She nodded in agreement. Her face appeared a little forlorn. “You’re right. The future is unpredictable. Back then, I married him with so much joy and anticipation. Never had I expected that every single day of my married life would be like hell to me. I can’t even run away.”
Turning to look at her, I smiled faintly and asked, “Let’s stop talking about me. Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”
The woman shrugged. A helpless look crossed her round face. “A book I’ve read says that all the happy families are similar, but the unhappy ones are all different from one another. I totally agree with it.”
I nodded my head. Afterward, Nora scampered over to me with a plate in her hand. “Hey, try this. I grilled some meat for you two.”
Staring at the few slices of grilled meat on the plate, Laurel asked, “Didn’t we bring enough meat this time?”
Nora shook her head. “No, we brought quite a lot of them. We segregated the jobs and asked Rachel to marinate the meat, but she didn’t even touch it, so Tabitha only started to marinate them just now. These are all we have for now. Come on, try it.”
Laurel pursed her lips with displeasure. “I knew it. It takes time to find out someone’s true colors. At first, I felt that she’s quite outgoing and generous, but now I’m starting to hate her.”
Nora nodded in agreement. Looking at us, she asked, “What did both of you talk about? It seems you’re having a good time.”
“We’re only talking about our family affairs.” Putting some food on another plate, I handed it to her. “These are ready to be grilled now. Pass it to them.”
Taking the plate, Nora asked with an inquisitive expression. “What family affairs did you guys talk about? Share with me, please.”
With that said, her eager gaze was riveted on Laurel, as if she wasn’t going to leave if the latter didn’t tell her something.
Having no other choice, Laurel finally told her, “It’s about the frustrations that the married women like us have. You’ve never been in a relationship, so you can’t understand our feelings.”
Nora clicked her tongue and said exasperatedly, “What do you mean by I can’t understand your feelings? I’ve heard people talking about it before. By the way, I heard that you’re going to get a divorce. What happened?”
At Nora’s words, I turned to look at Laurel, as I didn’t know much about her marriage.
Laurel heaved a sigh. “We’ve been arguing for months. In our six years of marriage, all our child’s expenses are on me. I know I’ve no right to complain. After all, the child is mine. But I live like a widow now. I almost lost my life in Venria and lost contact with him for a long time. Yet, he didn’t even call or text me. What’s the point of being with someone like him? When I came back from Venria, he left our child with my mother-in-law and went outstation. In the name of starting a business, he took all our savings with him. I can hardly see him now. I’ve lost faith in him, so I’m thinking of getting a divorce.”
Nora nodded and let out a sigh. “Yeah, it’s pointless to stay in this kind of marriage. You’re better off single.”
She then turned to look at me. “Scarlett, your case is different from hers. Ashton is a rare gem. He’s rich and loves you deeply. No matter how severe the conflict is between you and him, you both should talk it out and solve it calmly. Afterward, you can be happy ever after. Why don’t you give him another chance?”
As the conversation was directed back to my relationship with Ashton, I stood up, took the plate of food from her, and suggested, “Let’s go and grill some meat.”
Trailing behind me, she rattled on, “Scarlett, what’s the use of running away from it?”
I ignored her and ambled over to the barbecue stand. The others were grilling their food while chatting away.
Glancing at the woman behind me, Tabitha passed me some grilled sausages. “Why are you babbling?”
Nora pressed her lips together. “I’m teaching her about politics.”
All of a sudden, she turned to look at Rachel and said, “You know nothing but how to flirt with men. Instead of joining us, you should just check into a hotel with your man.”
For a moment, the atmosphere became awkward. Rachel’s face turned pale. She even stopped chewing the meat in her mouth.
“Okay, okay, let’s bring the cushions out. The moon and the stars look so beautiful tonight. This is perfect for stargazing. Don’t be a party pooper.”
Laurel pulled Nora along to take the cushions. Armond and Tabitha’s fiancé followed them. With the help of the two men, they could carry the cushions without difficulty.
Leaning closer to me, Tabitha asked suspiciously, “Don’t you feel awkward?”
Puzzled, I asked her back, “Why should I feel awkward?”
“Your ex-husband and his new girlfriend are around. Don’t tell me that you don’t care at all. That’s bulls**t.”
With a faint smile, I gazed up at the starry night sky. “I think the moon and the stars are more worthy of our attention now.”
I changed the topic, and she pursed her lips. Right then, they brought the cushions to us. Everyone lay on a cushion while stargazing.
Tabitha was with her fiancé, while Armond was by Nora’s side, and Ashton was next to Rachel. All the couples looked so sweet together.
Thank God that Laurel and Tessa kept me company, so I felt at ease. Only when I lay down did I realize Ashton was lying right next to me, with Rachel by his other side.
