Chapter 174 Going for an Abortion Tomorrow
"I don't know if it's spread widely, but someone sent it to me saying they saw it in a Facebook group. They thought it looked like you and your car, so they asked me about it—and when I looked, it was definitely you!" Dominic said.
Gabriel was irritated. "Help me deal with it. I'm busy tonight, don't have time."
"Busy with what? Did you drag your wife back home again?" Dominic knew him all too well.
"Mind your own business and stop prying." He rudely rebuffed his best friend's concern, impatiently dropping the line, "If you don't handle this properly, we're done!"
Dominic started cursing, but Gabriel couldn't be bothered to listen and hung up.
He had a headache right now! The child in Arabella's belly—was it his or not? He had to figure it out soon!
If it was his child, of course it couldn't be terminated.
For a family like the Sterlings, a house full of children was a blessing—they could never have too many.
But if it wasn't his, then it absolutely had to go.
Otherwise, if this bastard child was born, he and Arabella would never have a future together.
But how could he prove it?
Gabriel was frustrated to the extreme.
Mary soon finished preparing the late-night snack and called them down to eat.
Gabriel glanced upstairs, seeing the woman hadn't come down. After a moment's thought, he headed upstairs.
Arabella had indeed taken a shower.
Blood from her nosebleed had gotten on her clothes—not just the outer down jacket, but also some drops on the front of her undershirt.
She would be nursing tonight, and she couldn't hold the babies while wearing clothes that smelled of blood.
Her nose bridge still ached, and she didn't dare touch it.
She gently and slowly washed her face, wiping away the blood traces, then put on fresh clothes.
Just as she finished, someone knocked on the bedroom door. She didn't respond, just walked to the door and opened it.
Gabriel saw she had washed up. Looking at her obviously swollen nose, he frowned slightly and asked with concern, "How are you feeling now? If it's still very painful, I think we have some pain medication in the house."
Arabella, thinking about still nursing, said flatly, "No need. I'll just endure it."
Gabriel looked at her pitifully fragile appearance, guilt rising again. After a pause, he said, "I'm sorry for accidentally hurting you."
Though it wasn't intentional, he had indeed been the one to hit her, so an apology was warranted.
Arabella was somewhat surprised.
Understanding the reason for his change in attitude, Arabella pulled a very slight smile, "Didn't you not believe me? I said the child was yours, and now you believe it? What if it's not?"
She felt she was becoming somewhat schizophrenic herself.
She clearly hoped Gabriel would believe in her innocence, but when he did believe her, she deliberately said ambiguous things to mislead him again.
Fortunately, Gabriel was very firm this time, "I believe you. The child is mine. Tomorrow morning we'll go to the hospital and get a proper examination."
Arabella looked up in surprise, "You're not going to terminate it?"
"Of course not!" Gabriel declared with righteous conviction.
But Arabella said, "I don't plan to keep this child. Tomorrow I'm getting an abortion."
Gabriel flared up at these words, but still suppressed his anger, "You're deliberately opposing me, aren't you?"
"Yes." She admitted it frankly, then said, "If I don't get an abortion tomorrow, then we go to court and proceed with the hearing as scheduled."
When Gabriel came upstairs, he had already prepared himself mentally, thinking that given her pregnancy, he absolutely couldn't get angry with her no matter what.
But now, his fury was impossible to suppress!
She knew better than anyone how to infuriate him!
Forcing himself to stay calm for a moment, he suddenly smiled, "Tomorrow's matters can wait until tomorrow. Mary has prepared a late-night snack. Come down quickly and eat it while it's hot."
Arabella had eaten dinner with Manuel and the lawyer earlier, but after the unpleasant encounter with Emily, she'd been too upset to eat much.
It was late at night now, and she was indeed somewhat hungry.
Plus, she wanted to nurse the babies more tonight, which also required eating more.
So, for once, she obediently listened to him and went downstairs.
On the dining table sat two bowls of fragrant cream of mushroom soup. On such a cold night, having a warm bowl would make one feel cozy all over—how comfortable that would be.
Mary saw them both seated and said happily, "Madam, you love cream of mushroom soup the most. The chef is off duty, though, so I don't know if my cooking suits your taste."
Arabella smiled politely, "It's very good, thank you for the trouble, Mary."
"No trouble at all, I'd love to cook for you every day."
Mary's words carried deeper meaning, but Arabella didn't respond.
After the pleasantries, Mary tactfully left them space, quietly withdrawing.
Gabriel ate quickly, and after finishing, he elegantly wiped his mouth and leaned back in his chair leisurely, watching the woman eat like a delicate cat.
Thinking about becoming a father again, his mood was rather peculiar—completely different from when he first learned he was going to be a dad two years ago.
However, with the pregnancies so close together, would there be any adverse effects on her body?
After all, ten months of pregnancy was very taxing.
Thinking of this, Gabriel's calm and composed expression flickered slightly, his brow furrowing.
Arabella sipped her soup spoonful by spoonful.
She knew Gabriel was staring at her motionlessly, but she couldn't be bothered to pay attention.
After finishing the late-night snack, her body warmed up, and spiritually she seemed recharged, perking up considerably.
Looking up, she met the silent man's gaze and took the initiative to ask, "Have you decided? Tomorrow, are we going to the hospital for an abortion, or to court for the divorce hearing?"
Gabriel blinked lightly, coming back to his senses. Instead of responding to her provocation, he suddenly asked out of the blue, "Can your body handle consecutive pregnancies and births?"
Arabella was stunned. What did he mean?
Did this mean if she said she couldn't handle it, he would agree to terminate the pregnancy?
Seeing her surprised and suspicious expression, Gabriel realized his question was abrupt. He straightened up and said seriously, "Tomorrow we'll go to the hospital for an examination and listen to the doctor's professional advice. If your body isn't suitable for another pregnancy so soon, then we should have the surgery early."
Gabriel made his choice in a short time. Though he was very reluctant to lose this baby, her physical health was more important.
"In the future, I'll be more careful and won't put you through this kind of harm again."
Arabella's expression grew even stranger.
"What are you talking about? We're getting divorced, you..."
What kind of wiring did his brain have!
"It's late. You should go back to your room and sleep. Isabella is in the master bedroom—go keep her company." After giving these instructions, Gabriel added before she could refuse, "I'll sleep in the guest room, don't worry, I won't disturb you."
She was pregnant now and they couldn't be intimate, so if they slept together they'd just end up staring at each other—that would be torture for him.
Better to be sensible and sleep separately, rather than create more conflict and make both of them unhappy.
Arabella was surprised again, and the way she looked at him changed.
Thinking about how they'd been separated for some time, and given his peculiar habits, tonight when he'd finally managed to bring her back home, even if they couldn't be intimate, he would usually try to take every advantage possible—she hadn't expected him to suddenly be so...