Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel) novel Chapter 161

Gabriel’s POV

I hadn’t even gotten the chance to process the smell of fresh coffee before my entire world tilted.

There she was.

Clairessa.

In my kitchen. In my home.

For a split second, I thought I was hallucinating—still trapped in a half-dream.

But the second her eyes met mine—wide, horrified—and the coffee cup slipped from her hand, shattering on the floor, I knew I wasn’t dreaming.

No. This was a goddamn nightmare.

She stood barefoot in an oversized shirt and shorts, her hair in a messy bun, like she belonged here. Like she lived here.

Like she had every damn right to stand in this house—my house—looking so comfortable, so familiar, in a place that was meant to be off-limits to the world.

What the hell was she doing here?

Before I could even find my voice—before I could demand an answer—Adrian burst into the kitchen.

“Clairessa!” he exclaimed, rushing to her side like I wasn’t even there.

He glanced briefly at the shattered cup and then ignored it completely, focusing only on her.

“What happened? Are you hurt?” he asked, taking her hand with an ease that made my insides twist.

“I... I was just startled. The cup slipped,” she mumbled, eyes darting from him back to me—refusing to meet my gaze.

“Did it burn you?” he asked, already leading her toward the sink.

“A little...,” she muttered.

“Let’s rinse it off,” he murmured gently, turning on the faucet and running cool water over her hand like he’d done it a hundred times before.

“Feel any better?” he asked as their eyes locked. “Doesn’t look too bad. I’ll get the ointment.”

“I’m fine. No need,” she said quickly, pulling her hand from his grasp. “Thank you.”

She smiled.

At him.

And I just stood there—in complete shock.

My son was looking at her with real concern—tenderness, even.

Clairessa.

In my house.

With my son.

They knew each other. More than that—he was touching her like he cared. Deeply.

My brain scrambled to keep up, trying to make sense of the madness unfolding in front of me.

What the hell kind of twisted, cosmic joke was this?

Then Adrian looked at me, like it was just another normal morning, and said:

“Dad, you scared her. She dropped the cup when she saw you.”

My throat felt tight. “Clairessa?” I rasped, eyes narrowing. “You know her?”

He gave me a confused look. “Yeah. I’ve told you about her. She’s my girlfriend.”

His girlfriend.

My entire body went rigid.

The words slammed into me like a steel bat to the chest.

But I didn’t show it. I locked my expression down, stripping it of all emotion.

Clairessa shot him a warning look, and he corrected himself with a sigh. “Ex-girlfriend,” he added. “The one I hurt. The one I’m trying to win back.”

As if that wasn’t enough, he smiled faintly and gestured between us. “Dad, meet Clairessa. Clairessa, this is my father—Gabriel Storm. CEO of Storm Innovations. I’m guessing you already knew that... since you work there.”

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify