Chapter 423
Chapter 423
“Quit pretending.” I outed Neil, “I’m just a bit puzzled why you’re doing this.”
Neil responded calmly, “I just don’t want you to waste any more time.”
“Alright then,” I didn’t press the issue.
If Neil admitted he was doing this on purpose, I wouldn’t know how to react.
On our way back, Neil’s phone rang, it was a call from Karina.
He didn’t use a headset, he answered directly, so I could hear their conversation clearly.
“Neil, are you at Mitch’s place?” Karina’s voice was soft.
“Uh-huh, what’s up?” There was something about Nell’s demeanor that always seemed off to me.
Sometimes it seemed like he was really in love with Karina, yet his tone always felt distant. Sometimes I thought he was with Karina out of a sense of duty, but then there were times when I caught the way he looked at her, and it was unlike how he looked at other people.
It was all too confusing.
Karina must have been in the hospital corridor, every once in a while, you could hear someone calling for a nurse and some background chatter. But her voice was still clear, “Will you be home for dinner then? Hiram has been nagging about wanting you to take him to the carnival, there’s an event going on tonight.”
Just as Neil was about to reply, my phone also rang. It was a call from my mom, I chose to decline it and sent a text message instead.
But Karina was no fool, after a brief pause, she asked, “Why is Ms. Finch at your place?”
Neil and I exchanged glances, and Karina chimed in, “It’s no big deal. I won’t overthink. I just heard her ringtone and figured she was there. She and Stella are good friends, so it’s normal for you guys to have dinner together.”
“Yeah, I’ll be home for dinner,” Neil didn’t keep the conversation going but answered Karina’s earlier question.
“Alright, Hiram and I will be waiting for you.” With that, Karina ended the call.
She was definitely more composed and patient than Bonnie. Here I was with Neil, and she was so nonchalant about it, no accusations, no suspicions.
I couldn’t tell what she was really thinking.
When I got back to Stella’s place, I knew something was off.
The living room was filled with an invisible tension. Stella was sitting on the couch, legs crossed, glowering at Ariana.
Ariana, on the other hand, had red-rimmed eyes and kept glancing at Mitch.
Mitch looked deeply troubled, his face a mix of emotions.
“What happened?” Neil asked as he walked in.
The man who had accompanied Ariana explained in a low voice.
Apparently, while waiting for Neil and I to come back, Stella had come out for a drink and saw Ariana using her personal mug. This set Stella off, and she smashed the mug on the floor, leading to an argument.
My eyes immediately darted to Mitch. I wanted to know where he stood amid all this. Was he siding with Stella or Ariana?
If he was siding with Ariana, then he could go to hell.
Mitch deliberately avoided my gaze when he felt it on him.
“Mitch, let’s get a divorce,” Stella proposed this in front of Neil and I, and Ariana.
She looked incredibly upset and disappointed.
Hearing this, Mitch looked shocked and disbelieving. “Divorce? You want to divorce me over this?”
“It’s not just about this, Mitch, you’ve changed,” Stella was convinced that Mitch had stopped loving her.
It seemed that Mitch, the scumbag, had been siding with Ariana.
A surge
of anger welled up within me. I turned to Ariana and said, “Ariana, you’ve caused enough trouble for this family. Isn’t it about time you leave?”
“But it’s not my fault,” Ariana argued, “I just wanted a drink of water. I didn’t deliberately choose that mug, I just picked one up. I didn’t think Mr. Mitch’s wife would mind so much!”
I glanced at the shattered pieces of the mug on the floor. On the larger pieces, you could clearly see the pattern. On the table was another mug, with a similar pattern, clearly a couple’s set. Many of the things here were bought by Stella on a whim.
Couple stuff is important because of the meaning behind them.
Any person with normal intelligence and vision could tell it.
I picked up the mug from the table and asked Mitch, “This is your mug, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Mitch’s face was now a shade of
green.
“And this one?” I picked up the largest piece from the floor. The pattern was a pink bear with a bow tie; Mitch’s mug had a blue bear.
“Ariana, you’re a divorced woman with a child, meaning you’ve been in a relationship and marriage before. Can’t you tell the difference between these obviously different items? You drink from the lady of the house’s couple mug, in front of the man of the house. You’re pretty good at sending subtle messages, aren’t you?”
As soon as I finished, Ariana turned pale.
She still wouldn’t back down, “I never buy couple stuff, so I really didn’t notice. Not everyone pays attention to these things. Gregory, Mr. Whitmore, would you notice something like this? It’s just a drink of water!”
The man named Gregory must be close to Ariana, so he had no choice but to side with her, and nodded, “Sometimes we just don’t pay attention.”
“How did you get into this project if you can’t even notice something so simple?” Neil’s words froze the room.
His gaze was icy as he scrutinized Ariana.
Being the imposing man that he is, when he uses his stare of authority and power, it exerts a huge psychological pressure.
Even I felt a bit uneasy. It reminded me of when I used to daydream in class and got caught by the teacher. For a moment, I couldn’t meet his gaze.
“I..I…” Ariana stammered, feeling cornered. Without Neil’s support, she was at a loss for words.
“Really, Ariana? Can’t even stand your ground, can you?” I chimed in, riding the wave of Neil’s words.
Ariana was left speechless; her gaze fell on Mitch for support.
But Mitch was preoccupied. Stella had just dropped the divorce bomb on him.
Mitch wouldn’t give up his family that easily. Divorcing Stella for Ariana was out of the question.
Finally, Gregory showed some initiative. Hastening to Ariana’s side, he said, “Ariana, let’s get out of here.”
Ariana allowed herself to be led away with a trace of defiance in her eyes.
