Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel) novel Chapter 185

Gabriel’s POV

She was still standing there—fuming, heartbroken, stubborn as ever—and I couldn’t even look at her without feeling like I was splitting in two.

This wasn’t how I wanted things to go. I didn’t wake up thinking I’d be the man pushing her into some twisted compromise. I never planned to dangle her dream in front of her like bait just to get her to do my bidding.

When she made it clear she didn’t want this—when I saw how much she hated the deal, hated what I was asking—it made everything inside me burn.

But I had to. Because love didn’t always look like roses and promises—it looked like sacrifice. Like doing the unthinkable to protect what little we had left.

She had no idea what it was costing me to sit there and play the villain.

God, I wished she understood. None of this was easy for me. Not one damn second of it.

My voice dropped. “How do I tell him that the woman he loves is also the woman I'm in love with? That I’ve already had her?”

The disbelief on her face was raw. “So what—you’re choosing him over me? Just like that?”

“You think this doesn’t hurt me?” My voice came out hoarse. “You think your heart’s the only one breaking?”

She flinched, but her tone hardened. “It is, Gabriel. Because you're making the choice so damn easily. You're choosing him over us—over everything we were.”

She didn’t get it. This wasn’t a decision. It was a slow, merciless undoing.

“It’s not even about choosing,” I muttered, almost to myself. “It’s a mess neither of us knows how to fix.”

She leaned across my desk, her face inches from mine, her breath warm against my skin.

I dragged in a tight, torturous breath. She was too close. Close enough to see the faint dark circles under her eyes—proof she hadn’t been sleeping well.

Her hair was pulled back in a bun, sleek and intentional, drawing attention to the soft features of her face.

Her lips looked wet, like she’d just applied gloss. Parted slightly. Tempting.

God.

She was still the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.

My body reacted before I could stop it—she always knew how to pull that out of me. It was like she didn’t even have to try.

The way she moved, the way she looked at me… she awakened something I never could quite control.

“This is what you want?” she whispered, low and taunting. “For me to run back to Adrian? Seduce him… the way I seduced you?”

Her mouth brushed the edge of my jaw. My body tightened.

“Date him. Be his girlfriend. Fuck him.”

My eyes shot to hers as heat surged through me—jealousy, frustration, and an ache to be buried so deep inside her she’d never forget the way I made her feel… to fill every inch of her until no other man even came close.

She was trying to provoke me, and it was working. The image of her in Adrian’s arms—his lips on her skin, his hands where only mine belonged—it made me want to destroy something.

She pulled back, smirking, victorious in her torment. “That’s what you want, right? Keep him in line. No matter the cost. That’s what matters most to you, isn’t it?”

I couldn’t speak. My breathing turned ragged, chest rising and falling as I fought to stay still. I didn’t just want to kiss her until she was breathless—I wanted to bend her over this desk and remind her exactly who she belonged to. No one could touch her like I did. Not even my own son.

Her fingers hovered over the contract. “You fund my app. And in return, I get your son in line. No matter what it costs me.”

I forced myself to nod, even as my heart screamed no. Every twisted word she’d just spoken replayed in my mind, tormenting me. I wanted to tear the contract in half, call the whole thing off—but then there was Adrian.

I couldn’t fight him over Clairessa. If it were any other man, it would’ve been a bloodbath. But not my own son.

And if I told him the truth, he’d never forgive me. I’d lose him. And I couldn’t destroy what little we had left.

She gave me a tight, bitter smile. “Fine. I’ll do it. You want business, no emotions? Then that’s what you’ll get. Cold. Professional.” She reached for a pen and flipped through the pages. “Just tell me where to sign.”

My hand shot out instinctively, resting over hers. For a second, we both froze—eyes locked, just our breathing filling the office.

“You haven’t even read it yet.” I closed the folder gently, pulling it away from her. “You have to show it to your lawyer first, then you can sign.”

A flash of disappointment crossed her face. “I’ll have her look it over. I’ll get back to you.”

She turned to leave but paused at the door, glancing over her shoulder with a slight tilt of her head.

Her voice carried a daring undertone. “And Gabriel? Don’t forget—you asked for this.”

My heart clenched.

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