yeah," I answer quietly.

He turns off the engine and turns to survey my face. I shouldn't have bothered lying. "Hey, look at me," he says gently, and I do.

"Whatever happens today, you still have me. I won't let Matt have anything to do with you again. I promise," he tells me.

And I know he means it.

I feel some strength coming my way as he squeezes my hand reassuringly. Maybe I can go in there, speak my mind and then leave with my emotions still intact.

Okay. At the very least, I can just go in there and speak my mind...

.HSM.

Well, I'm back at the flat. Troy has an early shift on the buses in the morning, so I eventually managed to persuade him to go home and get some sleep. Otherwise I feared I would bore him to tears all night with my droning on...it's a miracle I haven't done so already. He'd been here with me all day, ever since we got back from my mum and dad's after lunch.

Not that we actually had any lunch.

I told my parents everything. I had to; it became evident that they'd spent all these years believing that Matt was equivalent to the Boy Wonder. Which is ironic, given that they weren't exactly keen on him when we first got together.

After Mum had let Troy and I into the house, I practically stormed through to the living room to find Dad sitting there waiting for me.

"How long have you been in touch with him?" I blurted out. Troy and my mother were stood some way behind me. I had no idea what her reaction was – or even how much she knew.

My father had no need to ask me for any clarification. "I bumped into him in town a few weeks ago and we got talking. And then he got in touch on Friday to let me know about what was going on. Really, Gabriella – it's nothing to get upset over."

I wanted to scream. But instead I sat down and looked at him in as calm a manner as I could manage. However this was nothing like what was going on in my brain. "Nothing to get upset ov-" I had to stop the sentence in it's tracks and start again. It wouldn't have done me any good. "I have so much to say about this that I don't know where to start."

At this point, Troy came to sit down next to me, taking my hand in his for the second time today. My mother, meanwhile, was still rooted to her spot by the door with a fixed hostess smile – but her eyes gave away her shock and confusion.

Troy's comforting gesture soothed me for a few moments until I was able to talk. "Did it not occur to you, Dad, that Matt could be in on Tim's plan to take over the business? He did draw up that preliminary contract."

He chuckled as if this was the most ridiculous idea he'd ever heard. "Gabi, dear, Matthew phoned me himself to inform me about the situation."

"Yes, but not before he'd drawn up the paperwork. And even if phoning you meant he'd changed his mind about going through with it, he obviously still wanted you to believe that Troy was guilty!"

Dad looked at me curiously. "What makes you say that? I know you were far too young getting married the way you did; and I gathered you didn't split on the best of terms, but he's a decent enough lad."

Great,I thought. Either Matt's a very gifted actor or my Dad is completely clueless. Or maybe it's both.

"No, he isn't. And saying we didn't split up on the 'best of terms' is a huge understatement. I think it's about time I told you and Mum the truth." I glanced at Troy, who gave me an encouraging smile.

All of a sudden my mother came to life, perching on the other armchair. "What on earth are you talking about?" she asked, her face looking very small and pinched close up.

"I let you both think we got divorced because we grew apart. Well, what really happened was that Matt walked out on me without having the decency to tell me first."

You could've heard a pin drop in my parents' lounge at this point, the room was so quiet.

Then came Mum's nervous laughter. "No...I don't believe it, you would've told us if that were true," she insisted as my father looked on in shock.

"I was too embarrassed to admit you were right. Because I really wish I'd never married him. You've got no idea how much," I replied, shaking my head.

"What exactly do you mean by 'he walked out'?" Dad finally asked.

"I mean, he left the marital home completely out of the blue, Dad. There were no discussions where we sat down and said: 'okay, that's it, marriage over'. Do you want to know why he left?"

My parents gaped at me as if to say, 'obviously!' and I let out a sigh.

"He left me because – and I quote – I was fat."

I felt Troy flinch beside me at the words, but he didn't let go of my hand. In fact, by the time I'd finished explaining the breakdown of my marriage, he'd become involved in the conversation himself.

"If you'd told me Matt had been in the area, maybe I wouldn't have had such a meltdown last week, when he turned up while we were in the pub," I said, gesturing towards Troy.

"You had a meltdown?" my mother asked. I have to say, they really weren't helping matters by repeating everything that came out of my mouth.

"I've met him twice now," Troy put in. "Once in that pub; the second time outside our building. If you could've seen the way he spoke to Gabi...the way he spoke about her..."

"Oh my God," I interrupted when another thought struck me. "Dad, did you...did you tell Matt where I live?"

My father's face was considerably paler than it had been when I first arrived, and now he looked away uncomfortably. "He asked how you were and if you were still living locally. I didn't see any harm in telling him..."

I stood up, boiling with anger. "He turned up at my building on Friday night hurling insults at us!" I shouted, no longer able to control my emotions.

"Gabi, if you'd only have told us what had happened between you two...I mean, if I'd have known what he was really-"

"No!" I cut him off, then took a deep breath to steady myself. "Maybe I should have said something before. But you two made me feel like such an outsider when I married him that I was just too mortified to admit that the whole thing had failed."

"Gabriella, calm down," Mum piped up. But there wasn't much that could have shut me up by that point.

"It doesn't matter what you didn't know," I continued ranting at my Dad. "What you did know was that I hadn't had any contact with Matt since the divorce; but you were still happy to talk to him. Yet you didn't say a word to me about it. Not one word."

The silence lasted about two minutes before my father piped up again. "So, it's entirely possible that Matt was involved in Tim's plan to take over the company..."

I wasn't sure whether this was a musing, a statement; or in fact a question he wanted answering. Either way, I didn't care anymore.

"Is that really all you've got to say?" I asked. I was on the verge of tears now. "You've given that man the information he needs to stalk me whenever he feels like it, and all you can think about is the business? Which, by the way, is still yours thanks to us!"

"Gabi, I'm sure he won't stalk you. Especially now that you have Troy to..."

But I didn't stop to hear the rest of my Dad's sentence. I was already walking away, with Troy following close behind. I'd just reached the front door when I realised that he had stopped in the doorway of the living room. I didn't go and get him, though. Instead I stood and listened.

"Mr Montez, perhaps I have no right to say this to you. But I'm going to do it anyway; and hopefully you'll understand that I'm speaking as your daughter's boyfriend, and not your employee." Troy's voice was polite, yet firm. My jaw almost hit the floor in shock. As if I hadn't had enough of that already.

My father, it seemed, wasn't going to stop him from speaking his mind. So I waited as Troy continued his speech.

"Gabriella was the one who worked out that Tim was planning something, and she did all she could to find out what that was, so you wouldn't lose your business. She did that for you; and now what she really needs is your support. Thanks to her ex-husband and the things he's said to her; she doesn't believe it when people tell her how brilliant she is. To be honest, Mr and Mrs Montez, I'm wondering whether either of you even realise that."

I didn't hang around to hear my parents' response to that. Though to be fair, I was so stunned that I had to rush outside to get some air. God knows what else was said in there, because it was another two minutes before Troy reappeared.

He studied my tear stained face for a moment, but seemed to sense that I didn't want to talk about it yet. What he didn't know was that after what I'd just heard, I was physically incapable of talking anyway.

We got inside his car in silence, and while he started up the car, all I could think was that I'd only known this man for two weeks and he'd done more for me in that time than my ex-husband ever did throughout our entire relationship.

I mean, bloody hell...

Suddenly I realised that the engine was running, but Troy had stopped the car halfway down the road. And he was looking at me.

"Did you hear any of..."

I smiled at him. "That stuff you said to my Dad just now? Yeah."

"Are you angry with me? I know it wasn't my place but..."

And then, before he could finish; I wiped a stray tear from my face, leaned over and kissed him.

"So I'm guessing you're not angry, then?" Troy asked, grinning at me as we broke apart.

"I love you," I blurted out, moving towards him again for a hug.

He chuckled as he put his arms around me. "I love you too, Gabi. You know, I'd do all that again for you – boss or no boss."

This time I was the one to laugh. My emotions have been all over the place today. This has just been the most dramatic weekend...

"Thank you," I told him before we left for home.

So now I'm sitting here, nursing half a glass of wine and starting to get sleepy.

Hang on...

Oh God, what's that?

Someone's banging on my door. Whoever they are, they'd better have a good reason for this...