Chapter Twenty-Nine

He didn't respond to her when she cussed at him. Instead, he continued to gaze at her with a distant look in his eyes. From where she sat, it felt like he had known her for as long as he lived and loved her with all his heart. Her mind told her that it was a lie but deep down, she believed it with everything she had.

Over the next few days, she decided to confine herself in her room to recover from her wound. It wasn't like she could write anyway, so attending classes was useless. On her first day alone at her room, she thought she would die of boredom until Gabriel came walking in with a huge duffel bag.

Her eyes lit up at his presence, her back going as straight up as it could in her excitement. He placed the duffel bag on the ground and unzipped it, removing things from it one by one. He set an electric stove on the ground and put a pot on top. Taking a packet of instant noodles out, he cooked for her right there on the spot, the aroma of curry covering the room.

She ate to her hearts' content, with him using a fork to feed the noodles to her patiently. His hands moved at just the right pace, and he blew on the food on the fork before feeding it to her. She finished her food, and he put the cutlery aside and began to unwrap her gauze.

When her wound was revealed, he rubbed some saline solution along the edges of her stitched wound before applying ointment beside it. He also added an anti-itch cream onto her skin tenderly. Then he covered it with fresh gauze and clipped it.

After he was done, he conversed with her about the simplest things two people could ever talk about, but somehow he made it seem like what they were talking about could change the world. She smiled fondly at him and that night, he kissed her on the temples before leaving her room.

The next morning, she awoke to him in her room, cooking eggs and bacon for her breakfast. She inhaled deeply, letting out a sigh of happiness. He fed it to her carefully again, wiping the sides of her mouth with his thumb before sticking it into his own mouth to lick it.

Later that day, she passed him one of Shakespeare's sonnets and he held it open to the page. Standing at the foot of her bed, he read it out to her with fervent affection, the inflections of his voice delivering the sonnet in the most impactful way she had ever heard. She found herself smiling for most of the day and when night came, she asked him to stay behind with her, so she could sleep in his presence. He agreed and got onto the bed behind her, caressing her from the back. He patted her head softly until she drifted off to sleep, her heart at ease.

Similar mornings and nights passed, and she felt the hate she had for him in her heart loosening its grip on her. Her mind screamed at her, telling her that she was a fucking idiot, but she ignored those voices. He continued to invite himself into her room, and she drowned herself in his charming company.

Soon, one night came that stayed with her for a long time. They were resting on their stomach on her bed, reading a book together, when Lucianne brought up the poem of his that she treasured the most. His expression fell, and she could see him feeling conflicted. But a smile touched his lips and he gazed at her with love in his eyes.

He told her that her suspicions had been true. That poem was about his past. He did have a sister with a blood disorder and a father who tried everything to cure it even as the townspeople denounced them as Genevieve's demonic spawn. His father did become a cripple after an accident and was killed by his mother, whom Gabriel later murdered to protect his sister. She asked him where his sister was, and he told her that she had since passed away from her sickness. Her heart sank at that and Gabriel lifted her chin up, telling her that he was fine now.

They continued to chat about it and he told her more about his childhood, until his adulthood. Growing up, since he was the firstborn son and heir to his father's kingdom, a lot was expected of him. Everyone bent their wills to his especially after his parents died, and he inherited the title. With a sick sister who couldn't care for herself, he gave orders as he saw fit and nobody ever questioned his words. He wasn't someone who took no for an answer, and whenever he desired something, it would eventually be his.

They talked late into the night, and this time, he left her room to see to some official matters with Ravenspire. He promised he would come back first thing in the morning, and she believed him. She went to sleep and the next morning came. Her eyes were still closed when she felt a weight press into the space on the bed behind her. She sighed, waiting for Gabriel to touch her again.

"You thought I was Gabriel, didn't you?"