"Why do you have to think about your mother?"
The deep, hoarse voice asked. Moreau did not understand why she had to be trapped in such an undesirable situation. It was really painful trying to take back something—it had already been said, and she was helpless to simply end the situation between them. "Because she's my mother." That was it. Hoping there was a prospect of avoiding everything that happened, then ending well. Instead, Abihirt's hand suddenly moved. Deliberately brushing the tip of his forefinger across Moreau's cheekbone-slowly brushing away the scattered hairs. "She went to see Sam. Are you happy to hear that?" Again. Abihirt asked for confirmation. To let her know that Barbara was committing the same dirty betrayal. All of them realized it immediately. "Does this mean you're venting your jealousy on me?" Moreau asked almost wistfully. She stared wide-eyed, but it took a while for Abihirt to say anything. "Not really." In"We just made love, Honey. But you look like you're thinking about something heavy." Samuel at least was sitting back comfortably watching Barbara's every move as she was putting back on the clothes that were scattered on the floor of the hotel room. He himself was fully dressed. It was just waiting for them to have a conversation after their unbridled passion had been quickly vented. The freedom of making love. Passionate sex. Samuel had no doubts about the married woman, who was now staring at him through ragged breaths. "I don't know. I don't feel comfortable. Sometimes I think back to what Froy said." "Froy?" Samuel's eyebrows shot up. There was hardly any talk like this and suddenly Barbara dropped her butt on the edge of the bed. The woman snorted just as roughly, then replied, "Abi's nephew." "Okay. Then what's wrong with your husband's nephew?" A little curiosity did not stop Samuel from touching Barbara's hips there. They were alre
"Why do you say that?" asked Barbara in a sanctioned tone. Dislike. Unacceptable. It was an overwhelming combination. "I'm just telling you the truth. Now let me ask you, do you trust Abi?" Still with something true. However, Barbara never wanted the betrayal to be avenged. She did not want to share. She didn't want Abihirt to be with anyone else. Selfish indeed. There would be no contesting the decision once it was in her hands. After who knows how many harsh exhales. Barbara finally added an answer. "I trust him. But, you know, right, that Abi is younger than me? I'm afraid he'll turn away if there's something wrong with me. Moreover, Moreau and I fight a lot. He might think that I'm an immature old woman." Samuel suddenly chuckled. It made Barbara incredulous and glare wide. "Why are you laughing?" She asked the question with a bit of an incredulous tone. Samuel was mocking her for just feeling old? "I'm not laughing at you, Honey. You're stil
This was serious talk indeed. Gloriya's destination had been confirmed. However, all decisions were still in Abihirt's hands. Moreau was sure her mother could not comment more after the series of statements unfolded clearly between them. Gloriya even wept for her son after Froy was arrested at the airport by the police while trying to escape—with the assertion that Abihirt was also there. Witnessing the events of the uprising without attempting to take part prevents shame from becoming something on a graded level. What Moreau didn't agree with was that Gloriya's statement sounded exactly like an accusation about her stepfather; that the man was happy to see his nephew in big trouble. She did not defend Abihirt because they were in an illicit relationship. If Froy hadn't gone beyond the pale, or beyond respect—maybe this wouldn't have happened. Abihirt had been quiet for quite some time, even when Froy came close to exposing their secret. The man had not tried to
"Why would you suddenly think like that?" Again, Moreau asked the question after feeling something was wrong. The strangeness of her mother's thoughts felt so real—she feared that she would be dragged down and helplessly cling to something misguided. "I'm just curious. You didn't say anything when Froy tried to get you to talk. Now I want to hear the story from your point of view, is it true that you and Abi don't have any relationship? Abi really only came to the room for one thing that day?" Moreau didn't know why Barbara's voice sounded accusatory. The woman had created a great noise in her heart, while she had to make a good effort not to leave the wrong impression. "What should I say then? Because there really isn't any relationship between me and Abi. You didn't introduce us from the start, so I had to adapt to it. Besides, it's not important that I get along with him. Abi is just a stepfather and all that matters is that he's your husband." Had t
"You didn't tell me you were going to go and take care of all this until Froy is now in custody at the police station on two reports from you." Barbara didn't want to wait any longer just to say everything that had started bubbling up in her mind after catching up with her husband in their bedroom. Abihirt had just undone the buttons of his shirt one by one, then removed the cloth that clung to his sturdy body in a way that always caught Barbara's attention there. There was something—it seemed different. She frowned when she noticed something that seemed so new, but perhaps it was time to talk about it later. They still had to have a serious discussion. Waiting for Abihirt to say something was almost the thing Barbara wanted to get rid of the most. This time it was a little impatient to watch the man carefully drop his butt on the edge of the bed, so she stomped over to step closer. "I'm talking to you, Abi." There was still no telling when her husband would
"If you add a tattoo of my face on your body, it would be the most expensive art." She inserted a smile at the end. Let her husband think of an answer whether to agree or not, even though it really wasn't something that was said seriously. Just testing the extent to which Abihirt could be talked to. The most patience—draining thing was when the man began to stare straight ahead. "Are you done with your office business?" Then asked, as if there was something to know and she didn't have a clue about what to say. "Yes, of course. What's wrong with you asking like that?" There was a sense of apprehension trying to nestle wildly in Barbara's mind. She wished she could be more calm when going through times like this. Abihirt didn't say much more, other than getting up to walk to the bathroom—almost, but then the man turned half a face and said, "Gloriya came because she asked you to persuade me to withdraw the report?" The topic of their conversation ch
Moreau's face instinctively looked up at one of the shelves attached to the wall. It was quite high. Perhaps she needed something just to continue searching, as there was no specific explanation of where Barbara had placed the object, though she had at least gotten a few clues. The faint sound of a cell phone vibrating drew Moreau's attention for a moment. She turned her head again. She frowned when she saw the odd smile on her mother's face. Barbara seemed to have just received a sweet message from someone and did not hesitate to show such a thing to the surface. Perhaps it could be attributed to Abihirt's invisible whereabouts. It was none of her business. Moreau never wanted to interfere with something that was on her list of possible descriptions of Barbara's betrayal. Just trying to focus on her tiptoes while taking a step or two backward just to look for something she needed. There was almost nothing in sight other than finding a few devices fully organiz
Barbara may have left the house, but Moreau imagined Caroline's face. Her mother had said she was in the backyard. It was too risky if they didn't keep their distance. "Look for what you need." Instead of agreeing. Abihirt said something in a tone like he was holding something back. It was too brief if it amused Moreau a little. Having always admired her stepfather's perfect form, it was hard to believe that the man had to face such a stable and stressful crisis. "You are unable to lift my body, huh?" she asked, just wanting to confirm the knowledge she was sure was true. Deliberately turning half of her face—staring down; at Abihirt's upturned face; while drawing a silent smile. "My shoulder is injured." Her stepfather immediately explained. That made sense. The correlation between keeping the strength in a solid balance and the wounded side there. Perhaps it should have been faster. Moreau gesticulated, pushing aside a few things until the one
"Shouldn't we be going home? Why are you taking me to a hotel instead?" Moreau had sensed something unusual about Abihirt's decision from the start. Just waiting for the moment—the right moment to ask a question. At least here, when they were trapped in a room together. No one would interrupt, though she was wrong in her assumption, as a faint knock from outside immediately prompted the man to open the door. Moreau did not try to know who the person behind Abihirt's large body was. She did not want to deliberately shift her face just to risk a direct view. Let her stepfather speak for a moment. She didn't want to get involved in the conversation there either. Maybe it was just a custom as the owner relaying information to the hotel staff. It shouldn't be anything. Moreau kept waiting... until she finally noticed the new clothes in the man's hand. She instinctively looked down to scrutinize every single thing that clung to the body. They were still half damp. Need
Moreau was a little tense about the various reasons lodged in her mind. Abihirt's touch had caused an electric shock and the most important part was that the wound from Froy's actions might become apparent. That could be evidenced from Abihirt's suddenly silent facial expression, while the man's fingers moved slowly. It was as if he wanted to give her a light stroke, then instantly became a firm grip—not painful on her neck, but enough to scare Moreau. Worried that Abihirt would suddenly strangle her when the man was not in good control; angry perhaps, though there was still no specific reaction to be found, other than her stepfather remaining still. Or actually not .... "Why didn't you tell me this from the start?" the man asked in a voice that sounded like skepticism-disbelief. It almost made Moreau flinch and blink quickly so as not to arouse more suspicion. "Tell you what?" She understood where Abihirt was going with this. Intentionally feigning
Moreau let her hand soak in the water, letting the touch there, on Abihirt's arm like leaving a trace of mutual need. "Your mother will not be home today." Then a whisper from that deep, hoarse voice added something Moreau had hardly ever thought about. Reflexively... she parted her lips and asked, "Why?" "Your mother asked permission to take a vacation." Okay. She might have forgotten that; about Barbara's statement the other day during their dinner together. But that didn't mean this was part of their freedom, did it? Moreau still wanted to keep the boundaries or actually she was still waiting for when the irritation in her mind would disappear. "But I still want to go home," she said finally. Let Abihirt relent. The man should always give in, though Moreau unexpectedly felt her stepfather's embrace loosen. Only briefly, which made the new touch feel more intimate as she was lifted high and invited to sit by the lake. Perhaps Abihirt
"Thank you." There shouldn't have been anything else. The only thing Moreau wanted to do was put the necklace back on. She would be self-sufficient for times like this. Ironically, there was no time to read the slightest warning when Abihirt unexpectedly pulled her into the lake. "Abi—my phone!" Moreau shouted instinctively. She was now flooded quite high up. Almost her entire body was completely wet. And the very first thing she did was to grab the handheld cell phone that was clearly tucked into the back pocket of her pant. At least it was still on, but it was quite doubtful that it would last after almost the entire compound was submerged in water. She gave Abihirt a sharp look. Didn't know whether to feel grateful when still holding the necklace in hand so tightly. Probably, she would have gone straight to the edge just to make sure if her cell phone was okay or not. Moreau lifted the flat object high into the air. The lake shore felt shallow enough tha
"You have to be careful." Don't know why, but that's what Moreau said. She looked longingly at Abihirt's face. The first brief reaction was a faint nod. There was nothing else to do when she only needed to observe her stepfather's body was out of sight. Abihirt dived. Moreau did not expect that she would be waiting for quite some time. That was surprising. There was no clue about her stepfather from the start. Abihirt's method was definitely not like Froy's who often popped into the air, though this made Moreau feel very scared as she further examined the calm surface after a few puddle runs. Abihirt was completely unpredictable about appearing, and then... at times she would daydream—the sound of splashing water immediately drawing her attention closer. Moreau straightened her shoulders. Unfortunately, she would not immediately find Abihirt turning his head towards her. The man presumably just wanted to scoop up some oxygen and dive back into the water.
Moreau's body suddenly stiffened at the sight of the water splashing, while Abihirt had gotten closer to Froy. The man offered help to his nephew and there was some relief that they were slowly swimming to the shore. She and Gabriel instinctively ran to the lip of the lake. It wasn't Froy Moreau was thinking about. Only her stepfather. Let Gabriel take the remaining action by welcoming the man—who seemed to be panting—to be laid down on the grass with a groan. The cramping was painful. The feeling could be imagined so clearly in her mind. Moreau winced, but also looked over to find that Abihirt had climbed to the ground. Now the man towered over her soaking wet. Staring at his nephew half annoyed, though saying nothing but letting Froy calm down a bit more. Slowly... at least it had subsided. There was still no conversation. However, Gabriel again offered to help when Froy tried to get up from his seat and looked up hesitantly. "I can't find the necklace."
Moreau continued to watch her stepfather. The unpredictable handsome man was now at least trying not to be incensed at any form of resistance from Froy. "You know that throwing something small into the lake will make it difficult for you to find, so why do you keep doing it? You keep throwing Moreau's necklace for no reason." Abihirt's question was simple enough, but it more than made Froy almost faint. The man's eyes moved restlessly. It took a few moments of pause to actually find an answer. "I was out of line, Uncle. I was angry at the attitude you gave Lewi and the way you gave the necklace to Moreau instead!" That was like a huge protest. Froy's voice boomed loudly. The man was lucky, because it seemed like Abihirt had paid with money to make people leave the park, which Moreau only realized when she looked around. Not a surprise. She should be used to it. "What's wrong with that? Didn't I replace Lewi's necklace with a new one?" Abihirt's statement this time made Fro
Moreau thought that Gabriel's involvement in the trip to Sierre De Guadarrama National Park was something that made it an unfair prospect. However, it turned out that she was wrong to include such a notion, as Abihirt's wishes were more understandable when asking her to move to Gabriel's car, while the man walked into the building—quite a flashy place there. Moreau had been to this place before; it was where Froy got married and she ended up asking for permission to leave early. It was a little odd to think that Abihirt had actually come to the man's nephew for some sort of accountability. Now she found her stepfather forcing Froy to walk. Although it seemed forced, Froy would have no choice. The man's body had disappeared in the car. Only a tendrils of shadow remained, then she also had to watch Abihirt's body get into the driver's seat. The car engine started and that's when Gabriel understood to bring them up behind. "Abi wants to ask his nephew to dive
Moreau shook her head for a while. In the end, she decided to lift her face. She was almost surprised—of course, because this was not what she wanted to find; the smallest hint of disappointment on her stepfather's handsome face, no matter how much Abihirt tried to keep every detail of the reaction between them brief. The necklace left to her was indeed a lasting memory and Moreau was sure it was very-very precious. "I apologize." She still could not take it for granted that Abihirt did not want to prosecute anything at the moment. There was an impact where her heart felt like it was being crushed. Staring at the man made her eyes sting and heat up. To the time that kept crawling forward... would soon be accompanied by seepage of water and Moreau would not be able to hold back. Perhaps Abihirt understood how worry controlled the fear in her mind, so the man hugged instead of saying angry. Hugging after letting her tremble as if this was an unexpected outburst of trouble. "N