Chapter 50 Isn't This Exactly What You Wanted?
Sophia was in the middle of an afternoon nap with her two-year-old daughter when the phone rang. Still drowsy, she mumbled, "Oh, I forgot to mention—Zachary said he can handle divorce consultations. He worked divorce cases for a few months when he first started at the firm, then switched to corporate law."
"That works. Is he available recently?" Arabella figured it was better to work with someone familiar, especially since she didn't want too many people knowing about this situation.
"I'll ask him tonight and get back to you as soon as possible," Sophia said.
"Okay."
"Arabella, why the rush? Have you really thought this through? Can you bear to leave the twins?" Sophia was fully awake now and started trying to talk her friend out of it again, genuinely not wanting her to make an impulsive decision she'd regret.
After all, Gabriel's status and wealth were what countless people could only dream of.
She'd gained it all without lifting a finger, yet was ready to throw it away so easily.
Men were all the same anyway—rich or poor, their nature was fundamentally selfish. Might as well choose the wealthy one.
As long as you could keep an open mind, who cared about tabloid scandals?
Arabella knew Sophia meant well and didn't argue, simply emphasizing that she'd made up her mind and wouldn't regret it.
Meanwhile, in the master bedroom.
Family doctor, Walter Wood, was trying to persuade Gabriel while enduring the oppressive atmosphere in the room.
"Mr. Sterling, your gastritis is quite serious. You should be hospitalized for systemic treatment, otherwise complications could be very troublesome later."
Gabriel had another IV drip in his hand, but the medication hadn't kicked in yet. His stomach was still cramping painfully, making his brow furrow deeply, his face ashen.
Hearing this, he remained unmoved. "That won't be necessary. I trust your medical skills."
Walter was speechless.
He didn't doubt his own medical expertise, but Gabriel's condition was genuinely severe. Serious gastric ulcers could lead to perforation or bleeding, which would require surgery.
A condition that could be cured with proper cooperation—why risk such dangerous complications by dragging it out?
What he didn't know was that Gabriel was deeply regretting his choices.
Given his usual temperament, he never would have been hospitalized for such a minor issue yesterday. But at the time, with their relationship at an icy standstill and no strategy for reconciliation, he'd thought to use a sympathy tactic to soften Arabella's heart and create an opportunity to break their deadlock.
Who knew it would backfire so spectacularly? Not only did the hospital stay attract reporters, but Emily had shown up, too.
And that scene had been witnessed by Arabella at exactly the wrong moment, deepening the misunderstanding.
Now he'd rather die than go back to the hospital—he was going to stay put at home.
Seeing his patient wouldn't be swayed, Walter could only turn to leave, telling him to rest well.
Though recovering at home did have advantages—the environment was more comfortable, and the food could be more carefully prepared.
The only problem was Gabriel's impossible temperament.
When dinner was ready, a servant carefully carried it upstairs, only to be yelled at before even entering the room.
Mary had to steel herself for a second attempt, with equally poor results.
"Mr. Sterling, Dr. Wood specifically instructed this afternoon that you must eat regularly—small, frequent meals—to heal your condition. If you don't eat like this, your stomach will only get worse, and you'll be the one suffering in the end." Mary didn't dare approach too closely, staying about fifteen feet from the bed as she tried to reason with him.
Gabriel had finished his IV drip and was lying on his side, back turned to the room.
After a long silence, he coldly replied, "Just leave it. I'll eat later."
Mary's face brightened as she hurried forward to place the dinner on the nightstand.
Walking out of the master bedroom, she let out a long breath, wiping her forehead with her sleeve.
Honestly... so difficult to deal with.
Everyone knew Gabriel was putting on this act deliberately, hoping to draw Arabella's concern and attention. But with Arabella stubbornly refusing to give in, what could the household staff do?
In the dining room, seeing Mary return empty-handed—clearly having delivered the dinner—Arabella unconsciously felt relieved.
No matter how strained their relationship became, she didn't want Gabriel to actually fall seriously ill. His health was what mattered most.
Besides, she was eager for the divorce, so she hoped Gabriel would recover quickly. Otherwise, he'd have an excuse to keep stalling.
But an hour later, when the servant went upstairs to collect the dishes, they discovered dinner was untouched—not a single bite taken.
Mary paced anxiously and came to plead again, "Mrs. Sterling, Mr. Sterling just wants you to go coax him a little. This..."
"He's not a child who needs coaxing to eat dinner," Arabella replied calmly, continuing to trim Isabella's tiny nails.
"Oh come on, he's just throwing a tantrum because he wants to make up with you! Please go see him and at least get him to eat something. Dr. Wood said if he keeps this up and his stomach perforates, it could be serious trouble."
Arabella remained silent and continued trimming Isabella's nails.
Seeing she was determined not to get involved, Mary sighed helplessly and prepared to call the Sterling Manor to have Joanna intervene.
Otherwise, if something happened to him while he was in their care, they'd be held responsible too.
Fortunately, just as she picked up the phone, Arabella set down the nail clippers and stood up, "I'll go check on him. No need to trouble Mrs. Sterling."
She didn't want to face Gabriel, but she was even less interested in dealing with Joanna, so it was better not to alarm her.
Carrying the dinner the servants had reheated, she went upstairs and entered the master bedroom.
The room was pitch black, with layer upon layer of curtains blocking out every bit of outside light.
Standing in the doorway, Arabella freed one hand to find the wall switch, turning on the bathroom spotlights to bring some illumination to the space.
The next second, a furious rebuke rang out, "Who told you to turn on the lights!"
Arabella ignored him and walked straight in.
Gabriel sensed something and finally turned his head.
His cold, brooding expression showed subtle changes upon seeing who had entered, then he turned back onto his side. "What are you doing here?"
Arabella approached the bed and set down the tray, her tone neither warm nor cold, "Isn't your attitude toward Mary exactly what you wanted? To get me to come up? Honestly, Gabriel, I really don't understand what you're trying to accomplish with all this. If you want to play the vulnerable victim, you should do it in front of Emily—she's the one who would feel sorry for you. Putting on this performance at home is just making yourself suffer for nothing."
Gabriel remained silent for two or three seconds before slowly turning around, his expression even more darkly cold than before. "You're really good at self-deception. Who said I wanted to see you?"
"Is that so? Since you don't want to see me, I'll leave then. Just remember to eat properly, or a perforated stomach could be life-threatening."
With those words, Arabella turned to go.
Gabriel was so angry he nearly ground his teeth to powder.
He'd never encountered such an ungrateful, tactless woman!
What exactly was she being so proud about?
She had absolutely nothing, yet still maintained this attitude of disdain for everything. Where did she get such audacity?
"You want a divorce? I'll never agree to it."
The voice from behind stopped Arabella in her tracks.
She turned around, frowning in confusion, "Why not? Emily is about to be free, too, and you even have a child together. Shouldn't you give her a legitimate status?"