Chapter 7 I Didn't Take the Morning-After Pill
Gabriel had just slipped his legs under the covers when he heard Arabella's words, his expression immediately turning icy as he turned to look at the back of her head. "Why would I go to another room?"
"Don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to kick you out. I just thought you didn't need to force yourself to stay here, or I could sleep in the guest room instead."
Arabella was trying to see things from his perspective. She felt sorry for him—the woman he loved had married his best friend, and he was forced to build a family with someone he didn't love, having to share a bed every night. Maybe Gabriel even had nightmares when he slept?
As her voice faded, she sat up, preparing to get out of bed, but had barely moved when she heard him ask coldly behind her, "Who is he? How did you two meet?"
"What?" The out-of-nowhere question startled Arabella. She turned around, her beautiful eyes wide with surprise. "What man? What are you talking about?"
Gabriel's thin lips curved into a cold, mocking smile. "Still playing dumb? Suddenly demanding a divorce out of nowhere, wanting separate bedrooms—isn't it because you've fallen for someone?"
"I..." Arabella's eyes grew even wider, her mouth opening and closing as she struggled for words. After a moment, she finally spoke, "I brought up divorce because you and Emily..."
"She's already married. She has nothing to do with me."
Arabella found it utterly ridiculous. Suddenly throwing caution to the wind, she mimicked his tone, "Playing dumb yourself? The way you look at her is full of love, and you say she has nothing to do with you?"
Gabriel's expression showed genuine shock, as if he couldn't believe what he'd heard.
Arabella shifted her position to face him directly. "I thought you were suffering in this marriage and wanted to set you free sooner rather than later. Since you don't appreciate it, fine, but don't you dare make up lies to slander me!"
Whenever they confronted each other, Arabella would start cautious and trembling, but once provoked, she became sharp-tongued and fired on all cylinders.
Gabriel had noticed this pattern.
It was as if two different personalities lived inside her body.
The gentle, docile, serene, and elegant demeanor was just surface-level.
In reality, she was determined and resolute, clear-headed, and even when verbally attacking others, she had a unique style—never showing fear.
Compared to the first personality—like a porcelain doll displayed in a case on a pedestal—he found himself inexplicably more drawn to the second.
Vivacious, clever, brave, even a little feisty—as if she might jump up and pick a fight at any moment.
Gabriel stared at her intently, truly studying her face for the first time.
She had excellent features—a full forehead, thick brows and large eyes, a straight nose bridge, red lips and white teeth.
Not the delicate face type popular nowadays, but rather the dignified and graceful beauty of traditional aesthetics—very pleasing to look at.
When he'd first met her, due to poor living conditions, she'd carried an air of rusticity about her.
Now, after several years of luxury and comfort, her skin had improved, and her temperament had elevated. Even without makeup, her beauty was striking enough to catch anyone's attention at first glance.
Gabriel thought that if she weren't so two-faced, scheming, and calculating, he would have been willing to try making their marriage work for the children's sake.
But now, before he could even convince himself to accept her, she was the first to bring up divorce.
As if staying in this house was some unbearable torment for her. How ungrateful!
Seeing him staring at her so intently, completely different from his usual disdainful glances, Arabella suddenly felt uneasy.
"Why... why are you looking at me like that?" she asked with diminished confidence.
Gabriel frowned slightly, snapping out of his daze, and pulled the covers up, preparing to lie down. "It's nothing. I just don't believe you'd be so kind-hearted. I suspect this is another one of your traps."
"I..." Arabella was truly furious, deciding to have it out with him tonight and explain everything clearly. "Make yourself clear—when have I ever set a trap for you? You need evidence to accuse someone of a crime!"
The angrier she became, the more interesting Gabriel found it, though his expression remained impassive, showing no emotion.
He lay down and said unhurriedly, "The evidence is in your arms every day. Do I really need to present it?"
Arabella gritted her teeth. She knew he was still hung up on this!
After a pause, she straightened up and raised her right hand, her expression serious, her tone solemn yet mocking, "Mr. Sterling, I swear to God; the morning after that night, I really did take the morning-after pill!"
Gabriel opened his eyes. Though lying down and physically at a disadvantage, his arrogant and aloof attitude still maintained its superiority. "Your promises have no credibility anymore."
Arabella felt like she was about to faint from anger.
The man continued methodically, "Actually, if you'd just openly admitted it, I would have accepted it. After all, at my age, I should be a father anyway. What I can't stand is that you clearly did it but still..."
"I didn't! Why would I admit to something I didn't do? The doctor even said no contraceptive method is 100% effective—I was just the exception!" Arabella rudely interrupted him, defending herself once again.
Gabriel looked at her with probing eyes, intrigued by her indignant attitude. He sat up again, leaning against the headboard, and asked calmly, "The doctor said if you had taken emergency contraception, he wouldn't recommend keeping the babies because of the risk of birth defects. But you were absolutely determined to keep them. Doesn't that prove you never took the pill? Otherwise, what would be your purpose in risking having potentially deformed children?"
Arabella took a small breath. "When I found out I was pregnant, my first thought was also to terminate the pregnancy. Though it would be cruel, there was no choice—I couldn't take that kind of risk. But during the examination, the doctor said there were twin gestational sacs, meaning twins."
She looked into the man's deep, dark eyes and asked emphatically, "Twins—two lives! No one could bear to terminate that! I thought that with modern medical technology being so advanced, I could take a gamble. If later tests showed the babies really had problems, it wouldn't be too late for induced labor. If there were no problems, it would be the best outcome for everyone. As it turned out, I bet correctly!"
Gabriel's mouth moved slightly, about to speak, when she cut him off again, "Besides, you were the one who made the mistake; why should I bear the consequences? Do you think abortion doesn't harm the body? What if something went wrong and I could never have children again? Now that the babies are born safely, I've become a mother, and I've completed the most important thing in my life. I'm grateful for my persistence back then. Even if you wrongly accuse me and slander me, I don't regret that decision!"
Having delivered this powerful speech, Arabella angrily got up from the bed. "I think we should keep our distance. If I keep getting this angry, it'll affect my postpartum hormones!"
She walked around the foot of the bed, but halfway there, she suddenly remembered something. She stopped and turned back to look at the man, "By the way, I didn't take any contraception this time. Those pills are very harmful to the body, and I'm breastfeeding—I can't gamble with our children's health."
Gabriel frowned, only now remembering something very important.
He looked at the woman with her livid expression and, for the first time, said something that lacked confidence, "You shouldn't be able to get pregnant again right now, should you?"