Bernadette sat decrepitly on the side of the bed; her hair was in a disarray, and the look in her eyes towards Atticus was complicated. In the end, she chose not to say a word. She had thought that he would come alone, but now Summer was here too. She couldn’t possibly reveal such unbearable details to the world. This was her final shred of dignity, “It’s nothing. I’ve lost. Nothing happened between us. That child isn't yours. That’s all.”
Summer looked at her, utterly disgusted. She thought that she would hear some new piece of revelation from her. She did not expect to hear that, “You’re nothing. We’ll be leaving now. Take care, Miss Legrand.”
In the end, Bernadette did not take Mark’s villa or his money. Aside from complete and utter ruin, she gained nothing from her exploit. Her final request was for Mark to get rid of the internet discussions and grant her peace. She couldn’t afford to offend this man.
A great divide that could never be patched up now separated Jackson and Atticus. Summer no longer asked Jackson to have dinner at the West residence every week. If father and son should ever meet, they would only act like enemies.
Atticus and Summer had initially planned on throwing a party to express their gratitude towards Mark. However, the said man refused. He had only involved himself in the first place to help his best friend, Jackson. Their gratitude did not matter to him. Besides, other than working in the office, he spent the rest of his time keeping Arianne company at home. He really didn’t have time for anything else.
Not too long after, the capital welcomed its first snow of the year. Arianne sat in her warm bedroom, reading a book. She sat on Mark’s favorite chair in front of the French windows. She now truly understood why he liked this chair so much — it presented a wide field of view, enough to look out into a part of the garden and the gates outside the compound. There was also an old tree right across the window, covered in white, fluffy snow. Looking out at the snow from her vantage point gave a completely different feeling.
The feathery snow did not seem to stop falling. Drawn by the scenery, she couldn’t help but put down her book to open the window and reach out her hand. The icy snowflakes fell upon her hand then quickly dissolved into nothing. This beauty was fleeting but splendid too.
Suddenly, she felt a thin blanket draped around her. She turned around; it was Mark. He had just arrived home, so he still carried the cold air from outside with him, “It’s cold outside. Close the window. If you’re bored, I’ll take you out for a walk when the weather improves.”
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