Chapter 194

Chapter 194

I muddled through the entire day at work in a daze.

When I finally made it to quitting time, I dragged myself to my car and drove back to the apartment.

Just my luck—I ran into Gabriel in the elevator, carrying a bag of groceries.

The man in front of me looked completely different from what I was used to. Very domestic.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Noticing I was watching him, Gabriel frowned slightly.

I shook my head. "It's nothing."

Then I added sarcastically, "What, am I not even allowed to look now, Mr. Sinclair?"

"Has that little girlfriend of yours gotten that possessive?"

Hearing the edge in my voice, Gabriel didn't bother responding.

Just then, the elevator doors opened.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, I could escape this awkwardness.

Ever since getting pregnant, I'd been getting hungry easily.

Looking at all the good food Gabriel was carrying, I couldn't help speeding up my pace. I needed to get home and make something quick and filling.

To my surprise, Gabriel followed me inside.

I stared at him, annoyed. "Pretty sure your place is across the hall."

"I just bought groceries. Let's eat together."

Gabriel headed straight to the kitchen to wash the vegetables like he owned the place.

Watching this man who'd suddenly changed completely, I felt disoriented for a moment.

"Aren't you afraid Azure will be upset?"

I looked at Gabriel curiously, unable to figure out what was going through his head.

Gabriel looked back at me. "Why would I worry about her being upset?"

That answer seemed absurd.

"We're not even together," Gabriel continued.

Then he looked at me seriously. "If I told you there's nothing between me and that woman, would you get back together with me?"

I looked at Gabriel like he was an idiot, then laughed and shook my head.

What difference did it make whether they were together or not?

The damage he'd caused me back then couldn't be undone.

"I'm tired."

I looked at Gabriel and basically kicked him out.

After watching him leave, I immediately called Ceria.

"My dear girl, you finally remembered to contact me."

On the other end, Ceria's tone was full of complaint.

"I think Gabriel's been acting weird lately," I told her seriously.

"What do you mean?"

Ceria's interest was instantly piqued. "Don't tell me he broke up with that little girlfriend and is now trying to win you back?"

Ceria's intuition was scary accurate.

When I didn't respond, Ceria shrieked on the other end.

"Are you kidding me?"

"What the hell are those two assholes trying to do? Are they deliberately messing with you?"

She was seething, like she was the one who'd been wronged, not me.

I shook my head. "I don't know what those two are up to either."

Suddenly, someone else popped into my mind.

I quickly called Nason.

"You free? I want to ask you something," I said bluntly.

We were allies, after all, both in the past and now.

"Sure, I'll come find you."

We met at a coffee shop. I got straight to the point and brought up Gabriel.

"How are things between Gabriel and... her?" I asked.

Nason obviously knew who I meant.

He looked at me curiously. "Why do you ask?"

I shook my head. "No reason. Just curious."

I couldn't say more because I wasn't sure about Nason's feelings for me yet.

So I didn't mention the possibility that Gabriel might be having second thoughts.

"Just curious, that's all," I said casually.

"Maybe I can ask around."

With that, Nason called Kevin.

That's when I learned that Azure had been the one to ask for Gabriel's contact info first.

I was stunned. This wasn't how I remembered it at all.

So whether in my past life or this one, Azure had been the one pursuing Gabriel first.

Had Gabriel only fallen for her later?

"What are you thinking about?"

Seeing me space out, Nason spoke up.

I shook my head. "Nothing. Just thinking Azure's different from what I imagined."

Hearing that, Nason chuckled softly.

A guy like Gabriel—what girl wouldn't fall for him?

Azure was playing at a whole different level. Or maybe, I thought more boldly, she'd targeted me deliberately from the start.

I really couldn't figure out what kind of person Azure was.

I even suspected she'd known who I was from the very beginning.

All that hesitation and discomfort before—she'd been putting on a show for me.

How terrifying.

"That woman's never been as simple as she seems on the surface," Nason said coldly.

Looked like he didn't have a good impression of her either.

So whether in this life or my past one, Azure's only target had been Gabriel. Nason was just a pawn to make Gabriel jealous.

I suddenly felt like all these years, I'd deserved not winning Gabriel's heart. I just hadn't tried hard enough.

"Okay, got it. Thanks, Nason."

I needed time to process what I'd just learned.

"So if there really is nothing between those two, would you change your mind?"

Nason suddenly looked at me seriously.

I shook my head. "No."

No one knew how much I'd suffered in my past life, being indirectly killed by the person I loved most.

I didn't want to go through that pain a second time.

I was also certain I couldn't compete with Azure.

So I should just bow out of this whole mess.

"So you want me to go back and chase him?"

I turned to look at Nason.

Nason's expression darkened. He shook his head seriously. "Of course not. But if that's what you want, I won't stop you. I'll compete with him fairly."

Honestly, I was starting to appreciate Nason's straightforward personality.

---

That night, I barely slept.

When I woke up the next morning, I was completely out of it.

So I called in sick and didn't go to work.

After a simple breakfast, I went back to bed.

Suddenly, my phone rang. I frowned and answered without looking. "Hello?"

Gabriel's voice came through. "You didn't go to the office today?"

"How do you know?"

I was confused. Had this guy planted a tracking device on me or something?

"I'm at your office right now."

"It's nothing. Just have a headache, so I took the day off."

I made up an excuse and hung up.

Half an hour later, my doorbell rang.