7
After waking up, Gabriel went crazy searching for my whereabouts.
Although he knew I had gone to Melbourne, the Chen family was well–established there. Hiding my identity was child’s play for them.
Unable to find any trace of me, Gabriel drank at home all day.
M
田
The whole room reeked of alcohol.
His buddies came to persuade him more than once.
“Gabe, she’s just a woman. I know several beauties, guaranteed to be prettier and more sensible than Aria. I’ll bring them over for you to check out tomorrow.”
“If not, there’s still Chloe. Gabe, we’ve all seen it these past few months. When you were in the hospital, Chloe didn’t sleep for three whole days, insisting on staying by your bedside.”
“Yeah, what’s so great about Aria anyway? Just to marry into money, she instigated those kidnappers to kill your mother because she didn’t approve. What’s there to like about a woman like that?”
The previously drunk Gabriel suddenly came to his senses. He smashed the wine bottle in his hand to pieces.
“Get out! If anyone dares speak ill of her again, don’t blame me for turning on you!”
Gabriel recalled everything I had done for him and for the first time truly faced his own heart. He had his assistant investigate the truth behind that incident from years ago.
A few days later, when his assistant stood before him with a USB drive, Gabriel’s voice trembled as he spoke:
“Tell me, did she have nothing to do with it?”
The assistant didn’t dare speak, just placed the USB drive on the table and lowered his head.
Gabriel shakily plugged the USB into the computer. Surveillance footage from years ago of Chloe instructing the kidnappers to abduct me immediately popped up.
It turned out that Chloe had orchestrated the kidnapping. The original target was me, but in their panic, they mistakenly took Gabriel’s mother
instead.
Add to that Gabriel’s public threats against them at the time, the kidnappers angrily killed his mother in the end.
Afterwards, fearing exposure, Chloe pinned everything on me.
With the victim dead and no way to prove otherwise, plus me being the only witness present, I smoothly took the fall for Chloe.
Learning the truth, Gabriel pounded his head in anguish.
“Aria, I wronged you. I was such an idiot. Where are you? Please give me a chance to make it up to you.”
Gabriel’s tone was full of heartache.
But he didn’t know that some people, once lost, never return.
I, Aria Collins, was never one to take back an ex.
After composing himself, Gabriel personally handed over the evidence to the police.
The case from years ago was reopened.
Chloe was sentenced to 15 years in prison for multiple crimes including instigating murder and framing an innocent person.
I only heard about this news much later.
I didn’t feel as happy as I imagined. I just felt that karma in this world is always fair.
Later on, I would occasionally hear news about Gabriel Foster from customers at the bar.
“You know that Gabriel Foster guy from back home? I heard his fiancée left him in a huff almost five years ago and he still hasn’t given up
D
<
searching for her.”
“I heard he transferred all his company shares to his fiancée. Why are there so many good men in this world, but I can never meet one!”
“Right? His fiancée doesn’t know about all this, does she? If it were me, I’d have run back to Gabriel Foster for hugs and kisses long ago. I don’t know what she’s thinking.”
Hearing these words, I lost focus for a moment. I never expected this relationship would end up with me being seen as the ungrateful one.
I smiled sadly, but the next second a pair of warm hands covered my ears.
“Don’t listen. To me, you’re the best.”
I turned around to meet Connor Chen’s gentle gaze.
