Can't Get Used To This

Although Angela had plastered a polite and gentle smile on her face, it didn't reach her eyes, making her gaze appear a little bleak. Still, when she opened her mouth, her voice was soft and clear, very pleasing to the ear.

"Happy birthday."

"…"

Disgust rose in his stomach, making Misha want to puke his guts out. However, he didn't let it appear on his face and only pursed his lips before reluctantly thanking her. As the words left his mouth, he glued himself to Gabriel, afraid Angela would take the teenager away and lock him up again once she had said her piece.

'I'm not letting him go this time!' he thought, tightening his grip on the teenager's shirt. 'He's here, so he stays!'

The urge to beat Angela to a pulp hadn't disappeared, but Misha knew succumbing to the temptation wouldn't result in anything good. If he were to attack her, all he would be able to do was scratch her face like a wild cat, leaving only a few bloody cuts in his wake before she restrained him. His weak body wouldn't allow him to beat her until she begged for mercy, and she would take Gabriel away again. He didn't want that.

Thus, Misha decisively discarded the idea—for now—and decided to become a leech instead, coyly attaching himself to Gabriel and burying his face in his stomach. From the corner of his eyes, he glared at Angela as if she was a kind of vomit-inducing monstrosity, a 'get lost and die' look plastered on his doll-like face.

No matter how one looked at it, the child seemed hell-bent on keeping her far away from Gabriel; it also felt like he wanted to keep the teenager all for himself.

Anyway, it was his birthday, so let him be a little selfish for today!

The boy's hostile behavior made Angela's mouth twitch, but even so, the smile on her face didn't fade. Without paying the child any heed, she looked up and met the gaze of the kid's parents, who were standing behind him.

"As we have discussed on the phone, I will leave them in your care for the afternoon and pick them up in four hours," Angela reminded, her voice as polite as ever.

Confused by her words, little Misha glanced back and forth between Gabriel's stepmother and his mother, trying to figure out what was going on. As he did so, Angela gently pushed her youngest son toward Gabriel, telling him to be a good boy and not to cause problems while she was away.

Tristan nodded before hiding behind his brother, shyly peeking at Misha, who was also hugging Gabriel. The two boys each took a leg for themselves and clung to it, refusing to move an inch. It resulted in Gabriel being caught in the middle of their staring contest, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Angela briefly observed the trio's antics before turning on her heel and walking toward her car. A disdainful sneer distorted her beautiful face when she was out of their sight.

If she had known allowing Gabriel to call his girlfriend would lead to this, she would never have given him her phone number.

A few weeks ago, Gabriel started to talk about wanting to contact the girl he met at the hospital, saying that it was impolite of him not to get in touch with her after so long. Technically, they were still a couple, and he should at least let her know that he was alive. Of course, he coaxed his stepmother by telling her that he would not forget her warnings and keep his guard up while discussing with his girlfriend.

Later, Gabriel also added that not facing Masha just because he had lost his memory was cowardly. And even if her little brother's reckless actions had led to him falling off a slope, it wasn't her fault. Besides, Misha was only a child, and he probably didn't know what kind of consequences his tantrums could lead to.

After that came a long list of well-thought arguments, but it was only after a few more days of negotiation that Angela finally gave in and allowed the teenager to call his girlfriend. Outwardly, she showed helplessness and motherly affection, but inwardly, she cursed Gabriel out a hundred times.

If only the couple hadn't met at the hospital, things would have been much simpler! What rotten luck.

For the past few weeks, she often told herself that she shouldn't have allowed others to visit Gabriel when he was in a coma, but how could she have known he would wake up with amnesia? It wasn't a common occurrence, after all.

Whether she liked it or not, that brat knew he had a girlfriend, and as such, she couldn't hide his lover's existence from him. It was too late. Still, Angela didn't expect Gabriel to bring up his girlfriend's little brother's birthday soon after the first call. When the teenager did so, he had seemed ill at ease, yet following her negative answer, he shamelessly begged her every day until she agreed to consider allowing him to go.

Then, Gabriel loudly kissed her on the cheek before running to the living room to call Masha without delay. In all honesty, such a vivid reaction had left Angela utterly speechless.

Although Gabriel had always been kind and polite, he had never acted affectionately with her before losing his memory, keeping a safe distance between him, his stepmother, and his brothers. Now that he didn't remember their lousy relationship, and because Angela had told him that she was like a mother to him, the teenager wasn't as distant as before. On the contrary: he became a caring son.

Of course, in the beginning, the teenager was a little awkward and didn't seem to know how to behave when she was around, but as time went by, he started to act more selfishly, imitating his brothers. He became less reserved and more demanding. And since Angela wanted to let him believe they had a close relationship, she couldn't tell the teenager to get lost. She had to be a loving mother before him, and God knew how hard it was.

When Gabriel called her out to take the phone, it finally snapped her out of her thoughts, and she cautiously walked to the living room before taking the phone. She reluctantly brought it close to her ear and started to discuss the birthday thing with Mrs. Brown, who was very polite in her speech.

They negotiated for a long time, and eventually, Gabriel was allowed to go to Misha's birthday party. However, he had to bring Tristan with him. Why? Because back then, Angela had given the excuse that she had to go out for work, and someone needed to watch over her youngest son while she was gone, which was Gabriel's job. Thus, he sadly couldn't come to Misha's birthday party. To this, Mrs. Brown replied that Tristan was welcome to tag along. Sure, he was a lot younger, but all in all, he still could play with the other children and maybe even make a few friends.

Mrs. Brown's down-to-earth answer had made Angela gnash her teeth. In reality, if she needed a babysitter, she could have asked her oldest son to keep an eye on his little brother, but she wanted to find an excuse to keep Gabriel at home. Yet, she had no valid reason to refuse Mrs. Brown's generous offer without appearing mean and petty in her stepson's eyes, something she wanted to avoid at all costs.

Under Gabriel's hopeful gaze, Angela swallowed back her anger and accepted Mrs. Brown's proposal.

At least, she could send someone to monitor Gabriel. Although Tristan couldn't give her a detailed report, she could easily extract the information she needed from him. She just had to ask the right questions.

When all was said and done, Gabriel smiled brightly before hugging her and thanking her profusely. With a lump in her throat, she reminded him to be careful and take good care of his little brother. She told him not to forget whose fault it was that he had ended up in the hospital, between life and death.

As Angela thought back to that tight hug, she couldn't help but shiver, goosebumps spreading all over her skin.

No matter what, she couldn't get used to Gabriel's show of affection. It was entirely different from the kind and polite yet distant behavior he had beforehand, and she found it difficult to adjust to their new dynamic.

Whenever the teenager hugged her, it made her feel sick to the stomach. Time might have passed, but she still couldn't forget nor forgive that disgusting woman, and she sure as hell didn't want her son, who had inherited her dirty blood, to touch her—just breathing the same air as him was sickening enough.

__________________________

Chapter revised on 2022-05-20

Edited by Clozed! ♥

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