Chapter 32 Almost Touched His Chest
Deep into the night.
Jessica was trapped in a nightmare.
Surrounding her were terrifying flames, drawing ever closer. Thick smoke was everywhere, choking her and blurring her vision. The fire devoured everything.
"Let me out... Help..."
"No... Don't..."
The scene spun in the darkness, revealing a room without any windows. A gaunt figure, reeking of alcohol, approached the bed where she lay, disoriented and unable to resist. "Jessica, I've wanted you for so long. Be good, don't struggle. Was your glass spiked, too? It won't hurt."
"Don't... Get away… Off…"
"Don't touch me. Get away."
With a low cry, Jessica abruptly sat up in bed, drenched in cold sweat, staring at the wall in the darkness. She gasped for air as if the thick smoke and the man's vile liquor breath were right before her, suffocating her.
A wave of nausea hit her, and she flung off the covers, not wanting to wake Danielle. She rushed out of the children's room, hastily flipped on the lights in the living room, and kneeled by the trash can beside the couch, heaving violently.
Ever since Danielle was born, Jessica had gone many years without these nightmares, almost erasing those awful memories from her mind.
But today, seeing Trinity's face again brought it all back. Five years had passed, but the memories were etched deep into her bones.
She thought she had forgotten, believed she had moved on, yet the nightmares returned.
All those disgusting, terrifying things!
Jessica knelt beside the trash can, retching for what seemed like an eternity, but nothing came up; her body trembled uncontrollably. Whether her eyes were open or closed, her vision was filled with the glare of flames and the figure of a person reeking alcohol. Shaking, she took a deep breath, stood up, and began rummaging through the drawers under the coffee table.
The door to the main bedroom swung open, and a tall man stepped out, but Jessica didn't even notice him. Her trembling hands continued to search restlessly through the drawer.
Gabriel saw her and immediately knew Something was off—her face was pale, and her hair was damp with sweat, as if she had just taken a shower. When he saw her pull an old-looking white prescription bottle from the bottom of the drawer, he grasped her hand just as she was about to swallow several pills.
"What are you doing? Let go!" Jessica demanded, lifting her gaze to Gabriel as he firmly grasped her hand.
With a composed and stern countenance, Gabriel took the bottle from her hand, examining the tiny characters on the label, his eyes then shifting to the expiration date, which caused his expression to darken considerably.
"Give it back to me!" Jessica stood, trying to snatch the bottle away.
"This is a psychotropic medication used in hospitals for forcibly sedating patients. It would not help," he said with grave seriousness, noting her pallid, desperate face.
Jessica, not wanting to engage with him, still tried to wrestle the bottle back. "Mind your own business; give it back!"
Gabriel, tall with long limbs, didn't need to step back. A slight raise of his arm put the bottle out of her reach. Frantic, she tiptoed and stretched to grab it, stumbling several times, almost falling into his arms.
"I need my medicine!" she pleaded, nearly ready to bite his arm in her desperation.
To prevent her from hurting herself with her jumping, Gabriel suddenly gripped her wrist, halting all her movements with a voice that was usually indifferent but now carried a stern warning, "The medicine has expired!"
