Chapter 6 Who Was She Chatting With So Happily Late at Night?
Since Gabriel didn't deny it, Emily knew it was true. She asked with curious confusion, "Has she lost her mind? The babies are only a few months old, and she's already thinking about divorce? Even if she doesn't consider Grandpa William, could she really be heartless enough to abandon her own children?"
Everyone knew Arabella had no parents, and her grandfather, who had been her only family, had passed away a few years ago.
She was completely alone in the world. If she divorced, she couldn't possibly take the two children with her—there was no way she could work while caring for two babies simultaneously.
"And this morning, when Joanna went to Parkside Estate, Arabella wasn't home. The twins were crying their lungs out from hunger, and she didn't return until lunchtime. I always said this woman isn't as innocent as she appears on the surface. Grandpa William was so focused on repaying a debt that he completely misjudged her character."
Hearing her endless complaints, Gabriel suddenly grew impatient and interrupted, "There's formula at home and frozen breast milk in the freezer. The children weren't going to starve. She's a grown woman—surely she's entitled to occasionally leave the house."
Emily was taken aback, hesitating before stammering, "Gabriel... you... how are you..."
She wanted to question him, but the words felt inappropriate—after all, Arabella was his legitimate wife and the mother of his children. It was only natural for him to defend her verbally.
Thinking about how Arabella had mocked her at the hospital earlier, Emily suddenly felt somewhat guilty.
"Gabriel, I...I'm sorry. It's all my fault," she said in a weak, apologetic tone.
Gabriel understood what her seemingly random apology meant. His heart clenched slightly, and his voice remained level, "You have nothing to apologize to me for. Don't overthink it. I'm busy here. Goodbye."
"Okay, bye."
He cut the call decisively without hesitation, then immediately called the estate's landline to instruct the butler, Mike Adams, to handle the issue of staff gossiping about their employers' private affairs.
On the other side, having been hung up on, Emily stared at her phone with an inexplicable sense of loss.
In the past, she had always been the first to end their calls. But today, Gabriel had hung up on her first.
And those words he'd spoken defending Arabella earlier—that was strange too.
Did having a woman bear children automatically improve a husband's attitude toward her, even if he didn't love her?
If that was the case, then she really should follow William's advice and hurry to give Dominic a child.
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When Arabella returned home to nurse the children, she heard commotion downstairs.
She called Mary over to inquire and learned that the butler, Mike, was dismissing two maids.
"Why dismiss them? Weren't they doing their jobs well?" Arabella hadn't been home that morning and didn't know what had happened.
Mary didn't dare say much, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire. She could only hint vaguely, "Those two were gossiping about certain matters and offended Mrs. Joanna Taylor."
Arabella had heard upon returning that Joanna had visited to check on the children that morning. She'd been grateful to have missed the encounter—otherwise, they'd surely have faced off in another tense confrontation.
Little did she know that Joanna's single visit could cause such drama.
She was only the nominal lady of the house and had no real say in household management. So after inquiring, she said nothing more and let the two maids be dismissed.
That afternoon, after her nap, she found a laptop and went online to browse job listings.
Her desire for divorce was genuine.
However, with William's current poor health, she'd have to shelve the matter temporarily. But she needed to prepare for life after divorce, so she had to start looking at work opportunities.
Later, when the children woke up, she hurried to tend to them, carelessly setting the laptop aside and forgetting to turn it off.
In the early evening, Gabriel came home from work.
He habitually went upstairs first to shower and change into comfortable loungewear before spending quality time with the children.
While casually setting down his watch, his hand brushed against the laptop mouse. The previously dark screen lit up. He had already turned to leave when he suddenly looked back, eyes narrowing as he stared at the computer screen.
The search engine was filled with job sites—administrative positions, marketing, finance, legal affairs, secretarial work, and more.
Gabriel stared for several seconds, his thin lips curling into a cold smile.
So she was serious about divorce—she'd already started job hunting.
But he was completely baffled.
Living in this mansion worth tens of millions, chauffeured around in luxury cars, waited on by seven or eight staff members, enjoying prestigious status and complete security, now blessed with twins—what could be unsatisfying about such a perfect life?
And she still wanted a divorce?
Emily was right—Arabella might truly have lost her mind!
————
Downstairs, from the moment Gabriel returned home, Arabella began feeling anxious again.
She wondered if Emily had tattled about her confrontation at the hospital that morning.
And since Joanna had visited while she was out, she didn't know if Joanna had complained to him either.
If they had a normal marriage, she could openly discuss all these matters.
But the problem was, they weren't normal.
During dinner, Gabriel seemed even more coldly aloof than usual, while she remained silent.
The dining room was filled only with the soft sounds of cutlery.
Arabella quite admired herself—despite the tense atmosphere, her appetite remained unaffected. She kept eating until her stomach was practically bursting before finally setting down her fork and knife.
Gabriel left the table before her. She glanced at his retreating figure, already knowing the score.
Apparently, he knew about everything that had happened during the day.
That face clearly showed displaced emotions, but given the setting, he wouldn't bring it up. The staff didn't need to overhear and start gossiping again, only to get fired.
On this point, at least, they were perfectly in sync.
At ten o'clock that evening, after putting the children to sleep, Arabella was preparing for bed herself.
Her phone buzzed with a message from Sophia, talking about the rental properties she'd viewed that day and asking for opinions.
Arabella wasn't really familiar with Luminara. Though she'd lived there for over two years, between ten months of pregnancy and three months postpartum, she'd barely been anywhere.
As they chatted about old times, Arabella couldn't help but giggle, urging Sophia to move over quickly so she'd finally have someone to talk to.
Gabriel pushed open the door just in time to see her laughing with pure delight, and his expression showed clear surprise.
In two years of marriage, he'd never seen her this happy. So who exactly was she texting with late at night that made her so joyful?
Had she met someone she liked?
Was she desperate for a divorce so she could pursue true love?
When Arabella noticed the man and their eyes met, the smile on her face suddenly vanished.
[I need to sleep now, otherwise I'll have to nurse again soon. You should rest early too.]
After suppressing her laughter, she immediately said goodbye to Sophia.
Sophia replied with a suggestive emoji.
[Is your husband calling you to bed? I won't disturb you two anymore. Let's chat tomorrow.]
Looking at her phone, Arabella blushed inexplicably. She silently lay down and turned to face away.
This scene, as interpreted by Gabriel, became further evidence of her "affair" and "guilty conscience."
He finally understood why she'd suddenly wanted a divorce when she had such a comfortable life.
Though they shared no romantic feelings, they were still married. The thought of her falling for someone else and being willing to abandon even their twin children filled Gabriel with deep dissatisfaction and simmering anger.
Arabella set aside her phone to sleep. When the mattress shifted behind her, she tensely asked with a stiff voice, "Are you not going to sleep in another room?"