Husband With Benefits-Chapter 868: Definitely Crazy

Arabelle stared at her reflection in the mirror, her brow furrowed in frustration. For what felt like the hundredth time that morning, she let out a long, exasperated sigh. That man was absolutely crazy. Completely and utterly crazy. And the worst part? No one had thought to warn her about it. Not Cai. Not Dora. She would definitely be having words with them later—stern, unrelenting words. But first, she needed to deal with the mess she found herself in and make sure there were absolutely no consequences. None at all.

Her lips twisted into a mockery of a smile as she mimicked his voice, low and smooth, almost theatrical. "Oh, I always carry some as well," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. Then, switching back to her normal voice, she muttered under her breath, "What’s even the point of carrying things and buying more if you’re not going to actually use them?"

With a huff, she tossed the hairbrush onto the table, the clatter breaking the stillness of the room. She pushed herself to her feet, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. She was late. By an entire day. And she was never late. Not once. Under any other circumstances, she might have felt a twinge of relief at being spared yet another round of cramps and discomfort. But not this time. Not today.

This time, the delay wasn’t a relief—it was a warning. A blinking red light that screamed of potential consequences she wasn’t ready to face. Consequences she was praying with all her might would never come to pass. "Please, please let this be nothing," she whispered to no one in particular, clasping her hands together as though the universe would hear her plea.

She flopped back onto the chair, running her hands through her hair in agitation. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. She was too young for this. Too unprepared. Too... everything. Her life wasn’t supposed to take this kind of turn, not now, not when she was still figuring out where she stood.

"Damn it," she muttered under her breath, her voice thick with frustration and a trace of fear. "Now is not the time for consequences. Or complications. Definitely not complications." She clenched her fists, forcing herself to take a deep breath and calm her racing thoughts. Whatever this was, she would deal with it eventually. She had to. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t terrified of what might come next.

She needed to talk to someone, but the question was who. She couldn’t possibly confide in Dora or Cai. Both of them were too wrapped up in their own love stories to offer anything helpful. If anything, they’d just tease her or call her foolish for over thinking about it. Plus, there was the awkward little detail that the person she was fretting over was Cai’s friend and Dora’s brother-in-law.

That made this situation far more complicated than her usual one-night stands. Walking away and never looking back wasn’t really an option this time. The odds of running into him again were uncomfortably high, unless she wanted to avoid family get together in the future.

She could always count on Autumn for good advice, but right now, her sister had her hands full with work and the kids. And knowing Autumn, she’d probably tell her to "give it a shot" or "see where things go." That wasn’t exactly what she wanted to hear. She wasn’t looking for encouragement to dive deeper into this mess.

Then there was Gabe. Yes, Gabe. He was protective of her—sometimes too much so—but that might work in her favor. If she told him, he’d probably want to punch Rafe on principle alone. That was a good sign. Gabe would be on her side no matter what, and he wouldn’t judge her for feeling stuck. He’d help her sort through her thoughts and figure out her next steps. Yes, Gabe was the best choice.

So, she did what she would not have done in her dreams if she’d been in her sane mind. She called Gabe and told him about her one-night stand and possible consequences... And he replied with silence...

"We are talking about Rafael Ignis? He is your one-night stand?" Gabe finally asked after what felt like an eternity.

"Yes." She breathed out, suddenly wondering if calling Gabe was a mistake. After all, he had almost shot that guy who’d taken her to an after party on prom night... She put her head in her hands. No... please let this not be a mistake too.

And then, he muttered something that almost shook her," Hmm, he is not the type to have one night stands..."

She coughed. He is not the type? Hello? She was not one to have one night stands! Especially on first meetings with some hot guy. She’d usually go out a couple of times before sleeping with them! Why was Gabe not saying anything important or useful? Was something wrong with his brain?

She breathed in deeply and asked again," Gabe! Help me! How do I handle everything? What if I take a test and it is positive?"

"Then you handle it the way you want." Gabe answered calmly, frustrating her even more.

She almost resorted to stomping her foot! He had to pretend to be obtuse today of all days. "Gabe! I am asking you for some help! Some advice! Something that you are not scared to hand out in abundance usually! Why are you being so... so dense right now!"

"Okay. Rafe is not good enough for you. You are not good enough for him. The two of you are not suitable for each other at all. So, take the next flight out of Petrovia. If you think he will try and stop you, I can send a personal jet. He won’t know. Get out of there and handle everything like you want. Get rid of him from your life."

Arabelle took the phone off from her ear and frowned. What was wrong with him? What kind of nonsense advise was he giving? And what did he mean by she was not good enough for him? And he not for her! He was a fine man!

With a harrumph, she disconnected the call and let herself fall on the bed. She was going to have to handle things herself.

Unknown to her, Gabe was grinning widely as she disconnected the call and he’d already packed a bag for himself. Petrovia sounded like a good place for an inpromptu family vacation.