Tiffany got down from the car and gave her a bottle of mineral water. “Are you feeling better? Are you still feeling uncomfortable? Maybe you should sit in the front instead? You’ll feel better then.”“That’s not a good idea, is it?” Tanya asked. “I’ve heard that a lot of people believe that the front seat of a man’s car should only be occupied by his girlfriend… You and Jackson won’t mind?”Tiffany, ever insensitive, simply never thought of it that way. “What are you talking about? What are we? Do we have to nitpick over these things? I can’t possibly leave you feeling uncomfortable, can I? Stop talking and get in the car. You’re sitting in the front.”Jackson furrowed his brow when someone else climbed into the front seat for some strange reason. “What’s going on? Why did you change seats?”“Tan’s caught a cold and isn’t feeling well. She’s car sick,” Tiffany explained. “Let her sit in the front. It doesn’t matter who sits in the front anyway. The back seat feels really spacious
Jackson was rendered speechless. Why wasn’t anyone asking for his opinion? Was he invisible?After dinner, Jackson sent Tiffany and Tanya home. The trio had agreed to leave together tomorrow.…The next morning, at the Tremont Estate.Arianne changed into a black outfit, ready to go to the cemetery.Aristotle was still too small and had caught a flu; plus, it was raining outside. Hence, they decided against bringing him along. They left him at home in Mary’s care.Mark was dressed in a black suit too, which gave him a very stately air. The pair brought a bouquet of flowers and left the house. It was a two hour drive before they arrived at the cemetery.The dark clouds in the sky cast an eerie light over the cemetery. It was practically deserted, except for the old, bespectacled caretaker, who was reading today’s paper in a small hut.Arianne felt gloomy. It had been a long time since her grandmother’s death, and she was only visiting her now. She felt resentful and helpless at
Mark shaded the mother and daughter from the rain with his umbrella. His clothes were soaked too. Helen noticed this and said, “Arianne, I think it’s time to go. The rain is getting heavier. Mark’s completely soaked.”Arianne looked at Mark. “Okay, let’s go.”Helen had driven herself here. Arianne stopped before getting into the car. “Come over to the house and have dinner with us when you have the time. You can see your grandson.”Helen’s eyes brimmed with tears. “O-okay!” she stammered with great difficulty. She knew that Arianne had finally forgiven her and recognized her as her mother.Along the way home, Arianne turned to Mark and asked, “Are you feeling cold? You’re completely soaked.”Mark shook his head with a smile. “I’m not, it’s fine. You’ve grown up.”She smiled as well. “The last time you said this to me… wasn’t really a good omen…”He did not comment. He had too many memories of her that flooded his entire brain. He couldn’t remember when he had said those words. I
Jackson pushed her onto the side of the bed. “I’ll massage it for you. Will that do? Why did you choose to walk around in high heels? It’s not healthy to wear heels too often.” He lifted her foot and placed it on his lap then carefully massaged it. He was pretty skilled.Tiffany stared at him calmly. “Why have I never noticed this extra skill of yours? We’ve been together for so long, yet you’re still keeping secrets from me! It’s not like I like wearing heels. The men around me are so tall, it’s like they inhaled hormones while growing up. I’d look way too short if I don’t wear heels, like a pumpkin next to bamboo trees. Do you really think that I can avoid wearing them? You, Mark, and Eric, which one among you is short?”Jackson chuckled at her. “Haha… You… seriously… Must you describe yourself in that way? I like you just the way you are; that’s good enough. Why should you worry about how others perceive you? Arianne isn’t any taller than you, and she wears flats when she’s next t
Tiffany pretended to be blind to Jackson’s presence and affected composure. “I… I, uh, I’m not in the Capital. I’m at Ayashe right now and will probably be back only by tomorrow night. So maybe some other day? Yeah, we’ll meet up some other day.”Jackson inhaled long and hard before moving away from her body. He strode toward the window, a cigarette lit.When the call ended, Tiffany acted as though nothing had happened by uttering a quick mumble. “I… I’ll hit the sack now.”Jackson replied nothing; he did not even look back at her. In his silence, she bolted out of the room as though she was escaping from a fire.It was her fortune that Arianne called her suddenly. She could not fathom what could have happened otherwise.Back in the Tremont Estate, a somewhat listless Arianne sank into the couch, mulling over the boredom that had now permeated her life since she got pregnant and had a son. She was reluctant to be so devoid of work in her life, and every day, she found herself more
“You women don’t make a lick of sense,” Mark grumbled. “Every other woman out there would dream of having your life, yet you keep wanting to play the life of an everyday person. Do you know just how many women out there are dying to live this comfortably without lifting a finger? I’m inclined to believe that you’re having all these thoughts precisely because there’s nothing else in life for you to fret about. Frankly, I’d like for you to spend your days caring for our son at home, sometimes going out shopping if you get bored, and waiting for me to come home around the evenings. In fact, I would very much rather you act like other housewives, frequenting beauty salons and being patrons of luxury shops instead of being obsessed with going out to work.”Arianne lost her patience. “But that isn’t what I want. I never wanted that at all! You can’t control how I live or limit what I can do just because we’re married! I don’t want to live the rest of my life in this unhappy stupor, Mark. Th
The corner of Mark’s lips trembled a little. After being patient for so long, he was finally allowed to sleep with the woman he loved and enjoy her at night without holding back, which was why nothing could be less horrifying than the prospect of sleeping alone for the rest of his life. Yet, at the same time, he frowned at the idea of Arianne going out there for work.It was not that he was chauvinistic or old-fashioned. He just did not want his sweetheart to break a sweat, ever.Fine, maybe the other teensy-weensy factor was that there were too many men out there who could fall for her beauty, and Mark was not okay with that at all.Arianne had not the slightest bit idea of the direction Mark’s thoughts had taken. She was too excited to hear his answer tomorrow. Naturally, she was sure that he would, ultimately, consent to her request and let her get a job.Then, in the darkness, she heard the unmistakable sound of a plastic packet being ripped open.A shiver ran through her body
Despite everything, Arianne didn’t oppose Mark’s “preferred method”. For her, the reason was more straightforward — she was just worried that Smore’s midnight tantrums might disturb his daddy’s sleep. Arianne could replenish lost winks in the day, but Mark would have to go through work in a state of sleep deprivation, and that would be quite terrible.After washing up, Arianne tidied the bed for a bit and accidentally found an opened box of condoms. There were only three packets inside, but the packaging said there were originally twelve…She had no idea that the man had secretly prepared something like this. Stirred by this finding, Arianne did a quick count and realized that Mark had been letting his carnal desires run loose more and more often.Her phone suddenly rang. She looked down and was met with Tiffany’s name on the screen.“Hey, Tiffie. You’re back in the Capital?” she asked.Tiffany’s voice sounded a lot more despondent than usual. “Hey, Ari? Just calling to say I migh