Chapter 199 You Are Not Allowed to Disappear Anymore
Gabriel spoke, "Jessica, it's me."
Hearing Gabriel's voice, Jessica broke down in tears.
All her days of worry and longing ended right then.
"Gabriel," she managed to say, but her voice cracked, and she couldn't continue.
All Gabriel could hear were her soft sobs.
His heart ached. Gabriel apologized, "Jessica, don't cry. I'm so sorry I made you worry."
He assured her, "I'm fine. Everything's good here."
"Then why didn't you answer my calls? Do you know how many times I tried to reach you?" she questioned. Jessica's pent-up frustration and fear finally burst out.
Jessica informed, "Gabriel, you have no idea how scared I was. I thought something terrible happened to you. I was afraid I'd never see you again."
After letting it all out, she felt a bit of relief, like she could finally breathe again.
Gabriel's heart broke even more as he listened.
Jessica wiped her tears and softly said, "Turn on the video. I need to see you're really okay."
Gabriel complied, "Okay."
When the video came on and she saw Gabriel looking well in his shirt, she finally felt a bit relieved.
But Gabriel noticed, and said, "Have you not been eating? You look so thin."
Jessica had been too worried to eat properly, but she didn't want him to worry.
Smiling, she said, "No, maybe it's just the video filter."
"Filter or not, you need to take care of yourself. Get a bit chubby so I can hold you comfortably when I get back," Gabriel teased.
Jessica laughed, she rebutted playfully, "Then I'd be a little pig, too fat and ugly!"
Gabriel teased affectionately, "No way, my Jessica is always the most beautiful. I like you with a bit of flesh; it's more comfortable to hold."
Jessica replied, "You sweet talker."
Nearby, Diana sat in a wheelchair, wishing she could disappear. She hated Jessica. Watching Gabriel and Jessica being affectionate felt like a thousand arrows piercing her heart.
Before hanging up, Jessica warned, "Gabriel, you can't do this again. No more disappearing, no more not answering my calls. If you do, I won't talk to you anymore."
Gabriel assured her, "Okay, I promise, Jessica."
After hanging up, Gabriel noticed tears on Diana's face. She quickly turned away, wiping her tears.
Diana apologized, "I'm sorry, I couldn't control myself. Listening to you guys, I felt nostalgic for when we were together."
Realizing her mistake, she corrected herself, and said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned our past. Jessica is your girlfriend now."
"Diana," Gabriel sighed, walking towards her. He said, "There are some things I think—"
Before he could finish, Diana suddenly slumped to the side, and both she and the wheelchair fell to the ground.
Gabriel exclaimed, "Diana!"
He picked her up, urgently calling for a doctor.
Since they were in a hospital, a doctor arrived quickly.
"How is she?" Gabriel asked.
After examining her, the doctor stood up. "She fainted from exhaustion. I remember her; she didn't sleep or eat properly while you were in a coma these past two days. Now that you're awake, she couldn't hold on any longer."
The doctor advised, "Girls are delicate. Take good care of her."
Gabriel replied, "Okay, thank you, doctor."
The doctor hesitated.
Gabriel urged, "It's okay, just say it."
The doctor continued, "When I examined her, I found her body covered in injuries such as bruises and red marks everywhere. It's quite shocking."
The doctor hesitated, "And some..."
As a female doctor, she found it hard to say as she added, "Many of the injuries are in private areas. I don't know what she went through, but she stayed by your side despite her condition, waiting for you to wake up."
The doctor remarked, "She must care about you a lot. Take good care of her and comfort her."
With that, the doctor left.
Gabriel walked over to Diana, who was sleeping on the bed.
Her face looked haggard and pale.
She had lost a lot of weight.
Standing beside her, Gabriel felt an overwhelming heaviness and pressure.
Guilt washed over him like a tide, almost drowning him.
Thinking of what the doctor had said, he couldn't help but push up her sleeve.
Seeing her arm covered in bruises, his heart ached even more.
He looked at her other arm, and it was even worse.
Gabriel's heart grew heavier.
---
Having contacted Gabriel, Jessica finally felt relieved.
When she left the house in the morning, she was in a good mood.
She always felt that with each passing morning, she was one day closer to his return.
However, Jessica never dreamed that as soon as she stepped out, she would encounter a nightmare.
Carter was squatting downstairs in the neighborhood. When he saw Jessica, he took a big bite of bread, drank some water, and then ran over frantically.
Jessica almost instinctively wanted to stay far away from him.
However, Carter ran up like a madman and blocked Jessica's path.
Jessica asked impatiently, "What are you doing here?"
Blocked by him, Jessica had to stop and looked at him with annoyance.
After so many years, she was used to it.
Every time Carter came to her, it was to ask for something or because he was in big trouble.
Most often, it was for money.
Never once did he come to fulfill a father's duty.
However, this time, just as Jessica was about to ask what he wanted, Carter immediately shook his head.
Then, he took out a tightly wrapped bag from his coat, opened it, and handed the contents to Jessica with a grin, "I bought the hot dogs you loved so much when you were a child. There were so many people, I waited in line for a long time to get them."
Carter added, "I kept it warm for you, it's still hot, try it."
Jessica stared at him, stunned, unable to react for a long time.
Carter bringing her food?
And her favorite hot dogs?
How was that possible?
It felt like a dream.
Jessica stood there, dazed, not reaching out to take it.
At this moment, Carter smiled and said, "Jessica, what are you standing there for? It's cold this morning, if you don't eat soon, they will get cold."
Saying that, he immediately stuffed the hot dog into Jessica's hand.
