Chapter 229
Upon entering her apartment, Diana collapsed onto the couch. Her body was in agony, but her mind was alarmingly clear.
Refusing to dwell on her issues with Liam any longer, she pulled out her phone and texted Teresa.
At the other end, Teresa was about to switch on airplane mode and sleep.
But just before she did, her screen lit up with a new message. Seeing it was from Diana, she tapped to open it quickly.
"Time for bed, no more phone," Gabriel said from behind her, reaching over to snatch the phone.
She'd been chatting with Hayden for half an hour and was ready to sleep, but now she was drawn back in. Gabriel wasn't one to support such habits.
"Wait, it's Diana," Teresa said with puppy-dog eyes, lips pursing in a pout.
"It doesn't matter, no more phone," he replied, cutting the connection and reaching to place her phone in the nightstand drawer.
"Darling, just ten minutes, okay?" Teresa puckered her lips in protest, tugging at his hand.
Gabriel knitted his brows, considering.
Teresa flashed a smile and leaned in to peck his cheek, "Just ten minutes."
"What if it goes over ten minutes?" Gabriel asked, his gaze intense and probing.
"It won't. I promise."
He raised an eyebrow. "And if it does?"
"What's your plan?" Teresa was curious.
Smirking, Gabriel replied, "Then you owe me ten kisses, and with each one, you'll say 'I love you.'"
"Childish!" Teresa rolled her eyes but snatched her phone back, eager to see Diana's message.
But Gabriel was far from giving in so easily. With a swift roll, he pinned her hands and stared down at her with an intense gaze, playfully pecked the tip of her nose, and whispered in a dangerously hoarse voice.
"What do you say?"
Watching him, Teresa laughed, aware that he wouldn't actually do anything to her at this moment. Nonetheless, she nodded her head.
"Good girl!" he praised warmly, releasing her and lying back down. Then, he pulled her into his embrace and kissed her forehead. "Ten minutes—starting now."
Teresa glared at him defiantly and then turned on her phone to check her messages.
At first, Diana had been asking Teresa how she was feeling and offered some comforting words about her miscarriage. The miscarriage, a painful and irreversible fact, was behind them. Now that Teresa and Gabriel had reconciled, opened up to each other, and truly understood their feelings, their bond was more vital than ever. Teresa had come to terms with the loss.
But the conversation took a dramatic turn. Perhaps spurred by a little too much alcohol, Diana sent a voice message to Teresa, saying, "Teresa, I feel awful. I've never felt like this before. I love him, I love him so much, but it seems like he doesn't love me at all. What should I do? Please, tell me what to do?"
Teresa listened to the message, dumbfounded, and then suddenly looked up at Gabriel.
Gabriel's chin rested gently on top of Teresa's head, watching her phone screen as she chatted with Diana. Naturally, he heard Diana's voice message as well.
The painfully sorrowful tone in her voice, laden with tears, made Gabriel furrow his brows slightly, and he looked down at the woman in his arms. "Was she dumped by someone?"
"I didn't even know she was seeing someone," Teresa replied, biting her lip and frowning in thought.
"It doesn't sound like a breakup. Looks more like unrequited love," Gabriel suggested, nodding.
The thought made Teresa furrow her brow even more. "Could it be Liam that Diana's fallen for?"
Diana was Liam's executive assistant, constantly by his side, so busy she barely even had time to meet up for lunch. Besides Liam, Teresa couldn't think of who else it could be.
Gabriel looked at her seriously and nodded in agreement. "It's likely."
He remembered the last time they were at the Foxglove Fields Villa for the housewarming party. He noticed Diana's eyes constantly following Liam, her mood visibly dropping whenever he scarcely paid her any attention.
“You know something? Spill it,” Teresa pressed anxiously, certain that Gabriel must be onto something.
With an arched eyebrow, Gabriel laid out his discovery for Teresa with candid clarity.
Connecting the dots with Diana’s behavior that day, Teresa gasped with realization and didn't waste a second initiating a voice call.
But the phone just rang and rang, unanswered.
Growing worried, Teresa tried Diana’s cell once more.
Still, no answer. After several rings and a sterile voicemail message, the call automatically disconnected.
“What if Diana’s done something rash? She isn't picking up,” Teresa expressed her fears to Gabriel.
Gabriel furrowed his brows, "Do you really think she'd spiral over this?"
“It's not about what I think—it's about covering all our bases,” Teresa said, tossing the covers aside, ready to spring out of bed.
“Where are you going?” Gabriel wrapped his arms around her tightly, refusing to let her make any hasty decisions.
“To check on Diana. I can’t just wait here.”
