The Billionaire's Regret: His Secret Wife Turned Medical Genius novel Chapter 130

Gabriel didn't even glance at Lydia. He turned slightly, keeping his attention fixed on Emily. He leaned in and asked in a low voice, "Did someone give you a hard time here?"

Emily's heart skipped a beat.

Lately, she couldn't read Gabriel at all—and that unsettled her more than anything he'd ever done before.

She pushed herself up on her feet. "I've got something to take care of. I'm heading out." She didn't want to stay a moment longer. Quickly, she grabbed her bag and walked out of the room.

Gabriel watched her leave, the light in his eyes fading as she did so. Then, he turned back to the table with his usual unreadable expression.

"Dinner's on me," he said. "I've got to go as well." Then, he rose from his seat and followed her out.

Once the door closed behind him, silence settled over the room like a heavy blanket as everyone exchanged uneasy glances.

"Were they racing?" someone muttered. "Emily just left, and Gabriel followed right after. What's going on?"

A guy in glasses cleared his throat. "I sat next to Gabriel during freshman year for a bit. I swear he'd written a love letter back then."

"Really? To whom? He never even dated."

"I don't know. He hid it, and I only caught a glimpse."

Another classmate chimed in in a low voice, "You don't think he liked Emily, do you?"

Someone shot that down right away. "Impossible! Emily and Robert were a couple. Why would Gabriel have been into her?"

They looked around at one another, all silently agreeing that that guess was too ridiculous to believe.

Meanwhile in the corner, Lydia's fingers tightened around her wineglass until her knuckles turned white. Her jealousy roared so loudly in her mind that it even buzzed in her ears.

It was always Emily stealing the spotlight. Back in university, she had been the pretty one too. She didn't even have to try to become the campus belle.

Now, even after years had passed, things still hadn't changed. The moment Emily walked in, all eyes would be on her. Not to mention, even Gabriel looked at her differently.

Lydia refused to accept that.

...

Emily had just stepped into the hall when measured footsteps echoed behind her.

Gabriel caught up to her and said, "It's late. It's not safe for you to go back alone. Let me drive you."

Emily wanted to refuse him right away. She pulled out her phone and opened the ride-hailing app.

But the number on the screen made her swallow her words.

"352 people ahead. Estimated wait time: 48 minutes."

She had a major surgery scheduled first thing in the morning, so she didn't have time to stand around for nearly an hour.

She tucked her phone away. Then, without looking at Gabriel, she simply said, "Fine."

Once they were in the car, a heavy silence settled between them.

Emily kept her face to the window, watching the city slide by and wishing the route were shorter.

On the other hand, Gabriel was tightly gripping the wheel. He had so much to say, but Emily's distant attitude kept him silent.

...

The next morning, Emily booked a noon appointment at the courthouse to file the divorce and sent Gabriel the confirmation screenshot.

Just then, Mallory walked in with two cups of coffee. She spotted the message on Emily's phone, and her face lit up. "Congratulations, Dr. Sterling. You're finally out of hell!" She was genuinely thrilled to see Emily finally end her miserable marriage.

"By the way, I heard Arthur got reassigned again. This time, it's to the border region. And he accepted it," she said.

Emily's fingers tightened for a second as that night in the hotel flashed through her mind. But in the end, she said nothing.

Meanwhile, Mallory watched her closely. She could sense that there was something strange going on between Emily and Arthur.

...

On the top floor of Holton Corp, Gabriel sat through a shareholder meeting.

Just then, his phone buzzed.

It was a screenshot from Emily.

"Divorce appointment confirmed. Today at 12:00 pm."

Gabriel's expression darkened, and he barely heard a word for the rest of the meeting. He didn't snap out of his daze until the meeting ended and Roman walked in.

"Is there anything else on my schedule?" he asked him.

Roman checked the tablet and shook his head. "There are no other plans."