Chapter 280 You're Jessica, my Wife
Gabriel stared up at the sky for what felt like forever and finally muttered, "My mom had it rough."
"She wasn't my dad's first wife. She had a marriage before him, but it ended in a mess. Then she met my dad through some matchmaker, and they tied the knot."
"As far back as I can remember, their relationship was a rollercoaster. Their love and hate were so intertwined, it was impossible to tell which emotion ruled their relationship."
"So yeah, it's complicated. You'll get it eventually. Let's drop it for now. We gotta head back to the old family house. My folks can't make it, so we gotta play host."
Jessica nodded. "Sure thing."
When they rolled up to the ancestral villa, the place was already packed with friends and family.
The Walton family could've easily thrown the party at some fancy hotel, but Danielle was dead set on having it at the old villa and brought in a top-tier chef team to handle the food.
She thought it was the only way Xavier would feel the warmth of home.
No matter how swanky a hotel was, it always felt too cold and impersonal.
As they got out of the car, Gabriel still had Jessica's hand in his.
Jessica tugged at his sleeve and asked, "You want me to greet the guests with you?"
She had never shown up at any of the Walton family's business events as his wife. Plus, their marriage was a well-kept secret, known to only a few. If they greeted the guests together, her cover would be blown.
"Sorry." Gabriel quickly let go of her hand.
"It's cool. You go ahead. I'll come in a few minutes later," Jessica said.
"Alright," Gabriel replied.
Before the luncheon kicked off, Danielle and Jonah showed up, looking like they had patched things up a bit.
With so many people around, Jessica just found a random spot to grab some food.
By around one o'clock, most of the guests had left, and the villa felt a bit emptier.
Having woken up early and caught a chill at the cemetery, Jessica felt a headache coming on, so she went back to her room to crash.
Half-asleep, she felt like she had just dozed off for a few minutes when she felt a weight on her body.
Startled, she was about to scream when she realized it was Gabriel, who had flopped onto the bed, pinning her down.
He reeked of booze and lay there like a sack of potatoes.
"Gabriel." Jessica reached out to push him and called his name.
No response.
"Gabriel, wake up!" Jessica called a few more times. But Gabriel stayed on top of her, dead to the world, completely hammered.
She figured he had gotten wasted while entertaining the guests.
Jessica had no choice but to get out of bed, help him onto the bed, take off his shoes and outer clothes, wipe his face and neck, and let him rest.
After all that, Jessica took a deep breath and was about to put away the towel. But before she could leave, Gabriel grabbed her wrist.
Then, in a slurred, bossy voice, he said, "Don't go, stay with me."
Jessica replied, "You're drunk. I need to put away the towel. You sleep first."
But Gabriel wasn't having it and kept a tight grip on her wrist.
"No, I want you to stay with me," he insisted.
Seeing Gabriel in his bossy, drunk state, Jessica knew arguing was pointless. She had to play it cool. "How about you sleep first, and I'll come back to stay with you later, okay?"
"No, I want you now," Gabriel insisted.
Jessica looked at him, half-amused, half-annoyed. "Do you even know who I am?"
"You're Jessica, my wife," Gabriel blurted out.
Jessica thought to herself, 'We're already divorced; who's still your wife?'
"Honey, come on, come sleep with me, okay? I can't sleep without you, honey."
Gabriel kept calling her "honey," getting more desperate by the second.
"Gabriel, I'm telling you, don't act crazy. I'm not your..." Before Jessica could finish, Gabriel yanked her, and she fell onto him.
Next thing she knew, he had her in his arms and on the bed.
He even pushed her to the far side of the bed.
His arms, like steel bands, wrapped around her waist, holding her tight.
Now she was completely stuck. Without him letting go, she couldn't move an inch.
Gabriel, on the other hand, stopped acting crazy once he had her on the bed. He just held her, resting his head in the crook of her neck, and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Looking at Gabriel, Jessica suddenly felt like she was waking up from a dream.
Had she been tricked?
Was Gabriel not really drunk but just fooling her?
The more she thought about it, the more Jessica felt something was off.
With his drinking capacity, he shouldn't get drunk so easily. Andhe seemed to have taken an antidote beforehand.
Realizing these points, Jessica became certain. "Hey, Gabriel, wake up. You're not really drunk, are you?"
But Gabriel kept his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep.
"Stop pretending. I know you're not drunk." Jessica poked him.
Gabriel grabbed her delicate finger, then turned over, pinning Jessica beneath him.
His alcohol-laden breath hit her face. "Babe, don't bother me. Be quiet. I have a headache. I want to sleep."
Jessica was furious. "Stop calling me that. I'm not your wife anymore."
"I don't care. You're Jessica, and Jessica is my wife."
Jessica fell silent.
Gabriel clung to her like an octopus, and Jessica couldn't break free.
In the end, she could only cover them both with a blanket.
In such cold weather, if they didn't cover up, they would both catch a cold.
Seeing Jessica quiet down, close her eyes, and stop struggling, Gabriel finally opened his eyes slightly, a satisfied and triumphant smile on his lips.
But Jessica didn't know any of this because she had already fallen asleep.
When she woke up, she still felt a bit groggy.
She looked around and found that Gabriel was no longer there; the spot beside her was empty.
Rubbing her head, Jessica opened her eyes again.
Indeed, she was alone in the room.
But she remembered that before she fell asleep, Gabriel had insisted on sleeping with her.
Had she remembered wrong? Was it all just a dream?
She checked the time and found it was already eight in the evening.
How had she slept so long?
Without delay, Jessica grabbed her phone and headed downstairs, only to run into Sarah, the last person she wanted to see.
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