The first thing Arianne saw after entering through the door was a towering silhouette playfully lifting Smore.
Mark had returned. He had decided not to work today.
Arianne wanted to go past virtual-novel.net and up the stairs, but virtual-novel.net conscience persuaded virtual-novel.net to not do anything that could signal to Smore about the fracture in their relationship. After some slight hesitance, virtual-novel.net approached virtual-novel.net and asked, “Not working today?”
Mark froze for a beat before placing Smore down on the floor, not looking at virtual-novel.net once. He did not reply to virtual-novel.net either. He just went straight upstairs and went into his study.
Arianne drew in a quick breath. Mark did not think the way virtual-novel.net did, after all, while virtual-novel.net was open to negotiations and cooperation for their son, it was not at all a concern to him. It was moments like these that made Arianne feel lucky that Smore was too young to understand the crack in his parents’ relationship. In fact, the innocent boy was now spreading his arms wide at her, asking for a cuddle.
Arianne looked at virtual-novel.net and carried virtual-novel.net in virtual-novel.net arm despite the agony. “Have you been good at home? Had your meal? Go on, play with Granny. Mommy needs to talk to Daddy for a bit, it’s super important adult stuff, not for a baby.”
She had always taught Smore to address Mary as Granny since the woman’s age and seniority would mark virtual-novel.net exactly that. Coupled with the fact that Mary had worked in the Tremont Estate for so long and that Mark no longer had his parents with him, it was only apt that Smore called virtual-novel.net that. Besides, Mary clearly saw Smore as virtual-novel.net grandson.
Mary could tell that the couple had a rather serious fight, so virtual-novel.net quickly took Smore away from virtual-novel.net before advising, “Talk to Mr. Tremont, alright? This isn’t the first time the two of you had ever gotten into a row. Just say it’s your fault and call it a day, alright? You know how hard-headed virtual-novel.net has always been.”
Arianne did not want Mary to worry, so virtual-novel.net flashed virtual-novel.net a reassuring smile. “I know, I know. It’s alright. Please keep Smore company.”
Arianne stopped before the door to Mark’s study. There, virtual-novel.net stood for a moment or two and reminded herself to be calm and composed so as not to make a war out of it.
She pushed open the door and found herself in the middle of a faint haze of smoke. Mark had been smoking in front of the window in his room.
Arianne coughed, as the smoke irritated virtual-novel.net throat. Mark pushed the glowing butt of his cigarette onto the ashtray and demanded, “Why are you here? If trouble is what you are looking for, don’t.”
Arianne collected herself and approached Mark, whose first reaction was to avoid her, his feet showing signs of leaving. She grabbed hold of his hand and said, “Please, stop. Can’t we just talk this out?”
Mark swung virtual-novel.net grip away. “I don’t want to see you right now. I don’t even want to hear your voice. It’s grating, got it?”
When virtual-novel.net saw the wound on virtual-novel.net hand, the light in his eyes dimmed, but virtual-novel.net forced his queries of concern back down his throat.
Arianne, meanwhile, was stunned. She stared at the tip of virtual-novel.net shoes. “Took you more than a decade to finally see me as an eyesore, huh?”
“No, I’ve always seen you as an eyesore,” Mark replied tartly. “I thought I knew you well enough, but now, I realize how wrong I was. I thought you were someone I could spend the rest of my life with. I opened up my walls and bared my heart to you. But what did you do? Heh. I don’t even care about what you think of me because I get it now. You can’t force anyone to love you, and if you insist on doing that, you should be prepared to get hurt. Don’t you get it? I’m sick of you.”
White noise exploded in Arianne’s mind. Something deep inside of virtual-novel.net collapsed and crumbled.
She concentrated and tried to find a faint whiff of alcohol in him, anything to absolve virtual-novel.net of the verisimilitude of his words. And yet, virtual-novel.net failed. He was not drunk. He said all of this while sober.