Chapter 295: The Agony of Solitude
“You’re Pierre’s woman. Did you come here to make things worse between us?” Gabriel whispered.
“So you fear him.” Alison steadied her nerves.
Though the chill against her neck unsettled her, her fear gradually faded.
“Who says that?” he growled.
“Don’t be so full of yourself. Don’t think I won’t touch you.”
Leaning closer to her ear, he brushed a breath across her ear, hot enough to make her pulse quicken.
She swung at his knife-wielding arm.
“Get that knife away from me! Don’t try to scare me with it.”
But it didn’t work; he still held it steady.
“Leave now! Pierre’s woman isn’t welcome here.”
Alison raised an eyebrow.
“But I’m not his woman. That was just his wishful thinking. Gabriel, I only came to thank you.”
“For what?” His tone was a low growl thick with mockery.
“There’s nothing to thank me for. Now get out.”
He pushed her toward the door, his hand hard on her shoulder.
“Hey, stop! Thank you for calling Colton to save me.”
“Colton? I don’t know him. You might have the wrong person. Now, please leave.”
He pushed her away.
The door slammed shut before she could steady herself.
Ignoring the throbbing pain in her foot, she pressed herself against his door.
“Gabriel, open the door! If you don’t, I’ll make sure your neighbors won’t get any peace!”
“Whatever.” His tone was cold and showed no sign of yielding.
“Gabriel, you bastard! Open up! I’ll scream until the whole block hears me!” she shouted.
She was determined to have a proper talk with him.
Her shouts lit up several windows in the darkness.
“What the hell is the matter with this noise?” someone grumbled.
A few more murmurs followed, but Gabriel remained silent.
Alison’s face flushed.
“Fine, I’ll jump off this building! I’ll make you regret it for the rest of your life!”
She sat down on the steps and let her legs swing into the void, daring him to test her resolve.
The neighbors shouted.
“Someone’s going to die!”
“She’s going to jump!”
“She’ll take both of us with her!”
…
People chattered and gossiped, bringing the night back to life.
Yet he showed no sign of opening the door.
Alison stopped the charade.
She stood up and went back to the rooftop.
“Forget it, Gabriel. I won’t cause a scene anymore. I’ll get an abortion. Goodbye. I mean, I’ll never see you again.”
With that, she hurried toward the stairs, the faint sighs of others echoing behind her.
Stepping out of the building, she walked straight back the way she came.
She stopped in front of a tree.
There was something fatally alluring about Gabriel —something dark and magnetic that refused to let her go.
Judging that the cottage had grown quiet, she crept back once more.
This time, she resolved to make no sound, planning to burst unexpectedly into Gabriel’s room.
She crept back to the small building.
This time, she made absolutely no sound, each breath shallow, controlled.
Finally, she approached the small attic window and peered inside through a narrow crack.
Gabriel was sitting on the floor, trembling.
He was huddled in a ball, hugging his knees.
Was he an addict?
No, that couldn’t be.
She couldn’t believe the scene before her.