Chapter 176 Obviously so much smaller, I'm not blind
The first thing Arabella saw when she opened her eyes was Isabella's toothless grin, her little mouth stretched wide with delight.
The sight instantly brightened her mood. She moved closer to her daughter and gently traced the baby's soft cheek with her hands, cooing tenderly, "Did my sweet girl sleep well? Are you happy to see Mommy? Did you miss me these past few days? I'm so sorry, sweetheart, for not coming to see you more often..."
Though six-month-old Isabella couldn't speak, her body language expressed her joy perfectly. Isabella rolled toward her mother, babbling cheerfully, her dark grape-like eyes crinkling into crescents as she smiled.
Mother and daughter were enjoying their reunion when a knock came at the door.
Before Arabella could respond, the door swung open to reveal Gabriel holding the other twin.
"You're awake? Your son needs to nurse. Can you feed him?" Gabriel's tone was calm and detached, a complete contrast to the voyeuristic intruder who had snuck in the night before.
When Arabella turned to look at him, memories of his midnight visit flooded back, causing her cheeks to flush inexplicably.
Henry spotted his mother and immediately began reaching toward her with both tiny hands, squirming excitedly in his father's arms before Gabriel had even stepped closer.
Gabriel entered the room without invitation.
Missing her son desperately, Arabella couldn't possibly refuse. She immediately sat up and extended her arms.
As they drew near, the handoff was smooth and natural.
Once in his mother's embrace, Henry gurgled happily.
Arabella played with her son while waiting for Gabriel to leave so she could unbutton her shirt to nurse. But Gabriel showed no intention of departing. Instead, he walked around the bed to Isabella's side.
Newborns needed diaper changes first thing in the morning, and Gabriel naturally pulled his daughter to the edge of the bed, turning on the space heater and beginning to undress her.
Arabella was speechless.
Wasn't this the nanny's job? When had he learned to do this?
Here was this distinguished CEO, this privileged heir to a business empire, now crumpling a diaper in his hands, the image was rather incongruous with his usual refined demeanor.
Arabella's attention wandered, but Henry quickly brought her back to reality. Having been carried away by his father while still hungry, the baby couldn't resist the temptation of being with his mother and soon began tugging at her clothes.
Looking down at her son's frantic grabbing and kicking, Arabella frowned in dismay.
This was awkward...
With Gabriel refusing to leave, how could she nurse with any dignity?
They were about to divorce—they should be avoiding such intimate situations.
When his needs weren't met, Henry began to cry pitifully.
Arabella's heart melted immediately. After a brief internal struggle, she surrendered, turning away to unbutton her shirt. "Shh, shh... don't cry, baby. I know you're hungry. I'm sorry..."
Gabriel had gone to the bathroom to get warm water and inevitably walked past her on his return.
Arabella kept her head down, though she could still feel his brazen stare as he approached.
This was probably why he'd snuck in last night—these perverted impulses.
She even suspected his early morning visit with Henry, followed by his deliberate dawdling, was motivated by the same twisted desires.
He looked so proper and distinguished on the surface, so refined and aloof, as if he were the picture of respectability. But underneath, his mind was consumed with lust for her—and he seemed even more obsessed than most men!
Sure enough, as Gabriel returned to tend to Isabella's diaper change, he spoke with feigned casualness.
"Is your milk supply decreasing?"
Arabella whipped around instinctively. "Says who?"
Any nursing mother knows that questioning a woman's ability to produce enough milk to feed her child is deeply offensive—though in Arabella's case, it happened to be true. Exclusively breastfeeding twins was nearly impossible for most women.
But even if it was factual, his suspicious tone made her defensive.
Gabriel glanced up at her, his handsome face breaking into a slight smile. "The shape is obviously much smaller than before. I'm not blind."
Arabella was mortified, her face flushing crimson.
What a pervert!
Gabriel looked at her again, noting her embarrassed indignation and defiant expression. His smile deepened. "Don't keep calling me a pervert. Even if we divorce, you're still the mother of my children. Isn't it appropriate for me to care whether they're getting enough nourishment?"
Arabella was furious. "You're being a pervert and looking for excuses!"
"If you insist on seeing it that way, I can't help it. I've never been anything good in your eyes anyway."
"Good that you're self-aware!"
Gabriel merely smiled, not bothering to argue. As he carried the used water to the bathroom, he continued his lecture, "Most people divorce to improve their lives. What are you divorcing for? To experience hardship? Manuel might be decent compared to ordinary men, but what is he compared to me?"
His voice trailed off as he disappeared into the bathroom.
Arabella couldn't be bothered to respond.
She had never wanted a divorce because of another man—she simply didn't love Gabriel and wanted to escape this life of being looked down upon and humiliated.
But no matter how many times she explained this, Gabriel could never understand. He was so accustomed to looking down on others that he probably thought even his contempt and humiliation were a privilege.
Gabriel emerged, drying his hands, and noticed she had switched sides to continue nursing Henry. His gaze darkened briefly before he looked away and continued his interrupted speech, "You're still married to me, yet he's constantly hovering around you with that ambiguous relationship. How can that kind of man be decent? He has character flaws—trouble will catch up with him eventually."
Arabella couldn't listen anymore. While she had no romantic feelings for Manuel, she felt obligated to defend him given how often he'd helped her.
"Manuel and I are just friends. When we were kids, his parents were often away on business, leaving him alone. My grandparents frequently looked after him. Now that I'm on my own and Manuel has become successful, he's helping me out of pity—it's his way of repaying childhood kindness. Why do you make it sound so ugly? And another thing! If his help is somehow a character flaw, then what about you and Emily? A married woman and a married man—how is that appropriate?"
Seeing her anger had finally made her more talkative instead of giving him the cold shoulder, Gabriel perked up with interest rather than anger, "How are you 'on your own'? Who's standing in front of you? Who are you holding? And who's lying over there?"
He was deflecting, avoiding the main point. Arabella was speechless again.
"You have a perfectly good husband and children, but you refuse them and claim to be single so you can accept help from another grown man—I'm being remarkably tolerant. Any other man would probably break your legs."
Arabella laughed coldly with fury.
She was too exhausted to argue anymore and responded with bitter resignation, "Go ahead and do it then! You have all the power and influence—whether you break my leg or take my life, what could I possibly do about it?"