Chapter 49 You Two Will Be Together Soon
The nannies and housekeepers were playing with the children when they saw Arabella slowly approaching. Both were slightly startled but immediately smiled and said, "Mommy's home! Are the babies hungry?"
At nearly four months old, the twins had already learned to read expressions.
They'd been playing happily, but when they saw Arabella appear, they immediately started babbling and pouting, clearly wanting her to hold them.
Arabella's desolate, despairing heart was suddenly filled by the children's smiling faces.
She sat on the floor and pulled Isabella into her arms, nuzzling her soft, delicate cheek. A deep reluctance to let go washed over her.
Such adorable babies—she'd carried them for nine months and raised them for four more. Her love for them was engraved in her bones. She truly enjoyed being a mother and wanted to stay by their side forever, but unfortunately, such opportunities would become increasingly rare.
Her eyes grew moist again. With tears clinging to her lashes but still smiling gently, she whispered, "You'll always remember Mommy, won't you? You'll always be Mommy's most beloved babies, always..."
The nanny noticed something strange in her tone and, considering recent events in the household, could guess what was happening.
But as household staff, it wasn't her place to interfere in her employers' affairs.
The room was filled with warm tranquility until a tall, stern figure appeared in the doorway, freezing the atmosphere.
The nannies and housekeepers were shocked to see Gabriel.
Wasn't he supposed to be hospitalized for his illness?
How had he suddenly returned?
Before they could awkwardly stand to greet him, the man's expressionless face tilted slightly toward the door. They immediately understood and quickly shuffled out.
Gabriel entered and gently closed the door behind him.
His body hadn't fully recovered—his stomach still ached, making his steps somewhat labored.
His gaze fixed on the woman sitting on the cushion, watching her lovingly and tenderly play with Isabella and Henny. Her falling hair shimmered golden in the sunlight, and her fair neck skin reflected dazzling light. Every inch stirred his heartstrings, pulling his heart tighter and tighter.
He slowly approached, his elongated shadow gradually blocking the light.
Arabella's eyes shifted slightly. Even without turning around, she could sense who had arrived.
Her lips curved in a mocking smile.
She hadn't expected him to actually rush back.
What was he coming back for? To continue weaving lies to deceive her?
Should she feel honored that he'd go to such trouble to lie to her?
After all, Gabriel's time was extremely precious—he wouldn't waste a single moment on people or things he looked down upon.
Henny spotted his father and, being an innocent little one, broke into a delighted grin, showing the tiny tips of baby teeth that had just emerged. He looked absolutely adorable.
Gabriel was brought back to his senses by Henny's excited hand-waving, his stern expression softening somewhat.
He crouched down and lifted Henny into his arms.
Arabella still didn't look up at him, continuing to play with the little drum to amuse Isabella, but her voice was calm and flat, "Having a girl you like visit really makes a difference—your illness cleared right up."
She knew Gabriel could return so quickly only because Dominic had told him something.
Since they both knew what was going on, they might as well speak plainly.
Gabriel heard her sarcastic mocking, his thin lips pressing together tightly, his eyes showing extremely complex emotions.
Though he'd spent the entire journey pondering how to explain, when faced with her, he still found it difficult to speak.
Time and again, he knew it would be hard to convince anyone.
But difficult or not, it had to be said.
"I didn't expect Emily to come today either. She just got pregnant and isn't adjusting well physically. She's also fighting with Dominic about divorce, and was in a terrible state, so she came to me crying. I was just comforting her—it's not what you think."
Gabriel had been young when he reached high positions, having seen every kind of major occasion over the years and handling them all with ease.
Never had there been a moment like now when he spoke so without confidence, even somewhat cautiously.
Sure enough, Arabella didn't believe a single word. Instead, she looked up at him with a beautiful curl of her lips, her almond-shaped eyes brimming with mockery, "She wants a divorce, you want a divorce—isn't this perfect? You two can be together. What a wonderful development."
Gabriel's brow furrowed deeply. "I told you, there's nothing between her and me."
"Do you even believe that yourself?"
"Of course I do!"
He spoke with absolute certainty, his voice suddenly rising, startling Henny in his arms. The baby lifted his chubby little face, staring at his father with wide, confused eyes.
Gabriel glanced at Henny and softened his tone, "Do I need to lie to you? If I wanted to deceive you, I wouldn't let you discover any clues at all."
Arabella responded, "Right, because the gap between us is so vast that you can't be bothered to lie to me. Even if I know everything, there's nothing I can do about it—just like the past two years when everyone knew about your relationship, pitying me, feeling sorry for me, laughing at me behind my back. What could I do about it?"
She spoke rapid-fire, wanting to vent all her pent-up emotions, "But now it's different, Gabriel. I can withdraw from this blatant charade. I just ask that you show some mercy and stop making me a laughingstock."
As she finished speaking with her head raised, her eyes couldn't help but grow moist again.
Gabriel stared at her, momentarily speechless.
After a brief, tense silence, Arabella stood up holding Isabella and took a breath, "Forget it... let's not fight in front of the children. They're innocent."
Seeing her rise to leave, Gabriel panicked. He was about to stand with Henny when suddenly his stomach cramped painfully, making his legs buckle and his knees hit the floor again.
Arabella heard the sound and her heart contracted sharply—not from worry about him, but fear that he might drop the baby if his strength gave out.
Still, she restrained herself, neither stopping nor turning back to show concern.
After leaving the sunroom, she went to the guest room to nurse Isabella, then called Mary to bring Henny over.
Mary followed orders and soon brought the child.
"Mr. Sterling's stomach is hurting badly. I told him to go back to the hospital for treatment, but he refuses, and he even yelled at me! Really now, I'm going to call the family doctor to come take a look." Mary chattered complaints as she set down the child before hurrying out.
Arabella listened to these words with indifference, thinking to herself that he deserved it.————
In the afternoon, both children were napping.
Arabella wanted to sleep too, but hearing the family doctor talking outside, she was too irritated to rest, tossing and turning.
She pulled out her phone to browse the news and was shocked to see that the scandal that had just been suppressed was once again trending, with an eye-catching headline.
It was still about Gabriel and Emily's pregnancy scandal.
But this time the accompanying photo showed Dominic and Emily arguing in a hospital corridor.
The post was written very realistically, claiming that according to eyewitnesses, Emily had personally admitted the child was Gabriel's and formally asked Dominic for a divorce, apparently ready to pursue true love.
Arabella was stunned by this news, her head buzzing.
How ridiculous!
Gabriel was still working hard to cover things up while Emily had already openly admitted everything.
How perfect—once they were both divorced, they could seamlessly remarry, and the child could be born into a complete, happy family.
Her mind completely clear now, all drowsiness vanished.
She suddenly felt she couldn't stay in this house for another second.
No! She had to find a place quickly and move out as soon as possible.
As for the divorce papers, if Gabriel continued refusing to sign, she'd have no choice but to file for divorce in court.
With this thought, she got up immediately and called Sophia.