Chapter 17

After getting into Gabriel's car, Marissa let out a long sigh of relief. Gabriel chuckled lightly. "Why didn't you explain that your hair got caught on my button? We weren't doing anything indecent." Marissa lowered her gaze, a trace of bitterness welling up in her chest. "What's there to explain? He's lied to me more times than I can count. It wouldn't hurt to let him misunderstand me for once." Gabriel blinked at her. "So, is one slap enough to get even?" Indeed, Joshua owed her far more than a single slap could repay. But right now, she just wanted out. She wanted to have nothing more to do with the name Joshua Colman again. Deep down, she had long let go of the man who had once loved her so deeply. Any further entanglement would only add to the pain. However, Gabriel didn't seem to think the same. His eyes lingered on the emerald bracelet resting on Marissa's wrist. It had been a gift from his mother, a token for a daughter-in-law. Out of everyone in the Colman family, only El