Chapter 67 The Best Thing I've Missed in This Lifetime
"Teresa!" Patrick called out to her, halting her in her tracks.
She stopped and turned to face Patrick and Sophia.
"We're not pressuring you, Teresa, but you need to think this through. No regrets," Patrick cautioned her with solemn urgency.
Deep down, Patrick's heart actually leaned a bit more toward the Garcia family.
Gabriel was, after all, Croissant's biological father, not to mention Mason's impassioned words earlier.
Teresa managed a small smile at her parents, "Dad, Mom, Liam is good to me. I won't have regrets."
"Am I not good enough, Teresa?" Gabriel's voice came from where he knelt on one knee, looking up at her.
She tried to speak, opening her mouth, but no words came out.
She wanted to say, "Gabriel, you're also good, truly you are! But I've promised myself to Liam. How could I go back on that word and accept you again?"
If she couldn't let Liam down, then the only option was to disappoint Gabriel.
Sorry.
"Liam, let's go." In the end, Teresa said nothing to Gabriel; she merely walked away with Liam, striding with purpose.
"Mommy..." Croissant, seeing Teresa walking away, pouted sadly and said to Gabriel, "Daddy, Mommy is gone!"
Gabriel reached out to lift his child into his arms, stroking his little face with immense tenderness, "It's okay; if Mommy runs away, Daddy will always be here for you, Michael."
"Daddy, can we go look for Mommy?" the little one asked with big, shiny eyes brimming with tears, pointing toward the door.
"Alright, let's go find Mom," Gabriel nodded, then scooped up the little one, turned on his heel, and departed.
...
"Teresa, shall we head to the registration and get our marriage license now?" Liam asked.
Leaving the hospital, Liam drove with one hand on the steering wheel, the other reaching out to gently hold Teresa's hand. Stealing a quick, tender glance at her, he softly pleaded for her approval.
Feeling her hand enveloped by his, Teresa, who had been staring blankly in the passenger seat, finally snapped back to reality. She turned slowly to look at Liam, a slight smile creeping across her lips as she nodded, "Sure. But, Liam, would you promise me one thing?"
"Sure," Liam caressed the back of Teresa's hand with his thumb, glancing at her again with a joyful nod, " Tell me!"
"After we get married, I want you to keep your job at Evans Group. Don't cut ties with the Evans family, okay? Doing that will only make your mom dislike me more. At most, we just won't live together, that's all," Teresa said earnestly, locking eyes with him.
Just then, they approached a red light. Liam gently pressed the brake pedal, bringing the car to a smooth halt. He turned to Teresa with a look of deep affection, "Teresa, I'm just worried about you getting hurt later on."
Teresa shook her head, "We can just see each other less often. I believe in time, your mom will come around."
"Is that really how you feel?" Liam asked, squeezing her hand, the concern evident in his voice.
She nodded with a soft smile, "Yes," but the smile never reached her eyes, remaining a mere facade on her face.
"Alright, I'll do as you say. Let's go back and get your documents, then off to the registration," he said.
"Okay."
The red light turned green, and Liam drove off once more. Teresa leaned back into her seat, not saying another word. As she glanced out of the window, however, she caught the reflection in the rearview mirror of a black Rolls-Royce following closely behind.
It was Gabriel's car, familiar to her.
The black Rolls-Royce trailed them all the way back to the Bennetts' residence. When Teresa got out to retrieve her documents, she saw Gabriel emerging from the vehicle, holding Croissant.
Gabriel's face was a patchwork of bruises, the typically charming and handsome features now difficult to tell.
Yet, he didn't seem to care at all, as he confidently strode toward Teresa, the little one in his arms.
Liam came to Teresa's side, eyeing the approaching Gabriel with a protective wariness, yet without any intention of starting a fight.
Because Teresa was soon to be his lawful wife.
"Mommy." As he approached, Croissant immediately ran into Teresa's arms.
Teresa scooped up Croissant, turning to head inside.
"Mommy." Croissant's chubby little hand pointed toward Gabriel. "Daddy's hurt, Daddy's so pitiful, can we not leave Daddy behind?"
In an instant, Teresa's stride halted. She looked up to see the man standing a few steps away, a fierce frown creasing her brow before she said to the little one in her arms, "He's grown up; he doesn't need Mommy to look after him."
The little one shook his head. "No, Daddy needs Mommy."
Gabriel stood not far off, his eyes fixated on Teresa and ignoring Liam beside him. He spoke with a heavy tone, "Teresa, we are the true family."
"Yeah, a mommy, a daddy, and a baby," the little one nodded vigorously, gesturing to the three of them, then pointed at Liam adding, "He's mister, not Daddy."
Liam watched the child, his brows furrowed, silent.
Teresa, too, looked at the child in her arms without a word. The next moment she strode into the house with the child to fetch her documents, Liam close on her heels.
Gabriel remained, hand casually in his pocket, motionless.
Soon, Teresa reappeared with the documents. The little one, however, was no longer in her arms.
Without so much as a glance at Gabriel, she headed straight for the car with Liam.
Gabriel's gaze lingered on the documents in her hand, watching as she walked past him, about to step into the car. He couldn't contain himself. In a swift move, he grabbed Teresa's wrist.
"Teresa, have you really thought this through?"
"Mommy!" Just then, the little one came running out, led by Beatrice, "I want both Mommy and Daddy."
Teresa turned her head, glancing at the child then back at the man so near.
In that moment, her eyebrows knitted together, her eyes brimming with a harsh sadness, she nodded decisively, "Yes, I've made up my mind! Please let go, thank you."
Liam, on the other side of the car, saw the tears welling up in Teresa's eyes and felt a tremor in his heart.
Gabriel looked at Teresa, puzzled by the expression on her face but, eventually, he slowly released her hand.
And as he did, Teresa decisively stepped into the car, shutting the door with a 'clunk.'
Liam got into the car, closed the door, and then the car sped away, leaving a trail of dust behind.
"Daddy, let's go find Mommy, okay?" Croissant ran up and clung to Gabriel's leg, pleading as he nearly breaking into tears.
"Sure," Gabriel nodded, scooping up the little guy and getting into the car.
Even if Teresa really married Liam, he wouldn't give up.
...
On the way to the registration, Liam made a call to Finley, who had arranged everything. By the time he and Teresa arrived, the staff member in charge of marriage registration was already waiting for them.
However, as Liam parked the car ready to get out, Teresa sat motionless inside, lost in a daze.
"Teresa, we're here." When she didn't move, Liam went over, unbuckled her seatbelt, and took her hand.
"Oh!" Snapping out of it, Teresa offered a faint smile, then reached to open the door and step out.
Just as she pushed open the door, she looked up to find the black Rolls-Royce that had followed them pull up; Gabriel emerged, carrying Croissant.
"Mommy..." Croissant called upon seeing her.
"Gabriel, how long are you going to chase me?" Teresa felt a surge of annoyance.
"Until you agree to marry me," Gabriel replied, his determination clear in his voice.
Liam ignored Gabriel, passed the car's front, and took Teresa's hand. With a gentle voice he suggested, "How about we bring Michael in with us to watch us get the license?"
Teresa's gaze lingered on Gabriel, hearing Liam's words, she looked down and shook her head, "No need, let's go in."
"Okay." Liam led her straight toward the marriage registration.
"Daddy, let's catch up with Mommy." Croissant, still in Gabriel's arms, pointed toward where Teresa had vanished.
Gabriel, looking down at his son, managed a strained smile and gently stroked the boy's hair, "Buddy, it's hard for Daddy to go in there and watch Mommy marry another man."
"Daddy's not brave," the little one pouted.
Gabriel chuckled ruefully, "I just... don’t want to make Mommy hate me."
If love meant anything, then he didn't want to hurt Teresa anymore — not even the slightest bit.
Croissant pursed his lips and shook his head, "I don’t understand. Mommy and Daddy should be together."
Gabriel stroked his son's hair tenderly, "It's okay if you don’t understand. No matter what, your Daddy will always be your Daddy, and Mommy will always be your Mommy."
Inside the registration, as soon as the staff saw Liam and Teresa arrive, they were greeted with enthusiastic service, swiftly presenting them with registration forms.
"Are you here by your own accord to register your marriage?" The staff member asked with a friendly smile after handing them the documents.
"Absolutely," Liam replied without hesitation.
Teresa, however, was staring at the form in her hands, seemingly lost in thought, quiet as if she hadn't heard the question.
"Teresa." Liam's brows furrowed as he called out to her.
She looked up at him, "What's wrong?"
"Buzzing."
Just then, Teresa's phone started vibrating in her pocket. She pulled it out to see an unfamiliar number on the screen — a number that was all too familiar to Liam.
As Teresa was about to answer, lifting the phone to her ear, Liam quickly snatched it from her hands and put it to his own.
Teresa watched him in astonishment.
"Teresa, I've underestimated you. Not only did you have my son manipulated, but you also had the entire Garcia family deceived. After that grand performance you gave in the hospital, to think you could still marry my son... are you pitying him, throwing him a bone just to ensure his undying loyalty?" Yvonne's voice came through, filled with anger and bitterness, followed by a mocking laugh. "Your schemes are quite something. But I'll have you know, my son may fall for it, but I certainly won't. Playing both sides, controlling Gabriel as well — should any trouble befall my son or the Evans family because of you, I'll make sure you won't see a single day of peace."
As Yvonne's voice faded, Liam abruptly ended the call, his mind in turmoil.
"Liam, who was that?" Teresa eyed him, sensing a change in his demeanor, and promptly inquired.
"Teresa, if you had to choose between me and Michael, who would it be?" Looking at Teresa, Liam asked abruptly.
Frowning in confusion, she responded, "Liam, why... would you ask that?"
"Just answer me," Liam insisted firmly.
"I..." Teresa furrowed her brows, lowered her head, and after a long silence finally said, "Michael is just a toddler, only two years old. He can't be without his mother."
Returning from Jena, the heartbreaking cries of the little one at the airport remained vivid in Teresa's memory.
He was her baby, her precious. How could she bear to let him be apart from his mother before he was grown and independent?
Teresa's response was like a needle, piercing Liam's heart with precision. Yet, the answer was no surprise to him, nothing out of the ordinary.
Indeed, time and again, regardless of the reason, Teresa had managed to end things with him without a second thought. But this time, her decision to wed him was so firm, it was beyond pity or charity. What, then, could it be?
Perhaps she did harbor love for him, enough to agree to marry. But how much of her heart did that love occupy? Hadn't it always been him pursuing her, imploring her to be his wife?
Teresa didn't love him that much — at least, not as much as her child. To Teresa, he mattered far less.
Instead of entangling Teresa with Gabriel and The Garcia family over their child, or subjecting her to Yvonne's difficulties, disdain, or unfeeling mental torment should she marry him, it would be better for Liam to let go, to gratify Gabriel fully.
"Teresa, let's not go through with the marriage," Liam decided firmly at last.
"Liam...." Teresa was utterly taken aback.
"Let's just be friends from now on," Liam suggested, his lips curving into a smile that spoke of relief and release.
"Liam..." Emotions overwhelmed Teresa, and before she could stop them, tears streamed down her cheeks.
Liam reached out to wipe her tears away. "Let's go outside, Michael's waiting for you."
As she looked at him, her lips broke into a radiant smile, and she responded with a determined "Yeah," allowing Liam to lift her to her feet.
"Excuse us," Liam apologized to the staff before turning to leave with Teresa.
The employees watched them go, their faces a mix of confusion.
Outside the registration, Liam's gaze fell on Gabriel, standing with the little one, watching their direction. He stopped, smiled, and playfully asked Teresa, "This time, could you kiss me first? As a parting gift."
"Liam, ......."
"It's okay if you don't want to," Liam interjected with a resigned smile before Teresa could respond.
"Yes, I do," Teresa quickly replied, and on her tiptoes, she initiated a kiss with Liam.
As Liam beheld the sudden closeness of her delicate face, an impulse struck him, and his hand reached up to cradle the back of Teresa's head, shifting from passive to active as he deepened the kiss.
From not too far away, when Gabriel watched the couple locked in a kiss, a flicker of indescribable discomfort crossed his face.
Could it be that over the past three years, Teresa hadn't once felt a flicker of love for him, not even the slightest bit of fondness?
And now, staring as the woman he yearned for became someone else's wife, wrapped in another man's embrace, the pain was excruciating — like a death by a thousand cuts.
"Daddy, look!" The little one had spotted Teresa and Liam, his small finger pointing their way. "Why is Mommy kissing the mister and not you?"
"Because...," Gabriel began, his voice suddenly strained, "Mommy isn't Daddy's wife at the moment."
Unresisting, Teresa allowed Liam to make the most of their final kiss. Thankfully, Liam didn't overstay the moment and let go when it felt right.
"Teresa, you're the greatest thing I've ever missed out on," Liam murmured with a rueful smile after the kiss, his forehead resting against hers.
Teresa offered him a small smile in return. "Liam, I'm sorry!"
"The one who should be sorry is me," Liam regretted. "If I had only accepted Michael from the start, we might have been husband and wife by now." Letting her go completely, he took a handsome grin. "I wish you and Gabriel happiness. Just don't let him get away with too much — give him a hard time for me."
Teresa was bewildered. "I never said I'd marry him."
Chuckling, Liam answered, "Still, you should marry him. It's best for Michael, for you, and for the Bennett family."
Teresa just looked at him, speechless.
"I'm off then. Goodbye!"
She nodded. "Goodbye, Liam."
With one final, meaningful look at Teresa, and another at Gabriel nearby, Liam turned on his heel and strode toward his car.
Teresa stood still, silently watching him walk away, the distance growing with each step he took.
Gabriel, parked at his car, watched as Liam left Teresa behind and departed alone, furrowing his brow in confusion.
They had just seemed like newlyweds, so in love, and now suddenly Liam had left Teresa and gone. What was that supposed to mean?
Immediately, he strode up to Liam's car, blocking the door just as Liam was about to close it. Annoyance laced his words, "Liam, you just gonna leave Teresa like that? What's the deal?"
Sitting in the car, Liam looked up at Gabriel, his brows knitting together in response. "If you want to know what's up, go ask Teresa yourself."
With that, he slammed the car door shut, started the engine, and drove off.
...
