"Gabi what is it, what's wrong?" Antonio asked as he noticed Gabi standing in the doorway to his office at the mission. He wasn't sure how long he had been standing there, but he could immediately tell (well, as soon as he managed to pry her eyes away from the minuscule outfit she wore) by the expression on her face that things were not right with her.
She didn't reply to him, simply shook her head as her eyes filled with tears, desperate, lonely tears that ripped straight through Antonio's soul. Without thinking, he stood and walked over to her, unable to stand by and watch her cry when he could hold her.
She buried her face in his black shirt, tears only coming faster when the white of his clergical collar caught her eye. She was grateful for the strength in his embrace, the comfort that his strong arms around her waist provided. She couldn't believe that this was happening, she had been so sure that she could go through with this. But she couldn't. The very sight of him sitting at his desk, his gaze concentrating solely on the papers in front of him has broken her determination. He was so dedicated to his job. He loved what he did, and there was no way anyone would ever be able to take that away from him. Except her. Gabi knew that she had the power to tear apart his life in one word. And in more ways than one.
As he held her tightly, the words Ricardo had said to her crossed through her mind again and again. They had betrayed him. They deserved punishment. And Ricardo himself was going to give that punishment to them. He had forced her, through her pleas and sobs, to swear to him that she would go along with his plan. She had to, or else he would destroy Antonio. Her husband had made Gabi promise to do the very thing that she thought she would never, ever do. To purposely hurt the man she loved. She knew she had to do it, or he would follow through on his vow. Gabi had never really realized what a truly evil man Ricardo Torres was. He had sadistically tortured Gabi with the truth, that he knew of their affair, until she had begged him to stop. He had made her sit through that damn tape over and over, asking her questions, was he as good in bed? Had Antonio known how to please her? Had they done it in the loft? On the bed that she and Ricardo had almost made love (had sex, she mentally corrected herself. There was no way that a man as hateful as Ricardo could ever make love. Not the man he had become.) that very night.
And now she was here, dressed in a devastatingly sexy and slutty outfit that Ricardo had chosen for her to wear, standing in Antonio's arms and wondering how on earth she was going to be able to hurt this man who had nothing but love and adoration for her, whom she had the same intense emotion for.
"Gabi, tell me what's wrong, baby. What has you so upset? You can tell me Gabi, you know, you can tell me anything." He whispered into her neck as she pulled him closer, needing him as near to her as he could possibly be.
"I'm so sorry, Antonio. I'm so sorry." She told him, her voice muffled as she spoke into his chest, where her head was buried.
"What are you sorry for, Gabi?" He pulled back slightly, to her disappointment and disdain. Her eyes were big with fear and anxiety as he placed his hand underneath her chin and forced her to look him in the eye. "What's going on, baby?"
Hearing her call her by that affectionate endearment only made her sobs intensify. Antonio was confused about her actions, but he held her close again, reassuring her until her tears diminished.
"Antonio…I…" She knew she had to do this, she HAD to or Ricardo would take the tape to the church officials, and take Antonio's vocation away from him. She had to do this, but her nerve had deserted her.
"It's all right, Gabi. It's okay. Take your time, baby, I'm right here." He knew that holding her this close was wrong, taking her in his arms like he was doing was only a mistake, but he could not let Gabi be in pain, something deep rooted and stronger than him or his logic kept him helpless. He couldn't say that he really minded, though.
Looking up into his warm, caring brown eyes, Gabi hated her husband with more passion than she could ever remember hating anyone or anything before in her life. And she had suffered through a lot of hatred in her time.
"Antonio…I can't…we can't…" He was nodding, encouraging her to go on. She couldn't. It wasn't in her. She didn't have the strength to break his love for her, which is what she was supposed to be doing. "I…love you."
The words flew out of her mouth before she had a chance to rethink them, and she was glad. Taking advantage of his shocked pause, she leaned upwards and touched her mouth to his. Returning the kiss was his first instinct, and even after the shock had faded his arms stayed tightly around her, his mouth exploring the hidden secrets of hers that had been denied to him for so long. Her lips parted slightly under his probing tongue, and he continued devouring her until she pulled away from him, breathless with passion and worry.
"Gabi?" Antonio questioned her, still reeling from her actions.
"I'm sorry." She lowered her head, ashamed for reasons Antonio couldn't imagine. "I'm so sorry, Antonio, but I just can't do this…I've let you down, and I can never even ask for your forgiveness."
"Gabi, you haven't let me down! Why would you even think that?" She remained silent, unwilling to explain any further. "Tell me, Gabi. A few minutes ago you said that you loved me, and then you kissed me. Now you're saying you don't deserve my forgiveness. What do you mean?"
She looked up at him, seeing the mixture of emotions in his eyes. Love, confusion, passion, hurt. She had hurt him so much, and she hated herself for that.
"Antonio…I can't tell you. If I tell you, then he'll destroy you, and I'm not going to let that happen. Because…because I love you."
"Who, Gabi? Who do you think would destroy me?" She refused to look him in the eye and tried to move away, but he grabbed onto her arm and forced her even closer to him.
"Let me go, Antonio." She whispered painfully.
"No, Gabi. Not until you tell me what you're talking about. Don't play these games with me, don't come in here in tears, confess your love and kiss me, then walk away without another word. Look at me. Look me in the eye." He put his free hand under her chin and forced her face up to look at him. "Look at me, and tell me what's going on."
"NO! I can't, I won't!" Gabi screamed the first word and whispered the rest.
"Yes, you can and you will." He stared at her with fury and passion, determined not to let her walk away this time. "Gabi, tell me what is going on!"
She was crying, and it was tearing her apart but not as much as the need to know what she meant by her masked words.
"Ricardo knows about us, dammit! He knows that we made love, he has the tape, are you happy now?" She shouted at him, collapsing into his arms as if making the statement had depleted all of her strength. "I'm sorry, Antonio, I let you down. He found out and it's my fault, he hates you because of me. I know you can't ever forgive me…but I'm so sorry…I love you." She weeped in his arms as he tried to digest the information.
"I…Gabi, if you found out then it isn't because of you. I love you, Gabi, more than anything and there is nothing to forgive." He said, trying to stop her tears. "I love you," He repeated as she looked up at him.
"Really? You don't…hate me?" She said, in a disbelieving voice. "Ricardo said he would get you thrown out of the priesthood if you found out."
"Gabi, you mean more to me than the priesthood ever has. I love you, and I've been an idiot for not recognizing that my place is with you and not God. Even if Ricardo doesn't show the tape, then I'm going to leave the priesthood." After all of the months of bottling these things up, after agonizing over this decision, it was surprisingly easy. He realized now that there had never really been a choice. All Gabi had had to say where those three monumental words and all of the pain was gone.
"I love you, Antonio." She looked up at him with a new kind of tears, joyful ones, shining in her eyes. "I love you so much. I want us to be together."
"We will, Gabi. I'm never going to let you go again." He stood up and walked over to his desk, where he pulled a small black box out. Much to Gabi's astonishment, he walked back over to her and knelt down on one knee in front of her. "I bought this a while ago, Gabi, and I chickened out before I actually did anything with it. But I'm glad that I kept it. I guess in my heart I always knew that someday, you would be mine." He opened the box to reveal a small ring, gold dotted with sparkling diamonds that center a larger stone set off proudly in the middle.
"Gabi…will you…as soon as you get an annulment…be my wife?" She smiled at the comment thrown in the middle, but the smile took on a different meaning as he slipped the ring on her finger.
"Yes, Antonio, I will." She answered without even a moment's hesitation. He brought himself up off of the floor where he had been kneeling and took her in his arms.
"I love you, Gabi Torres, with all my heart and soul, and I cannot wait until you become my wife." Still gazing at the ring that she now wore in place of her wedding ring, which she hadn't even bothered to put on this morning.
As she looked into her once lover and future husband's eyes, Gabi knew that her days of suffering were over. She had Antonio now, and nothing would ever dare to come between them again.