Witnessing such a reaction, Max’s guilt suddenly doubled. While furrowing his brows, he tried to touch his wife’s shoulder.
“Gabriella, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been rude to you,” Max said with a dry tongue.
The woman did not answer. She continued to wash her wounded heart with tears.
“I really went too far. Please forgive me.”
Again, Gabriella was silent. Her sadness was too great to accept the apology she doubted.
Getting no response, Max sighed in resignation. Gently, he embraced the woman.
“What can I do to heal you?” the man whispered while stroking his wife’s hair.
A few seconds passed, Gabriella was still sobbing in the warm arms. The woman was too tired to deal with the situation. Silence or resistance, both of them were not able to get rid of the tightness.
Suddenly, Max was moved to grab his wife’s fingers. As soon as the soft palm opened, the man’s heart broke. Three slashes had pulled him into a deep abyss of regret.
“Why did you hurt yourself?” Max grumbled in pain. A second later, he kissed Gabriella’s head and tightened the hug. With eyes closed, the man said, “I’m really sorry.”
A few minutes passed, the woman’s crying finally subsided. Without waiting for orders, Max loosened his embrace, then looked down to examine his wife’s face closely.
“Is it better?” the man asked as he wiped the traces of sadness that began to dry up.
Gabriella closed her mouth tightly. Her puffy eyes looked at her husband suspiciously.
Unexpectedly, Max raised the corners of his lips. “Do you know, you look so cute every time you cry?”
The woman swallowed hard. Her husband’s joke wasn’t funny at all.
“What do you want? Are you planning to persuade me to sign the divorce form, just like how the past house contract?”
The curve of the man’s lips instantly returned flat. “Do I look that bad?”
“You can’t be nice to me without ulterior motive,” Gabriella said in a thin voice.
A sigh immediately greeted the answer. “Right. I never do anything without a reason. Therefore, wait a moment. Don’t fall asleep yet. I have to get something from my room.”
After raising a brief eyebrow, the man stepped outside. He did not know that Gabriella was looking at his back with a disappointed expression.
“What a heartless man! Why do you have to be nice when you want to divorce me?”
While controlling the roar in her chest, Gabriella went to the bed. With closed eyes and Snowy in her arms, she tried to forget the anxiety that was frowning.
Just as the woman was about to fall asleep, a caress made her gasp. As soon as she turned around, Max’s smile was caught by her eyes.
“Why are you always sleepy after crying? Is it because your eyelids are too thick?” the man teased.
Without giving an answer, Gabriella sat up and raised her hands, asking for something. “Where’s the form? I’ll do it quickly.”
Max’s lips suddenly pursed. Instead of handing over a paper or pen, the man grabbed his wife’s finger and dripped it with antiseptic solution. The woman spontaneously grimaced.
“Are you planning to kill me?” Gabriella shouted while securing her hand.
Max almost laughed. Casually, he grabbed his wife’s wrist and targeted the next wound. “No one kills with a drop of antiseptic, Mrs. Evans.”
After the third grimace, the man freed his wife’s left hand. Then, he switched to another hand. As expected, the incision wound was also transverse there.
“If you’re afraid to die, you shouldn’t be playing with knives,” Max muttered, making Gabriella’s eyes roll lazily.
Just at that moment, the woman saw a trolley near the bed. “Why do you bring it here?” Gabriella asked in a strange tone. She tried to sound unconcerned, but failed.
“Didn’t we promise to have dinner together?”
The woman shook her head. “You just told me to prepare it. If I had known it’s for Cherry, I would have set it to look romantic and classy.”
Max’s face suddenly turned stiff. His wife’s words tasted like vinegar to his inner wound.
“Why do you think so?” the man inquired while hiding his expression.
“I know, she’s the woman with your taste. After divorcing me, you will definitely marry her straight away.”
The corner of Max’s lips lifted even though it was very heavy. “Why do you think that way? In fact, I am not into women who like to drink.”
Gabriella was stunned. For a moment, she was motionless in the blink of a wistful eyes. “But she’s so beautiful and classy,” she muttered almost inaudibly.
“What’s the difference with Amber?” Max said as he got off the bed and started putting the plates on the table.
“She looks more graceful and a little softer. She’s also your close friend,” Gabriella said with pursed lips.
“Soft? You call the woman who hurt your face soft?” Max raised an eyebrow in disbelief. After one quick breath, he approached his wife and bent down, leveling his gaze.
“She’s not to my taste at all,” the man emphasized, putting greater confusion on his wife’s face.
“But you take her to your room.”
Another annoyed snort escaped from the man’s mouth.
“After the meeting, Cherry suddenly got a call from her future husband. The man canceled the wedding plans and broke their relationship. I had no other choice but to comfort her,” Max explained without being asked.
In a sudden, the woman’s eyes opened wider. “Did that guy do it out of jealousy with Cherry and you?” Gabriella said unexpectedly. An incredulous sigh immediately answered her guess.
“Of course not. Their relationship was already broken long before we met again. It’s just a coincidence that they broke up when Cherry’s with me. I had to accompany her to the bar, and as it turned out, she was drunk. I took her here because I didn’t have time to rent another room. Besides, I know that you’re in my room.”
Gabriella looked down at Max’s explanation. What was described did make sense, except for one thing. “Why do you explain everything to me? I almost feel like a real wife.”
Feeling his annoyance begin to creep up, Max snorted and pulled a chair for his wife. “Shall we eat now? I’m famished.”
“You haven’t eaten yet?” Gabriella sighed in disbelief.
Without a word, Max lifted the woman’s body and sat her on the chair. “I’m not a man who likes to eat with other women,” he muttered almost inaudibly.
After placing the napkin on Gabriella’s lap, the man sat too and began to lift the knife and fork.
“Eat! Don’t talk anymore.”
However, Gabriella froze with her gaze locked on the steak that had been cut.
“Don’t you hate this food?”
Her husband’s eyes flashed in confusion. “Don’t take it wrong. It’s not the food that I don’t like, but the way it’s served.”
“Why? I like anything that reminds me of Mom.”
The man’s jaw tightened. After one breath, he lowered his head and began to eat.
“Please don’t talk about this again. Our case is different. Next time, don’t copy what my mother did. I’m not the kid in the diary anymore.”
Hearing such a stiff tone of voice, Gabriella did not dare to speak. Awkwardly, she tried to straighten the fork. However, tremor was too difficult to overcome. The apple slices kept slipping from her cutlery.
“Why is my hand shaking like this again?” the woman thought with furrowed brows. Worry had returned. “At this rate, I can fail to prove that I am independent.”
Suddenly, a piece of apple touched her lips. As soon as she looked forward, Max immediately put on a straight face.
“Think of it as an apology from me for yelling at you.”
Although she hesitated, Gabriella finally devoured the apple. While chewing, the woman paid attention to the the man in front of her. “Why aren’t you mad at me anymore?”
“I realize that it isn’t entirely your fault. I let you into that room. I should have predicted that you would find the box.”
Max shrugged his shoulders briefly then went back to eating steak. His attitude succeeded in perfecting his wife’s confusion. Even so, Gabriella didn’t dare ask a single question. As a result, she just chewed while guessing.
“Does this man like to see my tears? He always stops being rude every time I cry,” thought Gabriella, stealing glances. Max Evans was still hard to understand.
After swallowing, the woman suddenly launched a question. “So, if not Cherry, what kind of woman do you like?”
Max’s eyebrows shot up high. After observing Gabriella’s innocent expression, he snorted faintly.