In The Darkest Hour

Part One - Chapter Eighteen: Never Again

“Get out,” Gerard spat furious at the idea that the woman that had murdered Isabel was standing before him, he felt sick that he had kissed her and he wanted her gone; he glared at Isla knowing that he should have known.

Isla swallowed, she needed him to listen to her before he did something rash that would mar how far he had come in the past seven months and not taking a couple of steps back.

“Let me explain… it’s not what you think,” Isla pleaded wanting Gerard to hear her out, she didn’t want him to continue to believe the lies that had been told about her; she hoped that he would understand even if he was upset.

Gerard scoffed running his fingers through his hair, he didn’t know why his mother had hired Isla but he would be having a word with her when he had gotten rid of Isla; he wanted the brunette gone before she tried anything else.

“Did you get some pleasure from watching me grieve?” Gerard hissed stepping closer to Isla, he wanted answers for why she had murdered Isabel and he wanted her to suffer for what she had put him through; he wanted to hurt her and he knew he couldn’t lash out.

Isla flinched, she had expected him to be upset and nothing that she could say would change how he felt; she just wished that he would let her explain what really happened and not the lies that the hospital had told.

“Of course not,” Isla whispered with tears in her eyes, she wanted to prove that she was innocent but there was nothing that she could say that could prove that; she had to wait until Montserrat had completed her investigation.

It wasn’t easy and Isla knew that, she wanted nothing more than to prove that she hadn’t done anything wrong and she wanted to help Gerard heal.

“Were you jealous is that why you killed her?” Gerard demanded wishing that he hadn’t gotten so attached to Isla, he hated himself for growing attached to her and he would never forgive himself.

Gerard had been so caught up in his own thoughts that he should have known it was her, he felt sick and he wanted nothing to do with her now and he wanted her gone; she would never work for him again.

“I didn’t kill her… please let me explain,” Isla pleaded softly, she wanted to comfort Gerard with the truth; it was Sharon who had been responsible for Isabel’s death and she was the one who should have been punished however it had all been covered up.

“I don’t think so,” Gerard scoffed moving to grab a hold of Isla, he didn’t care if he hurt her; he wanted her out of his home, the house where he had lived with Isabel before she had taken her from him.

Isla whimpered at the grip that Gerard had on her arm, she allowed him to pull her out of the first floor and down the stairs; she had no idea what to say to him to prove that she was innocent of what she had been accused.

Gerard stomped down the stairs, his heart breaking even more in his chest as he realised that he had wanted to start a new with the woman that had killed Isabel; he felt like an idiot and he wasn’t going to let her get away with what she had done.

“Pack your things and get out,” Gerard said throwing Isla into her room, he glared at her as she stumbled; he would give her an hour to pack up all her things and then he would chuck her out himself.

Isla blinked looking at Gerard, she opened her mouth to say something before she decided against it; there was little she could do now but wait for Montserrat to prove her innocence.

“Enjoy the rest of your day… it’ll be the last one you spend in anonymity,” Gerard threatened before he turned and walked away, he was sure everyone would love to know who she was.

Isla watched Gerard walk away as she slowly started to cry, she had wanted him to listen to her and now everything lay broken at her feet; she clapped a hand to her mouth trying to stifle her sobs.

There was little time left and Isla wasn’t going to test Gerard’s patience now that he knew the truth, he wouldn’t have any sympathy for her and seemed set to ruin her life over this.

Isla sniffled before she moved to start packing her things, she wiped away her tears trying to steady herself; she had a lot to pack and she would have to find a way to her parents’ home.

The last thing that Isla wanted was to hide out there but she had nowhere else to go, she didn’t want to intrude on Joanna not when Gerard was going to tell the press; they would hunt her like an animal to get a story and people were going to hate her for something she hadn’t done.

Isla wondered what would happen when Montserrat found out the truth and published it, she doubted it would fix the damage and she had no idea what she would ever do; she was going to be ruined in Barcelona.

Isla pulled out her phone and dialled her parents’ number, she would need one of them to pick her up since they lived on the other side of the city and she didn’t have a car of her own.

“Madre… I need you to come and get me,” Isla whimpered quietly, she didn’t want to speak louder in case Gerard came down; she would be gone soon and would never see him again.

Isla listened to her mother talking, she could hear how worried Tracy was about her and she didn’t blame her; she wanted to disappear and had no idea what would happen now.

“He knows about why I was fired madre… I need you to come and get me,” Isla whispered when her mother started to question her, she could only hope that one day when the truth was out that Gerard could find it in his heart to speak to her again.

***

Montserrat smiled stepping into her son’s home, she had been surprised that he had called her home and she hoped that everything had gone well; she wanted Gerard to be happy and she wasn’t going to let him do anything stupid.

Milan babbled happily on his grandmother’s hip, she walked up the stairs a little worried why it was so quiet; she wondered if Isla had turned her son down again.

Walking into the first floor, Montserrat stopped when her eyes landed on her son who was drinking; her stomach turned wondering what had caused Gerard to take up drinking again.

“When were you going to tell me that Isla was the one that killed Isabel?” Gerard asked not looking to his mother, he had done a lot of thinking since Isla had fled his home and he could only think that Montserrat had known about who she was.

Montserrat stared at her son, she could only think that Isla had cracked and told him since she had done her best to hide the truth from him; she closed her eyes wishing that Isla hadn’t told him.

Milan would now be without a nanny and Gerard wasn’t likely to forgive what had happened, it would be the end of life as Isla knew it and there was little Montserrat could do to stop it.

“Gerard…” Montserrat murmured shaking her head, she was still investigating what had happened but it was clear that Isla wasn’t the only innocent that had been fired to cover up the incompetence of Sharon Gomez or the other doctors.

“I don’t want to hear it… tomorrow everyone will know who she is,” Gerard slurred, he had been drinking since he had chucked Isla into her room and he hadn’t stopped; he didn’t care anymore and he couldn’t bring himself to care anymore.

Montserrat stared at a drunken Gerard, she could only imagine what he was going to do next.