Chapter 193 Raising Such a Son, What a Waste
The housewarming party carried on until past eleven o'clock in the evening when everyone finally dispersed.
Liam and Aaron had their fair share of drinks. When it came time to leave, Liam didn't even say goodbye to Diana. He simply got in his car and drove away.
Watching him depart without offering her a ride or escorting her home left Diana with a sinking feeling of unprecedented hurt.
Thankfully, Teresa was always there for her. As the crowd thinned, she made sure Diana had a ride home.
After seeing the last of the guests out, Teresa was so exhausted she felt like she could collapse at any moment. Fortunately, Katherine had a sneaking suspicion that their month-old villa still smelled odd from the renovations, and she wasn't comfortable allowing her grandson, Croissant, to stay there. Therefore, she took Croissant back to the Garcia’s estate. With everyone gone, Teresa no longer had anything to worry about. She went straight upstairs and flopped onto the bed.
Although the house had been bustling with visitors today, nobody went upstairs to the second or third floor without the host's permission, so those levels remained spotless, unlike the mess downstairs and in the basement.
"Honey, you really took good care of everybody today!" Gabriel said, lying down beside her and pulling her into his arms to plant a kiss on her forehead.
Teresa smiled with her eyes closed and returned his affection with a peck on his prominent Adam's apple. But soon, she sensed something was weird and opened her eyes, looking at Gabriel with concern, "Darling, why are you so hot?"
"What do you expect? I've been drinking, and now holding you close," Gabriel replied with a sly grin as he swiftly rolled over, pinning Teresa beneath him. His deep eyes stared into hers, filled with intense flames of passion as he whispered huskily, "Honey, it's wonderful. We finally have our own place and can start our life together just the two of us."
Teresa playfully chided him, "Are you planning to abandon your son?"
He laughed, nuzzling her nose with his, "It's fine. Our boy is at the old house with our parents and Mason. They'll take good care of him."
Teresa pressed up against his chest and seemed to be annoyed, saying, "You smell like alcohol and smoke. Proceed to shower. It can't stand it."
Gabriel chuckled, pressing his lips against her neck, "But sweetheart, didn't you say you liked the smell of me?"
"I like the smell of you, not the mix of other people's smoke and all these women's perfumes. It's disgusting," Teresa said, scrunching up her nose in distaste.
Finally relenting with a laugh, Gabriel got up from the bed, "Alright, your wish is my wish. Shower it is."
But as soon as he said that, he leaned down, scooped Teresa up in his arms, and carried her off.
"Hey, Gabriel, what's the big idea?" she protested.
"What else? A couple's shower, of course. Why else would I have installed such a large whirlpool tub?" he retorted with a cheeky smile.
Teresa glared at him, suddenly recalling his insistence on that particular home improvement. She should have known he had ulterior motives!
...
"Honey, why are you still so hot? And why so sweaty? Are you feeling okay?"
In the middle of the night, Teresa felt a surge of warmness and woke up in a daze to find Gabriel's chest not only burning up but also soaked with sweat.
Bathed in the faint glow from the window, she lifted her gaze to the man above her and gently asked him.
Gabriel was a light sleeper, and at Teresa's whisper, he awoke instantly, taking her hand and planting a soft kiss on her forehead, murmuring low, “I’m fine. Don’t believe me? Want me to prove it now?”
His body did feel somewhat weak, and his head throbbed a bit, likely a side effect of the alcohol.
"Stop it!" Teresa opened her mouth and playfully bit his shoulder, not too gently but not too harshly either.
"Come on, sleep tight," Gabriel coaxed, kissing her forehead again.
"Mhm." Teresa nodded, closed her eyes once more, and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, after getting out of bed, Teresa remembered something, so she tiptoed to check Gabriel's forehead for any sign of fever, but he was as normal as ever.
"What's wrong, worried I caught a cold?" Gabriel caught her hand and kissed it lightly.
Teresa gave him a look, “When's the last time you were sick?”
Gabriel squinted thoughtfully, “About three months ago, I think.”
Teresa frowned. "What did you have back then? A cold?"
"No, I had lovesickness. Had it for three full years."
Teresa glared at him, exasperated, “Be serious for a moment.”
Gabriel chuckled, wrapped an arm around her, and tenderly kissed the top of her hair. "Sweetheart, I’m as healthy as a horse. Don't let your imagination run wild, okay?"
Teresa pouted. "I'm not imagining things! I worry you might overindulge and wear yourself out."
"So, were you satisfied then?"
Teresa, lost for words, quickly pushed him away, "Hurry and get dressed, or I'm going to be late for my lecture."
"Whatever you wish, my darling."
...
In the following days, Teresa’s life seemed even more blessed and joyful than before. She wasn’t at all worried about the upcoming results of the foreign service exam; she was completely confident she had aced it.
However, on the day the results were released, she logged into the website only to find, to her shock, that she had not passed the written exam; in fact, she hadn't even met the passing mark in one of the subjects.
