Chapter 131 The Last Tenderness Before Parting 1
"Do you really want a divorce?" Gabriel looked at her and asked with difficulty.
"Yes." Jessica's answer was brief, but Gabriel could see the certainty and determination in her eyes, with almost no hesitation.
He was hurt, he was in pain.
He was reluctant.
But what was the point of his reluctance?
He had no right to keep her by his side.
Gabriel said, "I can agree to it, but I have one condition."
Jessica replied, "What condition?"
Gabriel looked at her. "Once you’ve recovered, accompany me to my grandparents' old residence."
Jessica nodded. "Okay, I agree."
For the past few days, Jessica had been recuperating at home. Gabriel had hired several professionals. One to guide her through physical therapy; a nutritionist to manage her daily meals; and Avery, who prepared the meals according to the nutritionist's plans.
Under professional guidance, Jessica's recovery was indeed faster, and her complexion had become rosier.
As for the baby, she and Gabriel seemed to have a mutual understanding and never mentioned it again.
They was acutely aware that it had become an untouchable scar in their hearts, one that hurt and bled at the slightest touch.
No one dared to bring it up again.
Even if the wound festered into sores in the heart, they wouldn't dare to reopen it anymore.
On the fifth day of her recovery, Jessica received a call from Kathleen.
"Mrs. Hernandez, have you returned to the country?" Jessica finally had a hint of a smile on her face.
Kathleen replied, "Jessica, I might need some more time here. If you're in a hurry, you can go to the hospital and find another mentor."
Jessica explained softly, "Mrs. Hernandez, don't worry about it. I'll wait for you to come back. Besides, I have some things to handle here, so it won't delay anything."
Hearing Jessica say this, Kathleen felt much more at ease.
After hanging up the phone, Jessica let out a sigh of relief.
Although everything had been terrible recently, and her life seemed to have plunged into a deep, dark valley. Fortunately, God hadn't been too cruel, allowing a ray of sunshine to pierce through her bleak life.
Originally, she should have started her job at the hospital.
The hospital had assigned her a mentor. When Jessica saw the list, she was extremely surprised because her mentor was Mrs. Hernandez.
Mrs. Hernandez was the wife of Percy Hernandez, her graduate school advisor.
At that time, Jessica felt fortunate to have a professor guiding her, and many new interns were envious of her.
Later, Jessica learned that it was all thanks to Percy's help, which moved her to tears.
Percy simply patted her shoulder and encouraged her to do her best.
As a doctor, saving lives was her duty. Since she chose this path, she would see it through to the end.
She was fortunate that her life hadn't become completely hopeless.
Now that Mrs. Hernandez would be returning a bit later, it gave her the opportunity to sort out her feelings.
Once she started her job, it would be a brand new beginning.
These days, Gabriel was always out early and back late, and Jessica rarely saw him.
In the morning, he would be gone by the time she got up.
At night, he would return after she had fallen asleep.
Late at night, when Jessica was asleep, Gabriel would quietly sneak into her room and sit by her side.
Sometimes, he would stand by her side, looking at her with longing and reluctance.
Sometimes, he would simply tell her about his day.
Sometimes, he would say nothing, just quietly watching her, as if he could never get enough.
When he left, he would bend down and place a gentle kiss on her forehead.
For seven consecutive days, Gabriel did this every day.
That night, he came back very late, reeking of alcohol.
Gabriel worried that the strong smell of alcohol would disturb Jessica, so he took a shower and changed into clean clothes before going to her room.
When he arrived, Jessica was already asleep. Her peaceful and gentle face under the moonlight was endearing.
Her eyes were closed, and her rosy lips were slightly pursed.
But if Gabriel had looked more closely, he would have noticed her eyelashes trembling slightly.
He sat down barefoot on the floor right next to Jessica.
He didn't remember how long he sat there before he turned around, gazing longingly at Jessica's gentle face. "Honey, this might be the last time I can call you that. There are 365 days in a year. Over two years, we've spent more than 800 days and nights together. I had so much time to call you that, but I never cherished it."
Gabriel murmured, "I know you can't forgive me. In fact, I can't forgive myself either. Do you know why I want to take you to my grandparents' old residence?"
Gabriel continued, "When Xavier and Ximena were alive, they were very much in love. From what I can recall, Xavier always protected and cherished Ximena. I wanted to tell you that I also want to treat you like Xavier treated Ximena. I have a selfish wish; I hope that after seeing Xavier and Ximena's old residence, you will reconsider our marriage and give me another chance. But I only dare to tell you this while you're asleep, secretly!"
It turned out that the famous, invincible Gabriel also had moments of weakness and fear.
He had never imagined this before, but when the day came, and the person appeared, he realized that nothing was impossible in this world.
In the past, he had been too arrogant, too proud.
As he was about to leave, Gabriel lowered his head, preparing to place a precious kiss on her forehead as usual.
Looking at Jessica's peaceful face, he leaned down, but just as his kiss was about to land on her forehead, he changed his mind.
His gaze fell on Jessica's soft, rosy lips, and suddenly, he didn't want to think about anything. He lowered his head and kissed her without hesitation.
Her lips were soft and tender.
The warm touch, like a memory, kept him lingering.
This might be the last chance, so he let himself be indulgent, just this once.
"I'm sorry, Jessica!" Finally, Gabriel said this and quietly left the room.
As soon as he left, Jessica gently opened her eyes.
She hadn't been asleep; she knew the moment Gabriel came in.
She just didn't know how to face him, so she pretended to be asleep.
After weathering all the storms, they had ultimately missed each other. When she married him, she had placed all her hopes on the line, believing that with time, they would eventually fall in love, that he would forget the past and fall in love with her.
But now she understood that 'time' was useless in the face of love.
Some people fell in love at first sight, like her.
And some people, even in a lifetime, would never fall in love, like Gabriel.
In the end, they were destined to be apart.
The next morning, they packed their bags and headed to his grandparents' hometown, the last stop before their divorce.
The round trip would take three days. After three days, they would each embark on a new journey, with no more ties.
