Chapter 210
Teresa tried to force a smile, hiding the bitterness, pretending ignorance as she continued her descent down the stairs.
That night, Gabriel never returned home.
Intending to distract herself with a book, she found out that she could neither make out the words nor grasp a single line. With resignation, Teresa grabbed a bottle of red wine and a glass, settling herself on the carpet in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Sipping slowly, she gazed out into the deep night, waiting for Gabriel’s return.
She would forgive him as long as he came back before dawn.
But dawn broke with the bottom of the wine bottle in sight, and Gabriel was still nowhere to be found. Tears, now beyond control, streamed down her face unabated.
Teresa reached for her phone on the side, lighting up the screen.
No missed calls from Gabriel, no messages; just a still silence punctured by numerous “greetings” in her instant messages and forwarded stories from the social buzz of the day.
There, blazing at the top of the trend list, were Gabriel and Kay.
Blurred by tears, she tapped on the top story; it read, “Gabriel and Kay spend the night at Harmonious Prosperity Hotel.”
When the link was clicked, images of Gabriel and Kay checking into the hotel appeared, one behind the other, along with a close-up of Kay, dressed in a robe, clinging onto Gabriel against the window of their suite.
No, not just clinging, she was practically draped over him.
The photos were grainy, clearly snapped from afar, but Teresa could positively identify Gabriel; she knew his physique and everything about him better than anyone after months together.
Closing her eyes, Teresa let out a bleak chuckle as the tears kept coming, relentless and unrestrained.
At that moment, it felt as if every cell was being pulverized, her insides dislocated, the pain so severe, she couldn't breathe.
Maybe it was the alcohol, but Teresa couldn’t stand it anymore. She didn't want to wait or hold back her emotions. Clutching her phone tightly, she stumbled to her feet, storming to the desk to rummage through the drawer. There she found their marriage certificate along with the promise letter Gabriel had signed. Clenching them tightly, she stormed out the door.
...
“Teresa, where are you headed?”
Teresa dashed down the stairs, her distress evident to the housekeeper who caught sight of her freshly tear-streaked, red-eyed face. Without a word, the housekeeper moved to intercept her.
"I need to go out now. Tell the driver to get the car ready, immediately!" Teresa commanded tersely as she brushed past the housekeeper.
"Teresa," the housekeeper called after her, catching up again, "It's barely dawn. Where on earth do you need to go at this hour?"
"Just get the car. Otherwise, I'll drive myself," Teresa snapped without waiting for a response.
The housekeeper nodded, knowing that Teresa smelled like she had been drinking and that it wouldn't be safe to let her drive in her frantic state. She then hurried off to let security know to get the car ready.
Once Teresa was in the vehicle and gone, the housekeeper headed upstairs to report to Mason. Mason, being a morning person despite his age, was already up and just happened to be standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows, witnessing Teresa's car drive away.
Before the housekeeper could reach him with the news, Mason was stepping out, eager to get to the bottom of things.
"Sir, Teresa has left, and things seem off. She looked like she had been crying, and there was a strong scent of alcohol," the housekeeper reported upon arriving upstairs out of breath.
"Check if Gabriel has done something to land himself in the Twitter trending again," Mason said darkly.
The housekeeper nodded and pulled out a smartphone, showing Mason the latest tabloid headlines.
The overnight housekeeper, bored, had seen the news about Gabriel and Kay Baxter's scandalous night halfway through last night. However, the housekeeper didn't dare disturb his sleep, hence the delay.
Mason's face turned ashen at the sight of the prominent photo of Gabriel embracing Kay Baxter in a hotel room. He immediately instructed, "Find out if Teresa went to the hotel and get a car ready. We need to get there as soon as possible."
"Yes, sir," the housekeeper responded and hurried downstairs to carry out the orders. Meanwhile, Mason returned to his bedroom to change out of his robe.
In the backseat of her car, Teresa clutched the marriage certificate and Gabriel's letter of promise. At that moment, she had only one thought: she was going to end this marriage.
Going forward Teresa swore to cut ties with Gabriel.
The Pain and the hurt were not sustainable, this has become a mistake she swore never to make again.
“Faster,” Glancing at the empty highway, Teresa leaned back in her seat, forcibly suppressing the tumultuous waves in her chest, and calmly commanded the bodyguard driving the car.
“Madam, any faster and we’d be breaking the speed limit.” The bodyguard didn’t want to disregard Teresa’s command, but over time, having always been by Teresa's side, he was well aware of the recent incidents. He had a hunch about what she was intent on doing at the moment and thus deliberately sought an excuse, hoping to buy Gabriel some time to sort things out.
Before departing, he had already messaged Luke, informing him that Teresa was headed to the Harmonious Prosperity Hotel.
“Then stop the car, I’ll drive,” Teresa said, looking resolutely at the bodyguard driving the car.
“Heh... no need, Madam. I’ll speed up,” the bodyguard replied with a smile, his foot pressing down on the accelerator.
...
