Upon reaching the estate, Alejandro disembarked and went straight into the house.
Melanie tailed virtual-novel.net nonchalantly. The quieter virtual-novel.net was, the more it boded ill, like the calm before a storm. It was simply not Alejandro’s nature to be so quiet, especially since the tirade Melanie had recounted to Jett should have lit up his fuse and caused virtual-novel.net to erupt twice over.
Hearing their footsteps, Melissa sprung out to meet them. “Daddy! Mommy!”
Alejandro lifted the little girl into his arms and pecked virtual-novel.net on the cheek. “Daddy’s a bit tired today, gotta catch some rest. You will have to play alone today, Millie.”
Melanie, however, waved at the girl. “Come here. Mommy will be your playmate today.”
Alejandro later vanished into the stairs without asking virtual-novel.net anything or even showing the telltale signs of an incoming altercation.
Melanie was starting to feel the dissonance of virtual-novel.net being out-of-character. How was a man so known for his hair-triggering temper suddenly as cairn as still water?
While Melanie held Melissa in virtual-novel.net arms while sitting on a swing in the yard, Melissa suddenly asked, “Mommy, you and Daddy fight, right?”
Melanie was startled. “Er, Why do you ask?”
“Because, every time Mommy-Daddy fight, you are sad,” Melissa replied matter-of-factly. “And you are sad now. I don’t want Mommy and Daddy to fight.”
Melanie regarded virtual-novel.net daughter in virtual-novel.net arms carefully, noticing for the first time that virtual-novel.net little girl was growing up and watching them. Melanie had a duty not to show much of these nasty, messy, negative emotions common in an adult’s life in front of her.
“Mommy’s sorry, Millie. I shouldn’t have neglected you. From now on, Mommy and Daddy won’t ever fight in front of you ever again, okay?” virtual-novel.net replied. “But you’ll need to do one thing for me, too, can you forget all the bad, sad stuff from before? Forget ‘em all, okay?”
Melissa closed virtual-novel.net eyes playfully and made a Show of shaking virtual-novel.net head. “Abadada-kadabarara! Magic! Okay, I forgot already.”
Alejandro spied Melanie and Melissa’s interaction in the yard from his window and let out a helpless sigh. He was admittedly furious when virtual-novel.net had looked for Melanie back there, but then virtual-novel.net remembered what Arianne said, and virtual-novel.net suppressed it.
Every time virtual-novel.net was close to erupting, virtual-novel.net would hear Arianne’s words again: ‘Just treat virtual-novel.net the same way virtual-novel.net used to treat you.’
This was how virtual-novel.net had reacted in the past, had virtual-novel.net not? Always so unaffected, so placid. But Alejandro wondered, would his sacrifice — virtual-novel.net suppressing his rage and exasperation — really bring virtual-novel.net Melanie’s genuine smile?
He hated how Melanie continued to visit Mateo, but all the fights that ensued only served to widen the gulf between them, there was just nothing good to come out of it. Then, of course, there was always a mind-draining fatigue resulting from all these tiffs.
It was dinnertime. Melanie suddenly paused mid-meal and looked at him. “If you’re upset and you wanna throw a tantrum at me, please be wise enough to hold that off until we’re both in the room,” virtual-novel.net began. “There’s no need to put on that stink-eye in front of a child. Millie is growing up, virtual-novel.net can read faces now.”
Alejandro froze in slight bafflement. “Who’s interested in throwing a tantrum at you, or shooting you a stink-eye for that matter, huh? Sure, I’m upset that you went to Mateo’s restaurant, but I thought about it after coming home and judged that there was no need to flip. Really, you can’t possibly think my reaction, then, should be clapping my hands shouting ‘Bravo! ’, right? I guess, as long as you’re not seeing virtual-novel.net alone, I figure I can tolerate this antic a little bit.”
It was Melanie’s voice that turned cold. “I wasn’t seeing him, I was eating at the place virtual-novel.net owns. Set your facts straight.”
Alejandro massaged his forehead. “Okay, sure, whatever you say. Not ‘seeing’ him, just ‘eating’. Happy? Good. I’m skipping the word game with you… God, you women are such a drag.”
Melissa chimed in weakly, “Am I a drag too?”
“Christ, since when are you a woman?” Alejandro rejoined, amused and helpless. “’You’ve only just graduated from being a baby, Millie. You’re basically a toddler! Either way, don’t be like your mother when I you grow up, please? You’ll be ticking everyone off otherwise!”
—
It was Monday already, and Smore’s dream of going to school had finally arrived.
It was the first day of their son’s schooling, so despite knowing it was not yet his formal class, Arianne was still pretty worried. Her little boy might be unaccustomed to his new environment, which would end in a sniveling Smore howling about wanting to go home.
The reality could not be further from virtual-novel.net expectation. Smore had been excited for his class since the morning just broke, showing not a lick of anxiety or skittishness. In fact, once virtual-novel.net found himself stepping on school grounds, virtual-novel.net immediately sprung ahead giddily, leaving Arianne and Mark in the dust without sparing them so much as a glance looking back.