Chapter 60 Gabriel, Let Me Go
The car window slowly slid down, revealing Gabriel’s cold, emotionless face, looking even more icy under the moonlight.
"Gabriel?" Jessica was shocked to see him. "What are you doing here?"
Hadn't she told him she was staying at school today? There was no need for him to pick her up, was there?
Despite the exhaustion and hardship of the last few days, she had endured it all silently, not wanting to disturb him.
Even lying alone in the hospital bed, her emotions were calm, like a pond undisturbed by any ripples. So, she had convinced herself she was calm, that she didn’t need him.
But now, with him appearing so suddenly before her, Jessica realized just how wrong she was. It wasn't indifference, it was caring too much. So, she had been relentlessly suppressing her feelings, trying to avoid thinking about him. But the moment she saw him, all those emotions crumbled.
She had never imagined Gabriel would come to the school to pick her up that night; it was something that had never happened before.
Previously, it was always Oscar who would drive her, Gabriel had never personally come. Pushing her emotions aside, Jessica glanced at him and quickly turned, walking briskly ahead.
Seeing Jessica ignore him and not get into the car, her small figure stubbornly weaving through the night, Gabriel rubbed his forehead with a forceful hand.
"Follow her, slowly," he instructed.
The car obediently began to move, keeping a slow pace behind Jessica.
Without any further attempt to converse, Gabriel seemed to disappear from her world, and she continued walking as if he wasn't there. One person and one car silently moved side by side.
About ten minutes later, Jessica arrived at the dormitory building.
Gabriel couldn't keep his cool any longer. "Stop the car." With a loud shout, Gabriel swung the door open, his long legs stepping down from the vehicle as he quickly approached Jessica who was standing nearby.
"Still giving me the cold shoulder?" he asked, grabbing her wrist.
Jessica turned her head away, indicating she wasn't in the mood to talk.
"Come back with me," Gabriel insisted.
She shook her head immediately, "No, I told you I'm staying at the dorm tonight."
But Gabriel wasn't about to give up so easily. With a swift movement, he scooped Jessica into his arms. Feeling herself suddenly lifted off the ground, Jessica gasped, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck.
Gabriel's deep voice chuckled warmly, "Hold on tight—we're heading home."
Once she realized what was happening, Jessica quickly straightened her expression, saying coldly, "I'm not going home with you. Let me go."
However, Gabriel seemed deaf to her protests, holding her securely in his arms. His arms were like bands of steel, and no amount of pushing from Jessica seemed to have any effect.
Finally, she resorted to pounding on Gabriel's chest, firmly resisting, "Gabriel, let me go; you're forcing me."
"Put me down now, let me go," she insisted fervently.
He only held her tighter. The next moment, she found herself seated in the car, and the seatbelt clicked firmly into place.
Jessica glared at him, fuming, "Gabriel, this is kidnapping. You're restricting my freedom—I could press charges."
Nonchalantly, Gabriel simply replied, "Feel free to sue."
Jessica was beside herself with anger.
Gabriel moved to the driver's side, yanking the door open, and shot a cold glance at the driver, "Get out, take a cab home."
"Ah, Gabriel, but how will this car get back?" The driver was confused for a moment.
Exasperated by the driver's stupidity, Gabriel growled, "I'll drive; you take a cab. Understand?"
The driver, intimidated, made a quick exit and dashed away. Gabriel took the driver's seat, locking all the doors of the car.
Undeterred, Jessica kept pushing against the door, but it was as immovable as a mountain.
After wrestling with her reality for what seemed like an eternity, Jessica resigned herself to keeping her eyes shut and sat in stoic silence on the passenger side.
At that moment, she had no desire to utter a single word to Gabriel.
Gabriel's driving was akin to a professional racer; the car practically soared down the nearly deserted Midnight Boulevard.
With a spacious road ahead, he floored the accelerator, jerking the wheel so wildly that Jessica could swear her heart was about to leap out of her chest.
She was utterly frightened. Their car no longer felt like a car—it was as if it had taken flight. Jessica clung to her seatbelt for dear life, breathing hard.
Initially uncertain if Gabriel was angry, now she had no doubts.
Gabriel was usually reserved, an enigma, often keeping any irritation to himself or expressing it subtly, rarely letting it show.
But when he was mad, he drove fast. She recalled a time when anger had driven him straight to the racetrack for a few laps, perhaps finding solace in the madness of speed.
Ironically, she was the one who should be angry. Why on earth was he the one seething? A crazed turn nearly sent her through the window, despite her seatbelt and closed doors.
In the end, with a shaken voice, Jessica begged for mercy. "Gabriel, please stop. Slow down now! You are driving too fast, take it easy!"
He drove on as if deaf to her pleas. Her voice broke into a wail, "Please, slow down. I'm scared. Please, just stop."
Only then did Gabriel slam the brakes, bringing the car to a jarring halt. It wasn't until the car rested on the shoulder of the road that Jessica started feeling a semblance of relief.
Suddenly, she burst into tears.
While sobbing uncontrollably, she turned on Gabriel, hitting him with her fists, "You maniac, you scared me to death, do you realize that?"
"I thought I was going to die. I was so afraid. Gabriel, you're insane!" Her nerves frayed, Jessica couldn't hold back and let all her words pour out unchecked.
Gabriel reached out and pulled her into an embrace.
Yet, she continued to sob, "Gabriel, you're out of your mind." She had been genuinely terrified.
The thought of her baby intensified her fear, amplifying the terror of what might have been.
Thankfully, aside from the knot of nervousness and fear in her stomach, she was physically fine. No aches or pains plagued her body.
Even so, it still terrified her. Tears streamed down her cheeks, there was a torrent of fear uncontrolled.
Jessica couldn't stop crying, no matter how hard she tried.
Gabriel cradled her face in his hands, alternating between cooing comforts and murmuring apologies, but nothing he said made any difference.
Finally, he furrowed his brow and locked eyes with her, his voice carrying a note of seriousness in the dim light, "If you don't stop crying, I'm going to have to kiss you."
