Chapter 48 If She Had to Choose Again, She'd Still Choose You
"Is that so..." Dominic let out a bitter, lifeless laugh, muttering to himself, "I divorce Emily, you divorce Arabella, and you two end up together."
"Dominic! You're asking for it!" Gabriel had reached his breaking point. Before Dominic could finish speaking, he suddenly leaned forward and grabbed him by the collar, yanking him close.
The two men were now face to face, their equally handsome features locked in fierce confrontation, both looking ready to destroy the other!
Something was seriously wrong with Dominic today—his mouth seemed completely disconnected from his brain. Even as Gabriel gripped his collar with murderous intent, clearly about to throw a punch, he kept adding fuel to the fire, "What's wrong? Did I hit too close to home? Getting defensive?"
The next second, Gabriel's fist connected hard with the side of his face.
Dominic's tall frame stumbled backward, knocking over the chair behind him.
Gabriel, sitting on the hospital bed, nearly got dragged down to the floor by the momentum.
"Dominic, I understand you're upset right now, but that doesn't give you the right to spout nonsense. I'm treating you like a brother, so I'll let this slide once. But if there's a next time, you know what the consequences will be!"
They'd grown up together, and because there were no conflicts of interest between them, their relationship had been closer than Gabriel's with his own cousins.
He treasured this friendship and didn't want them to become enemies over Emily, so he could only give this stern warning.
If it happened again, they'd have to cut ties completely.
Dominic slowly got to his feet, touching the corner of his mouth—it was bleeding.
The sharp pain finally cleared his head, and he realized just how much of an ass he'd been.
But his pride wouldn't let him apologize now.
The two men faced off in silence for a few seconds before he turned and walked away with obvious disinterest.
Gabriel watched his retreating figure and spoke quietly, "You asked me earlier if I still loved Emily. Today I can tell you definitively—no, I don't."
Dominic's steps froze. He turned slightly but didn't face him completely.
"I thought I still loved her, but when Arabella asked for a divorce, saying she'd rather leave with nothing, I felt reluctant to let her go. That's when I realized my heart had changed long ago. All these years of looking out for Emily—it was just a habit, nothing more. I was used to treating her like family, used to solving all her problems and obstacles. Dominic, I was wrong. I didn't maintain proper boundaries and ignored your feelings."
Seeing that he'd stopped to listen, Gabriel felt there might still be hope for their marriage, so he continued, "Emily has always loved you. She's just greedy, wanting more attention and affection, that's why she kept confiding in me. When we were young, she chose you. If she had to choose again now, she'd still choose you. I was never an obstacle between you two."
After everything he'd been through, Gabriel finally had some insight into love.
In this world, the one who fell in love first always got hurt, while the beloved became complacent.
That was Emily and Dominic.
It was also him and Arabella.
But love didn't last forever. When the person who invested more got hurt beyond repair, they lost the ability to keep loving.
Unfortunately, the beloved only realizes this when it's too late, filled with regret.
Perhaps that was God's punishment.
Dominic listened carefully to every word, then slowly turned around.
When their eyes met, all the suspicion, anger, and jealousy dissolved.
Dominic felt somewhat ashamed.
Because his marriage was troubled and his feelings were hurt, he'd been blaming others instead of reflecting on his own problems.
Understanding Gabriel's intentions in telling him all this, he nodded vaguely in acceptance.
As he turned to leave, he suddenly remembered something, "Oh, I ran into Arabella when I arrived. She seemed to be bringing you food, but she must have misunderstood something and left quietly."
Gabriel's expression changed dramatically, instantly furious, "Why the hell didn't you say so earlier! How long ago was this?"
"Right when I first got here."
Gabriel cursed under his breath, too panicked to care about Dominic anymore as he grabbed his phone to call Arabella.
Dominic watched Gabriel's frantic, out-of-control reaction and suddenly understood what he meant by not loving Emily anymore.
His mood lightened considerably as he opened the door and left quickly, also pulling out his phone to call Emily.
Gabriel tried calling three times, but she didn't pick up.
She didn't hang up either, just didn't answer.
He recalled the image of Emily crying in his arms and knew that silly woman had definitely misunderstood again!
And Dominic's earlier accusations were probably based on the same misunderstanding.
Cursing in frustration, Gabriel couldn't sit still anymore!
No, he had to go home!
Their relationship was already hanging by a thread. If today's misunderstanding wasn't cleared up, they really would be headed for divorce.
He jumped out of bed urgently and quickly changed clothes. Just as he finished putting on his jacket, two nurses entered with a medical cart.
"Mr. Sterling, why are you getting dressed? Your body hasn't fully recovered yet—you need to continue treatment. You..." The young nurse was confused and tried to stop him.
But Gabriel was in no mood to continue treatment.
"I have an emergency and need to discharge myself. Don't worry, I'll take full responsibility for any consequences." The frantic man disappeared out the door before finishing his sentence, leaving the two nurses frowning at each other in confusion.
————
On the way home, Arabella cried until her tears ran dry.
These past few days, her emotions had been on a constant roller coaster.
Just when she'd manage to steel herself and make a firm decision, Gabriel would show some sign of progress, giving her a glimmer of hope.
She kept wavering, wandering, hesitating, torturing herself back and forth.
But what she'd just witnessed had completely killed her hopes—she wouldn't expect anything more.
Men's promises really were meaningless.
Gabriel had promised her repeatedly that he'd draw clear boundaries with Emily, hinting that he'd prioritize their family from now on. Recently, they'd even been intimate more frequently.
More than once, she'd fantasized that maybe her silent devotion and patience had finally moved him, or perhaps Emily had hurt him so thoroughly that he'd finally given up and transferred his affections. Either way, their relationship had genuinely progressed—that ambiguous, hazy state had almost touched the edge of love.
But now the fantasy was completely shattered.
The image of those two embracing wouldn't leave her mind—wasn't this proof of an affair?
She wondered if Dominic had seen it too.
If he had, she couldn't imagine his reaction.
So how could she trust Gabriel?
She wanted to believe him, wanted to give them both more time, but God wouldn't allow it—forcing her to witness that disgusting scene.
When she got home, Mary saw her returning with the unopened food container and was puzzled, "Mrs. Sterling ... didn't you go to the hospital?"
Arabella said nothing, dragging herself upstairs with lifeless steps.
At eleven in the morning, Henny and Isabella were both awake.
The autumn air was crisp and pleasant. In the sunroom, crawling mats were spread across the floor, covered with various custom toys. Bright sunlight streamed through the glass windows, bathing everything in golden light.
The two angelic babies were rolling around on the floor, their chubby hands and feet either patting bells or kicking little drums, making a joyful racket as they giggled with delight.