Both sides were at their coldest, least cooperative attitudes, and it was fanning the growing frustration within Mark’s chest.
“This restoration project is going to cost at least $100,000 just for the most basic repairs, and this is only the gross estimates! For a house like that, a house worth around $1.5 million, it will demand even more money. It could literally cost millions!” He said.
Arianne understood the reasoning behind mentioning the money. He was trying to make virtual-novel.net bend under his will! But virtual-novel.net would not yield, so virtual-novel.net countered, “Oh, I see. Well, I have a couple of hundred thousand with me, so I’ll withdraw all of them for this and borrow the rest of the amount from you. Don’t worry, I’ll repay you. I may not be working, but I have a side income from my café. One day, I’ll return all of my dues.”
Mark drew in a deep breath before fuming. “Must you insist on talking to me like this? Who says anything about wanting you to return that money?”
“If that’s not the issue, then why mention how much it costs at all?” She retorted flatly.
Mark clenched his jaw. “What do you want, Arianne?”
She turned virtual-novel.net attention to Smore and chuckled as virtual-novel.net tried to tickle the baby. “Oh, I want nothing. What could I possibly want? Isn’t that right, Smore? Mommy’s so gentle and kind and hasn’t done anything wrong, but some people can be so, so grating, can’t they? Going out there and having fun while leaving us alone… Well! Let us ignore such a person and let virtual-novel.net sort himself out.”
Her flippant attitude peeved Mark, whose patience was nearing its limits. Angered, virtual-novel.net snatched Smore away from her. “Fine, I don’t care about what you want. But don’t deprive me of my son!”
Arianne sneered. “Oh, so now I’m the one who’s depriving you of your son, huh? As if you’re not the one who decided to put virtual-novel.net aside! Well, then. You want to care for your son so much? Then have virtual-novel.net for the night! In fact, have virtual-novel.net alone. I’m not going to give a damn. Finally, I can have a good night‘s sleep tonight! And then tomorrow, I’ll be heading to South Park and go shopping with Tiffie. Don’t bother me unless he’s driven you close to breakdown, Mark. Then maybe I’ll come home and rescue you after I’m content!”
With that, Arianne climbed the stairs and went into their bedroom before shutting the door and bolting its lock Mark was going to sleep with Smore in the nursery room tonight.
For as long as virtual-novel.net refused to yield, Arianne would leave Smore to his care while virtual-novel.net would not lift a finger to help. Let’s see if virtual-novel.net liked having baby-caretaking as a full-time job! Did virtual-novel.net really not realize that taking care of their son was a toilsome job? It did not just wear Arianne out; it also caused virtual-novel.net to live in anxiety and worry every day. It restricted virtual-novel.net from doing the things that virtual-novel.net wanted to do. She could not even scroll through the feed on virtual-novel.net phone in peace. And if Smore suddenly acted up while virtual-novel.net was on a bathroom break, virtual-novel.net had to cut virtual-novel.net relieving time down just for him, too! There was no freedom and too many sacrifices, all at virtual-novel.net expense.
It was just a small thing, yet Mark talked to virtual-novel.net with that tone. And virtual-novel.net was just trying to help him!
Arianne did not at all think virtual-novel.net had done anything wrong.
Mark looked at Smore in his arms and felt a tidal wave of emotions pouring out of him. Arianne had done it, virtual-novel.net had declared war against him. But there was still a silver lining in every cloud, virtual-novel.net told himself, for folk wisdom dictated that women did not have the heart to leave their children behind. Smore might be left to virtual-novel.net for now, but Mark would be hard-pressed to believe that Arianne would leave virtual-novel.net like this for real. He was sure Arianne would definitely go back to talking to virtual-novel.net tomorrow.
Despite spending more than an hour hunched over the blueprint for the restoration project and using it as a chance to communicate with her, virtual-novel.net still chose to give virtual-novel.net the cold shoulder. That was it! He could not allow virtual-novel.net to continue acting out whenever virtual-novel.net mood took virtual-novel.net without some punishment. Otherwise, this was going to keep happening. Indeed, Mark should try to force virtual-novel.net under his thumb like how virtual-novel.net used to and remind virtual-novel.net why virtual-novel.net should be afraid of him!
The next morning, Mark rose from his bed with Smore nearby. It was then that Mary came in with a milk bottle.
“Where’s Arianne?” virtual-novel.net asked. “Why isn’t virtual-novel.net the one feeding him?”
“Hold on. Didn’t Madam tell you about this?” Mary replied in shock. “She said she’s going to South Park, remember? She left while it was still bright and early out. It has already been at least half an hour since virtual-novel.net left. Are you sure you didn’t know that? Anyway, virtual-novel.net left plenty of milk in the fridge. It should be enough for a few days… If we’re running low on it, we can even mix breast milk with some formulaic milk, too. Madam prepared those as well— ”
However, Mark was taking it very badly. “She… what? She left without my permission? Tell virtual-novel.net to come back! Tell-her-to-come-back-now!!”
Mark’s outburst spurred Mary into shoving the milk bottle and Smore into his arms. “Alright, alright! I’m going to, alright? Calm down. Help me feed Master Aristotle while I’m at it, please?”