03
It was as if nothing had happened at the party.
I wasn’t hysterical, nor did I show any concern.
I just lay there, as still as a corpse.
He stood silently by the bed for a long time.
He stood silently by the bed for a long time.
Seeing I still didn’t react, he eventually stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
I knew he was trying to get my attention. He needed me to comfort him, to let him vent his frustrations.
But I was tired of it all.
I slept soundly that night and woke up in a good mood to make myself breakfast.
As I finished cooking, Gabriel emerged from his study, rubbing his temples.
A symptom of his hangover.
Seeing his familiar figure, I couldn’t help but think of last night.
When I returned to the apartment last night, he wasn’t there.
But I felt no worry at all. I just went through my usual bedtime routine.
The bed felt so much more spacious without him in it.
Gabriel hadn’t even sent me a single message after last night, and I felt nothing about it.
In the past, I would have been beside myself with worry, ready to mobilize my entire network to find him.
Did I still want to marry him?
As I pondered this, my phone buzzed with a new picture message.
It was a photo of Rose and Gabriel in bed together.
Along with an ultrasound report showing 16 weeks pregnant.
Oh, so that’s why he didn’t have time to message – he was too busy in bed with his “sister.”
Though shocked, I forced myself to accept the reality.
There had been signs between them for a long time. I should have seen this coming.
150
After all that flirting under the guise of being “siblings, it would have been stranger if they hadn’t gone all the way.
I texted Rose back: “Congrats! From rolling in the sheets last night to 16 weeks along already? Your kid must be some kind of superhero.”
Rose replied quickly: “Lily, what are you talking about? Did you even look at the report date?”
“Let me remind you – this was from 5 months ago, the day of your engagement.”
I froze in place, Gabriel’s voice cutting through my thoughts #
“Lily, don’t make the soup too thick. I don’t like it th
way.”
“I want some Shanghai–style noodle soup. I don’t have much appetite, something warm would be nice.”
Theard him say this as I bustled around the kitchen.
How laughable. Did he think I was his maid now?
Even maids get days off and a salary. I had nothing.
He couldn’t even keep it in his pants outside, let alone provide any emotional value, yet he expected me to do what exactly?
Lignored him, tossed my phone aside and sat down to eat my own breakfast
<
I ignored him, tossed my phone aside, and sat down to eat my own breakfast.
Gabriel, who had been waiting a while, surprisingly didn’t get angry when he saw I hadn’t made anything for him. Instead, he said:
“I drank too much yesterday and got carried away. It was my last night as a bachelor, don’t be mad.”
I had just finished eating and was loading the dishes into the dishwasher, not really listening to what he was saying.
Seeing I didn’t respond, he repeated himself. I finally looked up at him.
“Oh, why would I be mad? Didn’t you say she’s just like a sister to you?”
He hadn’t expected me to be so nonchalant. Trying to sound casual, he said:
“Right, so don’t overthink it. We’re getting married soon, I promise it won’t happen again.”
“Mhm.”
I finished tidying up and grabbed my bag, ready to head to my studio.
“Lily!” Gabriel called out just as I was about to leave.
“Yes?” I turned back, puzzled.
He looked at me in disbelief: “You’re just… forgiving me like that?”
“What should I do instead?”
“Anyway, I’ve got to go or I’ll be late.”
Men are such strange creatures. He used to get mad when I adamantly refused to let him interact with other women.
Now that I’ve given him the freedom he wanted, he seems upset too.
I really don’t understand.
When I arrived at the studio, everyone was huddled together whispering instead of working as usual.
This unusual behavior piqued my curiosity.
As I approached, I caught snippets of their conversation:
“Do you think Lily knows about this?”
“I bet it was on purpose, to make Lily back down.”
I was about to ask what was going on when I heard crying from outside.
I turned to see Gabriel dragging Rose towards me.
Their intimate body language drew stares from my coworkers.
Before I could say anything, Gabriel glared at me furiously.
“Lily, did you do this?!”
