Words were not enough to describe the self-hatred Gabriel felt for himself. They were simply not enough.

His brown eyes stared at your form, sleeping soundly as the blankets covered your body to keep you warm. You looked as beautiful as ever, if not for the bandages that covered some parts of your body— but, that didn’t make you any less beautiful.

But, did he regret ever leaving you alone that night? Oh, yes. He blamed himself, actually. If only his anger hadn’t taken the best in him, he wouldn’t have left you alone at the restaurant. He should’ve known better than to leave you behind all on your own. Specially when he was a hero, and you were a civilian. After walking out those doors, who would’ve thought that the man whom he had been looking for would take you as hostage? He would have not. At least, not at that time.

He took matters into hands, of course. Hell, had he waited for authorities to go and rescue you from that place, you would’ve been dead by now. But, here you were, in his arms once again. Except, you can’t seem to look at him in the face for too long. At first, Gabriel was confused at how you acted— flinching when he touched you ever so slightly, fear written all over your face when staring at him for too long, asking to sleep alone most of the time. It was when he questioned the criminal who had been behind your abduction that he finally knew why you acted like that around him. That man had used some kind of chemicals which he had adquiere from one of the scientists who worked for him, taking in the image of Gabriel himself and abusing of the most precious thing he had— you.

He had learned how to act, to show you that he would have never done such a thing. He promised you so, and he would keep his word. His calloused hands gently brushed against your cheek. A small touch, he didn’t let his fingers linger on the skin of your face for too long. “Mi amor,” he gently whispered. “I’ve made breakfast.” He’ll wait. There’s no rush, after all. He could only hope that you’d recover safely.