Chapter 121 She Truly Fell for Him
Fortunately, Gabriel's acid burns were treated promptly and weren't severe. The doctor cleaned the wounds, applied medication, and bandaged them up before arranging for him to stay in the private ward and receive an IV for the inflammation.
"Gabriel, we've got it all figured out. The woman who threw acid at Mrs. Garcia is the same one who rammed into her with a motorbike last time. She was expelled from the school and held a grudge, seeking revenge with acid. What should we do with her now?" Right after being settled in the private ward and hooked up to an IV, his bodyguard, Luke reported the details.
"Hand her over to the police. Let them decide her fate. We won't accept any kind of settlement or compensation," Gabriel commanded firmly while sitting on the bed.
"Sure thing," Luke replied and immediately turned to take care of the task at hand.
Teresa watched Luke depart, a crease forming between her fine brows, but she said nothing.
Even if the incident may have been triggered by her, the female student would not have taken such a drastic step if she had set the necessary boundaries. She didn't deserve sympathy.
"Darling, could you help me with my pants?" After his wound was tended to, the nurse brought Gabriel patient clothes so he could change his soaked pants and laid them at the foot of the bed.
Now, picking up the clothes, he looked at Teresa standing in front of him with pleading eyes. "Oh, sure," Teresa, still a bit dazed, didn't immediately grasp Gabriel's cheeky implication. She took the clothes from him with one hand and reached to support his IV drip with the other. "Let's go to the bathroom to change."
"Great," Gabriel said cheerfully, following her.
Once inside, he closed the door behind them, his deep-set eyes flickering with an unrestrained glow. Teresa, not thinking anything of it, simply hung the IV drip on a nearby hook and turned to him, bowing her head to help with his pants.
But as her hand touched the waistband, about to unbutton his trousers, Teresa suddenly realized what was happening. She looked up at Gabriel, who was silently watching her like a lion guarding his prey, and frowned, "Your hands aren’t injured. Why do I need to help you change? Do it yourself."
With that, she stepped past him to leave.
"Darling..." he called out, but she had taken only a step when his arm snaked around her waist, and with a quick pivot, he pinned her between the wall and his chest, his lips capturing hers without any complexity.
His actions were too sudden, and Teresa couldn’t react in time. "Mm... Gabriel!" Yet, within a second, she turned her head away, avoiding him, and with a heavy sob, she complained, "You always pick on me. I'm already yours, and I always will be, so why rush? Can't you wait until you're healed?"
I always will be yours.
Looking at the woman in front of him, Gabriel's breathing was ragged, but all his desires halted at that moment.
Indeed, their first night had been rough for Teresa. How could he be so eager now, craving her in this cramped hospital restroom?
She was right. He could feel her care, her concern, her growing love for him. So why rush and risk giving her another unpleasant experience?
Their next time had to be beautiful, something they would both cherish. It wasn't supposed to happen like this, not here.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Gabriel released the woman he'd pinned, pulling her tightly into his embrace and planting a firm kiss on the crown of her head, "Okay, I'll wait until I'm healed, just like you said."
Teresa looked up at him with a fierce glare that said more than words.
He chuckled, gazing down at her with amusement, "Let me just hold you for a bit then; I'll be fine in a moment."
Met with another stern look, Teresa couldn't help but wrap her arms around his slender waist, burying her face into his well-defined, pale chest. Her skin against his, she listened to the strong, steady beat of his heart, thump, thump, thump, each beat louder than the last. A sense of blissful tranquility and solid sweetness she had never felt before began to envelop her...
Teresa and Gabriel kept the acid attack to themselves, not telling their families. After being treated, the doctor wanted Gabriel to stay overnight for observation, but he was reluctant.
Seeing him looking quite chipper and apparently fine, Teresa didn’t object. He changed into clean clothes that Finley had brought over and left the hospital together, heading back to the Garcia residence.
Though they hadn’t said anything, there was little that could be kept from Mason, and Raymond wasn’t in the dark either.
"Daddy, Mommy!" Upon their return, their little one, Croissant, immediately bounded over.
Gabriel bent down and scooped up the little guy, planting a kiss on him. "Tell Mom and Dad, what has Michael been up to all day?"
Croissant recounted the day's events with his chubby little fingers, counting off one after the other with a big, toothy grin.
"It seems you haven't had any trouble at all; you're as right as rain," Mason remarked with relief as he descended the stairs to greet the cheerful Gabriel.
Raymond followed behind Mason, taking in the happy sight of his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson together, and decided not to make a fuss.
"Grandpa, Dad," Teresa greeted them with ease.
"Come on, I'm a newlywed, we haven't even finished our honeymoon. What kind of trouble were you expecting me to get into, Grandpa?" Gabriel joked with a beaming smile.
"You, my boy!" Mason shot him a warning glance as he walked toward the living room, "You should keep a low profile from now on; don't get Teresa into trouble, too."
