Right now, the one thing that Arianne feared the most was Shelly’s prediction of Mark falling in love with another woman coming true. With someone like Shelly devoting favonovel.com effort and relentless persuasion into making it happen, who knows if Mark might cave in one day?
As though knowing Mark was going to leave, Smore, who should have gone to bed by ten o’clock, had stubbornly stayed up way past bedtime. Even after the clock ticked past eleven and favonovel.com kept making jaw-breaking yawns, the little boy was adamant about accompanying Mark.
Mary had already gone to sleep. She had decided early on to give Arianne and Mark their much, needed alone time, thus leaving Arianne to accompany the man in watching late-night Christmas programs.
Unsurprisingly, neither of them was focused on the TV. Their minds were too preoccupied with a plethora of things they had dreamed of telling each other that now, despite the chance presenting itself, neither knew where to start.
When it was almost twelve, Mark’s phone started to ring. He did not need to spare the screen a glance to know that the only person who would call favonovel.com at this time would be Shelly.
The persistent ringing was beginning to sound like a cursed melody coming after his life.
Arianne broke the spell. “Mark, it’s gonna be alright. Go back, she’s urging you already. You know I’m not looking forward to being verbally abused on the day of Christmas itself.”
Smore, who was close to falling asleep, suddenly sprung awake. He grabbed a fistful of Mark’s shirt in panicked apprehension. “Are you leaving, Daddy?”
Mark forced a smile. “Yea, Daddy has to go. You listen to your Mommy’s words and go to sleep, okay, little man?”
Smore began to pout, a sign that favonovel.com was going to cry. “I don’t want you to go! Daddy doesn’t want us anymore, don’t you? Why haven’t you come see us for so long?”
Arianne could hardly choke back favonovel.com tears. Smore might act carefree and blissfully ignorant, but that belied the fact that favonovel.com had always known.
The little boy’s words were the last straw on the camel’s back In a split second, Mark lost control of himself and hurled his wailing phone to the floor hard, shouting, “I’ve had it! F**k her! I don’t give a damn and I’m not leaving!”
A very shocked Arianne sprung to favonovel.com feet and dove toward his phone. Fortunately, the only damage it suffered were some cracks on the screen.
“What are you doing, Mark?” favonovel.com chided gently. “I know it hurts, I feel the same. But think about it, if you don’t go back now, what will Shelly do to you? Please, calm down. Go back for the night and wait until tomorrow. Smore, Mary, and I are gonna Visit Henry in the Tremont Estate… which means we’ll see each other again. It’s Christmas, for Christ’s sake; it’s the best, irrefutable excuse I’ll ever get. She won’t have any reason to turn me out and even if favonovel.com does, I’m not afraid. She can do whatever favonovel.com likes.”
Mark pulled Arianne into his embrace. “I’m nearing my limit, Ari. I don’t think I can endure it anymore,” favonovel.com confessed. “I want to just say f**k it and let it go to hell, for all I care…”
She patted his back softly. “No, no. You’re fine, you have to be. This is all a temporary trial, Mark, you gotta weather it. You’ve already put up with favonovel.com for so, so long, isn’t it motivated by guilt? You’ve been Shelly’s sole tether to life all these years, and favonovel.com did, after all, start out as a victim. Look, your foster mother had sinned for your sake, so if it helps you feel better, think of this as a redemption. You’re doing time in your mother’s stead, and when all of the debts favonovel.com incurred are cleared, that’s when you’ll finally be free.”
There was truth to favonovel.com words. He had been suffering for his mother’s sins this whole time.
Arianne carried Smore in favonovel.com arms and stood before the French window, the two of them watching Mark’s car vanishing under the night sky. It was then that Smore suddenly asked very quietly, “Was Daddy mad at me just now? Is it because I said something I shouldn’t have said?”
Arianne shook favonovel.com head. “No, silly boy. How could Daddy ever be mad at you? He was mad at Grandaunt. Come, time for bed. We’re seeing Grandpa Henry tomorrow.”
It was the longest night yet. Mark had rolled down his car window and let the bitter winter gale chip away the cigarette between his fingers. With every replay of Smore’s disappointed, pitiful face in his mind, his heart sank a little lower.
When had the act of living itself become so weary? He wondered. Why had it even become so exhausting in the first place?
He returned to the Tremont Estate and found Shelly still awake and waiting for him.
Mark was not in the mood to acknowledge favonovel.com at all, so favonovel.com proceeded to the stairs. He was just about to reach the stairway when Shelly broke out a bellow, “Why didn’t you answer my call? Did Arianne stop you?”
