{Cold Stormy Night} (GabeNath)

| Chapter 13: Confrontation | 1/1/2021 |

Ellise noticed her father fighting with the security guard and if she knew her father, he was going to start using his fists.

Ellise rushed over to his side, ''What's going on?''

Henri turned and looked at Ellise, ''They won't let me see my daughter!'' Henri exclaimed.

Ellise sighed, ''D-dad... it's not their fault, she just doesn't want to see you.''

Henri was silent but you could tell he was frustrated.

Ellise looked at her father, ''Dad?"

''What do you mean she doesn't want to see me?!'' Henri exclaimed.

Ellise didn't have time to reply before Henri said, ''Really? Is this about the fight we had? Before she left?''

Ellise started getting frustrated. She tried to be patient with her father, but she needed to get this off her chest.

''No, she didn't leave willingly, you kicked her out!'' Ellise reminded Henri in a frustrated tone.

The security guard Henri was fighting with had left, and Adrien had stepped back behind Ellise.

''It's not my fault, she should have studied more and partied less! Then maybe she wouldn't be a failure!'' Henri yelled back at her.

Ellise looked in her father's eyes finally ready to no longer hold back her feelings and said, ''You mentally abused your own DAUGHTER for years, I'd say YOU were the failure.''

''How DARE YOU?!'' Henri exclaimed seething from the insolence.

''You have no idea the mental impact you made on Nathalie's life!'' Ellise yelled.

Henri was furious, ''YOU... '' he couldn't get any more words out before Ellise cut him off. ''You always said she was NEVER good enough! Do you know what that does to a child?!''

''She seems fine now!'' Henri yelled able to speak once again.

Ellise yelled back, ''Sure, now she is! But growing up she had NO SUPPORT!''

''Well, it's not my fault she was a cry baby! I'm just raising her the way I was raised!'' Henri defended himself as he always saw himself innocent.

Ellise was furious with her father, ''Thank goodness she got away from you while she could!''

''Me and your mother just wanted to do what was best for our children!'' Henri yelled.

''The best thing was to tell your daughter she's not GOOD ENOUGH?! To never acknowledge her achievements and focused on every little loss?!" Ellise was fuming so much so that she thought that smoke had to be coming out of her ears.

Henri looked Ellise right in her eyes, he scoffed, and stormed away while saying, ''J'en ai marre!''

Ellise looked behind her and saw Adrien, ''Ah- I'm sorry you had to see that.''

''It's fine,'' Adrien replied.

Ellise sighed as her and Adrien walked back to the hospital room.

Once they got back to the room Nathalie asked, ''Hey, I heard yelling, is everything okay?"

''Yeah, everything's fine,'' Ellise responded closing the door behind Adrien.

Ellise then noticed Gabriel was holding Nathalie's hand.

Ellise thought that Nathalie and Gabriel looked very cute together, but she decided to keep that to herself for now.

Ellise and Adrien walked to their seats and sat down. A second after, Gabriel let go of Nathalie's hand and got up.

''What's wrong?'' Nathalie asked.

''I have to step out,'' Gabriel replied in his usually stuffy manner.

As Gabriel walked out of the room Ellise turned to Nathalie.

''So, anything you want to tell me?'' Ellise asked.

''What do you mean?'' Nathalie said confused.

Ellise replied, ''I see the way you look at Gabriel.''

''W-what do you mean?!'' Nathalie said slightly blushing.

Ellise chuckled, ''You have a crush don't you.''

''Okay, fine he's charming in a way.'' Nathalie spoke softly.

Ellise smiled, ''Oh la la! My sister has a crush!''

''Shh! He could come in at any moment!'' Nathalie whispered.

''Well, it seems like he likes you too, why don't you want him to know?'' Ellise asked.

Nathalie sighed, ''It's complicated but... he's married.''

''Oh uhm... that's, '' Ellise was a little shocked her sister had a crush on a married man.

''I know, and he loves his wife a lot, so I would never want to break them up. So that's why I won't tell him,'' Nathalie replied even though the situation was hard to explain.

Ellise was confused, ''Well, where is his wife? Why isn't she here?''

Nathalie was about to explain the story Gabriel and her had made up, because Nathalie couldn't tell Ellise that his wife was in a coma due to a broken magical jewel, but Gabriel had walked back into the room and closed the door behind him.

He noticed Nathalie looked sad, so he walked up to her, ''Nathalie, are you okay?''

Ellise had gotten up from her chair and walked behind Gabriel, giving her sister an obvious wink and a thumbs up. Nathalie rolled her eyes and looked over to Gabriel, ''Yeah, I'm just tired. I think I'm going to 'hit the hay' as they say in America.'' She smiled and turned away from him.

Gabriel sensed something was wrong, but he just figured she was tired, as she said. Sometimes she does quote American phrases when she's tired.

''Alright, I guess Adrien and I will be downstairs in the cafeteria while you sleep,'' Gabriel said.

Gabriel walked over to his son who wasn't paying attention to the conversation at all, and who was half asleep.

''Come on son, Nathalie needs some rest,'' Gabriel tapped his son gently on the shoulder.

Adrien blinked his eyes and started walking to the door with his father. He turned his head and waved back at Nathalie.

''Alright, goodnight Nath,'' Ellise said to her sister after Gabriel and Adrien had left.

''Oh, I just said that to get them out so I could tell you the story. Besides, Gabriel and Adrien need go to eat anyway. They're probably hungry by now,'' Nathalie explained.

Ellise sat back down in her chair and turned it to her sister, ''Alright, well, tell me what happened with his wife.''

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To be continued~

Thanks for reading!

-LoveableBelle