Chapter 33: The Poison
1226words
The next morning, I went to see Kristine at the hospital. I hadn't called to check on her earlier.
'Miss Guzman?" Maria jumped up when she saw me.
'How is she?" I asked, noticing Kristine lying unconscious on the bed.
'The doctor checked on her, but she hasn't woken up yet this morning," Maria explained. I could see she had been crying. After a brief hesitation, I patted her shoulder.
'She will be fine," I assured her.
'Thank you, Miss Guzman."
'I will go see the doctor to find out what's wrong," I said, and Maria nodded.
'Scarlett?"
I heard Kristine's weak voice and turned to look at her. She was awake. 'How do you feel?" I asked, moving closer.
'I have a mild pain in my stomach, but my heart hurts more," she whispered.
'Why is that?" I asked.
'Because I wronged you," she said, tears falling from her eyes. 'Not a day has gone by without me thinking about how I betrayed you. I was young and foolish. I know my sin isn't worth forgiving, but please, search your heart and forgive me. I don't know if I will survive this pregnancy."
'Don't say that. You will survive," Maria chimed in.
'I just need your forgiveness, Scarlett, please," Kristine sobbed, holding my hand.
I gently squeezed her hand and whispered, 'I forgive you." Tears welled up in my eyes.
'Thank you, Scarlett. Thank you so much," Kristine said, still crying.
'Thank you, Miss Guzman," Maria added.
'I'm going to see the doctor now. Take care of her," I said before leaving the room.
The doctor explained that Kristine had a stomach ulcer, but assured me she would be fine if she took her medication.
On my way home, I got a call from a private number, but no one spoke when I answered, and they hung up. The number called again, and I picked up once more.
'Who the hell is this?" I snapped.
'You made them lie, didn't you?" I recognized Nathan's voice. I took a deep breath to calm myself. 'Answer the damn question, Scarlett!" he barked.
'Don't you dare yell at me!" I fired back. 'Who the hell do you think you are, Nathan? Lose my number, you son of a bitch," I spat and hung up. He kept calling non-stop until I reached home. I'm sure Nathan has lost his mind.
When I entered my room, I saw Gabriel reading 'Emma' by Jane Austen.
'You are back," he said, closing the book.
'I thought you left," I replied, placing my bag on the vanity table and sitting down to remove my jewelry.
'I had to wait for you," he said, coming over and placing his hands on my shoulders.
'I didn't see the servants or Razi. Where are they?" I asked, looking at him through the mirror.
'Razi is at her weekend classes, and the servants are busy with their daily chores. By the way, I made a special breakfast for you. And your morning coffee is here, waiting," he added with a warm smile. This wasn't like Gabriel; he should have been whining or angry by now.
'Is it still hot?" I asked, taking the cup from him.
'Yeah, I made it just five minutes ago," he said, massaging my shoulders. I sipped the coffee.
'This tastes nice, Gabriel. Thank you," I said, appreciating him, and he smiled.
I went to freshen up. When I returned, Gabriel was back on the couch, reading the same book. I started working on my makeup when suddenly a shiver ran down my spine.
'Shit," I cursed under my breath. I tried to ignore the sudden urge, but I couldn't. My body tensed, and I started to sweat. I felt my body react as desire surged through me. I glanced at Gabriel, who seemed engrossed in his book.
'Gabriel?" I called. He didn't respond, though I knew he heard me. 'Gabriel!" I snapped, and he lowered the book.
'What is it?" he asked coldly. I glanced at the empty cup, and my stomach churned. I turned back to him.
'What did you do, Gabriel?" I asked, suddenly suspicious.
'Why do you think I did something?" he retorted.
A sharp pain shot through my abdomen, and I shuddered. I stood up, but my legs wobbled, and I fell to the floor. On a normal day, Gabriel would have rushed to help me. But today, he didn't move. He just sat there, watching.
'Did you poison my drink, Gabriel?" I asked through gritted teeth, clutching my stomach.
He walked over and squatted in front of me. 'And why would you say that?" He gently stroked my cheek, making me want him even more. I tried to kiss him, but he pulled away.
'Come on, Gabriel, I need you. Please," I begged.
If Gabriel didn't poison me, then what was happening? Desirella doesn't usually affect me like this—without intense pain or a high fever.
'I'm not interested," he said, standing up and turning to leave.
'What did you put in my drink, Gabriel? Why won't you touch me? Where the hell are you going?" I cried out in pain. 'Ouch!" Another sharp pain tore through my abdomen. My body burned, and I continued sweating.
'It was just a drop of libido booster," he said, glancing back at me.
I shook my head. I was on my knees now, clutching my stomach as the pain became unbearable. 'Ow," I whimpered. 'You wouldn't do this to me, Gabriel. Why would you do something like this? What did I do to you?" I asked, tears streaming down my face.
'What haven't you done, Scarlett?" he snapped. 'Do you have any idea how I felt when you told me you were going to fuck Macho? I know you only see me as your assistant and your plaything, but did you really have to be so blunt about sleeping with someone like him?" His hurt was clear, but it didn't compare to the agony I was in.
'You know I say a lot of things, Gabriel. I say things I don't even mean," I cried, more tears falling. 'I know it wasn't right to say I was going to sleep with Macho. I only said that to spite you. I paid him off. I didn't sleep with him because I was thinking about you—about your feelings. And this is what I get in return?" I sobbed.
'You didn't sleep with Macho?" His voice softened.
With my wobbling legs and burning skin, I struggled to stand. Gabriel rushed to help me, but I pushed him away with what little strength I had left and collapsed onto the bed.
'Don't touch me!" I said weakly, curling up on the bed.
He moved closer. 'I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just upset," he apologized.
'I don't ever want to see you again, Gabriel. Get out of my house!" I shouted, though my voice was barely audible.
'I can't leave you like this. I will fix what I did, please."
I closed my eyes, writhing in pain. 'Don't touch me," I told Gabriel, angry and suffering. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks. Ignoring my words, he climbed onto the bed behind me. I couldn't muster the strength to push him away, and then everything went dark as I fainted.
