Sweet Child of Mine

Chapter 23

"How's the OJ?" Alice sweetly asked Hal as the two sat at the kitchen island and tucked into their Saturday morning breakfast. Ever since she woke up that morning, she had felt some slight tension from Hal, noticing he had seemed a little withdrawn and she wanted to focus on breaking that ice.

Hal responded with a callous shrug and tight lipped smile, sipping casually on the orange liquid as he he remained distant, and it only prompted her to keep the conversation alive while she could.

"I know you don't like from concentrate so I picked up the other one whilst I was at the store."

Once again, he offered a simple response, an emotionless nod. He was well aware of the effect his shallow behaviour was having on her, and unbeknownst to Alice it was all part of his sick scheme being set in motion.

"Honey, I was thinking about last night-"

Alice looked up from the table, furrowing her brows in confusion as he spoke, knowing he was referring to the failure of intimacy.

"I know things haven't exactly been, exciting for us recently and I'm sorry about that-" Alice guiltily implored before being cut off by him.

"Alice, it's not just, that, that I'm referring to." He patronisingly chuckled before placing his glass down onto the custom made coaster. "It's just-" He began in a disingenuously sweet tone, placing his free hand over her own. "Last night, was sort of a wake up call, don't you think?"

"Wake up call?" Alice naively repeated, questioning what on Earth he meant.

"We've become so distant lately, not as emotionally connected as we've always been, no doubt because of the Register, and the house, and everything with Charles." He concluded in a slight groan. "It doesn't leave much time for us now does it?"

Alice remained in bewilderment, softly shaking her head in thought as her brows furrowed.

"I just realised with the both of us working at the register, it doesn't give us much time for each other or the house. We're both exhausted and overworked."

"So, what are you saying?"

"I'm just saying maybe I should be the one to go into work and handle the business, take charge of the important aspects, while you stay at home." He sweetly suggested with faux concern, his sinister and scheming smirk dancing over his unpleasant face before taking a sip of his glass.

"I-" Alice stammered uncertain, before being cut off by Hal resting his hand on hers patronisingly before finishing what he was saying.

"Honey, with only one of us working at the office, it leaves more time for us. Just think about it."

Alice began to contemplate on his rather sudden yet questionable suggestion, and the more she thought about it, weighed up the pros and cons of primarily working from hone and taking a backseat from the business and working more in the shadows, essentially far less, had its fair share of negatives as well as positives, but it still left her utterly conflicted.

Unfortunately, after years of marriage, one thing Hal had menacingly picked up on was Alice's expressions and how she formed them in certain circumstances and certain thoughts, and based on the slight discomfort she pulled, he knew he was going to have to pull out the big guns and play his ace.

"Come on, you know it makes sense. You'd be more available for Charles too, and perhaps, a new little addition, in the very nearby future??" He sneakily hinted, watching as Alice's eyes damn near lit up in surprise.

"You wanna try for a baby?" Alice reiterated with a glint of a gleam in her eyes.

He sternly nodded. "I mean if we're gonna do this, it's ideal for one of us to be at home, and you'll need all the rest and relaxation you can get, and the Register is pretty busy right now, with all of us stressing out over daily articles. I just want us to get back on track, to being the perfect family, with the perfect home. So what do you say?"