Arya stood under the tree and watched Benjamin gradually move further away. Suddenly, a lump formed in her throat. She only managed to push the feeling back with a ton of effort.
She looked down at the gift in her hand. Without needing to open it, she already knew what Benjamin had given her mother: a peach blossom hairpin!
Arianna loved peach blossom hairpins. She collected tens of them in her drawer, but she had never let her daughter see them. However, Arya unintentionally discovered them when she helped her pack up.
She also knew that of all those peach blossom hairpins were mostly gifts from Father to Mother.
She remained silent for a very, very long time before she turned to walk up the staircase with the gift in her hand. When she returned to the room, the dishes were already prepared and they were waiting for her to begin eating.
"Where did you go?" Xavier handed her a handkerchief.
Arya tightened her grip on the paper bag in hand. Glancing at Xavier , she then looked at Arianna beside him. Then, she hesitated before handing the gift over.
"Father gave this to you. He was afraid that you wouldn't be happy, so he didn't come up..."
Startled, Arianna looked up at Arya for a long time. Then, she stared indifferently at the gift in front of her and said in a calm tone,
"I remember telling you not to send his gifts over."
"Mother, I'm just..."
"If ever there's a next time, tell him to take it back with him," Arianna said coldly. She took the gift and casually set it aside.
"Let's eat."
Arya did not mind. Last time, she seemed to have said this too, so...
"Sit." Xavier did not say anything either. He just pulled a chair out for Arya and whispered softly into her ear,
"Next time, be frank. Just bring him up."
Arya rolled her eyes at him. She ignored him and picked up her bowl to get some soup.
Throughout the meal, Arianna seemed to eat without tasting the food. She only had a few bites before she declared that she was done. She left her seat early and went to the study room, seeming very lonely.
When she heard the study room door shut, Arya sighed sorrowfully. She looked to Xavier and said,
"Don't take offense. Whenever it's this time of the year, Mother will be like this."
As she said this, she put the chopsticks in her hand down and stared at the paper bag. Finally, she reached out to open it and very quickly took a delicate box out. She casually opened it.
Inside lay an exquisite, blush-colored peach blossom hairpin. The light-colored petals enveloped the light tassels. It was very beautiful and very worthy of a second look.
"I'll go take a look at her. You eat first."
Then, she took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the peach blossom hairpin before quickly getting up and making her way to the study room.
At this moment, Arianna, who was in the study room, was sitting quietly before her study table, looking out of the window past the muslin curtains without a word.
"Mother..."
Arya reached Arianna's sides in a few steps. She handed the hairpin to her.
"This year's hairpin seems to be prettier than last year's..."
Arianna turned to look at Arya. A while after that, her gaze then moved down to the hairpin she handed her. Breathing in, she slowly took it.
"It's all already in the past. What's the point of sending these gifts?"
Arianna's slightly raspy voice rang out. One could vaguely hear the sadness in it.
"He's forever so self-righteous... Still thinking that I'm still the same as I was!"
"Mother, if you really can't forget Father, can we...?"
"Who says I can't forget him? He's so sure that I won't be able to let him, is he? He, Benjamin, is so sure that I, Arianna, wouldn't be able to live without him in this lifetime, eh?"
Before Arya could finish, Arianna's expression suddenly tensed up and she tightened her grip onto the hairpin in her hand.
"The oath of eternal love we once had has now all become a preposterous joke because of his betrayal. Does he think I'd forgive him just like that? Impossible! Arya, I'm telling you, I'll never forgive him!"
Arianna was suddenly very emotional. Her whole body trembled as her clear eyes revealed sparkles of tears that she had long endured. The scar that had fallen silent in her heart was brought back up to the surface again. It was so painful that she felt like she was suffocating.
"Back then, I gave up on everything. For him, I even severed ties with your grandfather. We were self-indulgent and unruly with our love... and then, in the end, I still had to pay a heavy price for this unruly banishment. Arya, I haven't been willing to tell you about my unbearable past because I hope that you won't know about all these ugly things... because you don't need to be burdened by these. I hope that you won't be affected by my misfortune too. I just want you to know that even though your father and I are divorced, we still care about you as we always did. That is all. Do you understand?"
When she said this, Arianna suddenly inhaled and suppressed the emotions that she was about to divulge. She paused for a moment, then continued,
"I'm afraid your father and I will never be able to go back to how we were. I know that you've been holding onto a sliver of hope for us, but I'm telling you that there's no way."
"Why not? If Layla can steal Father from you, can't you get him back? Why can Victoria justifiably hog Father's love, hog the fancy of Grandfather and Grandmother, while I'm left with nothing?"
Arya suddenly could not stop herself from self-mockery as she said,
"Do you know that every time, every single time Victoria spread rumors about me, I'd ask why? When bullied, she can go looking for Grandfather, Grandmother, and her parents. And me? Who can I go to?"
As Arya burst out about this, Arianna instantly turned pale. Her hand that held the hairpin started to tremble slightly.
"I'm sorry. Consider it a slip of the tongue..."
When Arya saw Arianna's expression darken, she felt her heart ache. With a deep breath, she pushed all of the bitterness in her throat back, then she said slowly,
"I'm not blaming you for anything. I've already gotten used to it all these years anyway... When I see someone else's harmonious family, I just feel a little envious. That's all..."
"I've always respected you, Mother, and I've always been proud of having a mother like you, but I hope that you can be braver for the things that you should fight for. You should... You and Father aren't young anymore..." Arya lamented.
Actually, for a long time, she had not dared to tell Arianna that she hoped she could help her get her father back. She wanted to give Arianna the courage as well, but at that time, she did not even have the courage herself, so how could she offer it to Arianna?
Arianna did not say anything. She just watched Arya silently, the hairpin clutched tightly in her hand. Arya could seem to see her struggle in her eyes.
Arya watched Arianna who had fallen silent for a long time. Finally, she did not say anything anymore and turned to leave the study room.
Outside, Xavier had already kept all the dishes away and was watching the television on the sofa.
"Let's go take a walk outside."
Arya handed him a cup of tea as she said,
"It's the weekend. The students have all gone out, so there aren't many people around..."
He reached out to take the tea before lowering his head to sip it. Then, he nodded after seeing the sorrow that gathered between her brows. He set the cup aside and got up.
"Go put on your windbreaker."
Arya responded, peering hesitantly at the study room. She lowered her gaze to think, then stood at the door to announce,
"Mother, we want to take a walk around the school."
After she said this, Arianna did not answer either. Arya stayed silent for a while, then whirled around to grab the windbreaker on the rack.
At this moment, Arianna's voice finally came from behind.
"The car keys are on the shelf by the door."
"Mmm."
University was huge and it would take almost an hour to walk from the south entrance to the north entrance. Apart from the Nissan downstairs, there were also the tram and bike. The tram was usually the best choice for going to classes. Arianna had bought the bike, especially for Arya. Whenever Arya came over with Mia, the two of them used to roam around the university grounds on the bike.
Downstairs, Xavier stared at the car keys Arya handed him, not taking it after a long time.
When she saw him not moving for a long while, Arya suddenly raised her brows and looked at him in surprise.
"Don't tell me you don't know how to ride a bike."
Without a word, he just squinted and looked at her thoughtfully. Just as he was about to say something, Arya had already taken the keys back and sighed as she volunteered,
"Alright, so there's finally something that you can't do. I'll drive you..."
Before she could finish, he had already taken the keys back and swiftly started the bike, he shot her a side glance, then she shrugged and walked over too.
"Later, I'll ask them to prepare a mountain bike for you. Every weekend, in the evening, we'll go around the villa. You still need more practice," he said, then he quickly took control of the bike and turned to look at her.
"I don't want to. I think I already have had tons of training." Arya frowned as she responded. After that, she got into the backseat, while she held onto his shirt by his waist.
The entire university was rather empty. The pathway that led to the third teaching building was covered in peach blossom petals. Once in a while, they could see young couples taking pictures underneath the peach blossom trees, or riding their bicycles under the trees like them. The tinkle of light, cheerful laughter could be heard from time to time.
Arya watched them and suddenly felt a little envious. Involuntarily, she tightened her grip onto the man's shirt and could not help but say,
"Do you feel like, in this phase of theirs, it feels like love is really simple and really... There just isn't that many restrictions and overthinking... Just two people together... All because they like each other..."
He hesitated for a long while, before saying,
"It's very simple and pure, but feelings like these will always lose to reality, so you don't have to envy them. People like us are the best. How many people have actually built their happiness based on other people's perceptions? So, Missus, you have to turn this envy into action. No one else can give us these things; we can only fight for it ourselves."
She listened and understood what he meant. However, she did not answer. Instead, her hand that was curled around his waist tightened, and she fell silent for a while. Then, she suddenly remembered that a very, very long time ago she had heard of this one song. Somehow, she could not recall its name.
Everyone couldn't find this despair and gave up, but you'd always arrive right when I'm in danger. I just don't know much, but that justice is guided by you...
Of all times, apart from the role of a husband and lover, she felt like she related to him more like a teacher and a friend. She could not question every word he uttered to her. Even she did not know why when it came to him, she could be so willing to trust without rejecting at all.
The feeling was actually horrible if you thought about it because it would create a sense of reliance, and once this thing you were reliant on was lost, one would not be able to bear it.
Mia had said, "Arya, quickly bear a child for Xavier and tie him down. You won't have to worry about him running off then. That way, his heart will settle down. If a woman is willing to bear children for that man, then she's definitely planning to spend the rest of her life with him."
She did not know whether this was right. She just suddenly remembered Arianna and Benjamin. As their daughter, would she not be able to tie them to each other?
As she thought about this, she suddenly felt a sinking feeling in her heart. She could not help but ask him,
"Xavier , if we have children in the future..."
As she said this, her voice gradually dropped as she looked down at the peach blossom petals that were scattered all over the floor and did not continue.
Xavier glanced down at her hand that was around his waist. He waited for a long while, yet she did not continue.
He could not stand her words that seemed to tease him, so he pleaded,
"Finish what you were saying."
"I said, if we have children in the future, you must treat them better just like how you're treating me now. You have to be a loving father, and you must have a good reputation. Apart from a father and child bond, you have to be good friends and good buddies. You also have to be like their teacher..."
Xavier listened and was stunned for a while. Frozen, he thought about it, then chuckled.
"It's so hard to be your child's father, but if the person I'm having a child with is you, I don't mind working a little harder."
As he said this, his still eyes brightened up a little. Unexpectedly, he felt excited for some reason.
"Did you think it'd be easy?" She just answered matter-of-factly.
...
The husband and wife naturally did not know that as they were passing under the peach blossom tree, Benjamin was taking everything in.
"Mayor, actually Master Knight and Miss Arya look pretty well-matched," Secretary Liam suddenly commented softly from the side.
"In fact, Master Knight seems to treat Miss Arya well, so, Mayor, you don't have to worry so much."
As Benjamin listened to his secretary, he was stunned for a moment. Then, he nodded. Watching them, he suddenly remembered being with Arianna back then. Years ago, they had also once...
Yet, he did stay on. At last, he just looked ahead at the figures that gradually moved away. All of a sudden, he closed his eyes, breathed in, and relaxed a little. Then, he opened his eyes before getting into the car.
"Let's go. Let's make a trip to Hospital," he declared, then leaned back to close his eyes and rest, feeling exhausted.
Liam nodded. Initially, he wanted to say some more, but since Benjamin had already closed his eyes, he fell silent. Furthermore, he did not have the heart to disturb him, so he just let it be.
He quietly got into the car and drove straight to Hospital.
At this very moment, inside the superior ward, Victoria had already woken up. She looked very pale and haggard. Generally, she looked much weaker and her chin had sharpened drastically. You could tell that she was not doing well recently. In fact, now she looked beaten.
Leaning against the bed head, she held onto her handphone and called Ethan over and over again, yet it kept showing her that Ethan's handphone was switched off. She was exceptionally worried and restless. Her beautiful eyes could not help but redden as she looked dazed too.
On the side, Layla was peeling an apple. When she noticed her looking like this, she was concerned.
"Victoria, don't be so anxious. Ethan might have something going on. Let him have some time alone first. The incident yesterday was just too..."
"Don't be worried? Mother, how can I not be worried? He's never treated me this way! He must be angry. Mother, would he not want me and the baby? Mother..."
Victoria turned around with a dazed expression as she gripped her phone tightly and looked at Layla with teary eyes.
"Mother, I'm really heartbroken..."
When she saw how frail Victoria was, Layla felt her heart ache too, so she quickly consoled her,
"Don't let your imagination run wild, Victoria. You are carrying his child now. He wouldn't abandon you, so don't worry. On the Martinez family's end, they wouldn't agree either. Besides, the two of you just got married. There's still a long journey ahead of you, so don't say such silly things."
"Mother, I really didn't do it on purpose... But if I hadn't done that, Ethan would've never seen my good side. Now he hates me and doesn't want me anymore, Mother..."
Victoria's tearful eyes widened while she sniffed, and tried calling Ethan again as she said,
"No, I must talk to him... There's no one else in this world that loves him more than me. He can't just abandon me and the baby!"
"Victoria, rest for a while. You've been making calls ever since you woke up in the morning. As much as you want to reach him, Ethan's phone is still switched off. Even Madison and the rest can't find him right now. Just let him have some time alone. The two of you are already married anyway, and now that you bear his child too, you don't have to worry about him running off."
Layla reached out and wanted to stop Victoria, yet she persistently made another call which still went to voicemail. She finally broke down and tossed her phone to the ground.
Bang!
With a crash, the brand new phone announced the end of its life.
"He's doing this on purpose. He's purposely avoiding me! Mother, what should I do? What should I do?!"
"Victoria, calm down! Don't hurt yourself. The doctor says you can't get too emotional! Do you want there to be any mishap with your child?"
"Then, make Ethan come. I must talk to him. I really didn't hurt Arya on purpose! I didn't think that things would've turned out to be so severe back then. I just wanted Cousin to frighten her a little, make her back out herself, or make Ethan change his mind about her. I really didn't think she would be expelled by the military academy. Otherwise, what could I have done? Grandfather was going to let her get engaged with Ethan. That was the only way to break them apart. Mother, after the incident, I really blamed myself... I suffered too..."
Victoria buried her face in her hands and wept, her light golden long hair tumbling down in a mess. Her usual beauty was no longer apparent. There was just haggardness and dullness left.
"Enough. Don't cry anymore. I know you've suffered too, but these things... Victoria, what do you want me to say to you?" Layla could not help but sigh sorrowfully. Who else but her could understand this feeling?
"Mother..." Victoria was incredibly sad. She leaned into her embrace, looking for a sliver of comfort.
However, right at this moment, there was suddenly a knock on the door. Victoria then wiped her tears away and looked at the door.
"Madam, Miss Victoria!"
It was Benjamin's secretary, Liam, who pushed the door open.
The mother and daughter were shocked. Their eyes flashed with apprehensiveness and then they saw Benjamin walk in. He carried his usual heavy aura. His stern expression was all tensed in seriousness, exuding an imposing and cold air.
"Father!" Victoria was stunned as panic crossed her eyes. She subconsciously looked to Layla, who had stood up a little uneasily.
Benjamin glared at the two of them and walked over.
"Father, why are you here? Are you okay?"
Victoria naturally did not forget that because of Arya's matter, the government seemed to have had some news that was bad for Benjamin. In fact, in this period, Benjamin seemed to be extremely busy with work, so much so that he almost could not find the time to handle his family matters.
"Benjamin, the doctor says that Victoria's pregnancy isn't very stable. She can't be overworked and get provoked. Arya went overboard last night. Despite all that, she should consider the occasion too. She clearly didn't want everyone to have peace! Mother's high blood pressure was almost triggered, and my father, he's furious too. She's just doing this so our family will look bad in front of the Hudson and the Martinez! If word gets out about this, where can we put our face? She really doesn't know her place!" Layla could not help but begin ranting.
"Father, it's not Sister's fault. I deserve all of this. It was I who hurt her first, so I can understand how she feels. She's always been deeply in love with Ethan. I..."
Victoria did not finish because she noticed Benjamin glaring at her with an exceptionally stern and sharp gaze. She stopped and glanced a little uneasily at Benjamin.
"So, does that mean that you're the culprit behind Arya's drama?" Benjamin demanded in a low voice, his gaze fixated on Xi Victoria.
Victoria trembled as she quietly lowered her head and bit her lip. Her shoulders trembled slightly and she was softly sobbing.
"Benjamin, Victoria she..."
"Shut up!"
Layla wanted to say something, but she was sternly pushed back by Benjamin. His sharp gaze even frightened Layla.
"Father, you've frightened Mother!" Victoria quickly lifted a hand to hold Layla steady.
"This is the good daughter that you've raised. Just like you, to achieve your goals, you'd scheme and spare no tricks." Benjamin sneered as he looked at the two of them.
"Father, this was all me. It has nothing to do with Mother. You don't have to criticize her like that!"
Victoria was protective of her mother. She pushed Layla to the back and looked at Benjamin stubbornly.