Iris:
"What was going on here?" Lady Vivian demanded as I hastily stepped away from Markus.
Markus wore a strange expression, like he had achieved sothing. He kept it subtle, but I saw it.
"Nothing. Nothing was happening," Markus replied in a hesitant tone, like soone caught red-handed.
"It did not look like nothing," Lady Vivian muttered, looking up and down angrily as if I had stolen her kidney.
"Well, it was sothing," I cut in, stopping them before they continued.
Both of them turned their eyes to .
"He was falling and decided to pull down with him. In short, he needed support. I had nothing to do with it," I explained, trying to clear whatever suspicion Lady Vivian held or was trying to create.
"Odd," Lady Vivian remarked. Her eyes showed how much anger she held toward .
"Well, take it as you will. I will take my leave. I have children to attend to," I stated, refusing to stand there and keep explaining myself just to satisfy their egos.
They continued watching as I hurried away.
I went back to my room and tucked my children in for a short nap. I decided to rest for a while as well.
Before lying down, I locked the door from the inside. That is how frightening this place has beco.
No one could be trusted here, especially when Kash was not around.
I woke to loud banging and noise coming from outside. It had probably been half an hour.
I recognized the screams. They belonged to Zoe.
I got out of bed quickly and checked on my children. Then I opened the door and stepped outside to see what was happening.
Just as I suspected, it was Zoe. She was throwing a tantrum in the living room, hurling cushions aside and crying as loudly as she could.
Zoe’s mother was comforting her, rubbing her back again and again. She was trying to whisper sothing into her ear, probably telling her to quiet down.
"Enough now. What has happened?"
Finally, Lady Vivian snapped at her.
Zoe suddenly stopped crying.
"Do you even know what he is saying to ?" Zoe shouted at her mother, raising her voice and taking all her anger out on her.
"So what if he is saying that?" a voice ca from behind.
It was not her mother who said it. It was Lara.
She had heard all the commotion, just like I had. But she did not co and stand here quietly. The mont she arrived, she started giving her opinion.
"He does not want a child right now because he does not think he can handle it. That is sothing you should have thought about," Lara continued.
I could tell Zoe did not like it. She was looking at Lara as if she would eat her alive.
"Do not speak in between. This is between and my husband," Zoe snapped at her.
I saw Lara’s jaw clench. Then she forced a smile onto her face.
"Zoe, I know you have a problem with these days," Lara said, sitting beside her and gently placing her hand on her shoulder. "But trust , I am not saying this just to put you down." she added.
"I also want your ho to settle," she continued. "But if you look at it one way, this is true." She took a dramatic pause.
"Markus has no money and nothing stable. If this child cos right now, you know what will happen."
Zoe turned to give her attention to Lara.
"All the responsibility will fall on you. He will start asking you for more money. He already does not give you ti," Lara pouted.
She kept her hand on Zoe’s shoulder.
"If you beco busy with the baby, you will not even know what he is doing."
Lady Vivian looked like she actually agreed with Lara. She kept nodding her head and looking at her daughter.
My eyes were mostly fixed on Zoe. I wanted to see how she would take this advice.
I had my own judgnts about Lara, but I stayed silent.
"You are only saying this because you are afraid the responsibility will fall on my brother," Zoe shot back, turning toward Lara.
"You got yourself pregnant even when you know what the situation is," she continued, her voice rising. "He already has a wife and a child. For yourself, you do not see anything wrong. But you are telling to relax? To not even go to the hospital to find out whether the problem is with him or with ?"
Finally, Zoe stood up for herself, and she did the right thing. Instead of letting her mother or Lara keep talking about her, she looked at both of them sternly and spoke her heart out.
I saw Lara’s jaw clench again. Then she suddenly went quiet.
She left the matter to Lady Vivian. She had already said what she wanted to say. She knew that if she spoke more, it would create trouble for her.
"What has gotten into you, Zoe?" Lady Vivian asked, frowning at her. "She is giving you good advice and you are shouting at her."
She stepped closer to her daughter.
"Anyway, calm down. I will talk to Markus. He will take you to the hospital. At least these tests should be done so we know what the problem is."
Finally, Lady Vivian used her mind. Instead of just silencing her daughter, she paid attention to why she was so restless.
I was honestly shocked that they had not even done the tests yet.
And I knew why they had not done them. Markus was not allowing it.
Every ti Zoe told him she wanted to go to the hospital, he would say, ’You do not have my permission.’
Hearing that always made angry.
He was not going to get himself tested. That was his right and his issue.
But how could he stop Zoe from going?
"Yes, of course, you will have to take Markus’s permission," Lara said calmly. "If he refuses, then do not insist. And do not go behind his back to get the tests done."
Lara, who herself never cared about anyone’s permission, was suddenly explaining to Zoe that her body and her tests were in Markus’s hands. And that Markus’s body and his tests were his right.
I could not digest that.
So I stepped outside and faced them.
"Markus does not need anyone’s permission," I said. "Then why does Zoe need Markus’s permission?"
The mont I said that, both Lara and Lady Vivian snapped their heads toward and gave a threatening look, as if telling to stay quiet.
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