Chapter 26 You Gave Me a Fright
"Because...," Gabriel searched for a convincing excuse, "it tastes awful."
"Does it? Let me try." Jessica scooped a spoonful, about to taste it when suddenly, Gabriel leaned in, engulfing her spoonful of soup in one swift move, devouring the bird's nest completely.
"You did that on purpose," Jessica pouted, glaring at him.
To her further surprise, the next moment Gabriel picked up the bowl and downed the rest of the bird's nest soup in one go.
Staring at the empty glass bowl, Jessica blinked vigorously. "Are you hungry or something?"
"Nope," he replied plainly.
"Then why are you snatching my food?" she asked, still confused.
Furthermore, she remembered clearly that he never liked bird's nest soup. In the past, he'd even complained about it when she had it at home.
What was up with him today, finishing it all in one fell swoop and not leaving any for her?
The knocking on the door interrupted her thoughts.
As Jessica opened it, Charlotte stood there, all smiles. "Have you and Gabriel finished the soup, Jessica? I'll take the bowls down," Charlotte asked.
"Oh, yes, we're done. Hang on a sec, Charlotte." Jessica quickly handed her the two bowls.
Seeing the spotless bowls, Charlotte’s smile deepened, repeatedly exclaiming, "Good, good, that's wonderful!"
Once Charlotte descended the stairs, Danielle eagerly inquired, "How did it go? Did they finish it?"
"All gone, Madam. Gabriel and Jessica had it all," Charlotte replied, her face beaming with joy.
Danielle allowed herself a rare smile, "I can't believe Jessica's belly won't be stirring after this."
"Madam, your efforts are heartfelt. Gabriel will understand, don't worry. Jessica is sure to have a baby," Charlotte chimed.
Back in the bedroom, Jessica closed the door and was still perplexed. It was just a bowl of bird's nest soup, wasn't it? Why was Charlotte so thrilled?
She had a nagging feeling that both Charlotte and Gabriel were acting strangely tonight.
"Come clean, are you keeping something from me?" Jessica asked Gabriel, her expression deadly serious.
Gabriel wasn't about to confess; he spread his hands out and said, “No, what could I possibly hide from you?”
But no sooner had he spoken than he felt another wave of heat explode within him, stronger than before. It had been half an hour, right on cue for whatever was afflicting him to hit.
Gabriel's face quickly flushed hot, as though he'd just stepped out of a steam room, his tanned skin showing a visible rosy hue. And it wasn't just his face; a redness began spreading across his body.
Jessica noticed his abnormal condition right away and hurried over, “What's wrong with you? Why is your face so red?”
“I'm fine,” Gabriel insisted, fighting to keep up appearances.
Especially when his eyes settled on her cute pajamas, revealing her soft, snow-like skin at the neckline, he felt the heat within him churn even more violently.
“How can you be fine? Your face is so red, you're sweating all over. Gabriel don't scare me. Did you drink too much today? Are you having an allergic reaction to the alcohol?” she said worriedly.
“Don't panic, I'll call someone for help. We'll go to the hospital,” Jessica said, growing anxious and reaching for her phone.
Seeing this, Gabriel grabbed her wrist, barely managing to say, “I'm okay, it's not an allergic reaction; I just accidentally drank something earlier.”
"Something? What did you drink?" she asked, clueless.
As she blinked at him, innocently adorable and pure, her eyelashes fluttering like delicate fans. Then, Gabriel could no longer contain himself, his Adam's apple bobbing fiercely. In a swift motion, he pulled Jessica into his arms.
"What's going on with you, Gabriel—" she began to ask but before she could finish, Gabriel pinned her to the bed in a dizzying whirl.
His breath was on her face, enveloping her closely as their noses touched. Jessica held her breath, almost too afraid to move at all.
But Gabriel's breathing became increasingly labored, his body's heat scorching. The sweat on his forehead dripped down like crazy.
Terrified, Jessica held onto him, pressing for answers, “Gabriel, what's happening? Please don't scare me!”
Gabriel let out a husky chuckle from the depths of his throat, “Silly girl, you really don't get it?”
She looked at him, bewildered. He couldn't hold back any longer; he bent down and kissed her fiercely. Not until a tear fell onto his hand.
Then another, and another.
At last, as tears streamed down their cheeks pressed together, Gabriel finally snapped out of it.
With her lips trembling and eyes clouded with tears, Jessica looked at him, her face a mix of hurt and concern. "You hurt me. My lips really hurt."
Gabriel glanced down and noticed for the first time how swollen her lips had become.
He cradled her face in his hands, their foreheads touching as he tenderly apologized, "I'm so sorry, Jessica. It wasn't intentional."
"I'm sorry..." he whispered gently.
Jessica, crying, wrapped her arms around him and looked up at him through a tear-stained face, "Tell me what's wrong with you. You were so harsh, you scared me."
"Do you know why I didn't want you to drink the bird's nest soup?" Gabriel asked.
Jessica lifted her head, her eyes brimming with tears, and shook it, clearly clueless.
"Because the hangover soup Mom made for me had something added to it. If I'm not mistaken, your bowl of bird's nest had it too... She's eager to have a grandchild."
Even Jessica, naive as she was, understood now. "You mean, that... that kind of thing?" Jessica's face flushed beet red as she spoke.
"Are you feeling terrible?" she asked, full of sympathy for him.
Gabriel's voice came out through gritted teeth, "What do you think?"
"What can we do about it? Is there a way to counteract it?" she asked, innocently.
"You," he said.
"Huh?" Jessica didn't quite catch his meaning.
Gabriel leaned down and kissed her lips again, "Silly girl, you’re my cure. All it takes is sleeping together and I’ll be fine."
Jessica lowered her head, "But we're getting a divorce tomorrow. We can't..."
That was exactly why Gabriel had been struggling to hold on. If they were still truly husband and wife, if they weren't getting a divorce tomorrow, he wouldn't have to endure this much. But knowing they were about to divorce and still desiring her like that would be utterly bastardly.
"I know you won't agree; don't worry, I won't touch you," Gabriel assured her.
Jessica nodded and asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Draw me a cold bath; I need to soak," he requested.
"Okay." Jessica quickly filled the tub with cold water. Without hesitation, Gabriel stepped in, submerging his body.
The water seemed bone-chilling cold to Jessica, yet he sat down in it so casually.
"Aren't you going to catch a cold?" Jessica asked, concerned about his condition.
"I won't. Please, give me some space now." Gabriel said this with his eyes closed, trying to find some relief.
"You still seem to be in a lot of pain," Jessica said, worried.
