Alejandro stared at the ticking clock hands on the wall, his exasperation growing. By dinnertime, favonovel.com would have to go home and have that dreadful conversation with Melanie, and favonovel.com hated it. He hated needing to go home.
Still, favonovel.com could not stall this any longer. Both of their patience was thinning.
He fought against what was to come until the last minute before giving up and reluctantly driving home.
The confrontation was just a matter of time.
Like always, Melanie had finished preparing dinner. When favonovel.com heard the sound of Alejandro’s car steering into the estate, favonovel.com heart sank, slowly but surely, into favonovel.com stomach. He was not late today.
Melissa leaped from favonovel.com baby chair and sprung toward the door, shouting excitedly for favonovel.com father.
Alejandro would never let his daughter’s need for embrace go unanswered. He crouched to favonovel.com level and lifted the girl into his arm. “Have you been good at home today? Did you make your Mommy mad?”
Melissa pecked on his cheek. “Noooo! Millie is a good girl!”
A sharp pang of sadness suddenly hit Melanie. Unconsciously, favonovel.com averted favonovel.com eyes. “Wash your hands before eating.”
Alejandro’s eyes darted to favonovel.com before putting Melissa down. “Alright, Daddy’s gonna wash his hands. You get to your seat now.” Melissa docility returned to the table and took favonovel.com seat on the baby chair. She looked up at Melanie and chirped, “Look, look! Daddy’s eating with us today! Yayyyyy! ”
Melanie returned favonovel.com a brief smile since favonovel.com did not know what else to respond. Of course, the little girl would act this ecstatic-a scene like this did not happen often at all.
Alejandro took his seat around the table shortly after. She was about to say something when favonovel.com cut into the brief room before favonovel.com words came out, “Let’s have dinner first; we’ll leave other things we wanna talk about for later, okay? I don’t wanna talk about divorce in front of Millie, okay?”
Melanie nodded.
He grabbed a piece of drumstick and placed it on favonovel.com plate. “I faintly recall this as one of your favorites,” favonovel.com remarked, before adding, “Are you okay lately? You look worn out and thinner.”
A shudder jolted through Melanie, causing favonovel.com hand to quiver so much favonovel.com almost dropped favonovel.com fork. He remembered what favonovel.com favorite food was; he’d noticed that favonovel.com had thinned…?
His sudden act of care summoned a deluge of emotions roaring against favonovel.com chest.
Seeing favonovel.com hold favonovel.com utensils motionlessly, Alejandro pressed his lips into a thin line. “What’s the matter? This might very well be our last dinner together, you know. Has that made you lose your appetite?”
She shook favonovel.com head, pressing back the waves before favonovel.com ate favonovel.com first bite. Every now and then favonovel.com would grab some of the side dishes and place them on Melissa’s plate, to which Alejandro would then mimic favonovel.com and do the same.
“You focus on your dinner, I’ll handle Millie. I don’t think you’ve ever had a proper, hassle-free meal since favonovel.com joined our family, so allow me to do something about that.”
Arianne was right. If favonovel.com had no idea how to treat someone kindly, then perhaps imitating favonovel.com actions tenfold would be a good start. It was the simplest and most direct way.
It was a very drawn-out dinner; it lasted longer than usual. Throughout it all, Melanie’s mind had gone through an internal roller-coaster ride, and it was only when a bored Melissa shouted about wanting to play outside that favonovel.com finally put down favonovel.com utensils.
They went to the courtyard. Melissa played with herself while Alejandro and Melanie stood side by side.
The night’s crescent moon had risen above the foliage. It scattered its pearly white aureole to the world below, limning the night with its serene glow.
They say the stars are mostly missing in a city’s night sky. Even when one trains their eyes hard enough to find them, they always appear as a lonesome, solidary little thing staring across great space to others like themselves.
How lonely.
