Chapter 187 That Is My Daughter!
Those words hit Arabella like a heavy blow to the heart, making her body suddenly convulse with pain and nearly sending her collapsing to the ground.
Though determined to divorce, she knew the thought of her children calling someone else "mommy" was something no mother could accept calmly.
Especially when Emily's words carried such malicious undertones.
She stared coldly at Emily, words forming and dying on her lips.
Seeing her reaction, Emily knew she'd scored a point. Her haughty princess demeanor grew even more arrogant before she tossed her hair and strutted away.
Manuel looked at her with concern. "Arabella, don't let her words get to you. Even tigers don't eat their own cubs—Gabriel won't let anyone abuse or mistreat his own children. She's deliberately trying to hurt you."
Arabella blinked and let out a shaky breath, her mood turning dark and heavy.
"Manuel, you should get going. I want to walk alone for a while..." she said weakly.
Manuel looked worried. "I'll keep you company."
"No need."
Arabella refused without hesitation. As she turned to leave, she suddenly remembered something and glanced back at him. "Manuel, thank you for all your help these past days. I have no way to repay you except to pay you back with interest once I start earning money."
Her sudden declaration made Manuel understand her meaning immediately.
"Arabella—" Manuel quickly called out, stepping forward. His handsome, scholarly face showed traces of gravity under the sunlight. "Did Gabriel say something to you?"
That night after his confrontation with Gabriel, Gabriel had made a threatening remark about his "child" abroad before leaving with Arabella.
He wasn't sure if Gabriel had told Arabella about this.
If he had, she would definitely misunderstand and write him off completely because of his illegitimate child.
After thinking it over for days, he decided that regardless of whether Gabriel had mentioned it, he should come clean himself.
Hearing his question, Arabella's eyelashes trembled as she looked up, understanding what he meant.
"So he told you he knows..." Manuel gave a faint, somewhat helpless smile, pausing before continuing, "There's been a misunderstanding about this. I do have a child abroad, but it's only a legal father-son relationship, not biological. The child and I..."
Hearing his earnest explanation, Arabella felt not relief, but greater panic.
His explanation meant he truly had expectations about their relationship, but she didn't share those feelings.
"Manuel, you don't need to explain any of this. Your past is your privacy—you don't owe me any explanations, regardless of the facts." She interrupted Manuel, not wanting to hear him dissect his personal history.
The light in Manuel's eyes suddenly dimmed.
"Manuel, you should go. I'll just walk around—I'll be fine." Unable to bear the disappointment on his face, Arabella looked down as she spoke, then turned and left without waiting for his response.
This brief marriage had brought her wounds that might take a lifetime to heal.
It wasn't that Manuel wasn't good enough—she'd simply lost the ability to love.
Having been hurt, she knew how much pain it caused, so she was even more unwilling to hurt others.
If they didn't become lovers, they might remain lifelong confidants.
If they became lovers, they'd probably end up as nothing more than a bitter couple.
————
After parting with Manuel, Arabella walked alone through the busy streets.
Standing amid the traffic, a deep sense of desolation welled up in her heart. Watching those speeding vehicles, for a moment she wanted to rush directly into traffic and end it all.
But then she reconsidered—if she died, she died, but rushing into traffic would also harm innocent people. That would be too immoral.
The negative, pessimistic emotions lasted briefly before she turned and began wandering aimlessly down the street.
With the holidays approaching, the streets were beginning to overflow with Christmas spirit.
A time for family gatherings, yet she now had only solitude. This Christmas might as well not happen.
She wandered aimlessly for who knows how long when Ella called.
"Where are you? Have you eaten lunch? When are you coming back?" Ella had gotten a heads-up from Manuel that she was wandering alone outside, worried something might happen, so she called to check.
Arabella looked up and around, spotting the high-rise across the street. She roughly knew where she was and told Ella.
"That's perfect! I'm free this afternoon anyway—I'll come find you. You can keep me company while I shop for some clothes. Christmas is coming, and my kid needs new outfits." Ella said cheerfully, deliberately ignoring her dejected mood.
Before Arabella could respond, Ella had already hung up.
Christmas is coming, need to buy new clothes for the kids...
These words echoed in her ears, and she suddenly remembered Gabriel saying earlier that she should arrange with Mary tomorrow to bring the children out to play.
Perfect—as their mother, she should also buy them new outfits. Though they certainly didn't lack for anything, this would be her gesture.
She hadn't eaten lunch yet and was tired from walking, so Arabella settled on a bench at the bus stop to wait.
This area was the bustling city center with plenty of luxury cars passing by.
When a BMW with out-of-state plates drove past, the woman in the back seat suddenly straightened up, pressing herself against the window. "Stop the car! Stop the car!"
The driver was startled, glancing in the rearview mirror. "Ms. Marie, we can't stop here."
"I said stop the car!" The woman called Ms. Marie raised her voice in command.
The driver had no choice but to change lanes and pull over.
Jade Marie pushed open the car door and got out, running in her sharp stilettos toward the bus stop.
But by the time she reached there, the person who had been sitting on the bench was gone.
She looked left and right, searching everywhere, but in the sea of people coming and going, that figure was nowhere to be seen.
The male assistant who had been in the passenger seat caught up, asking in confusion, "Ms. Marie, what did you see?"
Jade replied, "I saw a girl who looked just like my daughter..."
The assistant said, "That... you must be mistaken. How could there be such a coincidence?"
They'd been in Luminara for several days. After filing a missing person report with the police, they still had no news.
Luminara was a metropolitan city with over twenty million people—finding someone was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Especially when they couldn't even clearly remember what the person looked like, making the search even more impossible.
Jade stood at the bus stop, sighing deeply. "Arabella must be in Luminara... she has to be..."
At that moment, Arabella had already entered the shopping mall and met up with Ella.
"I heard about this morning's court session. If you can't get divorced this time, there's always next time—I've looked into it. Generally with divorce suits, if they don't grant it the first time, they usually do the second time." Ella comforted her.
Arabella shook her head, her whole being shrouded in dejection. "Even if the second time works, I'd have to wait six months to file again..."
She didn't want to drag it out.
Each additional day of this marriage was torture.
Ella didn't know what to say and could only pull her along to get some food.
After sitting down in a restaurant, Arabella thought of something and looked up. "Manuel called you to come find me, didn't he?"
Since Ella already knew about the morning's court proceedings, she must have been in contact with Manuel.
Ella smiled, trying to sound casual. "You really can't hide anything! Seeing how well you two understand each other, you seem quite compatible."
Arabella said frankly, "I told him again this morning that I have no romantic intentions. After the divorce, I want to live independently, focus on my career. If I can have the children visit and stay with me regularly, I'll be satisfied."
Having had her own romantic disappointments and seen through men long ago, Ella didn't try to persuade her. Instead, she said cheerfully, "I want you focused on your career anyway—you're my golden goose! Men are at most life's seasoning, not the main course."
If some lovestruck fool made men the center of her life, she'd probably be doomed.
After shopping all afternoon, Ella bought quite a few beautiful clothes. Seeing Arabella only looking without buying, finally carrying just a few baby outfits, she was greatly displeased.
"It's almost New Year—aren't you getting yourself anything new?"
Arabella shook her head repeatedly. "I have enough clothes."
She had no pursuit of fashion—comfortable and practical was enough. Those glamorous outfits were both troublesome and expensive for her.
But Ella wouldn't allow it.
"We made good money on this deal—can't you treat yourself a little? Besides, we'll need to meet with potential partners in the future. Without proper clothes, how can people trust our aesthetic and fashion sense?"
Ella roughly understood her reluctance to spend money, wanting to save as much as possible for future security.
"Come on, let's go to this store. Try on whatever you like, and I'll pay." Ella was generous, pulling her into a women's boutique and having the sales staff help select outfits.
"Ella, I really don't need... I have clothes to wear, and even if I wanted to buy something, I can pay for it myself—you don't need to help me—"
Arabella felt embarrassed, but Ella gave her no opportunity to refuse.
In the end, Arabella was forced to buy two stylish new outfits. Standing in front of the mirror, she did look much more vibrant.
"You need to let certain people see that you can live more confidently and comfortably without him, not listless and slovenly." Ella said this after paying the bill and walking out of the store.
Arabella said nothing, but deeply agreed in her heart.
Gabriel had indeed said several times that she was determined to divorce just to pursue a life of hardship.
Of course not.
So dressing herself well and making a fresh start was indeed necessary.
She was grateful to have met Ella, an independent, strong-minded friend who could help her avoid many pitfalls as she stepped into society.
————
Arabella didn't have the courage to return to Parkside Estate to see the children, so she arranged with Mary to bring the children to her apartment instead.
Ella hadn't yet met the twins and was curious what a wealthy family's boy-girl twins would be like, eagerly anticipating their arrival.
As for Mark, the studio had simply given him time off.
Worried Mary might not find the place, Arabella waited downstairs at the apartment building early.
When the nanny van arrived, she smiled and hurried forward, but as she neared the car door, she suddenly froze.
She wondered if Gabriel was in the car.
Given his usual methods, he might very well put her through some ordeal before letting her spend time with the children.
In that brief moment of hesitation, the van's electric door slid open, and Mary smiled as she called out, "Mrs. Sterling, have you been waiting long?"