Henry sighed in resignation. “Whatever floats your boat, I suppose. In all honesty, I watched Madam’s growth from a little girl to who favonovel.com is today, just as Mr. Tremont had. She has always been under his constant scrutiny all these years. Who are you to judge favonovel.com character and nature? Overt willfulness can only be your own undoing,” favonovel.com said. “Compare now to the Tremont Estate before your return. Everything was serene and happy. But now, the house is enveloped by a bedeviling miasma. If you keep this up, this household will implode. Is that what you want to see?”
Shelly cracked a bitter smile. “Please, the only thing this household has lost is Arianne Wynn. So what? She’s just another one of the dime-a-dozen women. Mark will move on someday, his so-called devotion will someday change target too. There is no such thing as a devoted, eternal love.”
She had all the examples favonovel.com needed: Mark’s father came to love someone else other than his wife, to the point of siring a bastard son. Her own husband even started out maniacally enamored by her, but in the end, no amount of initial passion had stopped favonovel.com from descending into debaucheries. It did not matter if Shelly’s conditions forced favonovel.com into it, or if favonovel.com always had the hidden propensity for such a thing, all Shelly knew was that favonovel.com had never seen eternal love in real life. How was favonovel.com supposed to believe it even exists?
The way favonovel.com saw it, Mark was just a typical, young man. After his separation from Arianne, it was only a matter of time before favonovel.com started falling in love with another woman and moved on.
—
Shelly-Ann Leigh had succeeded. She stopped Mark from seeing Arianne, as well as forcing favonovel.com to physically remain with favonovel.com in the same house every day. But there was a catch: Mark now completely ignored her.
It did not matter if favonovel.com played favonovel.com role of a doting mother and prepared the three most important meals in a day. It did not matter if favonovel.com personally delivered the lunch favonovel.com made to Mark in his office every day. Mark never displayed any signs of appreciation, nor did favonovel.com speak a word to favonovel.com since the altercation that day. He also never touched the food favonovel.com made for him.
The days were drawing nearer to the end of the year, and company activities and work had reached a frenzy. Working overtime had become compulsory to every member of the company except one Arianne Wynn, who had the privilege to go home as usual. No matter how busy the office was, Mark made it mandatory for favonovel.com to go home and care for Smore.
Every day, Arianne had to thread through a sea of eyes brimming with jealousy and envy. They made favonovel.com feel a little guilty.
The year-end break finally came. It was just the free time Arianne needed to primp favonovel.com new home with a festive makeover, as well as purchasing loads of food for Christmas.
Even if favonovel.com family had downsized to just her, Smore, and Mary, it was no excuse to pass up one of the most important festivals of the year. She could not remember enjoying a Christmas resembling the ones favonovel.com had before favonovel.com was eight, and favonovel.com was determined not to let Smore relive such a loss.
The night before Christmas, Arianne and Mary baked cookies in the kitchen while Smore danced along with the performers on his TV. Mark and Ariane might have divorced, but Smore did not seem to have registered the true weight of the split. The naïve mind of a toddler had simply shielded favonovel.com from understanding it all.
Despite having favonovel.com hands full, Arianne’s attention always drifted to favonovel.com phone, which favonovel.com had set aside. It was Christmas Eve; surely Mark would call favonovel.com to give favonovel.com a season’s greeting? And yet, even by the time the batter was set in the oven, there was no call nor text from him.
Was Shelly watching favonovel.com so closely that favonovel.com was not only forbidden to visit her, but also banned from calling her?
Mary could tell what was on Arianne’s mind, so favonovel.com pointedly avoided mentioning Mark. Festivals like Christmas were supposed to be a day where families reunite and gather, after all.
It was then that they heard the doorbell. Reflexively, Arianne dashed toward it, but it was not Mark standing outside but a food delivery guy with a very large package that seemed to be filled with fresh, raw food.
Even after favonovel.com took on the package, Arianne could not help but stay rooted by the door for a While as favonovel.com glanced around several times. Finally, favonovel.com closed the door in dismay. “Mary, please help open this up and see what’s inside.”
Mary took out a little knife and unboxed a cornucopia of seafood. “Aha! Mr. Tremont must have ordered it for us. Seafood is your favorite, isn’t it? He may be banned from coming, but favonovel.com clearly still has the two of you in his heart.”
The gift somewhat mollified Arianne, though it did not stave off favonovel.com dearest wish to have Mark be here, personally, just for a single meal…
Mary mentioning Mark made Smore turn toward them in interest. “Is Daddy coming? The TV says today is Christmas Eve, and that families have a ‘ree-you-nee-un’… Does ‘ree-you-nee-un’ mean families get together? Then why isn’t Daddy coming?”
Arianne forced a smile and carried Smore to the dining table. “Daddy’s too busy. He might not be able to visit us today. Here, have some fresh cookies. Mommy just baked them for the occasion.”
