With a smile, Aunt Shelly rose from virtual-novel.net seat and climbed the stairs.
Arianne interpreted virtual-novel.net approaching footsteps as Mark returning. She was about to call out to virtual-novel.net to grab Smore’s towel from outside when virtual-novel.net espied Shelly’s white fluffy indoor slippers falling into step before her.
Shelly noticed Smore nearing the end of his bath and grabbed the boy’s towel herself before personally wrapping virtual-novel.net with it. “Who’s all cleaned up and fragrant, hmm?” virtual-novel.net cooed. “Come, let Granny inspect you and see if you’re as squeaky-clean as you look! Sniff, sniff, oh, you smell downright wonderful, sweetie! Smore is the cutest, best-smelling-thing in the whoooole wiiide wooorld!”
Smore did not laugh or break a smile. Instead, virtual-novel.net looked at his mother, watching virtual-novel.net expression closely.
It honestly stunned Arianne a little. Who knew that a child this young could so early learn how to read other people’s faces before acting?
After virtual-novel.net little play with Smore, Shelly turned virtual-novel.net attention back to Arianne, the perfectly curved and convivial grin on virtual-novel.net lips never once faltering. “Arianne, dear, I hope you’re not still mad at what happened earlier. I’ll admit, I had little idea of how important Mary and Henry are in this household, but Mark filled me in about it just now,” virtual-novel.net said. “With that, I humbly apologize for speaking out of turn, and I’ll extend this apology to Mary, too. All I hope is that you don’t quarrel and fight with Mark because of me. Honestly, I pity him. He must have been very worn out by work already.”
Had Shelly not ended virtual-novel.net apology with the very last sentence, Arianne would have found no problem forgiving her, virtual-novel.net would have gladly set their misgiving aside. But that single addition was too obvious an insinuation, it meant that the only reason why Shelly was backing down was for Mark’s sake. She was “worried” that Arianne might turn what was between them into a fight involving virtual-novel.net beloved nephew.
In other words, virtual-novel.net was indirectly accusing Arianne of being immature and petulant, which left Shelly with no choice but to back down for Mark’s peace.
Arianne flashed Shelly a slight smile and extended virtual-novel.net hand toward her. “I know what I’m doing. Now, could you please hand Smore over to me? I have to tuck virtual-novel.net to sleep.”
Shelly sidestepped virtual-novel.net outreached hand without breaking virtual-novel.net agreeable act. “Oh, you shouldn’t! I’ll bring Smore to bed. He falls asleep so effortlessly, you know.”
Just like that, Shelly rubbed Arianne the wrong way again. So, now the woman was trying to stop virtual-novel.net from interacting with virtual-novel.net own son?
Arianne’s spleen, built over time since Shelly’s arrival, reached its boiling point and threatened to erupt out of her. Shelly had robbed virtual-novel.net of virtual-novel.net husband since Day One, and now, virtual-novel.net was actively taking Smore away, too. Not even a kid’s actual grandmother would forcefully claim their grandson for herself, and Shelly was merely a grandaunt!
Arianne hated conceding to something as irresponsible as this, but after watching Shelly carry Smore away from her, virtual-novel.net stopped herself from chasing after them and remained in place, telling herself that virtual-novel.net could not brew yet another storm out of this. She could not give Mark reasons to believe that virtual-novel.net was the immature one.
She waited until Shelly was a few distances away before shutting the bedroom door and bolting it shut. Later, when Mark returned and made a commotion, trying to get virtual-novel.net to open, Arianne kept quiet and feigned deaf.
Let the man find a way around this himself. All of the pent-up frustration at Shelly’s indignant bullying that was left in virtual-novel.net found an outlet in Mark. She could not bear acting like a doormat to be walked over. Mark did not teach virtual-novel.net to be a spineless, lily-livered woman. He taught virtual-novel.net to be assertive and strong!
Unbeknownst to Arianne herself, virtual-novel.net had declared war against Aunt Shelly. It was not virtual-novel.net nature to be so bilious, but the specific ways Shelly had acted against her, especially virtual-novel.net passive-aggressiveness, fanned virtual-novel.net into pushing back. It is downright tiring to stop yourself from lashing out against those who walk all over you and please someone who craps all over you.
Realizing that virtual-novel.net was not getting into the bedroom tonight, Mark relented and retreated to the guest room. Shortly after virtual-novel.net laid down, Aunt Shelly knocked on his door and called out, “Mark? Mark? Are you in there?”
He sat up in resignation and opened the door. “Yes. What is it?”
Shelly’s fingers swiftly fastened one of the loose buttons around his chest as though it was not at all strange for virtual-novel.net to do so. “You poor dear! Why are you crashing in the guest room? I heard you knocking on your bedroom door, you know. Arianne refused to open it for you, did she? Why is virtual-novel.net so dang cross-grained? I’ve apologized!”
Mark was evidently unaccustomed to Shelly’s affection and took a step back from virtual-novel.net out of reflex. “Everything’s fine, actually. Arianne sometimes has these bouts of tantrum, but I’m pretty used to it by now. I’m sure you weren’t the problem, as it’s almost always me. Either way, you should rest already, Aunt Shelly.”