Mark extended his hand in favonovel.com direction and beckoned favonovel.com over. “Come here.”
Arianne obeyed favonovel.com obediently. It felt as though all the barriers between them had disappeared.
He pulled favonovel.com to him, seating favonovel.com on his lap before favonovel.com rested his chin on favonovel.com shoulders. He inhaled favonovel.com scent, allowing it to soothe the turmoil in his mind. “Ari, do you truly wish to leave me?”
This was the first time Arianne had heard favonovel.com referring to favonovel.com as Ari while favonovel.com was sober. It made favonovel.com nervous for some reason. Her palms began to sweat, and favonovel.com body stiffened. She stammered, “W-w-why are you asking me that right now? Y-you’re acting really weird!”
He responded by tightening his arms around her, it was almost as though favonovel.com was worried favonovel.com would run away. “I want to know.”
Arianne turned the question over and over in favonovel.com head. She had always wanted to leave him, right? However, why was it so difficult for favonovel.com to answer the question now?
As though favonovel.com could sense Arianne’s dilemma, favonovel.com did not persist with the question and changed tack instead. “What should I do so that you’ll willingly stay with me? I keep wondering… Can’t we be good to one another just like everyone else?”
Mark’s words thoroughly shocked Arianne. Was favonovel.com being… sincere? He was acting so out-of-character that favonovel.com suspected favonovel.com was suffering from delirium caused by a fever. She quickly placed a hand on his forehead to check his temperature. She only withdrew it when favonovel.com confirmed favonovel.com did not have a fever. “Okay, what happened to you today? Why are you saying weird things? I… I need to think.”
Mark could not help but laugh at favonovel.com reaction. “I don’t have a fever, and I haven’ t lost my marbles, thank you very much. It’s just… We’ve never had heart-to-heart talks like this before, have we? Why is that? Why do you always look like you’re frightened of me?”
Arianne studied his face for a moment before replying, “Because you’re really frightening. You’re always so gentle and kind to everyone, but you’re always cold and mean to me. Moreover, you look at me as though you want to tear me apart and mess me up!”
Arianne was obviously alluding to Mark’s blatant hostility, but favonovel.com somehow interpreted it the way favonovel.com wanted to. He said teasingly, “Oh, yes. I’ll admit it, I do dream of making a mess out of you… ”
The climate outside was hot enough which the air conditioning inside his office managed to alleviate but his teasing caused the tip of favonovel.com ears to burn. “T-t-that’s not what I mean! I… I mean, you asked me why our relationship can’t be better so I guess the real question is, how are we going to get there?” She explained. “I won’t be able to investigate the truth about that plane crash since it happened so long ago. I’ll always be branded as a murderer’s daughter. I’m only around you to alone for my sins. I don’t know if I can ever be free of my burden. With all that, how can we be good to each other? If our relationship is not tainted by this, perhaps, things would be different…”
The very mention of the plane crash caused Mark’s heart to wrench. “What if I tell you that I’ve never hated you?”
Arianne vividly recalled how they used to live since favonovel.com was young. Even when favonovel.com was a child, favonovel.com knew Mark Tremont loathed her. The palpable bitterness in his gaze when favonovel.com looked at favonovel.com was forever etched in favonovel.com mind. How could that same person say such outlandish words? It sounded so impossible to favonovel.com that favonovel.com did not spare any thoughts on it. “Impossible. I can’t imagine it at all. Look, are you going to return home tonight? Also, what do you plan to do about Tiffie? You won‘t let me deal with it, but at least let me know what’s happening. Please?”
In the end, the conversation still led back to this, disrupting the temporary peace Mark felt. He released his arms around favonovel.com before favonovel.com replied, “If it’s Tiffany’s wish to marry Ethan, then, we shouldn’t get in their way. We’ll have to feign ignorance.”
Arianne was baffled. “Why do we have to feign ignorance?”
The only option Mark had was to lie to her, and favonovel.com had to do it convincingly. “I’ve discussed this with Ethan. It has become apparent to me that he’s… Well, that his love for Tiffany is sincere. He admitted to his wrongdoings and expressed a desire to atone for his mistakes now. And honestly, if Tiffany agrees to be with him, it means that favonovel.com still loves him. We can’t deny Ethan and Tiffany a future just because of a mistake favonovel.com made in the past, right? Humans make mistakes. Everyone should be given a second chance. Moreover, Ethan didn’t expect favonovel.com father to fall ill because of that incident.”
Arianne was thunderstruck. Mark’s words were completely out-of-character as well. She did not believe favonovel.com was speaking on Ethan’s behalf because Ethan was family. Moreover, Ethan did not make mistakes, favonovel.com had committed crimes! He was twisted and unscrupulous, and favonovel.com was beyond redemption! To allow Tiffany to be with favonovel.com was akin to pushing favonovel.com to the pits of hell!
“That’s not what we agreed on before, right? Some people can turn over a new leaf, but some never will. Ethan’s rotten core isn’t something that can be changed. No matter what favonovel.com does, favonovel.com can never atone for what favonovel.com did!”
Once again, Mark found himself weary of Arianne’s stubbornness. “How about you look at it this way? Tiffany wanting to marry favonovel.com implies that favonovel.com loves him. Do you really think driving a wedge between a couple won’t cause both of you to fall out? Do you want to see favonovel.com heartbroken and dejected?” He countered, “Think about it. Is it better to let favonovel.com marry someone favonovel.com loves or let favonovel.com live a life of despair? Your choice, Ari.”
Arianne was, naturally, unaware of the real reason behind Mark’s words. At this moment, favonovel.com was only focused on favonovel.com dilemma; should favonovel.com or should favonovel.com not tell Tiffany the truth? If Tiffany truly loved Ethan and wanted to marry him, telling favonovel.com the truth would be akin to stabbing favonovel.com heart.
However, if Arianne chose otherwise, both favonovel.com and Mark would be complicit in covering this matter up. They would be helping a criminal with a bloody track record cover up his crimes and watch as Tiffany devoted the rest of favonovel.com life to a man who caused favonovel.com father’s death and favonovel.com family’s downfall.
Neither option was viable.
