Chapter 341 Releasing Old Bonds
On the balcony, Liam had just ended a call and was about to head back to the living room when his phone vibrated in his hand. Glancing down, he saw a voice message from Teresa and, slightly startled, looked towards the balcony below.
Teresa met his gaze and flashed him a radiant smile.
Liam's brows quivered, and he quickly opened the message to listen.
"I'm sorry, Teresa!" He typed hastily and sent the message.
Looking at the message he sent, then back at him, Teresa replied with a voice message of her own, "Liam, I know you've never done anything to hurt me, so you don't have to apologize. I've never really blamed you, let alone disliked you! Because of what you did for me, I'm now able to enjoy such happiness with Gabriel."
"Really? You've never blamed me?" Liam asked, visibly moved as he looked at Teresa while listening to her message.
Teresa saw his reply, looked up at him, nodded emphatically, and smiled broadly, continuing her voice message, "Liam, I was never truly the one for you because even before we parted, my heart had turned towards Gabriel. In truth, I was the first to betray you, so I don't deserve your constant affection. Please, can you let go of the past?"
On the balcony, Liam watched Teresa and listened to her voice message, realizing for the first time that her love for Gabriel had started a long time ago.On the balcony, Liam watched Teresa and listened to her voice message, realizing for the first time that her affection for Gabriel had begun long ago.
It wasn't that his will wasn't strong enough; it was that Teresa had never truly intended to be with him forever.
‘Heh...’
At that moment, Liam finally found his peace.
"What's the big smile for?"
After Liam heard Teresa's voicemail, Gabriel joined him on the balcony, casually putting one hand in his pocket and placing the other on Liam's shoulder. He spoke while looking down at Teresa on the balcony below.Right after Liam finished listening to Teresa's voicemail, Gabriel stepped out, one hand casually tucked in his pocket while the other found Liam's shoulder. He spoke and glanced down at Teresa on the balcony below.
Teresa also looked up, their gazes weaving together in the air, tangling playfully. She winked at him, then turned her attention back to romping with Croissant.
"It's not exactly celebratory news, but it's good news," Liam said as he slipped his phone into his pocket, flashing a grin at Gabriel. "Let's go back inside. Keep it rolling."
Gabriel gave another glance toward his little sweetheart son below, a subtle smile curving his lips. He nodded, then turned to head inside.
After having lunch with the Garcia family, it wasn't long before Liam and his two companions left together.
After his three childhood friends left, Gabriel didn't feel any other visiting relatives or friends were as important. So, he picked up Croissant, put an arm around Teresa, and they all went upstairs to rest and take a nap.To Gabriel, the other visiting relatives and friends couldn't stand out in importance after his three childhood friends departed. So, once they were gone, he scooped up Croissant in his arms, wrapped an arm around Teresa, and they all went upstairs to rest and take a nap.
Croissant, still a young thing, napped almost every day. By the time Gabriel finished a call from overseas, the youngster was already asleep next to Teresa.
Phone set aside, Gabriel climbed into bed and gathered Teresa, who was engrossed in a conversation on Messenger, into his arms. He playfully nipped at her delicate earlobe, nibbling softly.
Teresa, tickled to a melting bliss by his teasing, finally put away her phone and shot him an annoyed look. As he leaned in for a kiss, she raised a hand to block his lips, "Stop it, you'll wake the baby."
Not daring to rouse Croissant, snoring softly like a little piglet, Gabriel gently brushed her hand aside and left a light kiss on her lips before asking directly, "What did you message Liam about when he went to the balcony?"
Teresa turned to him, staring into his bright, dark eyes, and burst into laughter. Curious, she wrapped her arms around his neck,: "Darling, how did you know I messaged Liam?"
"A man's sixth sense," Gabriel said, his hand sliding to her slender waist to lift her onto his lap. "Spill it; what did you say to Liam?"
Smiling radiantly, Teresa remained elusive, "Yes, I did send him a message! But I'm not telling you."
"Not talking? Hmm—" His arms tightened around her suggestively.
"Stop!" She quickly reached to grab his hands, "You'll wake the baby."
"Then let's change locations." With that, Gabriel began to lift her from the bed.
"Alright, alrightAll right, all right, I'll tell you!" Teresa hurriedly surrendered.
Gabriel, who had been jealously pressing for answers, was finally appeased.
"Well, spit it out then," Gabriel said, planting another soft kiss on her lips, his expectancy undisguised.
It wasn't that he was worried about any lingering ambiguity between Teresa and Liam; he was just curious about what was being kept from him.
With a sultry glance, Teresa nuzzled comfortably into his embrace and murmured, "You know, Liam hasn't truly let go of the past. He thinks that it was his indecision that led you to swoop in and sweep me off my feet."
"Isn't that the case?" Gabriel retorted.
Had Liam been more decisive, Teresa might have ended up with him instead of being Gabriel's darling.
Of course, had Teresa married Liam and later discovered that Croissant was actually his son, he would have done whatever it took to win her back.
Looking at him, Teresa pouted and shook her head, "The truth is, I never really gave my all or my heart to Liam."
"What do you mean?" Gabriel was taken aback but delighted.
He had always assumed that Teresa had been wholeheartedly in love with Liam before him. He never mentioned it, but this thought had been a thorn in his side.
Even though he now had Teresa's love and heart, the idea that she had loved another man before him, that he wasn't her one and only, still stung a bit.
Yet, he never let it show in front of Teresa.
After all, it was he who had won her over from Liam.
Teresa rolled her eyes and glared at him, "What I mean is that I didn't get together with Liam because I loved him so much. He pursued me and treated me well, and my parents, along with my elder brother, thought he was suitable. They believed our union would be good for the Bennett family's future, so I went along with everyone's expectations."
"Sweetheart, are you telling me that you never actually liked Liam?" Gabriel asked eagerly, his voice brimming with excitement as he gazed down at Teresa.Gabriel asked, his voice filled with excitement and eagerness as he looked down at his petite woman.
