Chapter 36: Gabriel Is Dead
1353words
I sat in the car for over an hour, unable to drive. My hands were trembling. I rested my head against the steering wheel, closing my eyes. The sound of my phone startled me—a call from an unknown number again. I had been getting a lot of those lately.
'Hello?" My voice was barely audible.
'Scarlett? What happened to you?" Nathan's voice came through the line.
Instantly, something swirled inside me, like a storm. His voice ignited the anger I had been trying so hard to suppress.
'I want to see you, Nathan," I said through gritted teeth.
'I would love to see you too. Meet me at Heritage Hotel," he suggested.
'I'm not going to any hotel. We are meeting in public. Be at Horizon Subway in the next thirty minutes," I declared, then hung up.
I started the car and sped away from the hospital.
In less than thirty minutes, I arrived at the subway, right around the same time as Nathan. I stormed out of the car and marched over to him.
'Scarlett," he greeted me with a smile, and I slapped him as hard as I could.
'How dare you, Nathan!" I growled, my fists clenched.
'What was that for?" he asked, rubbing his cheek. The slap didn't even faze him, and that infuriated me even more.
'I know you did this because I burned down your warehouse! You should have come after me directly, put a gun to my head. Gabriel doesn't deserve this!" I shouted, wishing I could pull a gun on him and put him in Gabriel's place.
'I have no idea what you are talking about, Scarlett," he said calmly.
'Don't play dumb, Nathan. You have just awakened something dangerous in me. I will strip you of everything—your wealth, your power, even your life," I warned, turning to leave. But he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him.
'Can we talk about this? I really don't know what you are accusing me of."
'Let go of me!" I yanked my hand away. 'You are a bloody liar! If anything happens to Gabriel, you would better stop living!" My voice echoed in the open space. I spun on my heel and headed back to my car, noticing for the first time that people had stopped to watch us, but I didn't care.
'Scarlett," he called after me.
'Screw you, Nathan!" I spat, tears streaming down my face as I drove off. I couldn't control my emotions. I hadn't realized how much Gabriel meant to me until I could only hear his heartbeat through the monitor. I screeched to a halt by the side of the road, my emotions overwhelming me. Hot tears poured down my cheeks, and my heart pounded so hard it felt like it would explode. How could Nathan do this? If he wanted revenge, he should have come after me, not Gabriel. Gabriel didn't deserve this.
'I hate you, Nathan!" I wailed, hitting the steering wheel, causing the horn to blare loudly.
I eventually made it home. Staggering out of the car, I wiped my tears. 'Oh dear, how are you feeling now?" Maria asked, rushing to meet me as I stepped into the living room.
'I don't know how I feel, but Gabriel must be in pain, even though he is in a coma," I muttered, shuffling across the floor and heading upstairs.
'I'm so sorry, Miss Guzman. He will be fine, okay?" she said. I nodded without looking back.
Later that night, I called the doctor to check on Gabriel. He said his mother was with him, but he was still in a coma. I sighed and leaned back against the headboard.
'Thank you, doctor. Please let me know if there are any updates."
'Yes, Miss Guzman," he replied before hanging up.
A knock came at the door. 'Come in," I called.
'Miss Scarlett?" Razi's voice sounded as she entered the room.
'How are you, baby?" I asked as she climbed onto the bed beside me. I kissed her forehead, and she snuggled closer, wrapping her small arms around me.
'I heard what happened to Mr. Gabriel. Is he going to be okay?" she asked, looking up at me.
'I believe so, baby. Mr. Gabriel is strong. He will pull through," I assured her, though I wasn't sure myself.
'I hope so," she mumbled. I kissed the top of her head, resting my chin on her hair.
Two days had passed since Gabriel was admitted to the hospital. I tried to visit him, but his furious mother wouldn't let me near. She was always at the door, blocking me. I shouldn't have told her about Gabriel's condition. I could have had the chance to care for him.
This morning, I woke up determined to see him, no matter what. While applying my makeup, Maria brought me a cup of black coffee.
'I made it just the way you like it," she said with a smile.
'Thank you," I replied. 'When Razi wakes up, tell her I have gone to the hospital to see Gabriel."
'Okay, no problem," she said, turning to leave.
'Maria?" I called. She paused and looked at me. 'How is Kristine? Is she taking her medication?"
'Yes, she is. She is doing much better now," Maria assured me. I nodded, and she left, closing the door behind her. I received a call from an unknown number again, likely Nathan. I ignored it several times until I finally put my phone on Do Not Disturb.
***
I arrived at the hospital a few minutes later. The cold, sterile air made me uneasy. My heart raced as I walked through the hallway to Gabriel's room. When I reached his ward, I saw two nurses tidying up, removing medical equipment.
'What's going on?" I asked, moving closer. 'Where is the patient who was here?"
'There was no patient here when we started our shift this morning," one of the nurses replied.
'What do you mean? Gabriel was here yesterday!"
'Maybe you should ask the doctor. We didn't have any patient here when we arrived," the other nurse added.
I rushed out of the ward and spotted Gabriel's mother and the doctor.
'Where is Gabriel?" I demanded, my voice tense.
'You don't have the right to know anything about my son, you evil woman! You have taken him from me!" his mother cried, leaving me confused.
'I have every right to know! I brought him here! Where the hell is Gabriel, doctor?" I snapped.
'You need to calm down, Miss Guzman. We did everything we could, but…"
'But what?" My voice shook. The doctor exchanged a glance with Gabriel's mother.
'We lost him," he said softly, and Gabriel's mother broke down in tears.
I froze. My bag slipped from my hand, landing softly on the floor.
'You killed my son!" his mother wailed.
'You said he would be fine," I mumbled, my lips trembling as tears streamed down my face.
'We found him gone when we checked on him this morning. We are sorry," the doctor said.
I couldn't speak. I just turned and started walking, leaving my bag behind.
'Miss Guzman, your bag," the doctor called, handing it to me.
I ignored him and kept walking. My heart pounded in my chest, memories of Gabriel flooding my mind. The pain was unbearable. Gabriel was gone—and I had killed him. If I hadn't let him back into my life, he would still be alive. If I hadn't gone shopping, the sniper wouldn't have had the chance to take him from me. We fight, we play, and laugh together. Gabriel was like a brother to me. He helped me manage everything, even the effect of Desirella.
I was already outside the hospital when I remembered I had driven there. But I couldn't stop walking. I couldn't stop the tears, and I couldn't stop the pain of knowing I would never see Gabriel again.
'Watch out!" a driver yelled as I stepped into the road without realizing it.
I would have been okay just knowing you were alive, Gabriel—anything but this.
