Chapter 128 You Have Fallen in Love with Her!
"Her mother called me," Joanna began, her tone clipped with barely concealed irritation. "She said Emily's in terrible shape after the surgery. Apparently, she's so devastated about losing the baby that she's becoming mentally unstable. Her mother's worried she might have a complete breakdown."
Joanna's expression darkened. "She also mentioned that you refuse to visit the hospital, so she asked me to come get you. If we go together, at least it won't look... improper if word gets out."
Joanna's face showed clear displeasure—evidently, her patience with Emily was wearing thin as well.
But given the long-standing relationship between their families, they had to maintain appearances, no matter how exhausting the drama became. Hence her reluctant visit to retrieve her son.
"Come on, let's go see her," Joanna said with a sharp look at Gabriel. "We can't have people saying you're heartless and irresponsible." She shot him a withering glare. "This is what you get for letting her ride in your car. You brought this on yourself!"
Gabriel found himself unable to argue with that logic.
After a tense moment, mother and son left the house and got into the car, heading toward the hospital.
During the drive, Joanna glanced at her son with curiosity. "Do you really have no feelings left for Emily at all?"
Gabriel's response was coldly definitive. "None. I'm done with her."
He'd spent years being Emily's backup plan, always available when her other relationships failed. He was exhausted by it all.
"So now... do you have feelings for Arabella?" Joanna probed, trying to understand her son's emotional state.
Gabriel pressed his lips together, remaining silent.
Studying his expression, Joanna ventured a guess. "Are you just settling for her because she gave you twins? Thinking it's good enough?"
"Mother, please stop asking. My personal life is off-limits. If you want to see the children, just come to see the children—nothing more."
Gabriel deflected the questioning, clearly uncomfortable with the interrogation.
Joanna huffed disapprovingly. "I think you're being foolish, always falling for women who don't want to build a proper life with you! You're brilliant in business, but your love life is a complete disaster!"
Gabriel endured his mother's criticism in silence.
When they arrived at the hospital, they could hear muffled sobbing coming from the room even before they reached it.
Gabriel frowned. Apparently, Billy had decided against having the doctor administer a sedative after all.
Dominic emerged from the room and looked surprised to see them. "Mrs. Sterling? What brings you here?"
Joanna replied curtly, "With all this chaos you've created, how could I not come?"
Dominic fell silent, his jaw tightening.
Hearing voices from the hallway, Billy turned toward the door. Joanna swept into the room, her tone shifting to one of concerned politeness. "How is Emily? Is she feeling any better?"
Elara, Emily's mother, looked up with red-rimmed eyes. Her expression showed little warmth toward the visitors—clearly, she still blamed Gabriel for everything that had happened.
Whether she held him responsible for causing her daughter's miscarriage or for his emotional unavailability now, parental instinct made her protective and resentful.
"She's... like this," Elara replied flatly, rising from the bedside chair. "Crying constantly, mumbling about the baby she lost..."
Gabriel approached the bed cautiously, observing Emily's haggard appearance and vacant stare. His already stern expression grew more troubled.
He stood there speechless, unsure what to say.
But Emily slowly turned her head, and when her unfocused gaze found him, her eyes suddenly sparked with recognition. "Gabriel... Gabriel! You came... Gabriel..."
She called his name twice before dissolving into pitiful tears, her composure crumbling completely.
Gabriel remained where he stood, several feet from the bed.
With Dominic present, he wasn't about to display any inappropriate intimacy. Besides, Emily's recent behavior had genuinely alienated him. Where once he might have felt sympathy, now he felt mainly wariness.
Her constant dramatics had pushed him beyond the point of caring.
"Emily, you need to listen to your doctors and focus on recovering," Gabriel said from his safe distance, offering perfunctory comfort. "You and Dominic are still young. There will be other opportunities in the future."
The mention of Dominic's name triggered an immediate reaction. Emily became agitated, her voice rising. "I won't have children with him... He doesn't love me at all. He's heartless—you can't warm someone who has no soul... Men like him only love themselves..."
Ironically, while Emily's recent behavior had been increasingly erratic, her romantic delusions seemed to have finally cleared. She was absolutely right about Dominic.
Dominic was indeed emotionally detached by nature. Despite his polished manners and social grace, he maintained psychological distance from everyone, rarely trusting anyone completely.
Even though he'd grown up with Gabriel and Emily, considering them his closest friends, he'd never fully opened his heart to Gabriel.
Even after nearly two years of marriage to Emily, despite some romantic moments they'd shared, he'd never allowed himself to become deeply invested.
In his mind, giving up smoking because Emily disliked the smell was already a significant sacrifice and gesture of love.
He wasn't entirely without feelings for her—he did care, but not deeply.
Being publicly called out by his wife in this way left Dominic visibly uncomfortable.
These past few days had drained him completely, and increasingly he found himself thinking that divorce might be the cleanest solution for both of them.
But with Emily having just suffered a miscarriage, immediate divorce would look heartless. At minimum, they needed to wait until she'd recovered physically, then have a calm, mature conversation about ending things amicably.
After all, they'd been married. Whatever Emily wanted in the settlement, he wouldn't be stingy. He needed to handle this with dignity, whether she appreciated it or not.
"Gabriel... my baby is gone, and I'm in so much pain..." Emily ignored everyone else's discomfort, lost in her own grief. "That was my first child. Almost three months along—fully formed... and now it's just... gone..."
Gabriel's expression grew heavier, his mood darkening. "I'm sorry. I bear responsibility for what happened, but there's nothing more I can do for you now."
Before Emily could respond, Joanna stepped forward with a gentle smile, smoothly interrupting. "Emily, sweetheart, the most important thing right now is taking care of your body. Everything else can wait. Women need to be especially careful during recovery—complications can cause lifelong problems."
"Aunt Joanna... I'm so heartbroken—"
"I understand completely. As women, we know what you're going through..."
Seeing his mother had Emily momentarily under control, Gabriel quietly turned and left the room.
Dominic followed him out.
The two tall, handsome men stood side by side in the corridor, gazing toward the small garden visible through the windows, both wearing equally grave expressions.
After a long silence, Dominic pulled out a pack of cigarettes, shook one loose, and offered it to Gabriel. "We really are two of a kind—both of us making a complete mess of our romantic lives."
Gabriel had smoked during his rebellious youth but had gradually quit when Emily complained about the smell. Over time, he'd developed an aversion to smoke and stopped entirely.
Seeing his friend's offer, he waved it away. "No thanks. I need to get home to the kids soon—can't have smoke on my clothes."
After declining the cigarette, he addressed Dominic's earlier comment. "If it's really not working, maybe divorce is the answer. It might be better for both of you."
Dominic didn't argue, instead lighting his cigarette and taking a long drag before asking, "What about you? Ready to call it quits too? File for divorce?"
Gabriel's smile was bitter and sardonic. "My situation is different—I have children to think about."
The implication was clear: unlike you two who have nothing tying you together, my divorce would be complicated.
Dominic smiled knowingly, waiting a moment before responding. "Stop lying to yourself. You're in love with her, and you know it. Why hide behind the children as an excuse?"
If Gabriel didn't love Arabella, how could he have possibly resisted Emily's recent attempts at seduction and reconciliation?