Lift Me Up | A Gabenath Story

Chapter 11: Together, My Love

What am I supposed to do? I can't tell her I love her. She just finished her relationship with Jean, and I don't know if I'm ready to let Emilie go. Adrien needs his mother. . . and Emilie is my wife, Gabriel reminded himself.

"Sir, you're too quiet," Nathalie said as her stare settled on his hand.

"I feel a negative emotion," Gabriel muttered, standing up and walking away towards the elevator leading to his lair, leaving her alone and confused.

"Duusu, what's wrong with him? He just asked and left," Nathalie sighed as the kwami flew out in-front of her.

"Maybe because he loves you, Miss Nathalie," Duusu excitedly replied.

"He doesn't love me, Dussuu. You simply don't walk away from someone you love. He pleaded with me to tell him what's wrong and he ignored it."

"But you love him."

"I don't. Not anymore," Nathalie whispered, looking at the back of her hand where Gabriel had placed his touch. "He loves Emilie and he's still akumatizing for the miraculous. I'm only willing to help him for the family, and because we're close friends."

"Are you sure, Miss Nathalie?" Dusuu asked, hovering over Nathalie's hand.

Nathalie did not respond. She only stayed silent as she did not want to think anything more of her boss. She turned to look out the atelier's window as the kwami flew back into the miraculous. The grey sky matched her emotions. The rain droplets on the outside of the window raced against a tear rolling down her face as she watched an akuma flutter it's wings towards its direction. Then, the normal commotion of an akuma attack initialized on the streets of Paris.

"Where's Adrien?" Gabriel asked, coming up behind her. He had left the akuma to do its job.

"He's in his room, Sir. May I ask what you're doing here?"

"I'm just checking, Nathalie," he sternly replied, wiping the tear off her cheek.

"Why are you detransformed? Shouldn't you be keeping track of the akumatized individual?"

"Stop asking me questions, Nathalie."

"Who did you akumatize?" Nathalie continued. She searched his gaze for an answer.

"Jean. . ." Gabriel whispered, stroking a finger down her face.

"What the fuck, Gabriel!" Nathalie slapped his arm in fury.

"Nathalie, he's not important to you anymore. It doesn't matter."

"Don't say that! Of course, it matters! He was important to me!"

"He was! Didn't you tell me you weren't together anymore?!"

"So what?! He loved me much more than anyone ever could!"

Gabriel paused at her words. A new sense of frustration grew within his heart. How could she possibly say that when the man who loved her most was standing in front of her?

"Adrien loves you, Nathalie!"

"You know what I mean, Gabriel," Nathalie sneered. "Adrien loves me because I've taken care of him for years. But the kind of love Jean had for me was different. He meant so much to me. You can't do this to him!"

"I don't care! I can akumatize whoever the hell I want, understand?!"

Nathalie huffed as she shoved her way past him, making her way to the front door of the mansion with Gabriel trailing behind her.

"Where do you think you're going?" Gabriel yelled, grasping her wrist before she could step out.

"I think I need fresh air," Nathalie muttered, yanking her hand away.