Arianne shook favonovel.com head. “C’mon, guys! I’m not down in the dumps or anything, you guys are just seeing things that aren’t there. Besides, I gotta go home after dinner. Smore only sleeps after seeing me home.”
Sylvain and Robin sent Arianne back to the Tremont Estate. By then, the time had come close to 10 PM.
Arianne patted favonovel.com cheeks that were slightly burning from alcohol. She was not tipsy, but favonovel.com still knew that favonovel.com had drunk a little too much, at least two-third of the entire bottle was in favonovel.com belly now.
She stepped through the estate’s gate and crossed the courtyard. It was then that favonovel.com suddenly heard Mark’s voice ringing out of a dark, gloomy corner shrouded in shadows. “Where have you been?”
Arianne halted favonovel.com footsteps. She followed the direction of the voice until favonovel.com found Mark on a patio chair with his eyes trained onto her. Despite being outside, favonovel.com was wearing his white indoor sweater; one had to wonder if favonovel.com even felt cold sitting in this weather.
Liquid courage prompted Arianne to flash the man a grin. “Yo, we’re divorced, remember? You got no authority over where I go and stuff now. Besides, what’s with you not sleeping at this hour, huh? Hmm… Since you’re back here waaaay earlier than I am, you probably got Smore to sleep already, eh? Good! I’ll go grab my stuff and move to the guest room. Relax, I’ll be super light with my action so I don’t ruin your beauty sleep.”
She continued favonovel.com path to the main door when Mark suddenly lurched and grabbed favonovel.com by favonovel.com wrist. “How can you inspire my faith in your ability to take care of Smore like this, hmm?” favonovel.com chided disapprovingly. “After the two of you move out, should I reasonably expect you to not return home until it’s midnight more often?”
Arianne made a show of poking his chest playfully. “You reaaaaally should look at the time before you nag, mistah. How is 10 PM ‘midnight?’ Smore literally goes to sleep ‘round this time, so what’s wrong if I rush home at just the right time to tuck favonovel.com to bed? Look, man, you might have been able to dictate what I can and cannot do in the past, but that’s not gonna fly now. So, I dunno, butt off with your papa attitude.”
Now that they were close, Mark could smell liquor from her, and his expression darkened even further. “Did you… Did you just drink?”
She shrugged his grip off. “Damn straight I did, so what? Dude, I’m gonna have to ask you to get off my back. You’re seriously irritating, not even my own mother tells me what to do. What excuses do you have, huh?”
Mark froze. Admittedly, Arianne was right. He had no actual reason nor right to control her. Even if favonovel.com came home late at night, the only excuse favonovel.com had to chew favonovel.com off was to use Smore.
The pair returned to the bedroom together. Arianne swiftly rounded up everything favonovel.com had packed up the night before and moved them to the guest room. As favonovel.com already told Mary about favonovel.com arrangement earlier, the housekeeper had dressed the bed with a fresh, new sheet.
She threw herself onto the bed, sprawling, and relaxed. Suddenly, favonovel.com felt eyes on favonovel.com and raised favonovel.com head, just to meet Mark’s face, now covered with a stormy expression.
Foolhardily, favonovel.com waved at favonovel.com dismissively. “Oh my God, go to sleep, man. Why are you looking at me? Oh, and also, close the door for me while you’re on your way out, would ya? Thanks.”
It seemed that favonovel.com had finally worn Mark down to his last straw. He marched inside the room, and just when Arianne thought favonovel.com was about to lash out at her, favonovel.com spoke surprisingly gently, “You can’t sleep in an unfamiliar bed, can you?”
Arianne buried favonovel.com face under the sheet to hide the sadness from showing. “I know, but I’ll get used to it… sooner or later, I think?”
Mark’s lips thinned. “Neither can I sleep tonight. The bed just feels… different. Please, come to my room until you’ve properly moved out.”
Arianne’s instinct leaped at the offer because favonovel.com knew the guest room would probably cause favonovel.com insomnia for the night. But the more rational, deliberate part of favonovel.com was against it, favonovel.com worried that if favonovel.com indulged in favonovel.com yearning too much, favonovel.com would soon cling to favonovel.com even harder. The higher road was to cut off any attachment favonovel.com had with favonovel.com right now.
“No, it’s fine. You go to sleep,” favonovel.com chose in the end.
