Chapter 269 Sharing a Room
Jessica's heart was all over the place, and she felt this warm rush in her chest.
She was so lucky!
Marrying into a family like this and having in-laws who treated her like gold.
"Okay, Mom." She nodded like crazy.
When she called her "Mom," she felt this mix of guilt and gratitude.
Truth was, she and Gabriel were already divorced, but her in-laws had no clue; they really treated her like one of their own.
The nicer they were, the guiltier Jessica felt. She even thought they should come clean about the divorce; keeping it a secret just felt wrong. She couldn't enjoy their kindness with this lie hanging over her.
"Mom." Jessica looked at Danielle, trying to gather her courage.
"What's up? Got something to tell me?" Danielle asked.
Jessica clenched her hands and tried again, "Mom, actually, Gabriel and I..."
Before she could spill the beans, a big, firm hand grabbed hers.
Gabriel looked at her with those deep eyes and shook his head.
Jessica got the message, bit her lip, and kept quiet about the divorce.
"Why'd you stop? Jessica, tell me, is Gabriel giving you a hard time? It's okay, just tell me, and I'll handle him," Danielle said.
Jessica forced a smile and said, "No, Mom, I just wanted to say Gabriel treats me really well, so no worries."
"Good, then I'm relieved," Danielle said.
After dinner, it was already pretty dark outside.
Danielle jumped at the chance, saying, "Since it's late, you two should stay the night. I've got the room ready and clothes too. Stay and leave tomorrow morning."
Jessica didn't see that coming. Staying overnight meant sharing a room, and a bed, with Gabriel?
"Mom, but tomorrow..." Jessica started to make an excuse, but Gabriel cut her off.
"Okay, we'll stay tonight."
Jessica went quiet.
In the bedroom, Jessica sat on a chair, not saying a word.
Gabriel came over, looking apologetic. "I'm sorry, I know you're mad."
Jessica snapped, "If you know, why'd you decide for both of us? We're divorced; we shouldn't be sharing a room."
"I know." Gabriel nodded. "But for me, this is a rare chance to be close to you, Jessica. I don't want to give it up, even if you're mad, even if you blame me, even if you think I'm a jerk. I just don't want to give it up."
"Gabriel." Jessica said his name angrily. But when she saw his eyes, she swallowed her words.
"Fine, since you've already agreed, we'll stay. So how do you plan to sleep?" Jessica asked.
"You take the bed, I'll crash on the floor," Gabriel said.
Jessica nodded. "Okay. Then I'm going to..."
Before she could finish saying "take a shower," she suddenly covered her mouth and bolted to the bathroom.
"What's wrong?" Gabriel jumped up and followed her.
Standing outside the bathroom, he could hear her puking her guts out.
After a few minutes, Jessica finally opened the door and walked out, looking weak.
"Why are you puking so bad? Did you eat something sketchy?" Gabriel reached out to steady her, looking all worried.
After sipping some warm water, Jessica said softly, "Nah, I just stuffed myself tonight. Puking actually made me feel better."
Jessica paused, then looked at Gabriel, asking, "Are you planning to keep our divorce a secret from your folks forever? I feel super guilty when they’re so nice to me, . I think we should tell them about the divorce..."
Before she could finish, Gabriel cut her off. "Now's not the right time. I'll tell them when it is."
"And when's that gonna be?" Jessica demanded.
Hearing how eager she was to spill the beans, Gabriel felt a surge of irritation.
A wave of anger washed over him.
'Is she in such a rush? Can't wait to announce her newfound freedom?'
Gabriel yanked at his collar, then let go of Jessica's hand and stormed off to the balcony.
On the balcony, he took deep breaths.
Lighting a cigarette, he took several long drags before he calmed down a bit.
Good thing he walked away; otherwise, he might've done something he'd regret.
With a bitter smile, Gabriel pressed his hand against his aching heart.
He suddenly felt that karma was real. After all the crap he put her through, now he was getting his payback.
Seeing him leave, Jessica grabbed her clothes and headed to the bathroom.
After showering, she came back to the bed.
Half-asleep, she felt Gabriel return from the balcony.
The room was dimly lit by a single wall lamp, just enough to see around.
Suddenly, she felt a heavy weight on her, along with a strong smell of smoke.
Jessica immediately shut her eyes tight, keeping her hands and feet under the covers, not daring to move.
'Why's he coming over? Isn't he supposed to sleep on the floor?' Jessica wondered. She held her breath, but the weight on her kept growing.
She could feel Gabriel's whole body pressing down, getting heavier and heavier.
Especially the strong smell of smoke, which was filling her nostrils.
'What’s he trying to do?' Jessica thought.
Suddenly, a hand reached over, and Jessica's eyes flew open.
Her big, clear eyes looked at him, glistening with tears, leaving her speechless.
The next moment, she saw Gabriel's handsome, chiseled face getting closer and closer, filling her view.
When his face was just inches away, Jessica couldn't hold back anymore. She blinked rapidly and whispered, "Gabriel, what are you doing?"
Gabriel didn't say anything, just lowered his head, his deep eyes quietly watching her.
Time seemed to crawl by.
In the quiet room, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Jessica couldn't take it anymore and spoke first, "You reek of smoke. Did you smoke a lot?"
"Yeah, a bit too much." His voice was especially deep.
"Smoking too much is bad for you. You should cut down, and also..." Jessica reached out and pointed at his chin, "your stubble is scratching me."
