As soon as he opened his eyes, Max was immediately taken aback by the void in front of him. Gabriella was no longer in his arms.
“Gabby?” the man called in a hoarse and unstable voice.
Not getting an answer, Max finally put on his clothes and went to the bathroom.
“Gabriella?”
Knowing his wife wasn’t there too, the man’s brow furrowed deeper. After shaking his eyeballs for a moment, he widened his eyes and immediately walked out of the room.
“Auntie! Auntie …!” the man shouted as he hurried up the stairs.
Just as Max was about to step downstairs, the door to his workroom opened and Gabriella came out with an eyebrow raised in surprise. “Why are you screaming, Max?”
The man’s motion froze for a moment. After a sigh of relief, he walked quickly to his wife.
“Why did you leave the room without telling me? I thought that you disappeared,” Max sighed as he hugged the woman. With his eyes closed, he muffled the worry.
Hearing such a confession, Gabriella secretly gulped. With a very heavy motion, she rubbed her husband’s back.
“I’m just looking for my suitcase,” she explained, trying to calm Max’s raging breath.
However, instead of abating, the man’s anxiety grew rapidly. “Are you planning on running away again?” he asked with round eyes.
The woman had to lift the corners of her lips higher. “I want to take Snowy. He’s been locked in the suitcase all day. Pity him,” she answered in a low voice.
A second later, Max lowered his head with hands on his wife’s shoulder. After taking a quick breath, he looked back at the woman with a lighter expression.
“Don’t even think about running away again. Understand? Otherwise, I’ll take Snowy as a captive to keep you here.”
Gabriella’s laughter suddenly melted the tension. “You can’t keep Snowy as a captive, Max. He’s innocent,” the woman said as she walked into the workroom.
After a while, Gabriella pulled the zipper on the suitcase on the table. As soon as the big bag opened, she immediately took Snowy and kissed the teddy’s head. “I have to kiss him to have a good day. He’s my lucky charm, remember?”
The man’s lips curled into a narrow curve. Without speaking, he drew closer to his wife and buried his lips on her forehead. “And you are my lucky charm. I will solve all problems easily if you stay by my side.”
Again, Gabriella’s smile was threatened. With all her strength, she kept her face from frowning. “I’m sure, with or without my presence, you will be able to overcome the obstacles. You are great. Your IQ is 145.”
“No, Gabby. No matter how strong a man is, he still needs support from the person he loves the most,” Max muttered while stroking his wife’s hair.
Seeing Gabriella hiding her expression, the man lowered his head with a light snort.
Right at that moment, Max’s eyes fell on the suitcase which only contained several photo albums and music books. In just an instant, his face froze again.
“Is this the suitcase you wanted to take with you when you ran away yesterday?” the man asked in an even tone.
“Yes. Why?”
An incredulous sigh escaped Max’s mouth. “Are you kidding me? You’re planning to run away without clothes or valuable things? How can you survive if I don’t find you and take you home?”
Gabriella’s eyes blinked instantly. “These are the valuable things I have,” she answered innocently. The woman did not realize that her statement had scratched the husband’s heart.
“You have a lot of clothes and jewelry in the closet. Why didn’t you put it in here?” Max asked, pointing at the suitcase with an open hand.
“Because…, I thought it’s all yours. I don’t want to be accused of being a thief,” the woman said in a low voice before bowing even deeper, preparing to welcome her husband’s anger.
Once again, Max grabbed his wife’s shoulder and leveled his gaze. However, instead of getting angry, the man let out a faint sigh.
“Gaby, everything I have is yours. You’re not a thief at all. Understand?”
Getting such an unexpected response, Gabriella felt even more guilty. Why had she only then realized how much Max loved her?
“Yes,” the woman said before closing her mouth tightly. She was afraid that her doubts would be seen.
“Now, how about we take a shower and have breakfast? I have to get to work soon, and you have to practice too, right?” Max suggested with warm eyes. He didn’t suspect anything by the gaze that was starting to fill with sadness.
“Yes,” Gabriella nodded while widening her stiff smile. “You should be able to secure your position in Quebracha.”
Having the support he always wanted, Max’s heart suddenly felt so wide. “Take it easy. I’ll get things done quickly, especially today. Because tonight, I want to take you somewhere.”
The woman’s eyebrows rose spontaneously. “Where?”
“Confidential. Dress up for me. Tonight is going to be a very special night,” Max said with a smile.
Seeing her husband’s spirit, Gabriella nodded. She could not refuse and reveal the fact that she could disappear before that time came.
***
How many times had Gabriella tried to play flawlessly, but she kept failing to focus. Every time the woman pressed the keys, she remembered the time running out.
Until a certain point, Gabriella could no longer ignore the crowd in her mind. With all her might, she vented her restlessness on the keys which squealed as if they’re in pain.
“What should I do now?” the breathless woman sighed before clutching her head. Tears had gathered in her eyes.
“How can Max love a woman like me? I’m not a lucky charm, but a disaster for him. If only we still hate each other, this will be a lot easier,” Gabriella regretted while banging her head on her own hands.
Unfortunately, before she had time to unravel her doubts, the noise from the stairs had added to the burden on her mind. After shaking her eyes for a moment, Gabriella wiped her face, turned off the piano, then went to check.
Just as she arrived at the door, a lady flashed a sinister smile at her.
“Hello, Mrs. Evans.”
Before the uninvited guest could speak any more, the butler dared to interrupt, “Sorry, Miss Amber. I beg you, please get out of here. Mister Max will be very angry if he knows about your arrival.”
“Tsk, why doesn’t anyone welcome me into this house?” the woman grumbled. “Whereas, I come here to say thank you to Mrs. Evans. She was willing to attend my engagement and put on a spectacular performance.”
Getting a hint from Amber, Gabriella’s breath suddenly roared.
“If your intention is only to insult me, you’d better get out of here,” the host said in a flat and cold tone.
Instead of feeling scared, Amber let out a laugh. “Don’t you understand human language? I said, I wanted to thank you.”
“You’ve done it. Now, get out of here,” Gabriella said in a trembling voice, as her shoulders moved up and down.
“Could you greet a guest more politely? I’m sure you’ll be interested in my real purpose,” Amber said with a short eyebrow raised.
Another sigh escaped from Gabriella’s mouth. However, before she could respond, the guest had already continued to speak. “I’m sure you need my suggestion to solidify the decision.”
The host’s annoyance instantly froze. Amber’s words had aroused suspicion. “What decision do you mean?” Gabriella inquired without changing the expression.
A second later, the guest stepped forward and approached her ear. “The one you have to decide before the day.”
Listening to the Amber’s words, Gabriella’s hand spontaneously clenched tightly. Her breath was held back by anxiety.
How could the lady possibly know the secret that only Gabriella, Sebastian, and Herbert should have?