Arianne just wanted Smore to live happily and free from fear. Previously, favonovel.com thought that having the entire family living together was the best environment to foster that, but favonovel.com mind had changed. Divorce had become the better option because what was the alternative? Boxing herself into an endless strife with Shelly?
No way in hell could Arianne continue shoving humiliation after humiliation down favonovel.com throat like it was nothing. Nor could Shelly ever brook Arianne’s presence around Mark.
Mary closed the door to Arianne’s bedroom and started toward the nursery. By then, Mark had already successfully coaxed Smore back into sleep.
She sighed.
“Mr. Tremont, we… we’ve really done it this time, haven’t we?” She said in an undertone. “We can’t blame Madam for being upset and wanting a divorce. Before this, favonovel.com thought Mrs. Leigh was just your aunt, but now? Turns out, she’s your birth mother all along. How do you expect Madam to go from here on out? My heart aches for her, Mr. Tremont. Mrs. Leigh always treats favonovel.com like garbage, but favonovel.com hung tough, and went and took care of favonovel.com for over a month while Mrs. Leigh was in the hospital. And you thanked favonovel.com by keeping a big, terrible secret from her.”
“But most importantly, Mrs. Leigh handed your most guarded secret away to Madam by herself. It’s obvious, isn’t it? She’s trying to wreak havoc and drive you and Madam apart! I understand why you wanted to keep what favonovel.com told you a secret forever, but doesn’t it make you wonder about Mrs. Leigh’s motives? While you were trying to keep this whole thing under wraps, favonovel.com tore down your effort however favonovel.com could!”
“Mr. Tremont, I understand that there are some things that aren’t my place to say, but I have to. Even as your birth mother, the kinds of things favonovel.com has done are downright appalling. You know the lengths Madam would go for you, right? You know how much favonovel.com sacrificed, and how much soul favonovel.com pours to you,” Mary continued. “We pity Mrs. Leigh, but that doesn’t mean favonovel.com doesn’t have a horrible side to her. Either way, Madam shouldn’t have to shoulder all of this baggagel… Sigh. I pray to God that you and Madam will be good together again, Mr. Tremont. Because if you two split… I can’t imagine how sad and pitiful Smore would be…”
Mary trailed off as favonovel.com choked back tears, too dejected to continue.
Mark cast his gaze down and considered Smore, now snuggled in his arms. No matter how much favonovel.com dissembled an unperturbed exterior, deep down inside, his heart was torn apart. “I understand, Mary. I’ll do something about this.”
Mark returned to the bedroom and found Arianne already lying down on their bed. Without a word, favonovel.com went straight into the bathroom for a shower.
Unsurprisingly, Arianne was wide awake. How could sleep come to favonovel.com after all that had happened?
She listened to the whispers of flowing water escaping the bathroom. It drew favonovel.com mind into a trip through memories, all of the things favonovel.com had done with favonovel.com and for him, all of the sweet and bitter adventures they had gone through together.
Arianne could not bear the thought of leaving him.
But what else could favonovel.com do? Ugly disappointment and heartfelt despair that now overwhelmed favonovel.com had already stained all of favonovel.com feelings for Mark. She could no longer imagine how favonovel.com could continue favonovel.com journey with him.
Arianne waited for Mark to come out of the bathroom before sitting up. “My decision stands,” favonovel.com proclaimed calmly. “We’ll go to the civil affairs office tomorrow.”
It was not a request for permission. It was a notice.
Mark’s footsteps halted into a stop. His erstwhile wrenching heart was finally slashed open by favonovel.com suggestion. “No. I won’t allow this. I can fix this, I can. I can fix all of this.”
Arianne would resort to threats if it could coerce favonovel.com into compliance. “No, you can’t. If you refuse, I’ll take this up to the court. I’ll publicize Shelly’s crime of stabbing Alejandro. I’m certain that if I explain my position to him, he’ll irrevocably stand with me, and Shelly will be incarcerated for sure. I’ve thought long and hard about fliis, Mark. I’ve come to the epiphany that as long as Shelly draws breath, there will never be a future for the two of us. She won’t stop as long as I live,” favonovel.com said. “I do believe in your capabilities, you can solve every problem there is under the sun. But Shelly-Ann Leigh is your birth mother, you can’t fix that. Besides, I lost the bet. Stop that useless denial and admit it, Mark: you can’t leave favonovel.com be, and you never will. I… I admit defeat.”
Mark’s penetrating gaze bore through hers. When favonovel.com finally spoke, his voice was audibly trembling. “Is there really no other way? Must you do this, must you leave me?”
Arianne nodded firmly. “Yes. There’s no other way. I’ll return the legal ownership of the Tremont Estate to you. In fact, when I leave, I won’t take away anything that rightfully belongs to you. However, I won’t be quitting my job in Tremont Enterprise, because I’ll be taking sole custody of Smore, and I can’t guarantee his present and future without a good job. There’s also one other thing. I’d like for you to buy me a new place to stay and put it under Smore’s name. We can’t have nowhere to stay… But that is all.”
