Chapter 192 Gabriel was heartbroken
"Calm down?"
Jack scoffed, slamming his hands on the door, trapping Jessica between it and his body.
Jessica's breath quickened, fear creeping in.
"Jack, we're in the office. Don't do anything stupid."
"Well, I feel like being stupid."
With that, Jack grabbed her chin and kissed her.
Jessica's eyes went wide. Without much thought, she yelled "No!" and slapped him hard.
The slap echoed in the quiet office, loud and clear.
For a moment, they both froze.
Jack stared at her, shocked.
She hit him?
She actually hit him?
Jessica looked at her hand, fear setting in after the slap.
She couldn't stay there. She bolted out the door.
As she ran out of Jack's office, her phone rang.
No time to answer, she just kept running, down the stairs, then took the elevator to the break room. She locked the door and finally exhaled.
The phone rang again. It was Gabriel.
But how could she face him now?
Even though she felt wronged.
Even though she felt miserable.
She didn't want Gabriel to worry.
Still shaken, her heart pounded.
Her hand trembled, and she dropped the phone.
When she picked it up, she saw her reflection, tears streaming down her face.
Gabriel called again. She didn't want to delay but also didn't want him to see her crying. She wiped her tears, fixed her hair, and answered the video call.
Instantly, she forced a cheerful smile.
"Gabriel, did you arrive?"
"Just got here," Gabriel replied. "Jessica, did something happen?"
Jessica smiled and shook her head. "No, why do you ask?"
"You called me several times, and I tried calling you back but got no answer. I was worried."
"No, I was just worried because you hadn't contacted me by the expected time, so I called a few times. I was delayed by a patient with a special condition, nothing serious. Don't overthink it."
Jessica pinched her palm, forcing herself to stay calm.
"Sorry, the plane hit some turbulence and was delayed." Gabriel explained.
"It's okay. I knew if you didn't answer, it meant you hadn't arrived yet. Otherwise, you would have called me."
Though Jessica seemed fine in the video, not crying, not trembling, and smiling all the time, Gabriel's sharp eyes noticed something was off. Almost the moment she answered, he sensed it.
Her eyes were red.
Tear marks on her cheeks. If he guessed right, she had been crying.
And her hair was clearly just tidied up.
All signs pointed to something being wrong.
"Jessica, are you really okay?" Gabriel asked, worry etched on his face.
"I'm fine, really. Don't worry about me. Everything's fine here. Focus on your work. I'll be waiting for you to come back," Jessica said, forcing another smile.
But the more she smiled, the more she pretended to be strong, the worse he felt.
Never had he felt so powerless.
But over the phone, what could he do for her?
All he could offer was comfort.
He couldn't even give her a hug.
Only now did he realize how luxurious a hug could be for people separated by distance.
"Jessica, if anything happens, don't hide it from me. Tell me, and I'll face it with you."
"Okay, I know."
Jessica nodded, then said, "Gabriel, I'm a bit tired. I want to rest."
"Alright, get some rest."
Though he wanted to see her more and hear her voice more, seeing Jessica's poor state and haggard face, he had to end the call.
After hanging up, Jessica felt completely drained, collapsing against the door and sliding down to sit on the floor.
Only then did she sit on the ground, tightly hugging herself, and cried out loud, letting her tears flow.
Fortunately, the call ended; otherwise, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to hold back.
If it had been a moment later, just a moment later, she would have broken down and told him all her fears and grievances.
But he was abroad now. What good would it do to tell him?
It wouldn't solve the problem, only make him worry more.
She didn't want to be just a burden to him; she wanted to be someone who could face challenges with him.
She was wronged and sad.
Who wouldn't want their beloved to be by their side at such a time?
But she had to learn to be strong.
Meanwhile, Gabriel immediately called Oscar after hanging up, "Jessica must have been wronged at the hospital. Find out what happened, but keep it low-key. Don't let her know."
"Yes, Mr. Walton."
Oscar acted quickly. After all, there were cameras everywhere in the hospital.
With a few inquiries, Jessica's movements in the hospital that morning were clear.
The whole morning, although tired, her mood was normal, and she was working energetically.
The change happened after noon, after she went to Jack's office.
Oscar didn't delay, reporting his findings to Gabriel immediately.
"You sure?"
"Mr. Walton, I'm very sure."
On the other end of the line, Gabriel remained in the same position for a long time, seemingly frozen.
His face was cold, devoid of any warmth, exuding a dark and terrifying aura, his whole demeanor heavy.
Jack?
Him again.
What he couldn't tolerate was that Jack had taken an interest in Jessica.
Thinking of Jessica's smile during their video call, Gabriel felt heartbroken.
Clearly, Jessica had been hurt, scared, and wronged, yet she couldn't release to him. Instead, she had to force a smile to comfort him, to keep him from worrying.
It was his fault.
It was all his fault for not being by her side at such an important time, for not being there for her.
Unable to stay calm, Gabriel immediately called Jessica on video again.
