Knox continuously paced the room, muttering curses under his breath when he saw that Gina wasn't picking up her phone. Frustration and worry gnawed gravely at him and yet he couldn't do anything about it.
    He knew he should have immediately went after Gina earlier but he had lacked the strength then, marveled by disbelief to a point where it made him temporarily paralysed.

He blamed himself for her hurt and everything she went through over the past years. There was no one to blame but himself, so Gina's disapproval towards him, Knox knew shouldn't come as too much of a shock. He had made his bed and now it was time to lay in it....

But not without a fight.
There were things Gina still needed to know. He was sure that would make the situation between them more subtle, but Knox didn't want anything to influence the efforts he would make to win Gina over.

He glanced at his phone to call her once more. If she didn't pick up again then he'd go in search of her, but suddenly the front doors bursted open. Knox looked up to find Gina entering with a look of disarray to her presence. Without so much as a glance his way, she moved towards the stairs in quick strides, prompting Knox to go after her.

He found her in the closet to their bedroom.

      "What are you doing?" Knox asked, watching as she pulled out two suitcases.

     "What does it look like?" She quipped tersely, unzipping the large compartment.

     "Gina, please..." Knox trailed off and sighed, not really knowing what to do or say. So he stepped in front of her, blocking her path to the closet.

She stood to face him. "Move."

The alcohol was strong on her breath. The very idea of her drinking tore at Knox.

    "Where are you going?" he asked.

     "Anywhere but here. Hey, I might even pay Fred a visit. I'm sure he'd be more than willing to room with me," she bit back spitefully.

Knox's anger sparked at the mention of his name. "Did last night mean anything to you?

Gina paused. "If sex meant something to me, I wouldn't do it so often with so many men, Knox. So no, it meant nothing to me," she lied, shoving past him to finish packing.

Knox said nothing, only watched as she filled the suitcases with her things. "It is what it is, Knox," she said pulling the suitcases up while she struggled with them downstairs - Knox behind.

    "I'll do whatever you want me to Gina, just don't go" he said while Gina slid into the front seat of her car. "And you've been drinking; Gina you are in no position to drive."

   "And yet, I've never felt this sober. Goodbye, Knox," she said as she gave him one last glance, started the engine and sped through the opened gates with Knox a fading image through the rearview.

Knox stood there motionless, feeling unease when the sight of Gina's car was no more. His first instinct had been to jump in his own car and go after her, but he understood why she must need a little space.

    He turned to go back inside when his breath caught in his throat, the world stilled around him when an ear shattering sound pierced his eardrums. His throat instantly dried up to nothing, his lips lacking speech as familiarity dawned.

It was a crash.

Finding the strength in legs that seemed motionless just moments ago, Knox ran towards the noise, hoping that Gina hadn't been involved but somehow knowing she was. He ran, muttering her name repeatedly on his lips while he prayed a silent prayer, hoping she wasn't hurt. His eyes then came upon what he had earlier feared.

    Gina's car had collided with another, both the frontal parts smashed into each other, smoke coming from the engines. Knox was briefly paralysed by what ifs, the movements returning to his leg when he thought of how Gina could be hurt. Already neighbors were rushing out to see what was wrong but Knox didnt pay them much attention. His focus was on Gina.

He pried the door open as soon as he was by her car, his heart plummeting when he saw a line of blood trailing from an injury on her head.

    "Gina," Knox exclaimed, his eyes searching her whole body before it returned to her face. The rest of her looked fine, it was just the head injury that Knox feared.

    "Mmm," she groaned, eyes fluttering open. Knox's heart soared at the small response.

    Knox swallowed the lump that seemed stuck in his throat and licked his lips. "I'm right here sweetheart, everything's gonna be fine," he reassured, looking around at the small crowd that gathered.

     "Did somebody call the ambulance?" he asked, only then seeing phones pulled out to do just that.

Knox couldn't do it. He couldn't wait around for an ambulance when Gina could be seriously hurt, so he picked her up into his arms and signaled for his chauffeur to bring the car around. Meanwhile, he glanced to the driver of the other car, realising he had gotten out, holding his head while he assessed the damages.

Knox's black SUV parked at his feet and unhesitatingly he entered, resting Gina's head in his lap, while he looked to the driver in the rearview.

     "Go, go!"

In no time they were at the hospital. A gurney was there to relieve Knox of Gina as soon as he approached the door to the hospital.

     "What  happened?" the nurse asked, pushing the gurney along with Knox behind.

     "Ah, it was an accident – car accident," he quickly provided.

     "Stay here Mr Warner. A doctor will be by to examine your wife soon," the woman said, carting Gina into a private room.

Knox sighed and raked his fingers through his hair, already impatient. He felt reckless sitting there for minutes that felt like hours. The chair even seemed to harden, causing Knox to stand while he repeatedly paced the floor. A Doctor finally came at the door and signaled for him to come in.

Knox went immediately, finding Gina on a bed with a bandage wrapped around her head. She rolled her eyes upon seeing him. With his relief, came a smile.

     "Is she OK?" Knox asked the female doctor who was scribbling away on her clipboard.

     "Mrs Warner is fine. Just a minor concussion but she'll be back to her normal self in a few days."

Gina and Knox's gaze locked at the mention of her new title and surname. No one had ever called her Mrs Warner til now.

     "Can I take her home?" Knox asked.

     "I'm not going home with you and you know it," she winced, which Knox saw.

     "Are you OK?"

      "My head is opening," she hissed.

       "It is quite normal, I'll prescribe some painkillers to mitigate the effect and it would be wise if you brought her home. She is in no condition to drive."

Gina suffocated a groan, seeing the victory in Knox's gaze.

     "But there's another thing. I'll have to inform the police that this was a DUI...It was clear when I examined Mrs Warner that she was influenced."

Knox glanced briefly at Gina. "That isn't necessary, please. This was just a small accident, no one was badly hurt and we'd like this to remain private. The last thing we need is media attention."

The brunette doctor swallowed, looking indecisive but she blew out a breath and nodded. "Fine," she said, handing Knox a piece of paper. "These will help her get back to her old self soon," she smiled. "Excuse me," she said and then she was out of the room.

Silence crept behind like a snake, leaving Gina and Knox to wallow in it. The tension was so thick it seemed tangible, Gina not wanting to say anything, Knox wanting to say everything, but was afraid how to start.

So he began small. "I'm sorry."

Gina's gaze dropped to the floor, not wanting to make eye contact with him.

     "I hurt you and I'm sorry. I'm not asking for forgiveness right now. All I'm asking is that you make me take care of you... Please."

Clearing her throat, she looked up at him. "I don't want you to Knox. I don't..." trailing off she tightly closed her eyes to rid the stinging before she continued. "You said you would do anything?" she looked to him with teary eyes.

Knox's gaze was fixated on her until he nodded when her words processed. "Yeah," he said, fearing her request but knew what it would be.

    "I- I want this marriage to end, I want my old life back and I, I want you out of it Knox," she said, managing a shaky smile, feeling the tears that weighed down her lashes, blurred her gaze.

As much as she didn't like doing it in his presence, Gina couldn't help the tears that fell. His expression seemed pained, a single vein protruding from his forehead as he looked at her. She stared at him too, wishing things were different as he did , but they both knew it wasn't. This was their very harsh reality- one they had to deal with.

He finally nodded, confirming that they weren't struck by emotional paralysis. "If it's what you want-"

    "It is," she quickly cut in, saying. "What I want."

Knox managed a smile regardless of the frown his heart was making, but there was no way he was going to further upset her by going against her wishes.

      "Ok," he said, knowing within himself that it was a wish he couldn't grant.

Author's note:

Hey guys! Thoughts on the chapter?
Make your predictions about what will happen next 😉

I just want to say how thankful I am for all the responses I got from the previous chapter. Some comments were just so passionate, it really lifted my spirits so thanks loads. I really really appreciate the support so far. ❤😘😘😘💞

Until next time,
Laters baby,
Live good, love God...
- Juju ❤