"This is a setup," I whispered, the realization dawning on me. Gianna stood at Seamus's desk, her arms crossed and a sly smirk plastered across her features. I grabbed Izaak's arm desperately to keep my balance. My other hand absentmindedly rubbed my stomach.
She couldn't be doing this. She wouldn't. She had no reason to.
"A what?" Izaak asked, looking down at me.
I looked to Gianna, begging her to not do this. Not here. Not now. God, not here. Not now.
"Presley has been having an affair with Ben Harvey. It started the week after you left and ended several days before you came back Izaak." Gianna's words hung in the air, and I could feel the breath leave my lungs. Seamus stood up from his desk. I grabbed my wand from my robes and pointed it at her, watching white sparks emulating from the tip.
"Presley-" Izaak started. I went to form some string of a sentence, but Gianna cut me off.
"And the baby isn't yours."
That was it. The catalyst. The cherry on top. The final sh-bang. The shit. The karma. Then, shit hit the fan, and I couldn't think straight. I was immediately consumed with hatred. My vision hazed, and the old habits of my father spilled through my veins.
I fought against it at first, but the unfortunate tactics and teachings that my father had engraved in my head came out.
"Cruc-"
"EXPELLIARMUS!"
My wand flew out of my hand, and flew into Izaak's. My eyes went wide. What had I done.
I couldn't stand it any more. The rage that I had harbored within me for over twenty years consumed me. My wand arm was still aimed at Gianna. If I could only land a punch, but Seamus was too close.
"I'm leaving you," I heard Izaak say amidst my anger. My wand fell to the floor, the sound echoing through the room. He turned around and walked out the door, without saying another word.
I stood in disbelief, and I lowered my arm, letting it ball into a fist.
Out of nowhere, I felt a small kick. My mouth fell open. I saw my child's life flash before me. Sporting events I couldn't engage in. Accomplishments I could never fully celebrate. Birthdays. Hogwarts. Graduations. Children of their own.
There would be space I couldn't fill. There would be moments that I missed. I would come up short, a million different ways. I couldn't be both. I couldn't ever fix this for my child.
"IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED?" I screamed at her. I saw Seamus's face falter, but Gianna's smug victory seemed to tease me. Her kid started screaming.
"You don't mess with my family," she said. This woman was a stranger to me. No longer were the days of innocent banter and watching movies in the library. Instead, this spite-filled monster stood in front of me.
"You bitch," I snapped. Just to spite, I added a comment that maybe Seamus was controlling her.
"Your snide comments don't hold any depth, Presley. Walk yourself home and live with your mistakes," she spat.
"Fine," I said. "But I hope it keeps you awake tonight when you tuck your son into bed and give your husband a kiss, that you not only ruined my marriage, but you ruined my daughter's life before it even started. You might not know what it's like to grow up without a father, but I certainly do. I may be forced to live with my demons, but boy will you be eating those words."
I crouched down to pick up my wand and apparated back to my house.
"Izaak?" I called.
Upstairs, I heard the ruffling of clothes being shoved into a suitcase. My heart sank.
I walked into my bedroom, staring at him.
"Don't try and change my mind," Izaak spat.
"I-"
"No. You don't get to explain yourself. You don't get to pretend to be the victim here. You can't stoop any lower than you are right now. How could you possibly justify yourself?" Izaak said, angrily.
"I just..." I stared at the floor, trying not to let the tears fall, and not let the emotion creep into my voice.
"You just what?" Izaak asked.
"He got into my head. He said so much that I believed him," I said.
"What? What could he have said?" he asked.
"Said you were off screwing other girls. Younger girls. More attractive ones-"
"Presley, you're the only one for me," Izaak said.
"Izaak-"
"But I wasn't the only one for you."
"That's not true, and you-"
"How the bloody hell is it not true, Pres? I've got physical proof that it's not me and its coming right out of you!" Izaak said.
"You can't leave me to raise this child on my own," I whispered.
"Yes I can. It's not my kid. What's it matter to me?"
"I'm your wife-"
"Doesn't matter much any more-"
"For better or for worse-"
"Don't you dare-"
"We made a promise-"
"DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT PROMISES!" Izaak screamed. I stepped back in shock.
"Izaak..."
"THIS IS BULLSHIT!" He shouted. My eyes widened. He never swore.
"It's bullshit that you dragged me into this. Just because I swore to be true to you doesn't mean that I have to raise a kid you had with someone else. That's ridiculous. We made a promise, and we took a vow. We wrote a story, and you changed the ending," Izaak said.
"Izaak, I'm so sorry-"
"No, sorry doesn't cut it anymore. Sorry doesn't change what you did. Under an oath. Under a promise.''
"I promise that I love you," I whispered.
"That doesn't change anything," Izaak said.
"No, Izaak, please don't-"
"Goodbye, Presley," Izaak said as he zipped up his bag.
"IZAAK NO PLEASE NO DON'T DO THIS!" I screamed, my voice breaking. His figure vanished, just as the tears filled my eyes.
"IZAAK NO!" I shouted, pounding on the floors.
He was gone. Panic consumed me. I shook and screamed and swore as loud as I could.
The panic receded in me, and only one thought remained.
Gianna Valente was going to pay.
