Chapter 335 All Is Well With My Being
"Ugh, no appetite," Jessica murmured softly with her eyes closed.
Gabriel got up. "I'll make you something to eat. Don't sleep yet."
"I don't want to eat. I can't."
"No way."
Jessica frowned, looking really sleepy. Seeing Gabriel get up and prepare to leave, she couldn't help but ask, "What are you going to make for me?"
"I'll make whatever you want. First, get up and wash your face to wake up a bit."
Gabriel's voice was already out of the bedroom, heading towards the living room.
Jessica closed her eyes again. "Country S is really far from Xyleria. It takes at least four or five hours by plane. Did you come back just to make sure I have a good dinner?"
Gabriel didn't answer, probably already in the kitchen.
Jessica continued to lie lazily on the bed, not moving.
Danielle, excited about the early holiday starting tomorrow, had stayed up late and was now sleeping soundly in the next room, hugging her white teddy bear.
Not long after, the faint aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, prompting Jessica to get out of bed. With her hair a bit messy from sleep, she went to the kitchen and peeked inside.
Gabriel had already taken off his jacket, his shirt sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows. Just this afternoon, he was still in Country S, but now he was standing in the kitchen of Blue Bay Apartments, preparing dinner for her.
Jessica walked closer, and Gabriel turned to her. "Is Danielle asleep?"
"Yeah, she went to bed late today and is sleeping soundly now. She had dinner earlier," Jessica said as she walked over, suddenly wrapping her arms around his waist from behind, leaning against his back, her face pressed against his warm, firm back, eyes closed, not saying another word.
When Gabriel spoke, his back vibrated slightly, the sensation passing through to her cheek and seemingly into her heart.
"Do you have your ID Card and household registration documents with you?" Gabriel asked.
Jessica, eyes still closed, leaning against his back, replied, "Yeah, what's up?"
"Is Danielle's birth certificate there, too?"
Jessica didn't answer, just pressed against his back, opening her eyes to look at a corner of the kitchen.
"The city hall is closed on weekends. Tomorrow is Friday. Let's go get our marriage license,"Gabriel asked casually, as if inquiring about tomato beef soup for dinner.
Jessica didn't say anything, just tightened her arms around his waist.
"Starting tomorrow, Danielle won't be a child without a father, and you won't be an unmarried mother. You have me."
Jessica continued to stare at a corner of the kitchen, her arms around his waist, not moving.
"Time is tight. I'll make up the proposal to you soon, and the wedding, too," Gabriel said as he plated the dinner. When he reached for a plate, he noticed Jessica's silent stillness and glanced back at her. "Hand me a plate."
"Oh." Jessica finally let go of him, rummaging through the cabinet for a fine plate to hand to him.
Gabriel took it, his gaze lingering on her for a moment, seeing that she just seemed tired and listless. He then turned back to plate the dinner, instructing her to get the utensils ready for the meal.
Jessica took the utensils to the dining table, setting the plates and cutlery neatly, Gabriel's every word echoing in her ears.
During dinner, Gabriel asked her, "Do you usually carry your ID Card with you?"
Jessica, head down, eating, mumbled, "Yeah."
Then she paused suddenly. "But I have to rush to the set early tomorrow morning. There's a scene that needs to be shot at dawn."
"Go shoot the scene first. The half-hour break in between will be enough to go to the city hall. I'll pick you up."
"No need to pick me up. There are so many people on set. If they see you, it might cause chaos."
If Gabriel suddenly appeared on set, would they still be able to shoot? Could the actors still find their emotions? The whole day's shoot might be wasted.
"After we get the license, do you still want to hide our relationship? They'll find out sooner or later."
"It's different," Jessica said, lowering her head even more.
She had never spoken with her head down like a quail before. Gabriel looked at her but didn't ask further. He took her phone, turned it on, and saw numerous missed calls, saved and unsaved numbers, including a bombardment of texts and WhatsApp messages, all about the photos leaked online today.
No wonder she had turned off her phone.
Gabriel put the phone down, his voice calm and steady, just like him. "All is well with my being."
Jessica didn't respond, only making a sound as she drank her soup.
The next morning, Jessica got up before five. The winter sky was still dark outside.
She hurried out the door.
Gabriel said the city hall opened at eight. He told her to call him after she found some time on set, and he would pick her up, or they could go together when she got back. He had rushed back from Country S last night and had no work scheduled in Xyleria today, so he could wait until she had a break to get this important task done.
But Jessica's phone had been continuously unreachable since the morning.
Gabriel waited for her near the city hall for several hours, but Jessica didn't show up, and she didn't answer her phone.
He called Mackenzie, now a partner in Jessica's studio, to ask where Jessica was filming today. Mackenzie was surprised and said, "Jessica only had two scenes at dawn today. She was back before nine. Didn't she go home? That's strange. She didn't come to the studio either."
Gabriel instantly recalled Jessica's obedient, silent, and evasive demeanor last night and asked in a deep voice, "After the news about Danielle was exposed yesterday, did Jessica meet anyone?"
Mackenzie hesitated for a moment before saying, "The studio's new location has been busy with renovations these past two days. After the incident yesterday, I only told Jessica to stay quiet for now. Later, I had to go to the office because the workers needed something. When I got back, Jessica had gone out for about an hour but didn't say what she did. I've been keeping an eye on the online buzz and didn't pay much attention to anything else."
After hanging up, Gabriel sat in the car, silent for a moment.
Jessica had turned off her phone after leaving the set in the morning. It was now past one in the afternoon. If she intended to avoid him, her last GPS location before turning off her phone wouldn't be where she currently was.
Cynthia was out of state on a case these days, so Jessica couldn't have gone to her.
The black Bentley had been parked outside the city hall on Central Avenue in Xyleria for a long time, time ticking away until three in the afternoon — just one hour before closing for the weekend.
Jessica still hadn't shown up.
Gabriel returned to Blue Bay Apartments. Jessica wasn't there, nor were Danielle and Caroline. The room showed no signs of being disturbed, and no luggage was missing, but it felt inexplicably empty.
At four o'clock, Gabriel's phone buzzed with a WhatsApp message from Nicholas.
Nicholas: [Check Instagram!]
