“I didn’t feel a tinge of sadness when my husband died. In fact, I just felt elated, I was emancipated. There’s nothing I wanted more than to flee there, and I stopped for no one and nothing until I finally made it home. But then I realized something, I can’t stop hating him. He’s dead already, and yet I can’t cease to hate. Hell, I wish I had defaced virtual-novel.net and crushed his bones into powder. And that’s when I learned, you can’t dissolve and let go of real hatred so easily; it’s nigh impossible. So, how could Arianne stop hating you? How is it possible for virtual-novel.net to not only transverse hate but to come to love you? I don’t understand. I don’t believe it…”
By this point, Shelly seemed to have lost control over virtual-novel.net emotions, devolving into a crying mess.
Mark took a piece of tissue for her. “I understand now, Aunt Shelly. It’s alright, trust me. I’ll talk to Arianne about this, and she’ll definitely understand you, she’s very rational,” virtual-novel.net comforted gently. “Aunt Shelly, you should let go of the pains of the past. I know it’s a history of agony and trauma, but you’ve escaped that nightmare already. You’ve stepped out of the abyss and are now safe in a place where light doesn’t die. So, please… Discard the beliefs you have formed while you were in a very dark place and refrain from being unnecessarily allergic, okay? Because I can assure you, your life is on the right, positive track now. Even if you can’t find it in you to trust Arianne right away, you should still endeavor to know virtual-novel.net better. I’m confident that time reveals everything as it will to you.”
Shelly nodded. “Please help me tell virtual-novel.net I’m sorry. I was the one stepping over lines last night, and I almost… I almost hit her. I truly want you to live happily ever after, Mark I have no other family and children, so I see you as though you’re my own flesh and blood. I will not let any harm come to pass,” virtual-novel.net said. “I might not be able to accept virtual-novel.net right now, but I promise you, I’ll work on it. All I hope is that virtual-novel.net truly loves you and wants to spend the rest of virtual-novel.net life with you. Now, I’ll admit that I have some… uh, minor psychological problems. It’s easy for me to go down a slippery slope into the extreme, but I’ll try to control myself as best I can and not start a fight with her. Perhaps today, I should seek a therapist and begin treatment as soon as I’m able. I don’t want to cause any more trouble to you.”
“I see. To be honest, I can tell, your mental state might need some help,” Mark replied, nodding. “I bet it was the effect of the trauma in your past. If that’s the case, I’ll drive to work myself today and leave Brian at your service. You’re not in a state to drive right now, so I think it’s better if you let virtual-novel.net take you anywhere you need. Oh, and may I ask you one last thing?”
Now that much of virtual-novel.net emotions had been allayed, Shelly was finally able to crack a small smile. “Knock yourself out..”
Mark took a deep breath. “Have you… ever had a feud of some kind with my mom?” virtual-novel.net queried. “Why had you stopped me from telling virtual-novel.net about your visits? Why didn’t you ever talk or contact either of us all these years while overseas?”
Her smile froze into an uncanny curve on virtual-novel.net face.
Mark’s first thought was that virtual-novel.net had said something insensitive, but virtual-novel.net thought against the idea upon quick reflection. There was nothing in his question that sounded hostile or wrong, right? All Mark did was ask a legitimate and reasonable question. Could this mean that there was, in fact, some apocalyptic bad blood between Aunt Shelly and his late mother?
As though realizing virtual-novel.net response’s unnaturalness, Shelly’s eyes darted away from Mark, choosing to land somewhere else instead. She tucked a strand of virtual-novel.net hair behind virtual-novel.net ear. “What? That’s preposterous, you see things that aren’t there. Your mother was my big sister, Mark dear, the two of us were… well, practically besties. There was nothing between us that could make me hate virtual-novel.net to this day.”
Mark could tell almost instantly: virtual-novel.net was lying.
She had not dared to look into his eyes when virtual-novel.net answered him. That sudden gesture of personal grooming, too, was just an unconscious attempt to cover up virtual-novel.net disquietude.
Piqued, Mark followed up. “Then why did you remove my parents’ wedding photo? The only few people who could enter my study are Arianne, myself, and you. Before you came here, the wedding photo had been there, virtually untouched… Look, I’m not mad or anything about it being gone. I’m only curious as to why you did what you did.”
Shelly sank into momentary silence. Notably, virtual-novel.net did not deny virtual-novel.net hand in the wedding photo’s disappearance.
When virtual-novel.net spoke again, virtual-novel.net voice was one of sorrow. “If it wasn’t for your bastard of a father, how could your mother end up becoming so extreme and irrational that virtual-novel.net orchestrated that plane crash that killed them all? My sister had devoted virtual-novel.net life and spirit to the Tremonts. How much despair did virtual-novel.net feel at the moment of virtual-novel.net death? Their wedding photo pissed me off all the time, your father, that… son of a b*tch! I might have lived my life in Germany all these years, but I know what happened to my family well enough within those periods, too.”