Chapter 232
Chapter 232:
“Still that hard to answer?” Wesley’s voice carried a quiet disappointment. “So, in your eyes, Brenden and I are the same p>
“Of course not!” Gabriela burst out before she could stop herself. “You two are different—completely different. You’re a real gentleman, Mr. Moss. You’d never stoop to something like that p>
“A gentleman?” Wesley’s tone sharpened, a flicker of irritation breaking through. “A gentleman is still a man. Do you even remember what happened at the company retreat p>
It struck him then—Gabriela never really saw him as a man at all. Fury blazed through his veins. Out of concern for her well-being, he had planned to give her time, to wait until she had healed before revealing the truth. But in that moment, patience abandoned him completely. He needed her to understand right now that he was the one who had slept with her that night.
Gabriela’s heart plummeted the instant he mentioned the company retreat. Panic seized her chest, her stomach twisting into knots. She pressed a hand to her mouth, bolted from the bed, and stumbled to the bathroom, retching violently.
Yо𝗎𝘳 ո𝖾x𝘁 𝗳𝖺vorі𝗍𝗲 rеa𝖽 𝗂𝗌 o𝗇
Her reflection stared back from the mirror, pale and haunted. A terrible suspicion crept into her thoughts like poison. The retreat had taken place in December. Now it was February. What she had dismissed as ancient history had occurred merely two months ago. Her period hadn’t arrived. The possibility struck her like lightning—could she be pregnant?
Fate seemed determined to crush her beneath its heel. She had believed that distance and time would eventually lift the shadows, allowing her one-night stand with Brenden to fade from memory. Yet now, a more serious problem loomed over her.
Gabriela forced air into her lungs, commanding her racing heart to slow. She was stronger than this. She had survived worse. Wesley couldn’t know—mustn’t know.
But she had lingered too long. His knuckles rapped against the door. “Gabriela p>
She wrenched the door open. Wesley’s gaze immediately fixed on her bloodless lips and the way she swayed slightly on her feet. “You look like hell. What’s wrong p>
“Just tired.” The lie tasted bitter. Desperate to redirect his attention, she added quickly, “I should rest. I have to go now p>
She turned to leave, but Wesley caught her arm. “If you’re not feeling well, you should go to the hospital p>
“I am fine. Thank you, Mr. Moss p>
Heat radiated from his palm, branding her skin even through the fabric. Once, she had planned to confess her love to Wesley, but now she knew that ship had sailed. How could she harbor feelings for him when another man’s child might be growing inside her?
She fled to her room.
Fiona’s elaborate scheme lay in ruins. Unable to maintain her sweet façade any longer, she manufactured an excuse and stormed home.
As for the hot springs, Gabriela couldn’t risk returning—not with her suspicions. The decision was unanimous—they would leave the next morning.
Back at Moss Manor, Gabriela announced her intention to move home. Loretta objected instantly. “Gabriela, your kidnapping was tied to Phyllis. If you move back now, it’d be like walking straight into the lion’s den p>
Gabriela faltered. Knowing Phyllis’s temperament, it wasn’t far-fetched to think she might do something reckless.
“My uncle has already promised me they will be moving out soon,” Gabriela said softly.
Loretta shook her head firmly. “Until they’ve really moved out, you’re not going back. And I won’t rest easy with you living all by yourself p>
Each time Loretta remembered Gabriela’s miserable past, her heart ached. “How about this—I’ll move back to the suburbs, and you can live with me?” she offered.
Gabriela’s eyes widened, and she quickly shook her head. “The suburbs are too far from the office. I’d be spending half my life in traffic p>
Neither side could budge the other, so Wesley finally cut in. “Gabriela, stay at the manor for a few more days. I’ll arrange for an apartment in a secure neighborhood. Once that’s settled, you can move in p>
Gabriela couldn’t refuse. She nodded reluctantly.
But staying at Moss Manor came with a price—she tossed and turned all night, sleep nowhere in sight, and arrived at work the next day worn thin with anxiety. During lunch, she made an excuse and slipped away to a pharmacy to buy a pregnancy test.