Chapter 105: A Pretense
Arabelle’s heels clicked with a pronounced rhythm on the marble floor, her unspoken anger clear in it. Gabe, on the other hand, walked calmly beside her, showing no sign of agitation or anger.
The hotel room door swung open, revealing a room adorned with rose petals, champagne on ice, and a card that read, "Congratulations on your engagement!" Arabelle’s anger, suppressed during the ceremony, now bubbled to the surface.
"This is ridiculous!" she spat, her voice sharp. She swept her hand across the table, sending champagne flutes and petals flying. The crash echoed in the room. However, it was not enough to satisfy her. Another glass flew past his face, crashing against the wall with a loud sound.
Grabbing the ice bucket from the table, she hurled it towards the floor, letting out a guttural scream. Gabe, maintaining his calm demeanor, watched as the room transformed into a battlefield of broken fragments.
"Arabelle, please," Gabe urged, attempting to approach her cautiously. She spun around, her eyes ablaze with a fiery intensity that made him doubt if she could even hear him.
"Don’t ’please’ me, Gabe! None of this makes any sense!" She reached for a vase of flowers, sending it crashing to the floor. Petals scattered like a surreal, fleeting storm.
Gabe winced at the destruction but held back from intervening. Arabelle needed an outlet for her pent-up emotions, and the inanimate objects in the room bore the brunt of her turmoil.
She stormed towards the bed, tearing at the pristine white sheets. The fabric gave way under the force of her frustration, and she flung a pillow across the room.
He attempted to call out to her once again but she simply screamed and sent a small lamp flying his way. Thankfully Gabe stepped aside in time so that the lamp only nicked his face before falling with another loud crash.
Gabe felt the slight sting of the cut but his entire being was focused on calming Arabelle. This small hurt did not matter when she had been dealt two strong blows in a single evening.
First, she had to endure seeing Demetri with another woman throughout the evening. And then her engagement was announced to him without her consent. It was a wonder she had not stormed out of the celebration when Grandfather pulled that trick.
Finally, the storm seemed to have calm down and Gabe took a chance, carefully stepping over the fragments to stand close to her. He sighed and choosing his words carefully spoke, "Arabelle, I know this is overwhelming, but breaking things won’t change our situation. We need to figure out how to handle this together."