It had been a while since they had a meal together and spent time in the same house. He hadn’t taken the initiative to speak to her over the past few days, so Arianne paused in her footsteps when she heard these words. “I… don’t like the smell of smoke. You go ahead, I’ll sleep in the guest room.”She had never said anything about her abhorrence towards his smoking before… A complicated glint flashed across Mark’s eyes. He threw the cigarette box into the trash then got up and went to the bed. “Sleep.”Arianne was shocked. She couldn’t understand what this meant. Had he thrown his cigarettes away, just because she said she didn’t like the smell? It didn’t seem possible that he had done this out of consideration towards her feelings. The biggest possibility was that he was pissed off…She went into a momentary daze then walked over to fish the cigarettes out of the trash. The trash can in their room was always clean. After all, she usually only slept in the room. “I didn’t mean anyth

Arianne was rendered speechless for a moment. “...You’re doubting me just like Tiffie. Alright, we’re here. You can pull up now.”She waited for the car to stop then left in a hurry after thanking Ethan.Ethan watched through his dark eyes as her figure left. It seemed like Tiffany hadn’t told her about their breakup...When it was about time to get off work for the day, Arianne received a whining text from Tiffany. ‘It’s too difficult to find a job! Not only that, it’s raining so much today. It’s annoying!’Arianne was almost done with her work at this time, so she replied to her text. ‘You have Ethan to support you, what’s there to worry about? You used to help him out, now it’s his turn to return the favor. Since he has a good job now and is driving a car that costs nearly a hundred thousand dollars, you can live a decent life. Just take your time in searching for a job.’After the text was sent out, Tiffany didn’t reply for some time. Arianne found that strange. After a long t

Arianne wondered to herself. Didn’t Mark sleep in their room last night? Why did he come out of the study room early in the morning? He looked like… he just woke up. Did he get out of the room and go to the study room in the middle of the night?She naturally couldn’t comprehend Mark’s behavior, but since she knew better than to get herself into trouble, she left without even having breakfast.Mary came out of the kitchen with a bowl of millet porridge, but Arianne was no longer in sight. “Where is she?” she wondered out aloud.As soon as her voice fell, she caught a glimpse of Mark who was coming down the stairs. The sour look on his face instantly muted her.Arianne couldn’t focus on her work the entire morning. She had never expected herself to feel weak and dizzy just from not having breakfast. Her morning sickness felt even more intense than usual when she was hungry.When it was almost lunch break, she received a call from Tiffany. “Ari, I’m downstairs of your office. Come d

Arianne’s mind was in a mess. She momentarily lost the ability to make any decision. All she could think about was investigating whatever happened that year. “This… Let’s not talk about that yet. I have to do a complete investigation of the matter concerning my father. I’ll have a good look at this letter tonight after work. I’ll pay a visit to the address on this letter and see this “Mr. Sloane” this weekend. Perhaps everything will be clear then. “Tiffany nodded. “That’s a good idea too. Get this sorted out first, don’t think of anything else for now. You have a little one in your belly now. Don’t go alone, I’ll come with you. I don’t think this address is anywhere in the city. I’ll worry if you go alone.”Arianne returned to the office after her meal but couldn’t concentrate on work. Every word in that letter provoked her emotions. She was sorely tempted to immediately uncover whatever happened that year. Who was this “Mr. Sloane” in the letter? How could he have possibly known a

Arianne trembled in fright, causing some soup in the bowl to spill out, scalding her. She gritted her teeth and rushed towards the coffee table in the dining room, which was much closer. Then, she put down the bowl. Of course, that meant that she put it in front of Mark. The soup splattered into every direction. The disgust on his face was obvious.She summoned her courage and pulled out a few pieces of paper towels. Then she wiped the soup clean under his watchful gaze. “What are you doing back so early?”Mark paused, got up and headed upstairs. “It’s 1AM.”Arianne bit her lips and did not reply. Her scalded hand was in great pain. To her, his return was simply too early. She had initially believed that he wouldn't be coming back at all… After her meal, she washed everything clean then walked around the living room for a while before heading back to the room.Mark was dressed in house clothes and was sitting in front of the French windows with a cigarette in between his fingers.