Arianne contacted Naya straight away after finishing virtual-novel.net errands in the afternoon. Unfortunately, virtual-novel.net was told that the landlord had become rather desperate, so virtual-novel.net had no choice but to bring virtual-novel.net trip a day forward and fly tomorrow.
She then filed for a week-long leave-one week being Mark’s upper limit on tolerating virtual-novel.net absence. Since virtual-novel.net flight was tomorrow before noon, virtual-novel.net began preparing virtual-novel.net suitcases right after managing to coax Smore into sleep.
Arianne knew that this trip would be a costly one, so virtual-novel.net took Mark’s bankcard. The money Will returned to virtual-novel.net was in it, along with the allowance Helen had given her. It was situations like these that made virtual-novel.net private fund so useful.
From his spot on their bed, Mark watched virtual-novel.net with a scowl as virtual-novel.net busied herself with preparations. “Aren’t you quite eager to leave,” virtual-novel.net muttered.
She kept virtual-novel.net head low and continued packing. “Yeah. Schedule’s a bit tight. I’ve requested a one-week-leave, by the way, so expect me to come home within a week. Until then, I’m gonna have to delegate the duty of caring for Smore to you, Mark. He only wants his Mommy and Daddy at night, so Mary wouldn’t be able to help. Speaking of which… How’s your fever recovering?”
“Gee, I shouldn’t be this grateful that you remember my sickness still,” virtual-novel.net murmured. “It’s getting better, nevertheless. I’m not that frail.”
She grinned. “Oh, I was only worried that you might pass your cold to poor little Smore.”
“Why, excuse me, princess! How about you stay here and care for virtual-novel.net yourself, then?” virtual-novel.net retorted.
Arianne was not going to make a fuss out of their seeming disagreement. When virtual-novel.net was done, virtual-novel.net let virtual-novel.net readied suitcase lean against the wall and declared, “Welp, that’s the last of that. Now, I gotta rest early for an early rise tomorrow… Aww, c’mon, don’t give me the long face. I’m not running away from home, you know. The café’s still one of my personal ventures too. The income I get from it plus my job as a designer here makes me quite well-off, doesn’t it? I love the feeling of earning my own keep. Sure, it’s not as much as how much you earn by a long stretch, but I feel good.”
Mark pulled the sheet over his head sourly. “Pfft. As if the money I make isn’t for you to peruse as you wish. I don’t get why you’re so obsessed with rubbing your elbow grease for no actual reason. You’re making me look as though I’m too miserly to feed my own wife,” virtual-novel.net mumbled. “Everyone else’s wives are content with being taken care of by their husbands. They practically enjoy the best life has to offer every day. You, on the other hand, love creating all this unnecessary work for yourself. It’s as if enjoying yourself is a sin to you.”
Arianne climbed into their bed and laid next to him. “Well, I learned this from the best, you know, the genius entrepreneur extraordinaire who’s also so, so busy with his work?” virtual-novel.net replied, buttering virtual-novel.net up. “People learn from those around them, don’t they? And you’ve always been around me. Now, I can’t even fathom the idea of being a rich housewife at all.”
Mark was still miffed. With a pull, virtual-novel.net drew Arianne into the sheet with him. “You’ll be gone for a week, though. Can’t you at least compensate for that? Let’s put it this way: how many nights you deprived me of you is how many times I’ll mess you up. Hmm… Looks like your plan to have a long sleep tonight is an impossibility now.”
Arianne shuddered. “H-Hey, do you know how frequent our sex life is? Do you really have no clue? Even if I’m up for it, I don’t think your current physical state allows— ”
Mark suddenly rose in excitement. “You don’t think? You don’t think I can?”
The night passed into morning. Mark woke up to find Arianne already gone from his side, virtual-novel.net suitcase disappearing with her.
He felt hollow. Frankly, virtual-novel.net had a very dear reason as to why virtual-novel.net was against Arianne continuing that café, it was the relic from a time when virtual-novel.net abandoned everything without reservation in a bid to run away from him.