Chapter 146
Looking out of the window, colorful fireworks could be seen exploding in the air. Ariel raised her head and gazed at the night sky. Then, she turned her eyes toward Katie and Leonard, who were recording the fireworks show by the window.
She could sense that Betty had genuine concern for her. Ariel would have had a harder time living with the Larkins if not for Betty, who had always taken her side during the last few years.
“Grandma, we didn’t get into any fights,” Ariel replied slowly. “You know how Jayson and I hardly ever fight with each other.”
The way they had settled most of their issues was by putting it aside until they could reach a consensus through negotiation.
Normally, couples would get into arguments when they still cared about each other and their relationship. Unfortunately, Jayson felt nothing but detestation for Ariel.
For a moment, Betty was at a loss for words.
She was also aware of this particular issue that Ariel and Jayson had. Regardless of how close or happy a couple might be, arguments and disagreements were sometimes inevitable.
Ariel and Jayson had been married for a few years now. At this point, they should already see each other as the most important person in their lives.
Yet, the couple’s interactions had always been cold and formal, as if they were total strangers.
Ariel had tried everything she could to break down Jayson’s walls, but to no avail. Jayson refused to open up to her. He treated Ariel as if she were one of his business partners and did only what was required of him as a spouse.
Betty was probably stumped by what to do about the issue as well. She sighed. “Well, you should indeed spend more time with your Grandma Katie and Uncle Leonard since they’re both getting older.
“I’m sure you and Jayson are doing fine since you’re not having any arguments. How about this? I’ll talk to Jayson and give him a good lecture. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything to upset you.”
Ariel knew how deeply concerned Betty was about her and Jayson’s relationship. After a moment’s consideration, she said in a roundabout way, “It’s fine, Grandma. That won’t be necessary.”
Betty did not have to do something like that since she and Jayson were already getting divorced. Ariel did not want Betty to waste her time doing something pointless.
By dropping a few subtle hints now, Ariel hoped that Betty would find it easier to accept their decision later on.
Betty paused briefly as she kept getting the feeling that there was something more to Ariel’s words. She was feeling rather confused.
“Alright… Well, enjoy your time with your family. Send my regards to Katie and help me wish her a happy holiday!
“Okay.”
Ariel gave a soft sigh after the call ended.
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She thought about it for a bit. Then, Ariel decided to borrow some space in the hotel’s kitchen to make some snacks for her family.
Katie had blood glucose problems, yet she enjoyed having snacks. The snacks made by the hotel’s kitchen staff would contain too much sugar and were unsuitable for Katie.
Fortunately, she did not have much trouble getting permission from the hotel management team.
Ariel made palmiers, a simple snack.
While she was making them, her WhatsApp notification ringtone went off several times. Ariel checked her phone when she was taking a break.
They were messages from Renee.
“What time are you coming back? My mom said that you won’t be making any desserts this year?”
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“You’re so annoying. You know I crave for them today! Where are you? Say something!”
“Fine. Are you jealous? I’ll do you a favor and call you sister–in–law today, then. Just don’t tell Nancy about it. You’ll come back and make those desserts now, right?”
Ariel’s expression remained unchanged.
Renee would only ever approach Ariel when she needed the latter to do something for her. She would always sound assertive and condescending.
At one point, Evelyn became extremely engrossed in the activity of investing in antiques. She would often travel to different places in and out of their country. During those times, she would leave Renee in Ariel’s care.
Under her care, Renee grew to be someone who had a sophisticated palate and extremely high standards for many things. She could not tolerate even the slightest mistakes, and she was dissatisfied whenever someone other than Ariel was looking after her.
For a while, Renee would stick by Ariel’s side whenever she could.
Ever since Nancy came into the picture, Renee started treating Ariel with scorn and disdain. Whether it was because of her vanity or just her being in a rebellious phase, there was no reason for Renee to treat Ariel so harshly.
Ariel was not going to continue to indulge her whims.
She stopped whatever she was doing, pressed Renee’s WhatsApp contact number, and ticked the option to block her number. Then, she turned off the phone screen and went on with her tasks.
Ariel made three boxes of palmiers. After giving it some thought, she sent Freya a WhatsApp message, asking her to come down and take one box of palmiers.
Previously, Perry had helped Ariel by sharing the doctor’s WhatsApp contact number with her. Although that person had not replied to her messages yet, Ariel did not like the feeling of owing others favors.
Freya was extremely delighted. She clutched the box of palmiers tightly and chatted with Ariel on drone–related topics for quite a while before leaving cheerfully.
After watching the holiday special show on TV with Katie and Leonard, Ariel went back to her room and got ready
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for bed.
Once she was done taking a shower and applying her skin–care products, Ariel received Janice’s text messages along with two photos.
“They’re so disgusting! I never imagined seeing something so off–putting on a day I was supposed to be out and having fun! I wish I could unsee this!
“Nancy must really be the apple of Jayson’s eye. He’s spending time with her on a special day like this! Has he ever done that for you? That awful cheater!”
Ariel stared impassively at those two photos.
One of them was a photo Janice had taken secretly inside the pool club. Nancy could be seen bending forward while holding a cue stick. Beside Nancy, Jayson leaned toward her and helped with adjusting her hand position. The two of them were in close proximity.
The second photo was a screenshot of Nancy’s post on her social media account. Janice told Ariel that Chad had taken the screenshot and sent it to her. Are
Someone captured a photo of Jayson helping Nancy with her hand position, which she then shared online.
She captioned the photo, “Having the most important person in my life by my side on a special day makes me feel safe having someone to lean on.”
Ariel could see how happy and intimate the pair looked. For a moment, she was lost in deep thought.
It somewhat explained why Jayson had taken the initiative to explain to Betty about Ariel’s plan to spend the night before the federal holiday with the Walkers when he had not even informed Betty of their decision to get divorced.
Jayson must prefer it more for Ariel to be with the Walkers on that day. That way, she would not do what she did either willingly or because Betty had prompted her during the past few years to go and fetch Jayson home for the
celebration.
Nancy was not around then. However, the situation was different now. Jayson would eliminate any possibility of Ariel interrupting his and Nancy’s alone time.
Ariel closed the WhatsApp application calmly. Despite that realization, she remained unaffected and was not overcome by any particular emotion.
She wasn’t hurt by any of those things since Jayson was practically a stranger to her now.
Ariel decided to extend their stay since Katie liked the hotel a lot. Every morning, Katie and Leonard would take a stroll in the nearby woods, which had been developed and modified for recreational purposes.
On the other hand, Ariel had spent most of her time resting in the hotel, trying to distance herself from all the chaos of the outside world.
In the meantime, she sent the doctor Perry had recommended her holiday greetings and her questions regarding Leonard’s illness on WhatsApp.
Ariel was unsure about the reason, but the doctor had not replied to her messages thus far. She had no idea what that person’s name was even until now.
