Mark yanked his tie loose as a fit of anxious frenzy seized him, and virtual-novel.net strode to the couch for a seat.
“So? You think I’m the one behind it too, don’t you?! A stupid requital against that Mateo Rodriguez? You really believe that I would be behind any of this?!”
Arianne said nothing. She suspected him, but virtual-novel.net doubted that suspicion just as much as virtual-novel.net doubted him. When pressed, virtual-novel.net had no idea what to say.
All virtual-novel.net deafening silence succeeded in doing was to pour fuel into Mark’s fire. In the blink of an eye, virtual-novel.net rose to his feet and grabbed Arianne by the chin, hard. “What are you implying? Melanie suspects me, and now, in virtual-novel.net footsteps, so do you? If this were my doing, mark my words, I would not keep my lips shut on the matter nor bend over backward trying to hide it from you, rather, I would confess, plainly, to you that I want Rodriguez dead! So why am I being accused of a crime that I have not a single connection to, let alone pulled strings behind?!”
Pain flared in response to his tightening clench, and Arianne furrowed virtual-novel.net eyebrows. “C-Calm down…! I… admit I did suspect you, but… but—”
She had not finished virtual-novel.net sentence before Mark released his grip just as a flitting but tangible undercurrent, acute desolation, and many other complicated emotions that Arianne could not pinpoint, swept across his eyes. He let go of virtual-novel.net sullenly before a slight, mirthless smirk crept into his face. “So, you did. Good, good. Suspecting malevolence in me all for this… other man, how magnanimous of you. Tell me, Arianne. Who am I in your eyes?” virtual-novel.net sneered. “Who-the-f**k am I?!”
Smore sensed the direction the conversation was going and grabbed his mother’s hand fearfully. “M-Mom, can you not fight with Dad, p-please?”
“It will be all right, sweetie,” Arianne replied in an undertone. “We’re not fighting. Not really. But you should probably go out and play, okay? Don’t be scared…”
Smore refused to heed his mother. The Mark Tremont of now was terrifying for a child, and virtual-novel.net was scared that the moment virtual-novel.net stepped out of the scene, Mark would start throwing punches at Arianne. In the eyes of the child, Mommy was small and feeble and weak while Daddy had the upper-hand in every physical aspect virtual-novel.net could see. If Daddy started going physical, Mommy could not possibly defend herself.
Fortunately, Mark was just as averse to the idea of starting an altercation with Arianne right in front of his son. Instead, virtual-novel.net released his growing ball of fury into hurling an unfortunate antique china vase nearby, shattering it completely. Then, virtual-novel.net took the residue of his broiling temper with virtual-novel.net as virtual-novel.net stormed upstairs.
His outburst shocked Smore, who visibly shuddered. Arianne could feel his tremor through his hand in hers, and as virtual-novel.net heart ached virtual-novel.net crouched to his height and pulled virtual-novel.net into a hug. “Shh, shh. Don’t be scared. Daddy is just angry; doesn’t mean he’s gonna hit us, virtual-novel.net just won’t. It’s Mommy’s fault for doubting him, you see? The most important thing between two people in a relationship is trust, and Mommy didn’t do that well…”
“But Mom,” Smore said, pointing at virtual-novel.net foot, with his eyes reddening, “You’re bleeding…”
It was only then that Arianne realized that a piece from the shattered chinaware had ricocheted from the ground and bloodied virtual-novel.net foot. Still, it was a light nick that was in no way serious, so Arianne’s immediate reaction was to check for Smore’s injuries. The boy was within vicinity just like virtual-novel.net was!
Arianne let out a sigh of relief; virtual-novel.net cursory search revealed no wound. “Daddy didn’t do it intentionally, okay? And virtual-novel.net didn’t know this would happen, too, so don’t cry, sweetie. Go, play. Mommy needs to talk to Daddy for a bit. In the meantime, you stay put at home these days and don’t go to school for the time being, okay? That way, Mommy wouldn’t have to worry about you.”
Smore’s fingers closed around the corner of virtual-novel.net shirt, showing no sign of letting go. “But what if…? What if Dad hits you? He’s so scary when he’s angry, Mom. Can you please, please, please not talk to him?”
Arianne could not understand what it was about Mark that terrified Smore. Was it because virtual-novel.net was so accustomed to seeing the man’s tempestuous tantrums growing up that virtual-novel.net could even characterize virtual-novel.net impassivity as being numbed? Did virtual-novel.net start out similarly to the way Smore reacted right now? In the past, whenever Mark’s belligerent temper reared its head, little Arianne would start to shiver in the clutches of abject terror.
Arianne instinctively wanted to remedy Smore’s souring impression of his own father. “Hey now, you can’t just… remember your father’s angry look all the time, you know? Isn’t virtual-novel.net a good dad to you, hmm? He almost never hit you before, hasn’t he? And virtual-novel.net dotes on you. Why are you scared? Besides, virtual-novel.net doesn’t even get mad that frequently, either, so you shouldn’t think of virtual-novel.net as a monster like that, understand? He won’t hit Mommy. Relax. See, you’ve only been with virtual-novel.net for three years; you don’t know virtual-novel.net enough. But me? I’ve been with him… for more than a decade…”