Jackson expelled a breath from his lungs while his expression changed. “What… What did you just say? Tiffany knows about this? She came over here last night?” Tanya was a little taken aback by his reaction. The wound on the back of her hand was glaring—gory, even—yet all he cared about was Tiffany...? Emotions roared within her chest. Before she could answer anything, however, Jackson sprung toward his car keys and the door, shouting on his way out, “Leave my house before I come back!” A few days of frequent drizzles ended with the last retreating patch of the tenebrous clouds above the Capital. The sun had broken out from the east of a sky cleared by its radiant splendor. Showered by its golden light, the city gradually woke as its bustling grew. However, none of these could shake Jackson out of his trance. All he thought about was Tiffany, as he thought about how they were never getting back together now, not after the disaster that was last night!He drilled his finger into
Tanya took Jackson’s action as him being too embroiled in a precarious mental conflict to bother with her at the moment. In this state, staying in his place would bear her no development, so she left his house and went back to the apartment. She requested a half-day leave with Eric on her way home and returned to find Tiffany’s possessions gone. The few things that remained were pieces of furniture too large and heavy to be lugged around, such as the double-door fridge Summer had gifted her. Tanya felt nothing, not even a ripple. She would have moved out herself had Tiffany not done it. There was no way the two of them could continue to live under the same roof after all that had transpired. Honestly, she felt happy that the woman was the one who left, for now Tanya did not have to spare some effort finding a new abode. She had not gotten enough sleep last night. Today, she was going to remedy that. She was going to slumber with the fulfilling knowledge that she had successfully
Arianne’s sense of foreboding increased. Whatever happened also involved Jackson as well now?She bypassed Lilian’s interrogation with some excuses and flitted straight into Tiffany’s room.The woman in question was not sleeping at all. Instead, she was lying motionless on her bed, silent and still as a cadaver. Her eyes were puffy and unnaturally jutted out, suggesting that she had just recently bawled. Still, few could match in visual impact as the dried, untreated bloody cut on her forehead.Arianne took in a deep breath before taking her seat next to the bed. “What’s the matter, Tiffie? What happened to your forehead?” she cooed. “Talk to me, Tiffie. You’re scaring me.”Tiffany sniffled. Afraid that Arianne might go after Tanya, she fibbed. “It’s… I-It’s nothing. I a-accidentally fell and cut myself, that’s all. B-B-Because I saw Tanya… Tanya had sex with J-Jackson…! Jesus, Ari, it’s so disgusting, it’s horrible, it’s breaking my heart, it’s filthy and wretched and—It happened
Elusive sentiments flickered in Mark’s visage. “Uh, hem, well… You must always remember, Ari. Never paint all men with a single stroke, and everything always has an outlier, and not every man acts like this—”The corner of Arianne’s lips twitched. “That was totally not what I was asking at all! And also, damn, did you just throw your best bro under the bus like that? For shame, Mark. Anyway, I asked you if there was anything, you know, that is more than what meets the eyes in this whole deal. Could there be some kind of misunderstanding? Is it possible for Tiffie and Jackson to get back together after this ordeal?”“Oh? Oh.” Mark sighed out of relief under his breath. “Er, that depends on the circumstances. From what I know, most men won’t be able to perform at all when overly drunk. From your telling, Tiffany mentioned that Jackson was so heavily imbibed that he basically passed out, yes? Then how could the allegation have happened? I highly doubt it. If sex did happen, it must be w
Jackson let out a sigh. “Alright. I’ll handle this myself. If there’s nothing else, I’ve got to go.”Arianne frowned after the phone call. “Tiffie would have gotten back together with Jackson if this hadn’t happened in the first place. Her life is far too complicated. Why won’t God give her any peace?”Mark patted her shoulder. “If I were Tiffany, I’d never give Tanya the satisfaction. I’d get together with Jackson anyway. That’ll show her, let her see that her efforts were in vain, absolutely worthless.”Arianne agreed, but knowing Tiffany’s temper, she’d never be able to do it. This scandal was another traumatic experience. She handed Aristotle over to Mark. “Hold him. I’m calling Tiffie.”Mark stared at the little thing in his arms and mischievously murmured, “See that? Your mommy doesn’t want you anymore. She’s thrown you to me. Come and shower with daddy, okay?”Arianne, who hadn’t gone very far, turned around and slapped him on the back. “Who teases a baby like that? Just wa
Tanya twisted the corners of her shirt anxiously. “I don’t know what Tiffany’s told you. You’re closer, so of course, you’d trust her more. I don’t feel like explaining either. It’s already happened anyway. What are you going to do about it?”“Are you implying that you’re hiding something?” Arianne asked. “Tell me then. Don’t worry, I won’t be unfair to you because of Tiffie. I just want to know if you did it on purpose. I know that Jackson certainly didn’t do it on purpose. Besides… Did it really happen? He was extremely drunk. It’s very suspicious…”Tanya bit her lip and replied, “Yes, it did! It doesn’t matter if I did it on purpose or not. It happened. Jackson and I had too much to drink, so it happened. Is that really all that strange to you? No one can say who did it on purpose under these circumstances. No one can wash themselves clean of it…”“You knew that things between Tiffie and Jackson were never truly over; they were still involved. You’re her friend, so why did you ap
Arianne couldn’t seem to see it as clearly as Mark, probably because of her youth. “I can’t get used to it. This was a huge blow to Tiffie. It gets even more frustrating every time I think of it. I’ve lost my appetite for dinner. You eat. Give me the baby.”Mark turned to the side, evading her reach towards the baby. “Eat your dinner. What if you deprive little Smore of his milk? You’re not alone now, as you have a little one to care for. You have to eat. Have a bowl of soup that Mary made in the kitchen. Hurry up.”She really wasn’t in the mood to eat, but she couldn’t bear with Mark’s nagging, so she forced a bowl of soup down her throat. That was the end of it.At night, the pair slept together during bedtime. Mark reached out to hug her as usual. She instinctively thought that he was trying to initiate conjugal relations and mumbled, “Not tonight, I’m exhausted…”He laughed. “What are you thinking? Do you think that I’m made of iron, as if I’m not exhausted too? I just want to
Eric stared back at her with an emotionless look on his face. “If you were a victim, or if it was truly an accident, Jackson will provide you with justification. But the truth is, you’re not. You’re not a child anymore. You know what it means for a girl to go to a man’s house at night alone to drink with him. And the man is your friend’s ex, an ex whom she’s still pining over. How innocent could your intentions possibly be in doing something as inappropriate as that? I’ve known Jackson for many years. Do you really think that I wouldn’t understand him? He’d never mistake a face, even when he’s dead drunk. He would never force himself on you. He would never have that notion at all!”Tanya turned around and smiled at him. “Heh… You’re right. You’re absolutely right. I did it on purpose. Thank you for once taking care of me. Goodbye.”Eric pursed his lips and did not say anything more. He felt a weight on his heart as he watched her leave. Was this the very same pure-hearted girl who wa