Chapter 166 Drunk Confession Again
"It's nothing... I'm fine, it was voluntary. I told him to hit me." Dominic defended Gabriel, slumping awkwardly back into the couch and raising his hand. "Where's the alcohol? Gabriel, weren't you drinking? Come on, let's drink until we drop... After we're done, tomorrow we can both file for divorce together! It's just a woman, right? We can live without them... Come on!"
Dominic reached for the bottle again, but his assistant intercepted him.
Gabriel had sobered up somewhat, looking at his friend's bruised and swollen face with a mixture of anger and pity. He ordered curtly. "Take your boss to the hospital. I didn't hold back just now."
He was worried he might have caused internal injuries that could delay treatment.
"Yes sir, I'll take him to the hospital right away." The assistant acknowledged, helping the drunk Dominic up and trying to reason with him. "Mr. Kingsley, let's go to the hospital. Should I... should I call Mrs. Kingsley?"
"Mrs. Kingsley? There is no Mrs. Kingsley anymore... I'm about to be single again! From now on, I'll be a bachelor... a free man..."
Gabriel watched him stumble toward the exit, still putting on a show of bravado, and his expression was indescribable.
After they left, Gabriel suddenly felt empty and lonely, dragging himself back into the couch.
When Ralph saw him reaching for the bottle again, he frowned and quietly urged. "Mr. Sterling, you have two children at home who need care. Please don't do this..."
Gabriel said nothing, but after downing another glass, he seemed to remember his twin babies and finally put down the drink.
On the drive home, the alcohol hit him hard.
His usual self-control crumbled under the influence, and he stared out the window with distant eyes at the streetlights blurring into streaks of light, his mind flooding with memories of their married life over the past two years.
Lost in thought, an impulse surged through him like a flood. He pulled out his phone and, as if possessed, called the woman who made him feel such conflicted love and hate.
Arabella was about to go to sleep when her phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, she frowned.
She felt resistant and instinctively tense, but thinking that the children were with him and it was so late—maybe something had happened—she hesitated before answering.
"Hello..." she began softly, but the next second, her ear was assaulted by shouting.
"Arabella! What gives you the right to reject me? Even if I made mistakes before, that doesn't mean a life sentence! What's so great about other men? Manuel is just a predator! He only wants your body!"
Arabella was startled, pulling the phone away to check if it was really Gabriel calling. Hearing his slurred speech, she immediately understood. "You're drunk?"
"I'm not drunk!"
"If you're drunk, go home and sleep. Don't make a fool of yourself in public." Without waiting for his response, she hung up.
Soon the phone rang again. Annoyed, Arabella picked it up and quickly put it on silent.
What a mess!
And he called someone else a predator who only wanted her body—clearly he was projecting his own perverted thoughts.
————
After that night, Arabella spent the next few days in peaceful productivity.
The studio was about to officially open, and she and Ella had been busy for two days decorating and setting up.
On opening day, most of the friends who came were Ella's, along with some former colleagues from the real estate company. Arabella only knew them casually.
On her side, she only had Sophia and her husband, plus Manuel.
However, though her circle was small, their support was substantial. Manuel alone had ordered an entire row of flower arrangements, filling the hallway outside the apartment and giving her plenty of face.
The space wasn't large, but it was packed with the bustling crowd.
After learning about Manuel's identity, Zachary immediately struck up a conversation with him.
This gave Sophia a chance to chat privately with Arabella.
"Not bad. Now that your career's sorted, all that's left is your personal life—though your situation is the reverse of most people's. Mr. Wright says the trial is in two days. Are you really sure about this?" Sophia nestled with her on the couch, whispering.
Arabella's expression was calm, absorbed in the vision of her career taking flight. She replied matter-of-factly, "What's there to think about? It was a mistake from the beginning. Now I'm just setting things right. The only thing I'm reluctant about is the children, but once my business takes off, maybe I'll have the means to have them stay with me sometimes."
So right now, overthinking was useless. Focusing on building her career and making money was what mattered.
Sophia looked at her with some doubt. "Mr. Sterling would agree to that?"
Arabella lowered her eyes to the juice in her hand, pursing her lips in an ambiguous smile.
Since that day at Parkside Estate when he'd confessed his feelings, they hadn't been in contact.
Two days ago, she'd called Mary about sending some breast milk for the children.
Mary didn't come—one of the household drivers had picked it up and left immediately.
These past few days, she'd heard nothing about the children, and she didn't know what Gabriel's attitude was after she'd rejected him.
There was calm on the surface, but underneath lurked the threat of a storm. She had no idea what scene would unfold when they met in court the day after tomorrow.
"His opinion doesn't matter anymore..." After a moment of silence, she pushed away her racing thoughts and responded quietly.
Sophia sighed. "When you were sick last time, he rushed over so anxiously. I really feel like he has feelings for you, but given his position, he's probably too proud to show it."
Sophia was conflicted too.
Though she'd always said she supported her friend's decision, after seeing how concerned and worried Gabriel had been, she felt like maybe she should try to reconcile them.
After all, the two children were so young.
Arabella listened to her friend's words and thought about that night when she'd had a high fever and Gabriel had rushed over to take her to the hospital.
Then she remembered his confession...
"Actually... he did say that he'd fallen in love with me and didn't want to divorce—" This had been weighing on Arabella's mind for days with no one to tell. Now, prompted by her friend's questions, she couldn't help but murmur it out.
"What?" Sophia was shocked. With people around, she couldn't ask loudly and could only stare wide-eyed at her friend.
After a stunned moment, she leaned in excitedly and whispered, "He said he fell in love with you? Then... why are you still getting divorced? Can't you give him another chance for the children's sake?"
Arabella smiled bitterly, looking at her friend's shocked, wide eyes. She said calmly, "Emily—Gabriel's first love whom he pursued unsuccessfully for over ten years—is also getting divorced. Emily confessed to Gabriel right in front of me, saying she wants to be with him..."
"What?!" This time Sophia's surprise couldn't be contained, and her suddenly raised voice made everyone around turn to look.
She couldn't sit still!
Sophia pulled Arabella to her feet, leading her out of the apartment to the window at the end of the hallway.
"What exactly happened? This is too crazy! Even soap operas wouldn't dare write something like this! You're saying Mr. Sterling realized he likes you, and his first love suddenly likes him too? And she confessed right in front of you? So you mean... you're getting divorced to let them be together?"
"What else can I do? Do you think Gabriel's short-term feelings for me can compare to his decade-plus obsession with Emily? What if I say I won't divorce, he feels the crisis is over, and then starts having an ambiguous relationship with Emily again?"
Arabella had thought this through over and over these past few days.
If Emily hadn't suddenly interfered, maybe she really would have softened given Gabriel's confession.
But Emily had to stick her nose in—losing her baby and wanting to divorce Dominic, then turning around and setting her sights on Gabriel!
This dramatic turn of events was so unbelievable that she wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it herself.
Compared to Emily, it wasn't that she was being insecure or sensitive—the facts were right there. She simply couldn't compete. There was no comparison!
So what was she waiting for if not to divorce? For them to get together and then kick her out?
"Besides... Gabriel has always thought I'm having something with Manuel. He thinks I betrayed him, so he must be disgusted with me too. We don't even have basic trust between us. How can we maintain a marriage like that? Better to end the pain quickly. We've been struggling for so long—let's just finish it completely."
Sophia made a conflicted sound, her mind a bit muddled. After organizing her thoughts, she said, "But you could explain! If nothing happened, of course you should clear it up."
Arabella shook her head. "There's no point... Besides, explaining might not even help."