Chapter 342 Charm and Consequences
"I did like him, of course," Teresa replied with a laugh, amused by his urgent and somewhat childlike demeanor. "But it wasn't love; otherwise, I wouldn't have disregarded Liam's feelings and insisted on having Croissant."
"So, you never loved Liam—I'm the only man you've ever loved?" Gabriel looked at Teresa with urgency, seeking confirmation.
"Weren't you asking about what I texted Liam?" Teresa laughed, dodging the question with a deliberate change of topic as she faced the man's intense anticipation.
"You're not denying it, so that's as good as an admission," Gabriel persisted.
With Teresa's implicit consent, the thorn that had been lodged in his heart seemed to vanish.
Feigning annoyance, Teresa teased him, "I told Liam that I was never the right woman for him because I had already betrayed him a long time ago."
"What do you mean?" Gabriel was puzzled as he watched her.
"It's all because of you, you damn charmer," she said, reaching up to caress Gabriel's infuriatingly handsome face.
"Come on, tell me what you mean by betraying Liam," Gabriel coaxed, pulling her hand to his lips for a kiss before pressing her for an answer.
Teresa scowled at him, barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes, "Ask yourself, you're so bold and shameless, always stealing kisses and talking about marriage. And with that devilishly attractive face of yours, would it be normal for me not to fall for you?"
—Would it be normal for me not to fall for you?
Holding the petite woman in his arms, Gabriel was momentarily stunned before being overwhelmed by joy. He almost incoherently asked, "Sweetheart, are you saying you've had feelings for me all this time, that you've been in love with me?"
"Otherwise, why do you think I married you? And not just for the baby's sake." Teresa nodded, finally admitting openly.
When you love someone, you should do it with your whole heart and make sure they know it.
She had been foolish in hiding her love for Gabriel, but not anymore. She would make sure he knew the depth of her love.
"Sweetheart..." Overcome with bliss and lost for words, Gabriel gazed at the delicate woman in his arms.
"Darling, I love you so much, and I never want to be apart from you. Do you hear me?" Teresa ordered, her hands cupping Gabriel's face once more as she looked at him intently.
Gabriel pulled her closer, affectionately kissing her forehead, the bridge of her nose, and finally, her red lips with a deeply passionate intensity. His voice hoarse with emotion, he nodded, "I hear you, Sweetheart. This lifetime, the next, and everyone every one after that, I'll be right by your side, never a second apart."
Teresa's eyes sparkled with mischief as she looked at him, a smile playing on her lips. Just as he was about to deepen their kiss, she arched her back and pushed against his chest with her hands, teasingly saying, "I'm sleepy. I need to nap with the baby. You better scram."
"It's too late to think about naps now," Gabriel retorted, swiftly rolling over and trapping her in his embrace.
Teresa glanced anxiously at the Croissant on the bedside table before raising her hand to his mouth, whispering forcefully, "Hey, what are you trying to do?"
"What else? Eat you up," Gabriel said, his one hand bracing his body while the other removed Teresa's blocking hand, capturing her lips firmly.
"Honey, you'll wake up the ba—" The word 'baby' was cut off abruptly.
"Smack!"
Just as Teresa's last word hung in the air, a sharp slap rang out. They both froze, turning their heads to look...The crisp sound of a slap rang out just as Teresa's last word hung in the air.
Both froze, turning their heads to look...
"Daddy's being mean to Mommy, Daddy's bad, Daddy go away!"
Their son, who had been sound asleep, now stared at them with wide eyes. Speaking indignantly, he pushed against Gabriel to get him off.Their son, who had been sleeping soundly, was now staring at them with wide, grape-like eyes. Indignantly speaking, he pushed against Gabriel to get him off.
"Ouch!" Gabriel feigned injury, pressing down closer to Teresa, "Buddy, you slapped Daddy, and it hurts so much. What should I do?"
In reality, he kept his elbows steady, making sure his weight never really pressed down on Teresa—just creating the illusion of being close to her.In truth, he kept his elbows firm, ensuring that his weight never really bore down on Teresa—just the illusion of being close to her.
Teresa suffered an injury that hadn't fully healed, and he couldn't bear the thought of causing her any pain.
Teresa just looked at him, speechless.
"Daddy, you're nasty! Get off! Don't you bully Mommy," their son urged, frantically trying to push Gabriel away.
"Daddy's really hurt and can't get up. Maybe, baby, you should go get someone to help?" Gabriel continued his charade with a straight face, watching the distressed little boy.
"Hmph! You're bullying Mommy; I'm going to get Great-Grandpa to beat you up!" Puffing up his chubby little cheeks in anger, the boy dropped this line, scrambled off Gabriel, slid down the bed, and ran out, shouting, "Great Grandpa, come quick! Great-Grandpa!"
Watching the little tyke run out, Gabriel smirked triumphantly, swiftly flipped off the bed, and locked the door with a "click." Then he hurried back, eager.
Seeing his hurried movements, Teresa sensed trouble. She quickly grabbed the blanket, covered her head, and curled up into a ball.Seeing his haste, Teresa sensed trouble, quickly grabbed the blanket to cover her head, and curled up into a ball...
