All is Fair in Love and War

1

"Go!" Gabriella's trainer, Marcos shouted. Her sparring partner held the pads up in his hands. She threw punches and ducked whenever her partner tried to strike. She continued and got thrown off guard and hit with the pad. "Fuck." She muttered and rubbed the side of her head.

"Remember, you have to keep an eye on your opponent. You have to anticipate their moves and learn their weaknesses." Marcos shouted. Gabriella had her hands on her hips and took a rest. "Your opponent will always look out for your weaknesses and that's when they get you. You never let your opponent see your weak points, we talked about this!" He shouted. "Now get back in position and do it again. Watch your left and right." He instructed.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and got in position. "Remember, Control. Breathe. Strike." He said as she kept her eyes locked on her partner. "Control." She said in her head, kept herself firm, and locked on her target. "Breathe." She said as she controlled her breathing. "Strike!" Marcos shouted. She struck her opponent in perfect form. She dodged every attempt her opponent made, once she saw him growing tired she dropped him to the ground and had her foot pinning him down.

Marcos smirked. "Good job." He nodded impressed. Her sparring partner took off his helmet and looked up at her exhausted. "I think you'll be ready for the fight this weekend." He nodded. She softly laughed and helped him up. "You're lucky I didn't have to pin you and beat you." She said. "Yeah I'd like to keep my face and organs intact thanks." He nodded and walked off.

She walked over to Marcos. "We can call it a night. Go get rest and have a good meal." He said. "I really want pizza." She softly laughed. "No pizza. You can wait until after the fight." He scolded and walked away. "Culero. (Asshole.)" She muttered. He stopped and turned around pointing a finger at her, "Watch your mouth. If you want to ruin your routine and diet and lose the fight, go ahead why do I care." He shrugged. She playfully rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah." She sighed. "Go shower." He said waving her off.

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Gabriella parked her car in her garage and grabbed her gym bag from the trunk. She tiredly entered her condo and dropped her bag near the garage door. She opened the fridge and looked at the ingredients inside to try and get an idea for dinner. The doorbell sounded. She walked over to the front door and opened the door and was quickly wrapped in a hug by a small child. "Mommy!" The small curly haired boy shouted. Gabriella knelt down and wrapped him in a hug when she realized it was her son. "Hey baby." She softly spoke and held him close. She looked up at her neighbor confused. "Why don't you go into the kitchen I'll be there in a minute." She said. He nodded and walked off.

"His dad dropped him off earlier. He left him outside of your doorstep and I saw him alone and brought him inside." The woman said. "He told me he would watch Mateo while I was training for my upcoming fight. Why would he drop him off and abandon him like that?" Gabriella glared. "I don't know." The woman shrugged. Gabriella sighed in frustration, "Well thank you Ms. Rivera." She said. Ms. Rivera nodded and walked off.

Gabriella made her way into the kitchen and saw Mateo sat at the dinner table with papers and colored pencils scattered around. She was frustrated and upset but she never wanted to Mateo to see her like that. She knelt down by him and gently caressed his curly hair. "What are you doing?" She asked as she saw the mutiple cattered drawings on the table. "Making pictures." He smiled. She softly smiled. "Have you eaten yet?" She asked. He shook his head. "Want some pizza?" She asked. He smiled wide and nodded. "Alright then." She smiled and kissed the top of his head.

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Mateo sat at the table his feet happily swinging and too short to touch the floor. He ate his pizza and looked at Gabriella. "Aren't you going to eat mommy?" He asked. "Don't worry about me baby. Just eat your pizza." She lightly ruffled his hair and stepped away to make a phone call. She held her phone up to her ear and glanced back to make sure Mateo was still in the dining room. "Yes?" A man's voice answered. Gabriella glared, "We had an agreement, you watch Mateo while I'm training for my fight." She replied. "I had things to do. I'm not your baby sitter." He replied. That comment alone was enough to piss her off. "No. You're his fucking father. Now when are you going to fucking act like it? You can't just abandon him on my doorstep with no one to watch him he's only 7." She argued.

"I'm doing you a favor, Gabby." He replied. "And what fucking favor is it that you think you're doing for me?" She questioned. "I could take him for full custody if I wanted to." He replied. Gabriella got quiet. "That's what I thought. Now who do you think the courts are going to favor? A mother like you who's life is in constant risk and can leave him orphaned, or a father with a steady job that isn't putting him in any risk?" He smugly asked. "You're an asshole, Damien." She replied. "I have more important things to deal with right now. I could care less." He replied. "Messing around with another one of your whores?" She asked. "Wouldn't you like to know." He chuckled and hung up. Gabriella angrily gripped her phone. She wanted to throw it at the wall and let it shatter into a million pieces.

But she remembered her training. "Control." She thought. She closed her eyes and tried to gain control of her emotions. Her grip on her phone slightly loosened. "Breathe." She took a deep breath and relaxed. "Mommy?" A small voice asked. She opened her eyes and turned around to see Mateo watching her. "Yes baby?" She asked. "Are you okay?" He asked. She softly smiled and nodded. "Why don't you go upstairs and get ready for your bath?" She suggested. He nodded and made his way upstairs. She sighed and went into the kitchen to clean up and compose herself before going upstairs.