Chapter 85 Leaving Without a Word
"Thank you," Arabella murmured, cradling the mug and blowing gently across the surface before taking small sips.
"Mary also said this would help you feel better." Gabriel settled back against the headboard and handed her a fluffy heating pad.
Arabella looked at him, hesitating before accepting it. "Thank you."
Gabriel said, "You don't need to be so formal with me."
"It's only right."
The man's expression turned cold and distant - was he annoyed again?
But Arabella didn't have the energy to worry about his moods right now, focusing instead on slowly drinking her hot chocolate.
After a while, having finished the entire mug, she felt a warm sweat breaking out across her body, and the aching in her abdomen and legs seemed to ease somewhat.
Reaching over to turn off the light, she carefully lay back down.
Her abdomen felt almost too warm against the heating pad, but her lower back was aching terribly, so she shifted to her side, trying to move the heating pad behind her.
But the soft, floppy pad kept sliding down no matter how she positioned it.
Gabriel wasn't asleep. He turned toward her, his voice low and husky, "What are you trying to do? You want it against your back like this?"
He picked up the heating pad and pressed it against her lower back.
Hearing his voice, Arabella turned to look at him. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to keep you awake, you don't have to—"
Before she could finish, Gabriel moved closer behind her, their bodies fitting together snugly.
The troublesome heating pad that kept slipping was now perfectly positioned against her lower back, held in place by his body.
Her words died mid-sentence. She started to protest, but Gabriel's arm had already settled naturally and intimately around her waist, pulling her deeper into his embrace.
They lay pressed together like lovers lost in the throes of passion.
"Sleep," his voice rumbled from his chest near her ear, heavy with drowsiness and fatigue. "You'll be up again to nurse soon enough."
Arabella swallowed hard, the refusal dying on her lips. She had no choice but to let him hold her so intimately, slowly allowing her tense muscles to relax.
She assumed Gabriel had fallen asleep quickly.
In reality, Gabriel lay there with his eyes closed, holding her close, his mind crystal clear and wide awake.
Emily's words echoed in his thoughts - Gabriel, the way you're so attentive to her now, have you fallen for her?
He'd instinctively denied it, fought against it.
After all, with his prestigious status and distinguished background, he should be matched with someone equally well-born - elegant, accomplished, beautiful, from the right family.
Not someone like Arabella - orphaned, ordinary, and dirt poor.
Yet the evidence was staring him in the face... his heart had somehow, at some point, become completely entangled with this woman's every move.
Gabriel found himself caring whether Arabella was happy, worrying if she felt hurt or wronged, wanting to make her laugh and talk with her, craving her touch and her kisses.
He'd been in love before - he understood what it felt like to love someone.
Comparing his feelings now, he had to admit he was genuinely falling for this woman, or at least developing deep feelings for her.
The realization left Gabriel with mixed emotions.
Given her rigid assumptions about him and her distrust, even if he confessed his feelings, she'd probably just laugh in his face or accuse him of cheapening the word "love."
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. He tightened his hold on the sleeping woman in his arms, resentment building in his chest.
In his entire charmed life, Gabriel had never faced such frustration - to think he'd reached a point where he was afraid to express his feelings for someone!
————
The business summit lasted three days, ending perfectly on the weekend.
Gabriel had been swamped with work and hadn't had time to obsess over Arabella's job.
Saturday morning, he'd planned to spend time with her and the babies, maybe take them out somewhere, but the office called with an emergency.
When he left, Arabella was still sleeping.
Being considerate, he didn't wake her, thinking he'd handle things quickly at the office and return in time to take the family out.
What he didn't know was that Arabella already had weekend plans.
When her phone rang around eight-thirty, Arabella was already up and nearly ready.
"Hello, Manuel. Are you on your way?"
"Yeah, about forty minutes to that subway station you mentioned." Manuel's voice came through warm and cheerful.
"Perfect, I should be there around the same time."
After hanging up, Arabella hurried through her morning routine. Over breakfast, she told Mary she was returning to her hometown for the day and would be back very late.
Mary looked startled. "Mrs. Sterling is going alone? Shouldn't you ask Mr. Sterling to come with you?"
Arabella had wrestled with this decision the night before, but ultimately decided not to mention it to Gabriel.
Early in their marriage, she'd returned to Whispering Pines once before. She'd informed Gabriel then, but he'd shown no interest in joining her.
She'd bought a train ticket and gone alone, stayed two nights, and Gabriel hadn't even called once.
"No need, he's incredibly busy right now. I don't want to bother him."
Mary asked worriedly, "What about the babies...?"
"There's still some breast milk in the freezer, and if that's not enough, supplement with formula."
Since starting work, her daytime nursing frequency had decreased, and the babies were gradually adapting.
Her only real concern was that the children would fuss at night without her, probably cry themselves into exhaustion.
The drive from Luminara to Whispering Pines took four to five hours. Even with a day trip, she wouldn't be home until midnight at the earliest, by which time the babies would hopefully be cried out and asleep.
"All right then, Mrs. Sterling. Please be careful."
Mary assumed she was making the trip alone.
"I will."
At nine-thirty, Arabella successfully met up with Manuel.
Manuel drove the latest model Porsche Panamera, executive extended version - luxurious, elegant, and sophisticated, perfectly matching his refined demeanor.
"Arabella, good morning!"
"Good morning, Manuel!"
Manuel stepped out and gallantly opened the passenger door for her.
Under the envious stares of passersby, Arabella slid into the car and they drove away.
"Have you had breakfast?" After starting the engine, Manuel glanced at the navigation while casually looking over at Arabella in the passenger seat.
Arabella felt a bit tense and nodded. "Yes, I have. What about you?"
"I ate too. But it's a four-and-a-half-hour drive, so we can grab something at a rest stop for lunch." Manuel suggested.
"Sounds good, we'll see when we get there. I'm flexible."
Four and a half hours...
Arabella checked the time, quickly calculating. That meant they wouldn't reach Whispering Pines until around two in the afternoon.
She wanted to visit the old house and then the cemetery to bring fresh flowers to her grandparents and parents. A rough estimate meant they wouldn't start back until five at the earliest, which would get her home around ten at night if traffic cooperated.
Anxiety crept into her chest, worried Gabriel would explode again.
They'd managed a few peaceful days recently - a rare stretch of calm - and she dreaded another explosive fight that would leave them both emotionally drained.
Seeing her silent and serious expression, Manuel smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Worried about my driving? Don't worry, I got my license switched as soon as I returned to the country. I've been driving myself around for the past few days and I'm used to the local traffic rules now."
"No, no, I'm not worried about your driving skills. I was just thinking... about getting home so late tonight."
"Ah, yes, ten o'clock at the earliest. Actually, I was originally planning to stay overnight in the old hometown, but since you mentioned needing to take care of the children, a day trip would be pretty exhausting."