5. What Have I Done?

The first thing Gabby registered was a dull ache at the back of her neck. The second was the unfamiliar weight of an arm draped across her stomach. Her eyes fluttered open to a room she recognized, but the circumstances were entirely new. This was Adryan's bedroom. And she was in it.

Sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. She was wrapped in a soft blanket, the fabric a stark contrast to the rough feel of a... bare arm. She turned her head slowly, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs.

Adryan's face was mere inches from hers. He was sound asleep, his dark lashes resting against his cheeks. His perfect, chiseled jaw was softened in slumber, and a few strands of his black hair fell across his forehead. He looked so vulnerable, so different from the cold, intimidating man she knew.

Gabby’s breath hitched. She was lying in bed with her husband. And they were both completely naked.

Every single memory of the night before came flooding back: the intense kiss in his study, the way his hands had roamed over her body, the desperate tug-of-war between their conflicting emotions. The raw, unrestrained desire that had consumed them both until the kiss became something more. A lot more.

A wave of panic washed over her. ‘What have I done?’

Her mind, which had been blissfully stuck at 20, was suddenly hit with the full reality of her 30-year-old life. That was her first, at least in her mind.

She tried to move, to slip out of his embrace, but his arm tightened around her. A low groan escaped his lips as he shifted in his sleep, pulling her closer until her back was pressed flush against his warm chest. The feeling of his bare skin against hers sent a jolt of heat through her body. He smelled like soap and something else... something distinctly him.

Gabby lay still, frozen by a mixture of shock and an unfamiliar, thrilling sensation. She hated that it felt so right, so natural. She was supposed to be the carefree girl just enjoying her new life, not the woman tangled up with a man who had admitted to hating her moments before he kissed her.

The silence was deafening, broken only by the soft, steady rhythm of his breathing. Her cheeks burned with a mix of shame and a strange kind of triumph. The maids thought she was a trickster. Adryan thought she was a problem. But last night... last night had been brutally, beautifully real.

She closed her eyes, trying to calm her racing heart. She needed to get out of there before he woke up. She needed to think. But every part of her body felt heavy and slow. She couldn't bring herself to move. Not yet. She just wanted a few more moments to pretend this was all just a dream.

Just as she was about to try again, she felt a small movement. Adryan's arm shifted and his fingers brushed against her hip. His breathing hitched, and his eyes slowly opened. He blinked once, twice, before his gaze fell on the messy bed and his arm around her.

His eyes widened in a rare show of surprise, and he quickly pulled his arm away as if he'd been burned. He sat up, running a hand over his face. The sudden cold from the absence of his body sent a shiver through Gabby.

"What..." Adryan's voice was a low growl, laced with confusion and a hint of dread. "What happened?"

Gabby sat up as well, pulling the blanket up to her chin. Her mind was racing, trying to find the right words. "You don't remember?" she asked, her voice a little more shaky than she intended.

Adryan shook his head slowly, his expression a mixture of disbelief and fury. He glanced at the rumpled sheets, then at her, his eyes cold and hard. "I remember the kiss. And then... nothing."

A pang of disappointment hit Gabby. ‘He doesn't remember.’ All that raw, unrestrained emotion from last night was gone. Replaced by the cold, distant facade she had come to know.

"We... we got carried away," Gabby stammered, feeling her cheeks flush. "It was... a mistake."

Adryan laughed, a short, sharp, humorless sound. "A mistake? That's an understatement. This is a disaster. What were we thinking?"

‘We weren't thinking. We were just feeling,’ Gabby thought, but she kept the words to herself.

Adryan stood, grabbing a pair of trousers from the end of the bed. He didn't look at her as he pulled them on. The cold, unapproachable politician was back. "This never happened. We're going to forget this ever occurred. Do you understand?"

Gabby's eyes welled up with a sudden, unexpected sting. It wasn't about the act itself, but his complete dismissal of it. "You're just going to pretend it didn't happen?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Adryan finally turned to look at her, his jaw clenched. "What do you want me to do, Gabby? Celebrate it? I told you last night. I hate you. I hate that I want you. And this... this is just another complication I don't need."

Gabby's heart ached. The hurt was real, more painful than she thought it would be. She looked away, tears threatening to spill. "Fine," she said, her voice a choked whisper. "It never happened."

She stood up, pulling the blanket around her like a shield. She walked toward the door, her back to him, but she stopped with her hand on the knob.

"Just so you know," she said, her voice shaking slightly, "I don't think you hate me as much as you say you do."

She opened the door and walked out, leaving him alone in the room. Adryan stood there for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the closed door. The scent of her perfume lingered in the air, a constant reminder of the last night and the woman he couldn't hate.

Adryan was little bit tipsy last night, but he still sober. He ran a hand over his face again, a low groan escaping his lips. What have I done?

Gabby walked back to her own room, a blanket clutched tightly around her. The silence of the mansion felt different now, no longer a quiet escape but a vast, empty space where she could hide. Her mission was clear: avoid Adryan at all cost. She would not face him after that humiliating conversation.

She took a long, hot shower, trying to wash away the memory of his touch and the sting of his words. Today was a day for hiding, for being small and invisible.

Her first act of evasion was breakfast. Instead of going to the dining room, she crept down to the kitchen. The kitchen staff, seeing her, immediately became flustered.

"Ma'am, breakfast is served in the dining room," the head chef said, a nervous look on his face.

"Oh, it's fine," Gabby said, forcing a smile. "I'll just have some toast and a smoothie here. It's... cozier."

The staff exchanged confused glances, but did as she asked. Gabby sat on a stool at the kitchen island, a book in her hand, trying to act as if this were her normal routine. She was halfway through her smoothie when she heard footsteps. Adryan came, her heart jumped.

He walked in, fully dressed in a suit, his face a mask of cold professionalism. He paused when he saw her. The room grew still.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice low and flat.

"Eating breakfast," Gabby replied, not looking up from her book.

"Breakfast is served in the dining room."

"I like it here," she said, taking a deliberate sip of her smoothie. "More... relaxed."

Adryan stared at her, then at the nervous staff. He let out a barely audible sigh. "Fine. Kevin will bring me my coffee here."

He took a seat at the other end of the table, a clear line of separation between them. Gabby felt her shoulders tighten. Her plan had failed. She was not alone. The tension was suffocating.

After breakfast, Gabby back to the library, a massive room filled with towering bookshelves. She curled up in an armchair, pretending to read, but her mind was replaying every detail of the morning. The feeling of his skin, his angry words, the ache in her heart. She couldn't focus.

A few hours later, the door opened. It was Adryan again, holding a stack of briefing documents. He sat at the large oak desk across the room, his pen scratching against paper. The silence stretched between them, heavy and unbroken.

‘He's doing it on purpose,’ Gabby thought, her fingers tightening on the book. He was cornering her, making it impossible to avoid him. She felt a flicker of defiance. She wouldn't let him get to her. She would outlast him.

Suddenly, a knock on the library door broke the silence. Kevin, Adryan's secretary, stepped in.

"Sir, Mr. Steinbart, is here.”

Gabby's head snapped up. Alvero Steinbart. The man she had overheard the maids whispering about Adryan's political rival. Adryan's face tightened imperceptibly. He stood and closed the documents.

"Right. Bring him in here." Adryan gave Kevin a look that said, ‘Do not fail me’. Kevin nodded and left.

Adryan turned and looked at Gabby. Her heart pounded. He gave her a silent warning.

"Stay," he said simply.

Gabby blinked. "What?"

"Stay," he repeated, his voice firm. "You're reading. I'm working. He doesn't need to know anything else. Just... don't say anything stupid."

He turned away as Alvero Steinbart walked in, a slick smile on his face. Alvero's eyes swept over Adryan, then landed on Gabby, a look of genuine surprise on his face. He quickly composed himself and extended a hand to Adryan.

"Adryan. Good to see you. I hope I'm not interrupting," Alvero said, his eyes still on Gabby.

Adryan's hand clasped his. "Not at all, Alvero. Just a quiet afternoon at home. My wife, Gabriella."

Alvero's smile widened as he looked at Gabby. "It's a pleasure, Mrs. Lewis. I've heard so much about you." His voice was smooth, but his eyes held a predatory glint, sizing her up.

Gabby’s mind immediately went back to the maids' whispers. ‘She's just playing a new trick. We'll see.’ She felt a cold fury, not for Adryan, but for herself. This man saw her as nothing more than a foolish socialite, a pawn in a game she didn't even know she was playing. He was underestimating her, just like everyone else.

She met his stare with a small, confident smile, not for Adryan's sake, but to protect her own pride. "The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Steinbart. I've heard so much about you, too." Her voice was soft, but the glint in her eyes was a direct challenge.

Alvero chuckled, a low, easy sound. "I'm sure you have. It seems you and Adryan are quite the team, putting on a brave face after all the rumors." He leaned slightly forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "We all know how difficult things can get behind closed doors, don't we?"

The air in the room seemed to freeze. Adryan's hand, resting on the desk, clenched into a fist. He didn't say anything, letting the silence hang, waiting for Gabby to break.

But Gabby just tilted her head, her smile unwavering. "Difficult? Not at all. I find our home to be quite… comforting, actually." She paused, her gaze flicking to Adryan, then back to Alvero. "And you'd be surprised how much you can learn about a person when you're living with them. All those rumors, those whispers... they don't seem to match the man I've come to know."

Alvero's smile tightened, a flicker of genuine surprise in his eyes. He had expected a flighty, nervous answer. Not this.

Adryan, who had been silent, finally spoke. "It's true," he said, his voice flat, but with a firm authority. He rose from his desk and walked around to stand beside Gabby's chair, a silent display of unity that shocked even Gabby. "My wife has a very... sharp eye for detail. She's proven to be an invaluable asset in helping me see things from a different perspective."

A moment of pure, raw surprise crossed Gabby's face. ‘Invaluable asset?’ His words were a brilliant political maneuver, reframing her presence from a liability to an advantage. She quickly masked her shock and gave him a sly, private smile that only he could see. He had joined her game.

"That's a lovely thought, Mrs. Lewis," Alvero said, his facade of politeness cracking. "But politics can be... messy."

"I don't mind messy," Gabby said with a shrug, leaning back in her chair. "Life is boring without a little mess, isn't it?"

"Precisely," Adryan added smoothly, a hint of genuine amusement in his eyes as he looked at Gabby. "And my wife seems to have a unique talent for creating... and solving... certain messes."

Alvero's gaze darted between Adryan and Gabby, a slow burn of frustration in his eyes. He realized he hadn't just walked into a conversation; he had walked into a new game, and he was already losing.

Gabby wasn't just helping herself. She and Adryan, without saying a word to each other, were now a team.