Chapter 46 Made Up My Mind—Divorce!
Emily had started experiencing morning sickness these past few days—unable to eat, unable to sleep well, constantly battling waves of nausea and retching. In just a few days, she'd lost considerable weight, her cheekbones now prominently visible on her gaunt face.
Seeing Emily in this state, Gabriel couldn't help but feel stirred with some emotion.
But any words of concern or sympathy weren't his place to offer anymore.
"Emily, I was wrong in the past. Since I'm married, we should maintain a proper distance. It was my lack of self-control that created so many misunderstandings, dragging everyone around us into this mess and causing them pain." Gabriel decided to seize this opportunity to clear the air between them once and for all.
From now on, they'd just be ordinary friends.
Emily lifted her lashes, looking even more wounded, "What do you mean? You really want to draw a clear line between us?"
"In a way, yes. It's better for you, for me, and for Dominic."
"Dominic..." Emily murmured his name, and the tears that had been threatening to fall finally spilled over in heartbreak. "Don't mention him to me. I've decided to divorce him."
Gabriel started, his expression tightening, "Are you serious? You're pregnant, and you want to divorce now?"
"What else can I do? I thought having a baby would strengthen our relationship. Who knew that finally getting pregnant would only accelerate our breakdown?"
She wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and said with forced cruelty, "Since it's come to this, then let's divorce. But I'm still having this baby—I want him to never be able to completely cut ties with me for the rest of his life."
Gabriel understood her meaning and disapproved, "If you want revenge on him, you can't use a child as leverage. The child is innocent."
Emily said nothing, just continued crying silently.
Gabriel was barely keeping his own life together and couldn't offer any good advice about their marriage.
The two sat in silence for a moment before Emily pulled herself together and turned to retrieve the thermal container, "Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. I had the kitchen make chicken soup to bring you. You should drink some while it's hot."
Gabriel had eaten breakfast quite early and was already hungry, having been waiting for Arabella to bring him food.
But instead of Arabella arriving, Emily had come instead.
The contrast was stark.
Emily poured half a bowl of chicken soup and gently stirred it with a spoon. Seeing Gabriel remain motionless, she coaxed softly, "Gabriel, I brought it all this way. You should at least have some."
"No need, I'm not hungry."
"How can you not be hungry? It's already past ten, and Arabella hasn't come to take care of you. You probably didn't eat much this morning—you must be starving."
Emily had always known about Gabriel's stomach problems and understood how to care for him during flare-ups.
"This is chicken soup—you always loved this when your stomach was acting up." Knowing he was refusing her kindness to avoid complications, Emily didn't get angry but patiently coaxed him.
In the past, she would have simply sat on the hospital bed and fed him herself, but after everything that had happened, she didn't dare be so casual anymore. She could only hold the bowl and wait for him to reach for it.
"Gabriel..."
"Emily, I just made myself very clear. Thank you for your kindness, but it's really not necessary." Gabriel suppressed his irritation and reiterated.
Being rejected so thoroughly, Emily's dignity couldn't handle it. With reddened eyes, she compromised, "I understand. Don't worry—if you don't want to see me, I won't come looking for you anymore."
Gabriel looked at her, his expression unusually complex.
"Ever since we were children, you and Dominic have protected me. Even if I had a real older brother, he probably couldn't have done as much as you two. I thought the three of us could stay close like this forever. I never imagined..."
She sniffled, forcing a smile through her tears, "I never imagined we'd end up as strangers."
Gabriel's heart softened.
After all, she was the girl he'd loved throughout his youth. Even though he didn't love her anymore, her tears could still scald across his heart, leaving clear burn marks.
"Emily, I'm sorry."
"No... you don't need to apologize. It must be my fault—it has to be my fault for making both you and Dominic distance yourselves from me, for making you both dislike me." Emily began to blame herself, saying strange things.
Gabriel couldn't bear to hear this, but didn't know how to comfort her, so he sat up a bit and accepted the soup from her hands, "Stop crying. You're pregnant—emotional ups and downs aren't good for the baby."
Seeing him take the soup, Emily's expression brightened with relief, "Gabriel, please take care of yourself from now on. Once I sort things out with Dominic, I'm going to leave Luminara."
At this, Gabriel quickly swallowed the mouthful of chicken soup and looked at her, "What do you mean?"
Emily smiled forlornly, "This place once had the person who loved me most and the person I loved most—but now everything has changed. All this place brings me is heartbreak and disappointment. I want to leave temporarily, wait for my wounds to heal before coming back."
"But you're still pregnant."
"Yes, so I'll wait until the first trimester passes and things stabilize before leaving. By then, my divorce from Dominic will definitely be finalized too."
Gabriel couldn't identify the emotion in his heart as he asked again, "You've really made up your mind to divorce?"
Emily lowered her head without speaking. After a long while, a tear dropped onto her hand before she choked out, "I've made up my mind. I want a divorce."
Gabriel's heart, which had been hardened for so long, finally broke.
Setting the chicken soup aside, he got up and pulled some tissues, handing them to her.
Emily took the tissues and wiped her tears, then suddenly broke down emotionally, throwing herself into Gabriel's arms and sobbing heartbrokenly, "How can he be so cruel... so heartless? It's been days, and he won't come to reconcile or humble himself. I'm carrying his child! Gabriel, why is he treating me this way? Why... I love him so, so much, I've loved him for so many years!"
Gabriel sat there, unable to push her away or hold her properly, his heart in turmoil.
After a long time, he couldn't bear it anymore and gently patted her shoulder, comforting her, "If leaving will make you happier, then leave."
Outside the hospital room, Arabella, who had rushed to the hospital after receiving an urgent phone call, watched this scene unfold and felt her heart instantly plummet to rock bottom, cold spreading from her feet throughout her entire body.
Who was it that said this jerk was starving at the hospital, just waiting for her to bring him food, and even claimed that neither the doctors nor the nurses could do anything about him?
Where was he lacking food? Not only was he not lacking food and drink, but he also wasn't lacking female companionship either.
Watching the two people inside embrace intimately like long-separated lovers finally reunited, Arabella once again felt her own superfluousness.
Her arm holding the thermal container dropped limply to her side. She didn't dare to push open the door, turning around like a walking corpse and lifting her heavy feet.
But after only taking two steps, she came face-to-face with Dominic, hurrying toward her.
Their eyes met, both startled. However, Dominic quickly noticed her distress and asked with polite concern, "What's wrong? Why aren't you going in after coming all this way?"
Arabella took a very deep breath to calm her emotions slightly before saying equally politely, "You'd better not go in either."