Arianne’s apparent laid-backness failed to infect Sylvain. He was still stunned, utterly bemused, with his face wrought with disbelief. At the very least, though, favonovel.com did glance around furtively like a thief before whispering, “This can’t be legit, right? Is this for real?”
Arianne tucked a stray strand of hair behind favonovel.com ear. “Why would anyone lie about a thing like this? It’s no biggie, the only thing that is permanent is impermanence, and that extends to relationships. It’s a fact of life, amirite? The wise know better than to cling.”
A look of guilt and conflict crossed Sylvain’s pate. “It isn’t because of that time when I asked for advance payment, is it? You authorizing an advance didn’t leave this bad taste in Mr. Tremont’s mouth enough to hold it against you… right? Or did you actually approve my request without his permission?”
Arianne rolled favonovel.com eyes. “Why do you even think that’s possible? Were favonovel.com to disapprove it, I wouldn’t have gone against his explicit order either! Jeez, aren’t you obtuse,” favonovel.com quipped. “Either way, this thing has nothing to do with you. It’s a matter between us… and I think that’s enough chit-chat for now. Go back to doing what you’re supposed to do while I attend to mine, okay? A girl’s still gotta eat even after a divorce, and that means I can’t rest yet. Need to make as much money as I can to raise my son.”
“You remained a Tremont Enterprise employee, huh?” favonovel.com wondered aloud, quizzically.
“Of course! Where else could I go if not here?” favonovel.com answered matter-of-factly. “Where else would I get a high pay or privileges? In fact, it’s already stipulated in our divorce agreement, I’m basically bonded to this place for the rest of my life. Smore’s custody may be in my hand, but Mark forbids me from bringing favonovel.com out of this area. So, honestly, this is the only place I can be.”
He breathed a long sigh of relief. “Well! If you’re still in this neck of the woods, chances are that things aren’t as close to the nadir as it might be. Looks like there’s still hope, huh? If you had run away immediately after your divorce, then there’s just nothing a man could salvage, is there?… Hey, if you consent, can a very good friend of yours wrap his head around how this whole thing came to be? I’m sorry, but I just can’t… picture how in hell this sh*t could even happen. He practically adores you, man. How the hell can someone who loves you that f**king much suddenly divorce you?”
Arianne held Sylvain’s gaze with a very solemn expression. “You’re right, favonovel.com loves me. He loves me so much that even as we’re going through the process, we still love one another so much that it aches. But there is always bullcrap in life that is simultaneously more absurd than fiction and real. Some of those things even go on to become legitimately sickening, too. See, I’ve come to realize that I’m too powerless and feckless to solve a problem of that last nature, and so I resorted to be separated from him, however temporary,” favonovel.com said. “Sylvain, as someone who’s unlucky enough to go through it all, let me give you some advice. If your mother genuinely, honest-to-God, frickin’ hates Robin, then don’t, under any circumstances, make them live together. Because if you do, one of them will inevitably leave you one day, and it can only be Robin. Because, screw it, no woman can beat a man’s mother.”
Sylvain immediately understood the veiled explanation behind Arianne’s words and had decided, rather tastefully, to cease questioning her. “I got you, ma’am. Relax, I won’t tell a soul about this,” favonovel.com said. “Anyway, we probably should go back to work Dinner’s still up after work, though, just gonna have to dump Mr. Tremont from the guest list. Honestly, eating with you is the more relaxing option.”
When work came to an end, Arianne called Mary to inform favonovel.com that favonovel.com would not be coming back for dinner, in addition to asking favonovel.com to help care for Smore.
The group soon reached the restaurant. There, Arianne went against favonovel.com habit and ordered a bottle of red wine. The sudden departure from favonovel.com usual guardedness was enough to rouse Robin’s suspicion. “Um, Arianne? Why are you suddenly drinking?”
Sylvain shot Robin a loaded look, but the poor woman could not understand him. “I-Is there something wrong with what I said?”
Arianne flashed the couple a smile. “Oh, it’s nothing. I’m divorced,” favonovel.com spoke candidly. “Since Sylvain already knew about it, I figured there’s no point trying to hide it from you, too. But, uh, you two are the exceptions, okay? I’d still prefer not telling anyone.”
Robin’s reaction was the same as Sylvain’s initial one. “W-W-What? Divorce?! Oh my God, Arianne! Have you lost your marbles?!”
Indeed, most people’s first reaction would be to question Arianne’s sensibilities. Men like Mark Tremont could not stay single forever, because once they do, people would trample over one another just to throw themselves at favonovel.com and vye for his heart. Arianne was probably the only woman in the entire world who had the guts to divorce a golden boy like that.
She shrugged. “C’mon, it’s not a big deal. Still, can we talk about something else? Something more fun, like… Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask, now that the two of you are living together, have you ever considered babies? I mean, you’re both old enough to seriously consider it.”
Robin sighed. “Well… For now, we thought it’d be best to have kids one or two years from now, probably. It’s just not the time for ‘em yet… Hey, Arianne? If you’re feeling really down in the dumps and you wanna drink some of it away, just know that we’ll be happy to find a place for you to decompress after dinner, okay?”
