Chapter 164 A Kiss Can't Solve the Problem
If Gabriel truly claimed to love her, then real love meant caring about the other person's pain, didn't it?
If he didn't even care about hurting her and only focused on his own desires, then this 'love' was just empty words.
Sure enough, when Gabriel heard her painful protests, his grip immediately loosened.
Both of them were breathing heavily. Arabella turned her face away, and having just recovered from her severe cold, she couldn't help but cough a few times after nearly suffocating.
Gabriel frowned, only then did he remember that she'd just gotten over being sick.
"Sorry... do you need some water?" he asked hoarsely, his gaze fixed intently on the woman's crimson lips, his throat bobbing.
Before, when Dominic kept telling him to confess his feelings, he'd always scoffed at the idea.
But now that he'd actually said those words out loud, he found it wasn't so difficult after all.
And once he'd broken through that barrier, it seemed like so much of his concern came naturally too, even his desire for her no longer needed to be suppressed and hidden.
Like now... one kiss couldn't possibly make up for all these days of separation. Looking at the woman he loved, his eyes held a 'fierce' intensity, as if he wanted to devour her completely.
Arabella noticed this and instinctively raised her hand, using the back of it to cover her mouth and nose while subtly moving away from him towards the glass door.
Gabriel's brow darkened. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Was his kiss really that repulsive to her?
Or was she trying to stay pure for Manuel after being with him?
Afraid of provoking his anger, Arabella fumbled for an excuse in her confusion, "I... my cold isn't completely gone yet. If you keep doing this... you might catch it."
"Didn't I kiss you a few days ago too?" He raised an eyebrow slightly, his expression suddenly showing a hint of pleasure, looking both wicked and wild.
At least she had some conscience, knowing to worry about infecting him.
Arabella mumbled, "Still, it's better to be careful... just in case you catch it and then pass it to the children... that would be troublesome."
The brief joy that had flickered in Gabriel's eyes instantly died.
So she wasn't worried about him—she was afraid he'd harm the two children.
His heart suddenly turned cold, and he lowered his gaze to stare at the woman who had nowhere to hide in front of him.
"I've said everything I needed to say. What's your response?" He returned to the main topic.
"Hmm?" Arabella responded, turning to look at him and falling into his deep, unfathomable gaze.
Her heart immediately tightened again. Her face flushed red, and her eyes began to dart around nervously.
Now that her brain had been oriented again, she remembered what this man had just said.
He had confessed his feelings.
He said he'd fallen in love with her!
Despite all her flaws, he still loved her!
Arabella pressed her lips together, swallowed hard, and frowned—a series of micro-expressions that revealed her current nervousness and inability to make a decision.
She would've never imagined things would become so complicated.
Gabriel actually loved her!
Was this real?
Or was it just another reason he'd found to keep her from divorcing him?
But why didn't he want to divorce? Emily had already confessed her feelings to him!
This was so confusing...
Arabella tried to sort out this tangled mess of relationships, but found that the more she tried to understand it, the more confused she became. Everyone seemed to have seemingly reasonable motives, yet those motives couldn't withstand scrutiny.
Love and hate, staying or leaving—it was all a tangled web that couldn't be cut or unraveled.
"Say something!" Gabriel's patience was limited, and he suddenly urged her impatiently.
Arabella was startled by his urgent growl and trembled. She looked up, about to speak, when her phone rang opportunely in her pocket.
"I... let me take this call!" She had an excuse now and immediately avoided the his gaze.
"Hello, Ella..."
"Are you on your way back? How much longer until you get here?" came Ella's voice from the other end.
They had arranged to discuss work this afternoon, and Ella was calculating the time, wanting to finish their conversation before picking up her child, so she called to ask how much longer it would take.
Arabella felt guilty and flustered. "I... I'm on my way now, as soon as possible!"
"Okay, I'll wait for you."
After hanging up, Arabella clutched her phone for courage and looked at the man. "I... I have urgent business to attend to. I need to go."
She turned to leave, but the Gabriel raised his arm, pressing his palm against the glass door to block her path.
"Arabella, is giving me a response really that difficult? Or do you think it's amusing to see me humble myself like this to win you back?" His brow was dark with gathering anger.
Arabella's heart raced, her eyes darting away as she stammered, "I... this is all so sudden... I need time to process it, and... maybe you'll regret it yourself soon, so... we should be very careful about this."
"Regret what?" He frowned, his eyes narrowing.
"Regret what you just said. Maybe it was just a moment of impulse, maybe it was just hormones."
Gabriel understood and let out a cold laugh. "You really don't believe it."
She gave a faint smile, looking up to meet his gaze. "Do you believe it yourself? We're from completely different worlds... you're a wealthy heir, and I'm just... a nobody."
After saying this, Arabella didn't dare look at his instantly cold and stern expression. She suddenly ducked down, slipping under his arm and fleeing in panic.
Grabbing her purse, she ran all the way out of Parkside Estate, ignoring her weakened state from just recovering from an illness. She ran in one breath until she was out of the residential area, as if some venomous beast were chasing her.
Her lungs burned uncomfortably, and she began coughing painfully. This coughing fit affected her entire body, triggering a series of overwhelming coughs until her cheeks turned red and tears streamed down her face.
All her strength seemed drained from her body. She staggered to the roadside and sat down, her ears still ringing, but her mind kept replaying Gabriel's confession.
Was it real or not...
She kept questioning herself internally.
If it was real, what did he love about her? Why didn't he love her before, but fell in love precisely when she decided to divorce?
If it wasn't real, then why did he try to kiss her every time they met?
Physical intimacy between men and women—once or twice might be due to passion or hormones, but it couldn't be that way every single time, could it?
And the way he was completely absorbed and unable to control himself every time he kissed her really seemed like someone who was madly in love.
Arabella sighed deeply, unable to figure it out. When her coughing subsided and she felt somewhat better, she struggled to her feet and hurried home.
————
At the upscale private club.
Dominic watched Gabriel ignore his own health condition and tilt his head back to gulp down alcohol, frowning frequently before standing up to stop him, "Stop drinking. Your stomach's already bad—you'll end up in the hospital again."
Gabriel pushed his hand away and aggressively filled the glass in front of him to the brim, commanding, "Drink up!"
Dominic stared at him. "What did I do to offend you?"
"When I tell you to drink, you drink!"
Dominic laughed helplessly. He happened to be troubled too, so he might as well drink away his sorrows.
Picking up the glass full of alcohol, the two men clinked glasses and drained them in one go.
The harsh liquor slid down their throats all the way to their stomachs, burning their internal organs. Both equally handsome faces scrunched up in reaction.
Dominic hissed and put down his glass before asking, "Now can you tell me why you're making me drink as punishment?"
Gabriel poured more alcohol while saying, "You can't control your woman, let her come and mess up my family life. Shouldn't you be punished for that?"