Author's Note- I do not own anything related to High School Musical. This is my plot.

Chapter Four-

Her body felt warm and safe. It was almost like she was in a protective bubble. The warmth of the blankets were helping her relax and feel at ease. The feeling of a new bed and mattress was strange to her. She hadn't left the comfort of their bed in years. They had bought it together spontaneously when shopping for towels. One minute they were looking at the difference between textures and the softness of blue and purple towels and the next they were testing out beds.

To be somewhere without her husband was strangely odd. The thought of not going back home and being held by him until they fell asleep was disturbing. The thought of her husband doing that with someone else instead was shattering her.

Gabriella had never imagined in all her life that she would end her marriage like they had. The thought of Troy with someone else was just too much. She started to try and erase the images she saw the day before, but couldn't. Soon it was all too much and the need to purge everything out was getting stronger.

Gabriella shot out of the comfort of the bed and raced to the joining bathroom and made it just in time to spill all the heaving contents out of her mouth.
The taste was repulsive and sickening. The smell of the vile sickness was making the need to throw up happen again. She regrettably looked down and saw the revolting contents that she had spilled and made her heave her guts again.

This wasn't how she imagined this part in her life. In her fantasy land, Troy was holding back her hair and soothing her with his calm voice and caring words. He would let her sit in his lap while he rubbed circles on her back. He would tell her that she was ok and that it would be over soon. But he wasn't. He was most probably sleeping peacefully in his bed, twenty minutes away from her.

Gabriella felt the wet substance of her frustrated, angry and sad tears run down her delicate face and pushed herself to rest against the cold wall. She pulled her legs up to her and started rocking herself to calm down.

Her life was going to be so different now. So much change would happen. Would she ever see her in-laws again? The people who were so kind and caring towards her all her life. The people she trusted and loved back just as much. Would she have to give them up to? They were Troy's parents, so maybe she had to. Was that how divorces worked? Gabriella felt herself crying more as the thought of actually being by herself and no longer married to Troy was crushing to her. For years they spent their time together. Showed and talked about their love for each other. All of it, everything was just so deceiving.

An hour later Gabriella had finally picked herself up and cleaned up her mess. She grabbed a quick shower and decided to leave the sleeping couple, confused at first who the brunette was but was surprised to see it was her best friend, to rest for a bit more until she would inform them of her newest decision.

Gabriella quietly made her way out the front door and decided to take a long walk to try and sort through her messed up mind. Although the idea of cleaning her mind and trying to figure out where she stood and what would happen to her now, scared her. She didn't want to be away from Troy. She didn't want to leave him. She loved him. But as soon as all those thoughts crossed her mind, the reality came rushing back. He was falling in love with another woman. He was happier with someone that wasn't her.

Gabriella finally reached a close and small park. It was still early in the morning and there was hardly anybody there. Just the usual morning runners doing their warm-ups and a few people who would rush by trying to get to work on time. Everything to Gabriella seemed so rushed. In the last twenty-four hours she had found out she was definitely pregnant and that her husband had been cheating on her for six months.

Gabriella felt the cool air breeze hit her face and made her dark shade of brown hair blow in all directions. She smiled calmly to herself and placed her small hands on her flat stomach.
It had been a week ago where her suspicions of being pregnant were getting more obvious. She was dead scared when she abruptly awoke one morning having the need to vomit all her guts out. Troy of course, was not there. He had left early for work, but left a small note telling her he loved her and that he would see her later that night.

Gabriella took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. How easy it was to believe everything the person you loved tell you. How easy it was to never doubt them or question them.
It wasn't like it was obvious. Troy had always stayed a little bit back for work over the years at the firm. He was a well known and impressive lawyer. Anybody within the tri-state area knew just how good he was at his job. Being a lawyer, you had commitments. So she never questioned why he would stay longer or why he had to leave earlier than usual.

It was all based on faith and trust that he got away with it for so long. Gabriella felt the need to hit herself over the head with a hammer for her stupidity. She was too much of a trusting and gullible person. He knew that. And he used that against her. She felt so stupid when all the small little facts and hints were starting to become obvious to her. She felt the tears run down her face again and tried to push them away so she didn't look like a crazy woman crying in a park.

"Gabriella?"

Upon hearing her name she looked up and saw the last person she was expecting. Standing before her was someone she could always run to when she had a problem. Run to when she was scared or frightened. For a long time in her life that person was Chad. He was the one she could always trust and rely on. But then she met him. He was different to all the other guys she had met. He was mysterious and kept to himself. He wasn't a loner, but he kept his private affairs private. Unlike his twin sister who yelled everything out on any available rooftop.

"Ryan?"

Before she knew what was happening she jumped to her feet and ran to his awaiting embrace. As soon as she was being held in his arms she felt more calm. More relaxed and more loved then she had felt in the day. She pulled back a little and just stared at his grinning face. "What are you doing here? I thought you didn't get back till next month."

Ryan Evans. He was young, handsome and talented. He had the potential to reach out and become the next Edward Norton. An esteemed and talented actor. Ryan had studied acting in Middle School. While Sharpay's talent led her to fashion, Ryan's led to fame. He had already been in a few independent movies. And had a huge blockbuster coming out in the fall.

Gabriella and Sharpay had attended and sat in the awestruck crowd every time he had a performance. He wasn't so sure on becoming an actor, he preferred to be behind the stage and what happened there. But he got so much positive feedback and contact numbers for agencies that he thought why not. It would just be another step to what he truly wanted. To be behind the camera instead of being in front. He loved everything about direction. He wasn't as bossy as his sister, but he was just as firm and in control. People admired his laid back and easy going attitude and respected him when he went from friend to boss and co-star. His co-workers had only ever had good things to say about him. To everyone, Ryan Evans was perfect.

"Well we finished earlier than expected. Last week actually. I was going to come next week for Jason's birthday…but uhh…I called from Shar last night."

Gabriella's face fell and the once happy and genuine smile had vanished, almost like it was never there. "Oh. She told you then."

Ryan saw the hurt and sad look on his oldest and dearest friend and wished he could do anything to take it away. Ryan lead her to the bench she had been sitting at before his arrival and laced their hands together.

"Hey. Don't be mad at her. I called last night and could tell something was wrong in her tone. I forced it out. I'm sorry."

"No. It's not you or Sharpay. I'm sorry. I'm not mad. I'm not." She looked back up to him and smiled to confirm herself. "I just…it's all going to be out soon. Everyone's going to know if they don't already. And I…I'm scared Ryan."

Ryan saw the tears slide down her face and tried his best to wipe them away, but more just came. He pulled her close to his chest and held her, calming her and reassuring her. "Why are you scared Gabi? You've got nothing to be scared about."

Gabriella pulled away and smiled at Ryan's caring nature. "I'm scared because…ever since I was sixteen my life revolved around Troy. I made sure I did and said the right things to impress him. I showed and told him how much I loved him everyday. I gave him my whole heart because I thought he would be the only one to have it. And now…it's like he threw it back at me in pieces. He's all I've ever known for the past ten years. How do I let that go? How do I forget all that? How can I live without him?"

"Hey…you're the strongest person I know." Ryan saw her roll her eyes and scoff in disbelief. "It's true. No one can even compare to you Gabi. Yes, Troy is your life. And he might be for a really long time to come. But with your strength and in your time, you'll be able to move on from that. I myself, could never even imagine what you're feeling or going through, all I know is that I know you're going to be a stronger person after this. You are an amazing woman Gabi. Don't ever doubt that."

Gabriella had stopped her crying and was now looking at Ryan in awe. "How is it that you know all the right things to say?"

"Well…I'm just that amazing. That's why. But I meant every word. It wasn't just a speech to make you feel better. It was the truth within my heart and I hope you know how much I care for you Gabi. You're like a sister…I know, I know, I can't take Chad's place..." He laughed along with Gabriella who rolled her eyes playfully slapped his arm. "…but…you're like family. And my family means the world to me. I love you Gabi. Never forget that."

Gabriella smiled genuinely and went to embrace him in a bone crushing hug. "Thank you Ryan. I love you too Ry. You mean the world to me also. You and your crazy sister."

Both laughed and then tried changing the topic to happier one. Soon the two were laughing and talking like they were teenagers. They did their usual banter between the two. Told each other the other was getting fatter. That they had buck teeth and their hair was falling out. It was really like they were a pair of teasing siblings.

"So how about tonight we go get completely smashed off of our faces? Hmm? My treat?" Ryan bargained.

Gabriella tilted her head in confusion. Didn't he know? "Ry, I can't exactly do that in my condition."

Ryan looked a little perplexed and taken aback a little but then shook his head. "What do you mean? I think after finding your husband with some 'ho' you would want to get shit faced? We use to in High School."

Gabriella laughed at his look of reminiscing the old days where if either Sharpay or Gabriella would go through a break-up they would go through the Evans liquor cabinet.

"Trust me Ryan. If I wasn't in my current situation, then this morning I would have been vomiting from alcohol poisoning." Gabriella amusingly watched as she saw the wheels in Ryan's head spin and finally get what she meant. Took him long enough.

"You're pregnant?" Ryan was absolutely gob smacked and his mouth was hanging open like a fish.

"Ryan close your mouth before flies get in there."

Ryan immediately obeyed her request but still sat there like an staring idiot. "I…Shar didn't…this is…I mean…does he…how…whoa."

Gabriella fell into a fit of giggles and shook her head. "Is that all you have to say?"

"I just…this is…big. This is…going to get so…"

"Complicated."

Ryan vigorously nodded his head while still looking utterly stunned to death. Ryan then thought about her acting so afraid before. It was because she was afraid of being by herself and raising the baby on her own also. Not just Troy. Troy. As soon as the name entered his mind again, Ryan felt the sudden urge to go throttle him.

"I can't believe this. I can't believe him. How could he leave you when you're having his baby? I'm going to kill him. Yep…I'm going to kill him. Where's the nearest hardware store and Circus?"

Gabriella narrowed her eyebrows in curiosity and questioned him why he needed a hardware store and circus.

"So I can buy a machete or a chainsaw and pay a clown to go after him. Duh." He stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You know…you and Sharpay are scarily alike. I don't like it. Remind me to never piss either of you two off."

Ryan faked a hurt expression and both stated laughing again. For the first time in the last twenty-four hours, Gabriella was starting to feel like herself again.

Troy had reluctantly entered his office and sighed heavily to himself when he sat down. His heart clenched when he saw the silver platted photo frame that held a photo of himself and Gabriella. They were both eighteen and at a local carnival in his and Chad's hometown. The girls had come down to visit for spring break and both begged their boyfriends to go. Neither Troy or Gabriella knew at the time, but Sharpay had taken a picture of them while they were embraced in each other's arms and Troy was looking down at her like she was the most important and shiniest object in the world. He was completely amazed by her.

Troy heard the soft knock on his door and told whoever it was to come in. He wasn't in the mood to see anyone but he knew who it was. He had closed his eyes when he was thinking back to the time at the carnival. He then felt the soft familiar hands of his…well…he didn't really know. Was she his mistress? He didn't know what she was. He never really expected to be in the position he was in. But then all thoughts were pulled out of his mind when he felt the hands run down his thigh and land on his crotch.

Troy wanted nothing more for her to continue their daily routine, (Greet him with a quick hand or blow job. Inform him of his daily meetings. Run and grab lunch together. Meetings with board members and partners. A quickie in the supply closet or his office. Paperwork and filing to be done. And then finish the day with whatever they felt like getting up to), but after yesterday's events, Troy felt ill of the thought of her touch on him and not Gabriella's.

Troy opened his eyes and pulled her hand away just as it slipped into his unzipped pants. He got up from his chair and walked a few feet away from so he could be away from her alluring scent and zipped himself back up.

"Look Del…we need to talk." He looked up to see her give him a questioning and confused look.

"Talk as in talk-talk? Or talk as in…I'm-breaking-up-with-you-talk?"

Delysia Holt was young and beautiful. She was ambitious and hard-headed. She always believed in her morals and beliefs. But they all pretty much threw out the window when she started shacking up with her married boss. She never really saw much in herself, but didn't think she was ugly. For a long time she only saw her reflection as being 'plain ol Jane', but when Troy Bolton started to tell her she was beautiful and made her feel like she the most important person in the world, she started to gain more confidence.

Delysia was far from plain. Her simple and yet striking beauty had people do double takes on her appearance. Men ogled at her every action and wish they were taking her home. Her golden blonde hair went to the tips of her shoulders due to the soft gentle curls they were in. Her narrow face was sharp and elegant. Her glowing brown orbs sparkled in curiosity and fear. Fear of being let go by someone she was falling very hard for.

"Just…talk." Troy walked slowly away from her some more and sat on the edge of his leather lounge that was positioned to the side of his roomy office. "I just…think we need to really discuss…whatever this is between us…before anything else happens."

Delysia studied the usual calm and collected Troy and noticed how jittery and anxious he was. She prayed to God that the past few months weren't going to be a waste. That all the lying and deceiving had happened for a reason. That there was a purpose as to why she now regards to herself as a 'home-wrecker' and bad person. She hated thinking like that, but what else was she than what she saw and felt everyday.

"Talk about what then? Is something the matter?"

"Yesterday…after you left my house. I found Gabriella home. She must have come in during our…well…she was there and she saw and heard everything. She…uhh, she left me."

Delysia felt her heart drop. She never meant for anything to happen. She never meant for the affair to get so far. And she never ever wanted for Troy's wife to found out about them. If roles were reversed, she would have killed the both of them on the spot. Delysia felt more guilt burden her when she realized she had actually been to his house and had raw-passionate sex with her boss while his wife was there. Could things get any worse?

"What did she say?"

"She wants a divorce. She threw me back her engagement and wedding bands." Troy looked down to his left hand and saw her wedding band on his pinkie, the only finger it would fit.

"Oh God. Troy…I'm…this is all so…God I don't even know what this is. Apart from fucked up."

Troy scoffed and nodded his head in agreement. "When she left I…wanted…"

Delysia patiently waited for him to continue. She saw him having some internal battle with himself as to what he wanted to say to her. Did he want her? Did he want a divorce also so they could be together. No more hiding? No more lies? Did he want everything she had wanted ever since they first kissed?

"...I wanted her to come back."

Troy finally looked back to the beautiful young woman standing across from him leaning back on the top of a guest chair and saw how her face fell as soon as the words left his mouth. He knew everything was going to come out. He wanted to tell her the truth. That he wasn't sure what was going to happen to them, but he wanted his wife back. And if that meant he couldn't talk, couldn't see or even couldn't work around her…then he would leave the firm straight away. Just for Gabriella.

"I…watched her walk out the front door, begging for her not to leave and all I wanted was for her to turn around and fall back into my arms." Troy saw the small tears well up in Delysia's eyes and felt his guilt risen. Not only had he hurt Gabriella, but he was now going to hurt another person he cared a lot for. His heart was being pulled in so many directions, he could feel it start to tear open. "But the thing is…my mind also went to you." He saw her look up and meet his intense gaze. "I love Gabriella. And I want to try and get her back. It's been like…two days and I miss her like hell. I love her. I don't want to lose her…but…I feel myself falling in love with you too."

Delysia narrowed her eyes and shook her head. She looked away from him and turned to the ground. "You can't have it both ways Troy. Do you know how selfish you sound right now?"

"I know that Del. God…I love Gabriella more than life itself. But I'm falling for you. Do you have any idea how hard this is for me? I want my wife whom I love. And yet…being near you, all I want is you." Troy let out an aggravated growl and fell back into the lounge. "I just…I don't know what to do."

"Do you have any idea how I feel Troy?" Delysia saw him look up with his guilty and pained eyes and felt her heart beat faster. "I came here so excited and eager to work here. I want to be helping those less fortunate and help win cases that are fair and right. To fight for justice and the good. But as soon as I saw you…all that vanished and it was like…instead of being passionate for my work. I became passionate for you. I ran around like a headless chicken trying to get your attention. But you never noticed me." She saw past Troy and felt her mind wander to all the times she had tried to gain his attention, but failed. "All the gossip hens in the office told me that no one had ever caught your eye because you were happily married and couldn't see yourself without her. But at the party you seemed so tense and angry and then you kept drinking and drinking and the next thing I know you're all over me and I'm kissing back like there was no tomorrow. I started to fall in love with you Troy. And now…I am hopelessly and desperately in love with you."

Troy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I…God…I think I love you too Del."

"Then…as bitchy and cruel as this sounds…then why win back your wife when you and I can be together? We love each other. The chances of her taking you back are so low. A woman would never want to take you back after this."

"You don't know Gabriella. You don't know what we had before…just…I don't even know why I started this."

The thought had also ran through Delysia's mind too. Why would a happily married man start an affair? "How can you not know? You were drunk yes, but…"

Troy sighed heavily and turned away from her again. "To be honest. I do." He took a deep breath and remembered why it all happened. "It was because I wanted to start a family and Brie didn't." He heard Delysia gasp and tried his best to not look up at her. "I thought after a few years of marriage, starting a family would be ideal. I wanted to see her carry my child and impatiently wait to see if it was a girl or boy. I wanted a little girl with Gabriella's brown curls and my blue eyes. Or a little boy with my hair and Gabriella's eyes. No matter what it was or what it would look like, I knew I would have loved it with everything I have." The thought of never having those children or that life hit Troy like a tonne of bricks. "The night of the party…we were both meant to show up. Gabriella knows a few people here and they love her. Everyone does." A dreamy look crossed his face and knew it was true. Everyone did love her, how could they not? "But she didn't show up…obviously…because we had a huge fight. About the possibility of trying for a baby. She wanted to wait another year or so because she was worried about it coming between her and her work. I just kept persisting the idea and she got so worked up about it we broke out in yelling and screaming. After an hour or so of constant shouting I left her there and came here. Then…well you know the rest."

Delysia nodded her head slowly and then took her time to piece the puzzle together. "So…you got drunk because you and your wife had a fight and thought, instead of going back home to fix the problem…you would fuck me?"

Troy flinched at her words but reluctantly nodded his head 'yes'.

"I know I'm a real ass and deserve to be called every name under the sun and to be burned alive…but…I just didn't know how to cope. In all years of being together that was the biggest fight we had had. When I got home the next day Gabriella was frantic and worried as hell. I felt even worse. She kept blaming herself and because I was in so much shock of what had happened…I didn't correct her. Then…" He scoffed at the memory and shook his head. "…then she told me she was up all night and was worried that she had ruined us and thought I was going to leave her. I told her I wouldn't. Then she smiled her gorgeous smile and whispered to me that she wanted what I wanted too. A family. A week later she went off of her pill and we started trying."

"God Troy. You really are a bastard aren't you?" Delysia was seething. Not only was he spilling everything out now, but…if Gabriella had ended up pregnant…then would Troy had still agreed to the affair and met with her in their secret places? Or would he have ended it as soon as possible? "What would you have done if she got pregnant?"

"I…I don't know. I would have…done the right thing."

"Too late for that now."

Troy and Delysia looked up from each other and towards the door where an angry and pissed off Sharpay Evans was standing. Troy didn't recognize her at first due to the new brunette looking hair, but as soon as he did he felt his heart drop and could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on their ends. Hell had just entered his office…wearing a shit load of pink.

"Hello Troy-boy."

Quick update. Just becuase you guys deserved it. Thank you all so much for loving this story and your support. :) Means the world to me. The next chapter is one of my favourites and I really hope you're all going to love it...bitchy Sharpay? Need I say more? It had me in some tears so just pre-warning. And I really hope I got the point of Delysia not being all that bad or whatever across. It is hard to resist a guy looking like Zac. But to me she is young, niave and very in love with Troy. And she knows it's wrong, but she loves him. Well that was the point...if I didn't make it...well there you go. Haha. Thanks again so much. Opinions? Reviews? Cheers.