Chapter 13
“What are you laughing about?” Alex furrowed his brows. His tone was filled with disgust and a hint of panic.
Gabriella had changed too much. In the past, she would never air dirty launday no matter how annoyed she was. Besides, she had never been angry over these years.
Even when Alex admitted publicly that he hadn’t forgotten about Melody, all Gabriella did was to watch him from the side without a word.
Since she loved him so much, why would she hurt his reputation and ego in this way?
“What am I laughing about?” Melody’s cackling grew louder when she saw the frown on his face. “I’m laughing at you for being a hypocrite–both you and your son!”
After spitting at them, she flashed a self–derisive laugh. “I’m laughing at myself for believing that people like you guys are capable of true love.
“Did I ask you to trust me fully without looking into matters yourself? Look at me, Alex. We used to be so in love. So what if I hurt Gabriella? She’s just your wife in an arranged marriage, or in other words, a nanny. Why would you treat me like this because of her?”
Lucas wanted to retort, but he couldn’t find the words to. He glanced at his father, hoping to receive some clues.
Alex spoke, “Gabriella is not just my wife from an arranged marriage, and she’s definitely not a nanny.”
“Yeah! You’re not allowed to speak of Mom in that manner!”
After Alex reflexively refuted Melody, Lucas immediately joined in rather righteously.
However, it wasn’t until they saw the distaste in Melody’s eyes that they finally realized something–those were the same remarks they had once made about Gabriella.
So, why did they find these remarks jarring when someone else said it aloud?
“Alex, have you fallen in love with Gabriella for real? And you, Lucas, why are you acting like the best son? Did you think no one remembered how you described Gabriella as a nanny on your birthday? You said your dad and I make a perfect match!”
Doubt filled Alex’s mind. Had he fallen in love with Gabriella for real?
He turned to his son, who seemed equally helpless. He opened his mouth but couldn’t muster a word
“N–No…” Lucas replied tearfully. His eyes were filled with tears.
He looked up at Alex in an attempt to seek validation. “It was you who lied to me! You made us believe that Mom bullied you. That’s why we hated her!”
He started off stammering and slowly gained his confidence. With that, he became agitated, picking up a random piece of glass from the ground and flung it at Melody.
Melody immediately shut her eyes to brace for the attack. It was at that moment she felt a sharp pain from the corner of her eye. She touched her skin and felt a warm, sticky texture. She screamed.
Melody was rushed to the hospital, but Alex and Lucas did not pay her any more attention. Instead, they hurried home with many questions for Gabriella in their head
However, when they opened the gates to the villa, they realized she was gone.
They searched the bedroom, kitchen bathroom, and backyard. Then, they realized that her possessions had vanished, along with herself.
“Dad, is Mom abandoning us?”
Lucas pouted after his long, futile search. He tugged at the hem of Alex’s suit jacket, looking like he was about to burst into tears at any time, but Alex was in no mood to pacify his son. Alex’s mind was in complete turmoil. He didn’t know what he should do or was supposed to do. All he could do was repeatedly dial that unsaved number in his contacts.
But the call never went through.
He had been blocked
He stared at the phone–the call was disconnected after an automated message was played. He kept staring at that string of numbers, and after dialing it repeatedly, he had unknowingly memorized it by heart.
