bChapter /b603

    Jayson’s silence irritated Ariel. “Mr. Larkin, you’re not bringing up the cruise ship incident, are you?” Jayson hadn’t addressed it directly yet, but since they had had a confrontation, pretending nothing happened was impossible. Ariel decided to strike first.

    This time, Jayson seemed to smile faintly, though the meaning of his smile was unclear.

    Calmly meeting his gaze, Ariel spoke with a steady, measured tone to give him a clear sense of her stance. “We’re adults, married for three years. If you want to bring that up, fine, but my stance is clear. “It makes no difference whether it was you or anyone else. You should know I won’t cling to you. Don’t worry. Whatever happened between us won’t change the oue of our rtionship.”

    Whether or not Jayson was worried about this, she made her position clear.

    Jayson gave a subtle lift of hisshes, his eyes unfathomably deep. “I’m traditional. I don’t quite have the forward–thinking awareness you do.” 4

    Ariel hadn’t expected him to focus on that. She thought herst line–that it wouldn’t change the oue

    -was the point.

    But she had no intention of letting his remark slide. As if he were a stranger, she shot back sarcastically,” Mr. Larkin, maybe your mind and body should get on the same page before you say that.”

    Jayson could tell that Ariel was referring to any physical involvement he might have had with Nancy.

    Clearly, she hadn’t listened to his words at the dinner table. She knew he hadn’t lied to her before.

    It was clear she hadn’t taken his words at dinner to heart. She knew he had never lied to her, yet her stance toward their future remained thoroughly cold.

    Tilting his head, he looked at her and asked with a casual yet strangely serious tone, “So you crawled under my bed? Which one? Is there room? Maybe I should take a look too.” 1

    His tone was measured and almost regal, buting from him, it carried another subtle other meaning.

    Ariel frowned, unsure what emotion he was conveying. He rarely spoke like this.

    Jayson nced at the ring light above and added, “Ariel, I’m not joking.” 2

    She knew exactly what he meant, but…

    “It doesn’t matter.” Ariel looked up again. “Whether it has happened or not, the harm has already been done. We should be grateful we didn’t waste any more time on each other. Jayson, I don’t care anymore. I think you understand.”

    +15 bBONUS /b

    This conversation was almost a first. He could clearly see her indifference and resolve. Perhaps the light was so ring that it was grating on his eyes.

    Ariel didn’t intend to debate right or wrong. She reached for the car key in his hand.

    Noticing her movement, Jayson lifted his hand slightly. He wisely let the previous topic drop and asked

    as if nothing had happened, “What do you think of Samson?” (1

    Ariel looked up coolly and replied matter–of–factly. “Smart, tall, hot, and has good genes.” (2

    The corner of his lips twitched as he said, “It sounds like you’re picking a father for your future children.”

    It was a rare moment of dry humor, but it carried a hint of something ambiguous when it reached her

    ears.

    Ariel yanked her car key from him. “That’s my business. Let’s not meet or contact each other unless

    necessary.”

    With that, she turned and walked away.

    Jayson looked at her for a few seconds, not taking offense at her words. “Ariel, stay alert. People are

    unpredictable.” 3

    Since Ariel hadn’t given him a definite answer and clearly didn’t want to discuss these topics any

    further, Jayson didn’t mind repeating himself.

    Ariel paused for a second but didn’t look back or respond.

    Once home, she took a shower, watered her nts, and finally sat down after a long day. She wasn’t

    exactly resting, though.

    Gary had mentioned the uing political review, and she had materials to organize and submit.

    The timeline was uncertain. Even if things moved quickly, the procedures at the department she had chosen wereplex and meticulous. It would likely take at least a month.

    One thing nagged at her.

    Since the review involved personal information, her divorce would inevitably be known within the organization. But in recent months, she and Jayson had publicly “shown affection” because of various

    events.