"Do you think I'm stupid?" Anthony said raising his hand, with the back of his right hand he struck Gabriella across the face.

"No!" Gabriella shouted as she knocked into one of the walls. The portfolio flew from her hands and Gabriella let out a sob as she took hold of her face, the sting of his hand vibrating through her entire right side like she'd been struck by lightning. She couldn't bring herself to fight back, what was left for her to fight for. Gabriella adjusted herself so that she was standing up right against the wall. "Bet you feel so much more like a man," she said rubbing her cheek.

"Not really because any man can knock a woman around." Anthony said as he placed his hand on her neck. "Very few know how to do it without leaving marks." He added.

Gabriella felt the pressure on her neck. "So you're just going to beat me up?" Gabriella felt her eyes roll back. She'd done this to herself; she decided to go against Troy, against Anthony. Both powerful men both had the ability to quietly remove her from their life. It was as if she were nothing but a rodent to them, causing problems and taking up space, time and money.

"I told you not to try anything didn't I?" he said in a clam voice. "Do know how much you've set me back." with his other hand he pulled down the strap to her dress. "And for what?" Anthony said keeping her pinned to the wall. "He's going to leave you high and dry."

Gabriella felt the tears come to the brim of her eyes. "Please just let me go," she said in a low voice. "I'll sign the divorce papers, tell the press anything you want and then I'll just disappear." She said almost choking on a sob, what did any of it matter as far as she was concerned she rather die now than go out that door and lie to the world about the kind of man Troy Bolton was. She couldn't do that to him, not after everything they've been through.

"Give me one good reason why I should show you kindness after you betrayed me." Anthony reached in his pocket and pulled out a syringe in a plastic case. "All you had to do was get me those papers."

"What's that?" Gabriella said pain coming up as the words squeezed their way passed her throat and under the pressure of Anthony's hand, "Please just let me go,"

"This little thing?" he said with a smile holding it up to her face then dragging it down her cheek. "it's a party." He said with a smile. "You see I figured you were going to betray me, so I did a little extra research." With this eat he bit the plastic casing open. "You see the problem with a bad liver is that … well it doesn't work as well." Anthony chuckled.

Gabriella eyes widen in fear and she jerked her body away from him trying to struggle from his grasp. Her hands came up to her neck her fingers pulling at his hand, her strength slipping away with the oxygen.

"This has some of the best stuff," he said looking at her with grin as he held her tighter. "See it's all part of my plan B, Troy's innocent little wife found dead in a drug and alcohol overdose." He said using his teeth to bite off the cap to the syringe. "He's been hiding it from press, while supplying you with drugs and ignoring your condition." Anthony frowned. "Your parents will put two and two together, the marriage being so sudden, the records of you criminal background mixed in with Troy's things. You're drinking problem, it a downward spiral this life in the lime light." Anthony chuckled, "I'll tell the press you tried to get me to sleep with you for pills it will explain those photos."

Gabriella felt a tear roll down her cheek. Just then there was a knock at the door and Anthony held a hand over Gabriella mouth muffling any hope of her letting out a scream. She squirmed against him and Anthony pressed against her more pinning her to the wall. Gabriella stilled in an attempt to catch her breath, only his grip was too tight and she couldn't get enough air. Then she felt it the needle pierced her skin the burn in her neck of something that didn't belong. When he thought the person at the door was gone he let her go and she collapsed to the floor in a heap. "But first why don't we have a little fun?" he said in a low voice as he unbuckled his pants. "Let see what little Troy has been so smug about."

"Get away from me you. Filthy. Son. Of a. Bitch." Gabriella whispered as she moved further away from him her lungs still working in overdrive to get back the air she been deprived.

"Your right we should do this in the shower, that way I can wipe the prints off you myself." Anthony slipped out of his jacket, and began unbuttoning his shirt.

"Help!" Gabriella's voice was rasp and hollow as she screamed, part of her body were already beginning to tingle and buzz. Using her hand she swung at the night stand by the bed hopping to knock it over hopping to make noise and yet her hand failed on impact, dropping to the floor as if she hit some magical force. That was when the fear really kicked in, when the sense of defeat hit hard and Gabriella looked up at Anthony hovering over down to just his pants.

He was pulling the belt from his pant when she saw it. A floating chair something rising from behind him her vision beginning to blur, her tears fell more rapidly as she begged to at least keep her eyes open. Looking away she felt parts of body shutting down, pieces of her being destroyed one by one. A crashed sounded and Gabriella looked up from the floor to see the outlining of Troy standing above Anthony. An array of wood lay on the floor in pieces and splatters of blood on his shirt as he bent down and grabbed Anthony by the neck.

It was Troy, Troy had come, he was here and everything would be alright. Gabriella felt her eyes dropping and she let them close, because Troy was here.

"Gabriella," a cold feeling pushed against her cheek and she squinted to see his face inches away from hers. "Gabriella stay with me, please." His voice seemed to echo and fade in and out almost as if he was across the street instead of right beside her. "Don't close your eyes, come on baby stay with me."

Over head lights flashed as she opened her eyes again, this time all she could see were figures, and objects she could hear the distant call of voices talking to her.

"Gabriella you're going to be alright."

"Can you hear blink twice for yes,"

She urged herself to blink, she could hear them, she didn't understand why they were so far but she could hear them.

"Gabriella please don't go, you can't leave me like this, not like this, god not like this." it was a sob, a voice so familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time.