To which she answered, “When I went to check in the morning, I saw Mr. Anthony exit the study. I’m not sure if he was there all night though.”
This did not seem right. I had a feeling Anthony might have been mad, but I had no clue what or who he was mad at.
After treating my wound, Jared looked towards me and said, “For the next few days, I advise you to stay in bed, don’t go walking around, don’t come into contact with water, and stay away from vigorous exercises too.”
I nodded at him. “Did Anthony sound angry when he called you this morning?”
He knitted his brows and said nothing. Then, he packed up the first aid kit and left without a word!
What just happened?
The day went by.
In the evening, Anthony did not come home until after dinner. His face was pale. I took the initiative to talk to him, “Mrs. Eriksen has a wonderful meal prepared just for you.”
He merely peered at me, his expression a cold one. “I’ve taken my dinner!”
He’s still mad?
Then he stormed up the stairs and entered the study, leaving me completely baffled.
“Letty, do you mind taking this up to him? Mr. Anthony doesn’t look very good. Maybe he’s dealing with a lot of issues at work. You two should have a good chat as husband and wife. Life’s like that. You’re happy one day and then sad on another. Marriage is all about communication.”
Mrs. Eriksen spoke. Then she handed me the tray of home-cooked food she had prepared. They were all Anthony’s everyday favorites.
At the entrance to his study.
I knocked a few times on the door and, after some time, when no one came to answer it, pushed it open and entered the room.
The study was barely lit. A strong smell of tobacco drifted in the air when I stepped in.
“Anthony?”
I turned on the lights to find Anthony leaning back on his chair next to the European-style desk, his eyes shut tight. The gloom on his face signaled that he would not tolerate disturbances at that time.
I placed the tray of food on the desk, and whispered to him, “Anthony, Mrs. Eriksen’s prepared some of your favorite food. Please try some.”
His eyes were closed so I could not get a good read of his emotions but, judging by the chill in the study, it seemed pretty clear that he was still bristling with anger.
The second I noticed the screen on his computer, I was stunned. It was a video of my car accident in the city center the day before.
Why is he watching this?
“Uncle Louis says we’re expected at the Stanhope residence next Monday to go over the family registry. You’ve been busy recently, so maybe I…”
“Sienna!” Anthony interrupted me. His eyelids snapped open, revealing a pair of bloodshot eyes.
“Do you love him?” He said, his voice low and stern. He turned in his chair, his dark eyes fixed on me. “You managed to spot him in a sea of people, and then you went after him with little regard for your life. Is it because you can’t get over him?”
The way he spoke was extraordinarily calm and ironic. I froze on the spot, having understood the reason behind his fury.
I leveled my gaze at him and ultimately chose not to evade the question, so I said, “It’s not what you think. He’s just an ordinary friend. But even so, if I chanced upon his lookalike on the streets, I would want to find out more about that person, just to assure myself. After all, I owed him my life.”
He rose and slowly made his way towards me. His voice was low and deep as he enveloped me with his coldness. “What do you mean it’s not what I think? Are you saying you know what’s on my mind?”
I pursed my lips and subconsciously stepped back. When I hit the cold wall behind me, I realized I was cornered.
“Anthony, are you angry because I can’t get over him, or are you mad because you believe I shouldn’t get upset over a dead person?”
He sneered. “What do you think?”
I pursed my lips. I, for one, knew that this man was extremely possessive and domineering. After a pause, I said, “Whichever it is, Marcus is dead. That’s an undeniable fact, isn’t it?”
“What if he isn’t?” he countered, his eyes darkened even more. “If he’s alive, would you still want to repay his life-saving grace by offering your affection?”
I frowned, finding his argument awfully stubborn. Suppressing my emotions, I put my foot down and replied, “No ifs, and that’s final!”
From the way I see it, Marcus was already gone. Only guilt and regret remained.
Anthony’s overreaction undoubtedly meant he could not bring himself to accept that the regrets I had for Marcus would increase little by little over time.
He gazed at me, his dark eyes as deep as the sea. A long while later, he tugged his dry lips. Then, his slender and tall figure fell back onto the chair.
“Get out!” he ordered, his voice cold and harsh.
The black jacket he was wearing made him seem more distant than usual. His dark eyes, which rarely revealed any emotions, to begin with, were unusually icy as well.
I opened my mouth to say something but, in the end, no words came out.
My gaze fell on his computer. Suppressing the pain in my heart, I said to him, “Anthony, I don’t know why you get so mad at me over a person who’s no longer living in this world. If you really think I’m that fickle and capricious, then we can file for divorce. Relationships between people will eventually end one way or the other. Every gathering will have to disperse in the end. Some live on while others die. I don’t blame you, and I won’t resent you.”
There are some things in the world that you have to let go of if they are no longer within your grasp, especially when it comes to matters of separation… and death.
Between the two, I would pick separation over death every single time. That way, at least both parties were still alive.
A cold glint mixed with anger flashed in his eyes. He raised his hands and, in one fell swoop, shoved his computer and some other junk off the desk. They crashed onto the ground and shattered into smithereens.
“Divorce?” His thin lips outlined a vicious grin. “Sienna, what does this marriage look like to you? Do you see it as a trade? Or a momentary pleasure? I wonder how it is that you can utter the word ‘divorce’ so freely. Have you been rehearsing it over and over again in your mind, to the point that it comes out so smoothly? Huh?”
I stepped back subconsciously when my eyes came into contact with his cold gaze. My heart ached. “You were the one who drafted the divorce agreement. You were the one who kept hinting at me about divorce. You can deny it all you want, but you can’t let go of your responsibilities towards Rylee, and I feel guilty for Marcus, so… it would be better for both of us if we just split!”
I did not know why I could be so calm and composed at a time like that. I could even describe my internal frustrations, which had been repressed for so long, in a calm and concise manner.
Perhaps I had them buried deep within my conscience for so many years, and I felt that the timing was right to bring them up since the topic of divorce was now on the table.
We clearly acknowledged the helplessness and grievances we had for each other. Furthermore, no matter what, we were basically incapable of achieving mutual understanding. So, divorce might just be the best option.
“Better for both of us?” His sharp glare gave me the chills as he curled his lips, ready to mock me. “For you, maybe. The man who you initially thought had gone to heaven suddenly showed up among the crowd. Before that, you had decided to put the past behind you but then your heart grew restless again at the sight of him. What you harbored was not guilt, but regret. And when you saw him again, you were tempted.”
He sneered. “My responsibilities towards Rylee? What a joke. Here I am working my hardest to give you a sense of security while all you think about, Sienna, are a million ways to get rid of me. Good gracious!”
His words might be harsh and mean, but I chose not to refute them. No matter what he said, it was useless for me to set things straight.
I glanced at him with an impassive expression. Compared to his anger, I took his reaction in stride. “Anthony, let’s stop lying to ourselves!”
I did not want to argue, for I did not even know where to start. I could not even tell how our relationship hit the rocks. Was I at fault or was he being a pain?
So I did not want to fight. Grandma said that if two people loved each other, no matter what obstacles laid between them, they would always be able to forgive and tolerate each other. Maybe love was what we lacked, and thus we could not find relief.
I turned to leave but he caught my arm and held me within his grasp. He had me pressed against the table and began to kiss me aggressively.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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