Chapter 86 Gabriel, Don't Do This!
Arabella nodded with a polite smile. "I'm doing fine; you're the one working hard doing all the driving."
"It's not really work, just think of it as a road trip."
Actually, Arabella was starting to regret her decision.
She shouldn't have agreed so casually to his request, and if she had to agree, she shouldn't have chosen to drive there and back.
If they'd taken the high-speed train, it would only be two hours, and once they reached the city they could hire a car to get around - much more convenient.
Unfortunately, it was too late to second-guess now. She could hardly change her mind at the last minute and suggest taking the train - they wouldn't even be able to get tickets.
Throughout the drive, Arabella didn't talk much, leaving Manuel to carry most of the conversation.
They chatted about their lives over the years and reminisced about childhood memories.
Eventually, the conversation drifted to Arabella's mother.
"Has there really been no word from your mother all these years? The Sterling family has extensive connections - if Mr. Sterling looked into it, there should be some results."
Manuel wasn't being nosy; he simply felt that since it was her birth mother, there should be some closure.
Arabella's expression remained neutral. She didn't even look at him as she said casually, "There's no need. Whether she's doing well or not has nothing to do with me."
"I just meant, what if something happened to her - that's why she never came back? I thought you'd want to know the reason she left." Manuel glanced at her with gentle caution, clarifying his meaning.
This time, Arabella's face grew heavier, and she fell silent.
Seeing her reaction, Manuel dropped the subject.
When they stopped at a rest area for lunch, Arabella's phone rang.
Seeing the caller ID filled her with dread. After hesitating for several seconds, she steeled herself and answered carefully, "Hello..."
Gabriel's voice was particularly dark, like the mounting pressure before a storm. "Where are you?"
Despite the distance, Arabella couldn't help swallowing hard. She said softly, "I told Mary to let you know - didn't she tell you?"
"You're my wife. Shouldn't you tell me directly when you're going somewhere? What's this about having someone else pass along messages?"
Along with his cold questioning, Arabella realized Mary had indeed told him.
His anger stemmed from her failure to communicate with him directly.
"I... I'm going back to Whispering Pines. I've mentioned coming back before and you didn't really react, so I thought - there was no need to mention it again." She explained with diminishing confidence.
"Before was before, now is now."
"..." She didn't dare say anything more.
Whatever she said now would be wrong anyway, and she might even make things worse. Better to stay quiet and let him vent.
Gabriel was silent for several seconds, clearly trying to control his temper. "Are you alone, or with someone? Driving or taking the train?"
For some reason, Arabella felt particularly guilty.
After hesitating for a few seconds, she decided on honesty. "I'm with Manuel, he's driving. I'm just going to see the old house and visit the cemetery in Whispering Pines to pay my respects to Grandpa and the others. I'll be back tonight."
She finished her calm explanation and immediately added, "Gabriel, if not giving you advance notice was my mistake, fine. Please don't read too much into this, don't take it out on others. When I get back, you can be as angry with me as you want."
She knew Gabriel's temper and his possessive nature, so she tried to defuse the situation by admitting fault first and taking the most submissive stance possible.
But who knew this would only make Gabriel angrier!
"I haven't even said anything yet and you're already apologizing, so you obviously know what you did was wrong. Since you know I'd mind you traveling alone with him, and you know I might read into it, why did you still do it? Are you deliberately provoking me, or trying to prove you're still attractive to other men?"
His questions were aggressive and increasingly harsh, his anger mounting with each sentence.
Arabella frowned repeatedly. With the rest area crowded and noisy, she didn't want to explain further, continuing in a low voice, "I don't think that way. I just thought it had been too long since I visited home, and when someone offered to go with me and provide company on the road, I agreed."
"You wanted to go back and see the place - did you ever mention that to me? You treat your husband like a stranger and strangers like family. Have you considered my feelings at all?"
"Gabriel, don't do this." Arabella knew he was beyond rational discussion now. Seeing Manuel walking back toward the car, ready to continue their journey, she hurriedly said, "We'll talk when I get back, okay? You can yell at me or whatever you want then. I need to get in the car now. I'm hanging up."
Without waiting for his response, she ended the call.
In a terrible mood, she turned around and forced herself to compose her expression before walking toward the parking spot.
"All right, let's keep going." Settling into the car, she tried to act as if nothing had happened.
But Manuel wasn't stupid.
He'd observed all of Arabella's reactions.
Actually, from the moment he'd picked her up in the city, what he most wanted to ask about was what was really going on with her marriage to Gabriel.
Over the past few days, he'd deliberately made inquiries and heard quite a bit of gossip, including the scandalous rumors that had caused such a stir recently.
He had his own judgment - this elite marriage definitely wasn't as glamorous as it appeared on the surface.
It might even be worse than he imagined.
He just hadn't felt comfortable asking directly.
But now, seeing her forced smile and the length of that phone call, he understood. Pretending casualness, he asked, "That was Mr. Sterling calling?"
"Mm-hmm..."
"He doesn't feel comfortable with you traveling to Whispering Pines with me?"
Arabella hesitated, then forced another smile. "No... he was just asking where we were, telling us to drive safely."
Her relationship with Gabriel wasn't something she felt comfortable discussing in detail with Manuel. She didn't want to air these issues.
Manuel was somewhat surprised. "Really? It sounds like he cares about you a lot. You two must have a very good relationship."
Arabella didn't respond, just smiled faintly.
After a pause, Manuel couldn't help asking, "Arabella, how did you two meet and get married? Given the difference in your backgrounds, even if Mr. Sterling truly cared for you, his family should have been strongly opposed... I never imagined when you mentioned getting married two years ago that you were marrying into such a distinguished family."
Arabella had known that once she met with Manuel, he'd inevitably ask about this.
There was nothing to hide really, so she briefly explained the decades-old wartime bond between William and Robert.
"So that's how it happened!" Manuel was secretly amazed, then frowned slightly. "So... you and Mr. Sterling had no emotional foundation? Mr. William Sterling just arranged it, and you couldn't bear to refuse, so you married hastily?"
Arabella didn't know how to answer.
She was too embarrassed to admit that when she'd agreed to that rushed marriage, besides wanting to put William's mind at ease about his health, it was also because she'd been completely captivated by Gabriel at first sight.
After all, handsome and striking, with refined bearing, utterly charming in every gesture; how could she have resisted?
Afraid that saying this would make her seem frivolous and shallow, or that Manuel might think her materialistic and vain.
So after a brief silence, she laughed lightly and said, "Marriage to anyone would be the same anyway. Marriage is just about a man and woman living together."