Chapter 9

Gabrielle clenched her fists, trembling, and bowed her head.

“I used one less day of sick leave. But I’ll use it for this afternoon and tomorrow morning.”

She grabbed her coat and fled the office as if running away. As she burst through the door, startled gazes clung to her in the hallway, but Gabrielle kept her eyes forward and hurried out of the company.

When she trudged home, a familiar figure was standing in front of her villa. It was none other than her mother, Sabrina. The emotions she had barely managed to control surged up the moment she saw her mother. The instant she spotted her, Gabrielle ran to her, bursting into tears.

“Mom!”

“Oh?”

Sabrina, startled and hesitating, soon patted her daughter’s back awkwardly as Gabrielle clung to her, crying.

“What happened?”

“Let’s go inside. I’ll tell you inside.”

Sniffling, Gabrielle pulled Sabrina’s hand. The two climbed the stairs in silence. Gabrielle opened the creaky front door and, for the first time, showed her mother her room.

“This is it.”

“It’s… cozier than I expected.”

Sabrina, her eyes wide in surprise, scanned the shabby room before stepping inside. Gabrielle, barely calming herself, brewed tea and sat across from her mother, telling her what had happened. Sabrina’s eyes widened in shock, her face flushing red with anger.

“Goodness! How could such a terrible man exist?”

“Mom…”

“What if someone saw you going into the inn with him and it became a scandal!”

Gabrielle felt her mother’s anger was a bit misplaced, but she didn’t care. Seeing her mother get angry for her sake made Gabrielle wipe her tears.

“It’s alright. The company promised to keep me and the perpetrator from running into each other as much as possible. He’ll be punished, of course. Since I agreed to settle, it’ll probably be light…”

“It should be! Where would you go if you quit your job?”

“…Mom?”

Sensing something strange, Gabrielle blinked. By then, her cooled tears were running down her cheeks. Sabrina sighed heavily and scolded her sternly.

“But you did make a mistake. What kind of girl gets drunk at night and follows a man?”

“No, I… I just planned to say goodbye at the front desk…”

“Believing that was foolish!”

Sabrina yelled, clutching her chest.

“You’re old enough to marry—what if you get a bad reputation? You’re pretty enough that you might catch a rich man.”

The fire burning in Gabrielle’s chest was snuffed out in an instant. She wiped the tears from her chin with the back of her hand.

“Why… why did you come?”

She’d hoped her mother had come out of concern, but that hope was shattered.

“Why do you think. Living expenses.”

Sabrina held out her hand, as if Gabrielle was asking too much.

“Wasn’t yesterday your payday? I hadn’t heard anything, so I came myself.”

“…”

“Why so quiet? You didn’t spend it all, did you?”

Gabrielle squeezed her eyes shut and stood up. She opened the drawer of her bedside table and took out an envelope of money.

“Take it.”

It was money she set aside as soon as she got paid. She’d hoped otherwise, but her mother hadn’t changed. She really had come for money, and her earlier comfort was not for her daughter, but because she was afraid Gabrielle would quit her job and stop sending living expenses.

“Go.”

Sabrina smiled as she took the envelope. Gabrielle grabbed her hand and helped her up.

“Oh? Hey?”

“That’s enough. Please go. I’m tired and need to rest.”

She was exhausted, ready to collapse. Gabrielle’s pale face didn’t faze Sabrina, who shrugged.

“I was leaving anyway. Make sure you send the money on time from now on.”

After leaving that barely-a-greeting, Sabrina left the house, and Gabrielle felt all strength drain from her body. Staggering, she collapsed onto her bed.

When she opened her eyes again, her whole body was shivering and she couldn’t move at all. She wondered if she might die like this—her body was cold, and sweat poured off her like rain. Of all times, she was out of emergency medicine.

“Hospital… I need to go to the hospital.”

Gabrielle fought off nausea and staggered to her feet. With blurry vision, she managed to change clothes and grab her wallet. It felt as though weights were tied to her ankles as she slowly made her way forward. Gripping the stair railing, she took one step at a time, but quickly reached her limit.

That’s when someone stopped in front of her. Desperate, Gabrielle looked up.

“Help…”

Before she could recognize who it was, her body wobbled and collapsed to the floor. Strong hands caught her as she fell.

* * *

When she came to, she was back at home. But she felt much better than just before she’d fainted. Looking down at her arm, she saw a needle mark. Startled, she sat up, but someone pressed her forehead down.

“Sleep a bit more.”

Gabrielle, her head once again on the pillow, belatedly recognized the person sitting beside her.

“…Julian?”

He was the man she hadn’t seen since the incident with John. She’d tried to thank him several times, but every time she visited his house, there was no sign of anyone.

“I did some emergency treatment. You have the flu.”

“Are you… a doctor?”

“Just a bit of everything.”

Julian replied vaguely, wrung out a wet towel from a basin, and placed it on Gabrielle’s forehead. The cold, damp sensation made her eyes widen as she looked up at Julian.

“Thank you for last time… I wanted to thank you properly, but I’m only saying it now. And today, too…”

Instead of answering, Julian crossed his arms and quietly watched her. From the beginning, his face had always been unreadable. She recalled him growling in the dark during the incident with John. Her instincts warned her not to get too close, but even then, she hadn’t felt afraid or wanted to run away.

“You saved me the first time we met… I keep relying on you.”

“We’re neighbors.”

His reply was simple. After a brief silence, Julian asked,

“Who went down first?”

“…My mother.”

The words flowed out easily. Now that her most disgraceful side had been revealed, she felt there was no point hiding anything else. She hadn’t known him long, but strangely, even exposing her flaws to him didn’t make her feel more ashamed.

“She remarried and lives with my stepfather, stepsister, and stepbrother. I left that house almost kicked out.”

“……”

“I still send her living expenses every month. Even after leaving. She came because the money was late.”

She spoke calmly, but rage surged inside her. Gabrielle barely held her emotions together and continued.

“Living like this, it feels like everyone’s eager to step on me… Even I find myself frustrating.”

She already knew the answer. The solution was to cut ties with her money-obsessed mother. And demand severe punishment for John.

But she couldn’t do either. If her mother left her, there’d be no one left by her side. If she kept demanding severe punishment for John, she’d lose her place at work.

Not wanting to show herself sniffling, she turned away. She heard the sound of a chair being pushed back. She thought he was leaving and, feeling a strange sadness, closed her eyes. But she heard his voice again.

“I made oatmeal.”

“……”

“I’ll leave it on the table, eat it later.”

“Um.”

The sound of footsteps grew distant. When she heard the doorknob turn, Gabrielle suddenly turned and reached out.

“Please… Eat with me.”

Julian stopped with his back turned. Gabrielle, mustering all her courage, pleaded.

“I don’t want to eat alone.”

Julian didn’t eat the oatmeal, but he sat across from Gabrielle until she finished. That was all, but Gabrielle couldn’t stop crying as she ate.

It would be odd for a woman to cry through a meal, but Julian said nothing. When Gabrielle finished the last bite in silence, she bowed her head.

“Thank you…”

“For what?”

His answer was flat, almost expressionless. In his dark gaze, there was an unreadable interest. Wondering if he found her curious, Gabrielle confessed softly.

“When things are this hard… It’s the first time someone’s stayed by my side without expecting anything in return.”

“……”

“Even my mom has never done that.”

She recalled her mother’s face, looking refreshed as if she’d finished her business after getting the money. She’d probably be the perfect new mother to her stepchildren. How could her attitude toward her own daughter be so different just because of blood?

“It’s been like this since I was a child. I had to solve everything myself. Reaching out or asking for help was just causing trouble for others.”

So that’s what she did. If she was starving, she’d find a way to eat oatmeal herself. If she got hurt, she’d open the first aid kit and treat herself. No one ever helped. She’d lived that way.

“So?”

Julian, who had quietly listened to Gabrielle’s confession, asked gently.

“……”

“How has it been, living like that?”

His tone was probing, but his voice was strangely warm. Suddenly, Julian brought a tissue to her lips, and Gabrielle froze. After a few seconds, she watched as he calmly wiped away food from her mouth, and she moved her lips.

“Well…”

“……”

“Sometimes, getting help from a neighbor isn’t so bad.”

Instead of a reply, Julian smiled. It was a warm gaze, like watching a baby take its first steps. His cold face softened instantly. At the same time, warmth spread from her chest, and Gabrielle’s ears burned as she avoided his gaze.