Chapter 365
<Chapter> Chapter 365</Chapter>
After everyone had left and a phalanx of bodyguards stood vigil outside, Gabriel remained at Teresa's bedside, gazing at her continuously. He clasped her cool hands in his, silently willing his warmth into her.
Yet no matter what he did, her hands remained chilly despite the room's air conditioning being cranked up to 86 degrees Fahrenheit.
At that moment, Gabriel desperately wished he could lie beside Teresa, enveloping her in his embrace and sharing his warmth to coax her back to consciousness. But fear held him back—the fear of inadvertently hurting her by touching a wound.
So, he settled for holding her hand and gently pressing his lips to her forehead. He didn't dare kiss her lips, which were still raw from being bitten, the traces of blood still visible even after several hours.
He sat there quietly, vigilantly watching over Teresa as the night gave way to the light of a new day.
Over at the Bennett residence, William got home at 3:00 am last night.
After a shower and changing into more comfortable clothes, finding himself unable to sleep, he headed straight to his study to work through the night.
In the morning, Sophia was surprised to see a light on in the study. Upon checking inside, she was stunned to find William there, thoroughly engrossed in some documents. The ashtray on his desk had amassed over a dozen cigarette butts, and the whole room was filled with the smell of smoke.
"William, have you been up all night? Where were you yesterday, and when did you get back? Why have you smoked so much?" Sophia asked a barrage of questions, concerned, as she moved to open the window to air out the room.
Placing his documents down, William looked up at Sophia and couldn't help but smile. "Mom, you're bombarding me with questions. Which one do you want me to answer first?"
Sophia pushed the window open, releasing a deep sigh as she regarded him with concern. "At thirty-two, you should know better. Burning the midnight oil and chain-smoking... no matter how resilient you are, your body has its limits."
Watching Sophia, William didn't say much. He just curled his lips slightly and casually said, "Teresa was kidnapped last night. She's in the hospital now. Do you and Dad want to go see her?"
"What?!" Sophia stared at him, completely baffled. "William, what did you just say? Say it again?"
"What are you talking about? Who got kidnapped?" Patrick, who had just gotten out of bed, heard the noise in the study and came in, looking astonished.
"Teresa was kidnapped last night at Club XX," William explained calmly to his parents. "The Garcia family used their influence on both sides of the law and rescued her in less than four hours. However, Teresa is seriously injured and is now at First Hospital."
"Who the hell dares to kidnap Teresa?" At the news of Teresa's serious injuries, Sophia's eyes reddened, and tears welled up as she cursed in anguish.
"How could Teresa get kidnapped at Club XX? Doesn't she always have bodyguards with her? How could she be kidnapped while dining at her own family's club? I need the full story," demanded Patrick, his voice raised in distress and anger.
"It's a bit complicated. Do you want to hear the whole thing now, or should we talk on the way to the hospital?" William asked them in an even tone.
"On the way, let's talk on the way," Sophia choked out through tears, pulling on Patrick, "Come on, let's hurry up and get changed."
Patrick's heart aching and filled with rage, he furrowed his brows deeply. Gritting his teeth, he followed Sophia to get dressed.
On the way to the hospital, in the same car, William briefly recounted the events leading up to Teresa's abduction and the details of the incident, sparing his parents the gruesome details of Teresa's wounds inflicted by Brian.
"Now, Brian is dead. Yvonne is either truly insane or faking it and locked up in the asylum. If she's pretending, I bet she'll truly break down soon. As for Madison, who had surgery to look like Teresa, she's in the hands of the Garcia family, probably living a fate worse than death," William concluded, giving Patrick and Sophia a sense of justice to ease their minds.
The Garcia family had dealt with those mad dogs who had hurt Teresa, and Patrick and Sophia could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
People who spent their days thinking about harming others deserved to be cut a thousand times; their deaths were no loss.
"Did you rush out last night because you got a call about Teresa's kidnapping?" Sophia asked William, calming her inner rage.
Sitting in the passenger seat, William nodded and murmured an affirmation.
"Then why didn't you say anything last night?" Patrick bellowed immediately.
William glanced back at Patrick, choosing to remain silent.
"William didn't want to worry you, that's all!" Sophia quickly intervened, soothing Patrick's arm and adding, "It's fine now. Teresa's safe and those who deserved to die are dead. Let's not be angry at William."
"We're lucky it was The Garcia family," Patrick said with a heavy sigh, not finishing his thought. The consequences otherwise didn't bear thinking about.
"Indeed, it's a good thing Teresa chose Gabriel over Liam. Otherwise, she might have suffered at Yvonne's hands within the Evans family, and we possibly wouldn't have found out immediately," Sophia added with a shudder.
William leaned back in his seat, his eyes closed, taking a moment to rest.
About half an hour later, the car pulled into First Hospital and stopped in front of the VIP wing.
Patrick and Sophia's minds were wholly focused on Teresa. As soon as the car stopped, they quickly got out and hurried toward the elevator.
The doctor had just examined Teresa inside the hospital room. Although her condition was improving, she still showed no signs of waking.
"Why hasn't my wife woken up yet? She's been unconscious for so long; what's the reason?" Gabriel had been deeply concerned since he found Teresa in that state the previous night.
Originally, Gabriel thought it would be okay for her to sleep a bit longer, but now he was anxious and worried, prompting him to question the doctor.
"Gabriel, the reasons for Unity's coma are not entirely clear," the doctor explained, addressing him with furrowed brows. "It could be due to a blow to the head, or perhaps it's the result of extreme terror and shock that's causing Unity not to want to wake up." The doctor felt helpless at Teresa's—now named Unity's—persistent unconscious state.
The doctor's words plunged like a knife deep into Gabriel's chest.
He could hardly imagine the terror, fear, and despair Teresa must have felt last night, enduring Brian's torment and abuse.
Yet, Gabriel's mind replayed with harrowing clarity the night three and a half years ago at the hotel: after he'd forced himself on her, the image of her trembling uncontrollably as she fled the room and hid in the corner of the emergency staircase.
Now, subjected to Brian's inhumane cruelty, how frightened and desperate Teresa must be!
He couldn't bear to think of it.
"Alright, everyone leave," Gabriel ordered softly, taking Teresa's hand once again. His gaze was filled with excruciating guilt.
"Of course. If Unity changes, please call us immediately," the doctor said respectfully before exiting.
"Teresa!"
The doctor had just left, the door not yet closed when Sophia's pained voice called out from the threshold.
Gabriel turned to see Patrick and Sophia arriving. He faced them and uttered, "Dad, Mom."
"Oh! Gabriel, Teresa, she..." As Sophia rapidly entered the room and saw Teresa covered in injuries on the bed, her eyes widened in shock. She rushed to Teresa's side and asked, "Teresa, how did you get like this?"
Patrick followed closely, his eyes reddening with pain as he looked at Teresa, "This child, why has she faced so many troubles lately?"
"The doctor just checked on Teresa; she hasn't woken up from the coma," Gabriel's voice was hoarse as he addressed his in-laws.
Sophia glanced at him and nodded through her tears. "Gabriel, you've stayed up all night. You must be exhausted. Go rest for a while, and I'll watch over Teresa."
"I'm not tired." Gabriel's brows quivered as he looked at Sophia's reddened eyes and then back down at Teresa, "I won't feel at ease if I'm not by Teresa's side."
"Gabriel, you can't predict the malice in people's hearts. Teresa's accident isn't your fault; don't be too hard on yourself," Patrick said, seeing Gabriel's remorse and guilt so evident.
