Chapter 11 She Just Left Like That?
Ten minutes later.
Tobias tossed his empty lunch box into the trash.
Isabella still hadn't brought him his meal.
He sat quietly for a few seconds before standing up.
Even though he wasn't fond of Isabella, her sudden disappearance while bringing him food was something he couldn't ignore.
He had considered texting her, but he'd never initiated contact with Isabella before.
Tobias headed to the hospital lobby.
He spotted Isabella right away.
She was sitting in a corner, legs crossed, drinking from a large bottle of water. After finishing, she looked around and rubbed her stomach, looking quite content.
Seeing her so relaxed, Tobias felt a surge of anger.
Didn't she care that he might go hungry? Just wasting time here.
He watched her from a distance and called out coldly, "Isabella!"
She must have heard him because she looked in his direction.
They locked eyes for a moment before Tobias began walking towards her.
But before he could reach her, Isabella stood up, wiped her mouth, and walked away.
Tobias froze in place, stunned.
She just left?
Wasn't she supposed to bring him food?
——
"Hey Gabriel, check out this dress. It would look awesome on Isabella. Should we get it for her?" Bianca asked, pointing at a white dress in a store window as they walked by.
Gabriel glanced at the dress. "Nah."
He frowned. "Why should we buy her anything?"
Bianca pouted. "But I bought so many clothes, and Isabella didn't get anything. She might feel bad."
"Why do you care? She didn't want to come with us," Gabriel said, his face stern.
Isabella had refused to go shopping with him and left as soon as they got out of the car.
With that attitude, why should he buy her anything? It would seem like he was trying to please her.
Bianca tugged at Gabriel's hand, pleading, "Gabriel, please buy it for Isabella. I want her to feel the warmth of family."
Gabriel softened a bit at Bianca's kind-heartedness. "Alright, for your sake, I'll buy it."
Bianca beamed. "Gabriel, Isabella will be so happy when she finds out you bought her a dress!"
Gabriel looked at the white dress again, licking his lips.
Really? Would Isabella be happy to see the dress he bought for her?
But she had been so harsh and rude to him at dinner yesterday.
After buying the white dress, Gabriel and Bianca left the mall and headed home.
For some reason, he felt a strange anticipation about Isabella's reaction to the dress. After all, he might be the first person in the family to buy her a gift.
As soon as they got home, Bianca ran inside. "Mom, we're back!"
Olivia, sitting on the couch, smiled at her. "Come on, show me all the beautiful clothes you bought."
Gabriel followed with bags in hand.
Bianca chatted excitedly with Olivia about the new season's collections, and the two of them seemed very happy.
Isabella came downstairs to this warm scene.
"Isabella!" Bianca called out enthusiastically. "Gabriel got you a gift."
Isabella paused on the stairs, raising an eyebrow. "Me?"
"Yep," Bianca said, looking at Gabriel. "Gabriel, give Isabella the dress you bought her!"
Gabriel, caught off guard, awkwardly placed one of the bags on the table. "I saw it while buying clothes for Bianca and picked it up."
He looked at Isabella, meeting her calm gaze, but saw no sign of happiness.
Isabella's expression remained serene.
It seemed she wasn't moved at all.
The spark inside Gabriel was quickly extinguished.
Why was Isabella suddenly so cold to him? She hadn't been like this a few days ago! Before, if he had bought her clothes, she would have been overjoyed. This was something she wouldn't have even dared to dream of before.
"Isabella, Gabriel got you a dress. Go take it," Olivia said with a smile. "Gabriel is thoughtful towards you."
Isabella blinked and walked over, casually picking up the bag. She didn't leave immediately.
She opened the bag. "I'm curious, what kind of dress did Gabriel buy for me?"
The dress was wrapped in a clear plastic bag, neatly folded inside, making it hard to see.
Isabella reached out to open the plastic bag.
"Isabella!" Bianca suddenly spoke. "Trying on clothes in the living room isn't convenient."
Isabella shot Bianca a sideways glance. "I know, I'm just taking a look."
Without waiting for Bianca to say anything, she tore open the bag and pulled out the white dress.
In the next second, Isabella's face changed.
She angrily threw the dress at Gabriel. "Is this a joke to you, Gabriel?"
Gabriel was bewildered.
He caught the dress instinctively.
"What are you doing? How am I joking?" Gabriel's face darkened as he looked at Isabella. "I bought you a dress out of kindness. What did I do wrong?"
Isabella sneered. "Giving me a dress that's been cut up? That's your idea of kindness?"
"What? What cut-up dress—" Gabriel looked down at the dress, and his eyes widened when he saw a ten-inch cut on the side.
How did this happen?
Isabella cleared her throat, clearly upset. "If you didn't want to give it, you shouldn't have. I never asked you to buy me clothes, Gabriel. Was it necessary to ruin a perfectly good dress just to spite me?"
"I didn't ruin it!" Gabriel exclaimed.
Isabella laughed coldly. "A cut that clean? It had to be deliberate."
Olivia frowned. "Gabriel, what's going on?"
"How could you give Isabella a damaged dress? If she hadn't noticed and wore it out, she would have been humiliated."
"It wasn't like this when I bought it!"
Gabriel turned to Isabella. "Isabella, listen, I didn't ruin the dress. I don't know how it happened..."
"There's nothing to talk about!" Isabella's eyes were filled with disappointment and disdain.
With that, she turned and stormed upstairs, slamming her door shut.
Gabriel stood there for a few seconds, then his eyes reddened with frustration.
"Isabella doesn't believe me!"
He threw the dress on the floor angrily, feeling both wronged and furious. "Why won't she believe me..."