Chapter 29 My Dear Gabriel, I Love You
Jessica was taken aback; she hadn't expected Xavier to already know about Diana's return. "Xavier, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep it from you."
Xavier continued, "I knew that you didn't want to burden me with worry, but now that she's back, have you considered what you're going to do?"
What to do? She wanted to ask herself the same question. What else could she do?
The truth was, from the moment Diana returned and Gabriel asked for a divorce, she had exhausted every trick in her book. She had tried to understand him, to hold on to him. But nothing kept him by her side.
Once a man sets his mind on divorce, not even a team of oxen could pull him back. She was out of options. Completely.
Jessica lifted her head, her lips parting to tell Xavier, "It's okay, I've decided to let things end amicably and proceed with the divorce."
But as she looked up at Xavier's head of silvery hair and his weathered face, her words got stuck in her throat, leaving her clueless about how to start.
"Darlin', what's on your mind? You know if you need Xavier's help, you must tell me right away. Two years ago, I managed to send that woman packing, and I can do it again now if need be,"he said, implying that he still could pull some strings if need be.
"No." Jessica rejected the idea instantly, without a second thought.
If Diana were to leave, Gabriel would certainly suspect she had manipulated Xavier into it. He would think she was the one scheming, crying to Xavier until he drove Diana away. And then she'd have no chance to clear her name, even if she had a hundred explanations.
Since she had already decided to leave... Why make things more painful for them both? She didn't want to leave an image of a jealous shrew in Gabriel's mind.
"Xavier, I appreciate it, but I'd like to handle things with Gabriel on my own,"she said, cooly.
Xavier sighed heavily and nodded. "All right, I respect your wishes. But promise me, if you ever need my help, you'll let me know."
"Sure, Xavier, I promise. When the time comes, I'll certainly reach out for your support."
All day long, Gabriel didn't come home. In the evening, after Jessica had finished her shower, there was a knock at the door.
She thought it was him and hurried to open it, only to find Danielle. "Mom, you must be here for a reason."
"Has Gabriel not come home yet?" Danielle asked directly.
"Yeah, he called earlier, said he's tied up with work, and that he'll be home late." Jessica knew her excuses wouldn't fool Danielle.
"Did you two fight?" she probed further.
Realizing she couldn't hide the truth, Jessica nodded. "We've hit a rough patch, but Mom, please don't worry. We'll sort it out."
"About last night, I owe you an apology," Mom began, her voice weighed down by regret. "I just wanted to bring you two closer, hoping you'd start a family soon. But it seems I made a mess of things instead, making you drift apart."
When Danielle voiced her remorse, Jessica immediately understood, recalling the spiked soup from the evening before.
"Mom, I know you meant well. How could I be mad at you?" Jessica said, her voice soft with forgiveness.
After Danielle left, Jessica found solace in the stillness of her room. Glancing at her phone, she noted it was already ten o'clock.
He hadn't come home. Two more hours crept by, and by midnight, Gabriel was still absent.
Picking up her phone again, Jessica scrolled through her social feed and did a double-take.
Refresh. Refresh again.
There it was – clear as day – Diana's latest post. She had shared a couple of selfies, each one with her smile radiating a soft, alluring charm. But it was the last picture that caught Jessica's eye: a man's hand.
A single look was all it took for Jessica to recognize Gabriel's hand. Those elongated fingers, pale and pristine. There was no chance of mistaking it.
And there, on his ring finger, was the wedding band they had chosen together. The same one she had slid onto his finger on their wedding day. Impossible to mistake it for something else.
Yet, that wasn't what hurt the most.
What truly pierced her heart was the intimate showcase of affection in Diana's posts. "If a man who never eats late-night snacks starts to join you, breaking all his rules, waiting unconditionally to make you his bride, I can't think of a more beautiful, more everlasting promise than marriage. Dear Timothy, I love you," Diana had written.
Below the post was a large, red heart, liked by none other than Gabriel.
Jessica turned her phone off, switched off the light, and burrowed into her bed, seeking refuge under the covers.
The next morning, she didn't delay in packing her bags. With a heavy heart, she told Xavier and her mother-in-law about her desire to return home.
She could see Xavier was reluctant to let her go. Truth be told, so was she. But she and Gabriel had reached a glacier in their relationship. A day or two might have been concealable. Any longer, and the charade would become unbearable.
After breakfast, she took the car and left.
Upon reaching the city center, she told the driver, "This is fine, thank you."
"But Jessica, Mr. Walton insisted I see you home safely," the chauffer insisted.
"Don't worry, someone's coming to pick me up." With those final words, she exited the car.
Once the car disappeared from her view, Jessica dragged her suitcase to the bus stop. She had missed the bus which meant that she would need to wait a while for the next. After about fifteen minutes, her bus finally arrived.
To her surprise, what started as a sparse crowd at the bus stop swiftly grew into a bustling throng.
The moment the bus came to a halt, everyone rushed to board, clamoring inside as if it were the last chopper out of a war zone.
Dragging her suitcase, she was at a disadvantage amidst the scramble. Pushed amid the surge of commuters, she ended up being the last one squeezing on board. But the bus’s step was high, and her luggage was heavy.
As she fretted over how to heave it on, a deep, resonant voice reached her ears, "Let me help."
Before she could even process it, her suitcase was gracefully lifted by a man’s slender fingers and firmly placed inside.
It had been so long since she’d taken a bus that Jessica momentarily forgot to pay her fare.
The driver's voice, now tinged with irritation, boomed, “Hey, young lady—the one with long hair in a yellow dress, you need to put in your fare!”
Only then did Jessica remember that she carried no change on her.
The driver's call out drew immediate attention to her. Being someone who easily blushed, Jessica’s cheeks flared with embarrassing warmth.
At her wit’s end, the man nonchalantly tossed in four coins. His voice, smooth as aged whiskey, filled the space again: "I've got her covered."
"Thank you so much!" Jessica said, appreciatively.
Jessica took the opportunity to look at him. He stood tall and straight, exuding an air of integrity, his presence as striking as a pine tree. There was an unmistakable aura of upright character about him, his demeanor combining handsomeness with the mature firmness that Gabriel's face didn't quite match.
"Thank you for helping me twice," she said. "Let's do this, how about I add you on WhatsApp, and I can send you the fare through that."
His piercing gaze swept over her, noncommittal.
Worried that he might get the wrong impression, Jessica quickly clarified, "Please don't misunderstand—I'm not trying to get your contact for any other reason. Once I've sent you the fare, if you prefer not to have me in your contacts, feel free to block me."
Yet, the man stood tall, unfazed.
Just as Jessica thought that he'd remain silent, he pulled out his phone and brought up his QR code.
