Chapter 428 - Reality Is Better Than Dreams
That night, Angela dreamed about her mother. In her dream, she was still a little girl, looking up to the woman she idolized so much; she even told her: "When I grow up, I want to be just like you, mommy."
Her mother smiled, touching her cheek ever so softly, and in the next second, the room changed. Her mother was leaving, and little Angela chased after Cynthia through the thunderstorm.
Angela's heart drummed in her chest, almost in sync with the pitter-patter of the rain dropping on her head. She stumbled and fell on the rough pavement of the road, the car she was chasing disappearing into thin air.
"You'll be just like us. Married to the man your family arranged for you," a low voice whispered in her ear.
She snapped her head to the side and saw Gabriella looking out the road, appearing so gloomy and miserable.
Angela wanted to deny it. Somehow she was aware that she was dreaming, but it was as if she was trapped in it that she couldn't force herself to wake up. She couldn't even speak to tell Gabby she was wrong. That her family would never do that to her.
Frustrated, she got to her feet and turned around so fast, wanting to get away from her. But right there, Evan stood before her. She had hardly registered his face when his meaty hand wrapped around her neck, squeezing the life out of her. She clawed at his arms and kicked him, but it was futile. Her strength was slipping away.
Angela woke up in a start, gasping for air, her blanket tight around her throat. She clambered to sit and pushed the sheet off of her, sweat beading on her forehead. Her heart was frantic in her chest as she scanned her surroundings, realizing that she was in her bedroom.
The clock on her nightstand said it was three in the morning—the day before her birthday. She didn't know why she had that nightmare when she went to sleep blissfully at the thought of having Gael just down the hallway of the opposite wing from her room. It wasn't anything new, though; she used to have nightmares the day before her birthday—as if it was an awful reminder of her growing old.
Feeling pasty, she took a quick shower and immediately felt better once the water washed down her body. Angela thought about sneaking into Gael's room but decided against it. If she did that, she'd have to wake up just a couple of hours later to get back to her room. She also didn't want to disturb Gael's rest, especially after learning from Gabby that according to Trigger, Gael barely slept a wink the past week. Angela could wait until breakfast to see him again.
***
The four of them had their breakfast together by the garden. The weather was cooler, but the sun shone brightly in the sky, casting beautiful rays down the pale green patch of grass and shrubs. It gets very cold in Mayne, but snow rarely fell here.
Gael could tell that Angela didn't get enough sleep because of the dark circles under her eyes, and she wasn't as cheerful as yesterday. He asked her how she was feeling, and she smiled faintly at him as she said, "I woke up in the middle of the night and had trouble sleeping again."
He squeezed her hand and thought that if only he was next to her, he could have done something. Because of their sleeping arrangement, it wasn't possible. So instead, after breakfast, when they were alone again, he wrapped his arms around her and told her, "We may not be sleeping in one bed, but you can still call me on my phone. I expect you to do that when you can't go back to sleep."
She hugged him back, pressing her face against his chest and taking a deep inhale of his scent. "I didn't want to wake you. I'm okay now." Really, she was already unbothered by that nightmare. There wasn't anything that his hug couldn't fix.
Both of them had work to do for a few hours. Still, neither of them wanted to be away from each other, so they set up workstations in the library with a massive collection of old and new books in paperbacks, hardbounds, and clothbounds filling the shelves around the walls of the room. It had two floors connected by a spiral staircase, a lounge set, thick rugs, and a dark wood finish.
There, they worked quietly at their own desks, occasionally glancing at each other and grinning without reason.
At eleven in the morning, Angela changed her clothes quickly and then brought Gael out the back door, passing through the kitchen where she introduced him to the chef and some housekeepers. The girls blushed when he said "hello" in his deep, rough voice—even Chef Rico was a little flustered to meet Gael's tall and big frame, and she couldn't help but chuckle.
It was funny witnessing other people's reaction to Gael like he was some kind of a cover model straight out of a GQ magazine when he was only wearing a casual shirt and pants. Though he might as well be, Angela thought.
They reached the stables that housed a few horses owned by her family. Angela said they had four, but Gael could only see two horses that trotted excitedly towards her—one stunning black stallion with a white stripe down the center of his head, nuzzling its nose against Angela's cheek and a white horse that's slightly smaller than the other, neighing and tromping its hooves. Angela giggled as she rubbed their necks. "I know! I miss you too!"
Gael didn't know a lot about horses, but he could tell that these were thoroughbreds. They were so beautiful, tall, and well-built, with thick and shiny mane and silky coats.
"This is Oreo." Angela patted the black horse, chuckling at Gael's confused expression. She ran her hand down the white stripe on its face, and Gael laughed, catching on to what she meant.
"And this is Coco." She touched the white horse. "I like riding on Oreo because he's fast, but you get to ride him today," she said and then lowered her voice, "He gets jealous if a man rides on Coco."
As if confirming Angela, Oreo huffed and nodded its head.
Coco nudged Angela's shoulder, and she beamed. "Alright! Alright! We're going!"
Gael cautiously approached the black horse, brushing his hands on its neck and mane as if introducing himself. He knew he was doing okay when Oreo leaned against his hand, making him smile.
After getting acquainted with the horse, they put on their helmets and mounted their horses. One of the stable staff assisted them. Contrary to what Gael told her last night, he was actually good with horses—or perhaps he was just a fast learner and a natural at many things.
With Angela leading with Coco, they started walking for a minute in big circles near the stable just so Gael could get used to Oreo first. And when she thought he was good, she led them out towards the lake. She taught him how to trot, which he picked up fast, and the two of them rode in parallel. They passed by the lake and then headed towards a woodland surrounding the estate.
At first, Gael thought there were houses beyond the trees, but he soon learned that it was a dense forest when they entered the woods. There probably weren't any houses within a few miles.
Following a trail, Angela expertly maneuvered Coco with Gael on their tail.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"There's a clearing up ahead." She pointed in front of her. Then she taught him how to canter, the third gait that's a bit faster than a trot.
Angela was starting to sweat, but Gael could see the smile on her face as they cantered ahead. She was enjoying this, and he loved seeing her looking so free.
Sure enough, a flat land formed before them, and they began to trot again until they reached a large oak tree to the West of it with a small stream a few feet away. They climbed down their horses and let them drink from the freshwater.
"I had a nightmare…" Angela said out of nowhere as they sat under the old tree.
Gael was surprised at her sudden admittance. He took her hand in his and asked her about it. He was silent as she listened to her recall her dream. Ever since he came back to her the other night, they had both been evidently happy. But now, he couldn't help but think Angela might still be feeling insecure about their relationship that her unconscious state was showing her terrible things.
Gael had to do something, and he planned to do it soon.
For now… While they were practically alone in the middle of nowhere… He would make her forget about all her worries.
He kissed her on the lips, pushed her back on the grass, and then settled between her legs, already starting to unbutton her pants and pulling them off her. "I can't do anything about your nightmares except hold you tight.. But right now, let me remind you that our reality is so much better than your dreams."