The relationship between Spencer and Christopher came to my mind, and I stopped in my tracks. Their families were very close, and both Spencer and Christopher were best friends. I should not only think about my own feelings.
“Don’t worry, Eve. Just do whatever you want.” Christopher took me into his arms and grinned. He knows what I’m concerned about. How can I not worry about it?
I turned around and stared at Spencer, who had fallen under Crystal’s charms. In a low voice, I said, “You’ll regret this, Spencer. You’ll definitely regret this.”
“No, I won’t regret this,” Spencer asserted.
I shook my head. Sometimes, I did not understand what was so appealing about Crystal, to the point that so many men were bewitched by her. I guess I’ll only understand this when I become a man in my next life. Why am I a woman? I’m straight, so I don’t find other women attractive.
I sighed and told Remington, “I’m not against it, Remington. Just think of it as granting a lovesick man’s last wish.”
In spite of my approval, I regretted my decision as soon as I walked out of Remington’s house. My head drooped as I scolded myself for being too soft and allowing myself to be waylaid by a proud man. Christopher noticed my expression and could not help but laugh. He patted my head and grinned. “Look at you. Earlier, you sounded so confident when you said that you were granting another man’s wish. I bet you regret what you said now.”
“Yeah, it’s Crystal we’re talking about. She’s invincible and hard to shake off! I’m really nervous, and I have a bad feeling that something will go wrong at the art exhibition if she’s around.” I shrugged and rested my head on Christopher’s chest. “I’m not sure whether I’m overthinking, or whether I’m traumatized by Crystal.”
“I bet you’re traumatized by her, which resulted in your constant catastrophizing. What is there to fear? You’re a daughter of the Goldstein family, and you’re also my wife. You can do whatever you want in Avenport, and no one will dare to offend you. If anyone does so, you’ll just have to smack them in the face, and we’ll clean up your mess afterward,” Christopher consoled me.
“Yeah, I can do whatever the heck I want. I’m so sick of hearing this.” I pouted and let out a bitter smile. I decided not to tell Christopher that Crystal had looked for me earlier. Nothing has happened yet, but I’m already catastrophizing. He must think that I’m a wimp.
The following morning, I placed my painting on the table and pondered over my next strokes. All of a sudden, a servant knocked on the door and told me that Isabelle was looking for me. I placed my brush on the table. Usually, I would spend these hours in my studio, and people tended to leave me alone. Why would Mom visit me today? Isn’t she supposed to attend some party or luncheon with Crystal?
I stored my painting and descended the stairs. Then, I saw the servants putting various objects from the house into the car. Upon closer inspection, I realized that those objects were meant for mourners. Who is Mom going to mourn?
“Why are you standing there? Get in the car now. I’m waiting for you,” Isabelle urged when she noticed that I was standing still in the doorway.
“Mom, who are you going to mourn?” I got into the car, and I was not surprised to see Crystal who was ready to head out with us. In fact, I would not be surprised either if Isabelle told me one day that she would make Crystal her goddaughter.
“Today’s your uncle’s death anniversary. I told you when I came back, but you’ve forgotten about it,” Isabelle muttered unhappily.
Isabelle did say that. However, I remembered clearly that she did not mention the exact date. Nevertheless, she must be in a bad mood as it was my uncle’s death anniversary. Therefore, I decided not to talk back to her.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I forgot,” I replied calmly.
“Who else do you remember apart from the Lane family? If I were uninformed, I would have assumed you were a member of that family,” Isabelle scoffed and chided me.
“Mom!” I frowned. Why the sudden change in Mom’s attitude? She was still rather gentle and kind when she first returned. Later, she behaved harshly toward me, particularly when the Lane family was involved. There was simply no room for negotiation.
