Chapter 40: Don’t Hurt Me, Gabriel

Chapter 40: Don’t Hurt Me, Gabriel

The cold steel of the table pressed against Diane’s bare skin, the chill sent goosebumps over her exposed body.

But it wasn’t the cold that made her tremble—it was him.

Gabriel was standing behind her like a dark force, consuming.

She could feel his breath at the nape of her neck, slow and easy, like it was calculated.

Then, without warning, he pushed her down.

A sharp gasp left her lips as her bare chest met the icy surface of the table, her body pinned beneath his strength.

He didn’t hurt her, but he didn’t let her move either.

"Gabriel—"

"Shhh..." he whispered against her ear, his lips barely grazed her skin.

His hands slid up her spine, fingertips gliding over her scars, tracing them as if memorising every line.

His touch was gentle, but there was something controlling about it.

Then he kissed her.

A slow press of his lips against the base of her neck.

Diane sucked in a breath, her fingers clenched against the table.

He moved lower, his mouth trailed down her shoulder blade, over the ridges of her scars, as if worshipping the very wounds that marked her past.

His voice was a whisper, rough and with louder.

"I love to hate you, Diane."

Her stomach tightened. "Stop," she pleaded, but couldn’t ignore the fact that she liked it.

Gabriel ignored her, his mouth moved lower, his tongue touched over the indent of her spine.

"You drive me insane," he murmured.

"You make me want to destroy you... and save you at the same time."

Diane turned her face to the side, squeezing her eyes shut.

"You’re cruel."

Gabriel laughed a little, and the vibration of his laughter sent another shiver through her.

"Yes," he admitted, pressing another kiss between her shoulder blades. "I am."

His hands traveled lower, gripping her waist, holding her in place as he explored her with slow, torturous kisses.

"I hate that I still want you," he confessed against her skin.

"I hate that no matter how much I try to push you away, I keep coming back."

Diane swallowed hard. "You’re lying."

His grip tightened. "Am I?"

He turned her over suddenly, like this was practiced.

Now she was beneath him, her back pressed against the cold table, her body was completely exposed to him.

Gabriel’s eyes roamed over her, dark and unreadable.

"I could ruin you," he whispered, brushing his lips against her collarbone. "I should ruin you."

Diane shuddered. "Then why don’t you?"

His eyes met hers...

"Because I don’t know who I am without you."

She sucked in a sharp breath. "That’s not love, Gabriel."

He smirked, but it was bitter, his fingers slid along the curve of her waist.

"Love? No. This isn’t love."

His lips hovered over hers, so close she could feel the heat of his breath.

"This is war, Diane."

She trembled.

Gabriel leaned in, kissing the corner of her mouth, just barely, teasing, torturing.

"And I never lose."

Her fingers curled into fists. "You already lost me."

"No, sweetheart," he murmured, pressing his forehead against hers. "I own you."

Her chest ached at his words, the truth of them was pushed into her like a blade.

"Let me go," she whispered.

He smiled, tilting her chin up, forcing her to look at him.

"Never."

Then he kissed her.

Deep, slow, passionate.

Like a man who wanted to claim her.

To possess her.

To break her all over again.

And Diane?

She didn’t know if she had the strength to fight him anymore.

"What exactly do you want from me? To play me? To torture me? What is it?"

"I don’t wanna torture you...I want you to submit to me like you did in the past."

Gabriel took the scalpel, held it like a knife and looked at Diane.

"This...this is how I’m going to hurt every single one of your enemies, by tearing their faces into two; splitting it and separating it like it was never a one piece."

"Why...? Why do you want to help me after I was so evil in my last life..."

"Diane, can you tell me when you came back into the present?"

She covered her exposed breast with her hands, wrapping them around herself.

"During our wedding day...that’s when I was reborn..." she mumbled.

"Then why didn’t you tell this during our wedding night? Why did you hide it from me?"

"I didn’t want to scare you, and a part of me was terrified of you," she met his eyes, "rightfully now."

"Why did you choose to marry me then?" He raised a brow and leaned against the wall.

"Because...I wanted to save you...when I realised how much Adrian manipulated me, I couldn’t believe how pathetic and sad I was...like a loser..."

"Interesting."

"You didn’t love me in the past, and I thought if I’d do this to you, nothing would happen...no one would get hurt...but I was wrong."

Gabriel stopped breathing for a second, "what made you think I didn’t love you?"

"Your coldness towards me. The way you used to refuse to spend time with me, to eat with me, to be seen in public with me...I thought you hated me."

Diane’s words reached Gabriel’s heart like a dagger. She was wrong, Diane was wrong about everything.

"My dear wife, you were mistaken," Gabriel mumbled.

"Mistaken how?"

"Your brother, Adrian, told me that you loved pain and being perfect. I’m a plastic surgeon, Diane...I fix everything to perfection, and I was scared that if I might say things to you, you would take it the wrong way."

"Why would I?"

Gabriel laughed, "because the time when I told you I didn’t like your hair, I meant it as straight and perfect...and yet, somehow you kept straightening them, forcing yourself into this imaginary perfect world where you always look flawless."

"No...I was forced into this mindset by Richard and Adrian...and now, I hate it. I hate my straight hair...my curls are natural and big, like my mother’s..."

"Then Diane, please...let’s live in this life...no more lies, only the truth."

Diane lifted her head, and looked at Daniel’s green eyes...’maybe, they are the ones what that gypsy talked about."

"I-I would love that...but don’t hurt me, Gabriel."

"I have to."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read