Ariella laughed along to kill the awkwardness and the stillness, and soon Henry excused himself after they had given him the order of what they wanted to have for lunch.
"Let me take my leave. Lunch will be here shortly," Henry said before leaving the room.
Ariella expected Asher to suddenly change his actions towards, her as he had done last night after Henry had left. Maybe he did not want to have an audience for his new character, but Asher continued being tender and affectionate towards her, which continued to confuse Ariella.
As Asher started telling her about her mother's company, Summers Investment, Progress, Ariella couldn't help herself as she started testing the waters, to find out about her standing in their relationship and marriage.
"So, Asher, it's already been two weeks. Isn't Thompson already back? Shouldn't Scarlett have already left?" Ariella's voice carried a hint of curiosity and nervousness. "I'm eagerly waiting for you to join me at the Blackwell mansion. It's so lonely there without you."
Asher looked at her in surprise, his brow furrowing as if she had presented him with new information. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, Scarlett," Ariella clarified. "She's staying at the house because her brother Thompson has travelled for two weeks. Isn't he back yet?"
"Oh, Thompson? He's around. We had drinks together yesterday," Asher replied casually.
Ariella looked at him in surprise. "Oh, you did?"
"Yeah. Didn't I tell you? I must have forgotten. Yeah, he's already back."
"So why hasn't Scarlett left yet? Shouldn't you be with me at the Blackwell house? But, Asher. I thought you said she was only staying for two weeks. It's been almost a month now. I miss having you at the mansion. It's so lonely there without you." Ariella pressed on, her patience wearing thin.
Asher seemed to ponder this new information, a confused expression on his face. "I said that, didn't I?"
"Yes."
Asher's frown deepened, "Well, you see, Scarlett has gotten really used to the house and she is getting better. The doctor didn't think it was a good idea to change her routine right now when she was doing so well. So, I can't tell her to leave right now. and her doctor advised against any sudden changes. It's important for her recovery to stay in a stable environment."
Ariella nodded slowly, trying to mask her growing frustration and suspicion. "I understand the importance of her treatment, but what about us? What about me and our family? You haven't been coming to see me, and I feel like we're drifting apart."
Asher's eyes softened, and he reached out to hold her hand. "I'm sorry, Ariella. I never wanted you to feel neglected. Scarlett's situation is temporary, and once she's better, things will return to normal. I promise I'll make more time for us."
"And how long is that going to take?" Ariella's voice trembled with frustration and hurt. "How much longer do you expect me to stay lonely, sleeping alone at night, staying at your grandparents' house, taking care of this pregnancy on my own? How long? I am five months pregnant now. I'm going on six, seven, eight, and then nine. How much longer do you expect me to take care of it on my own while you take care of Scarlett?"
Asher's face tightened. "Okay, this has got nothing to do with her. She didn't ask to get kidnapped."
"And I didn't ask to get pregnant either!" Ariella shot back, her voice rising. "I didn't ask my husband to stay with his ex and leave me on my own."
"What do you want me to do, Ariella?" Asher's frustration was clear. "I can't tell her to leave. I can't leave her there on her own, and you have already proved that you and her can't stay in the same room, in the same house, and I want both of you to be okay. What do you want me to do?"
Ariella's eyes burned with unshed tears. "What about your other friends? Aren't they, her friends too? And her brother is already back. Why does it have to be you who takes care of her? Why can't she go to someone else?"
Asher sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Because she trusts me. She feels safe with me. I don't want to trigger her, I want her to recover and that's what's best for her right now."
"And what about me?" Ariella's voice broke. "What about our children? Doesn't our family matter to you?"
"Of course it does," Asher said. "But it's not that simple. I can't just abandon her like that." Asher looked at her, his expression conflicted. "I want to be there for you, Ariella. I do. But I can't just leave Scarlett when she's in such a fragile state. You're with my grandparents, and my grandmother can do more for you now that you're Pregnant more than I can."
"And what about my fragile state?" Ariella asked, tears now streaming down her face. "I'm pregnant, Asher. I need you. My husband. The father to these unborn children."
Asher reached out to her, but she pulled away. "Please, Ariella," he said softly. "Just a little more time. Scarlett's getting better. Once she's stable, I'll come back. I promise."
"You promise? Ever since Scarlett came back you haven't been fulfilling your promises to me, so forgive me if I don't believe you. I can't trust you anymore. Why do you care about Scarlett more than you do for your own pregnant wife?? I…."
"Stop it! Just stop it, Ariella." Asher's voice was sharp, filled with frustration. "It's Scarlet this, Scarlet that, Scarlet this. Can't we discuss our marriage without involving Scarlet? I told you about Scarlet before we got married. You didn't even love me when we got married. And stop using this pregnancy as your way to everything. I'm pregnant this, I'm pregnant that. She's going through a worse state. All I want is for her to get better. Why can't you put yourself in her shoes? What if you had been the one I was engaged to and then you came back years later to find me married to another woman who doesn't like you and makes up stories about you? I'm really trying to be patient with you because I know you're pregnant. Like you remind me, Every. Single. Time. Let this whole Scarlet thing go."
Ariella looked down at her hands, feeling a mix of anger, embarrassment, and helplessness. What had she said that was so wrong?
"So what do you expect me to do, Asher?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Because I need you to put yourself in my shoes now. You've been putting yourself in Scarlet's shoes, but you've never put yourself in mine. What am I supposed to do now? Have you been reading the news? What people write in the media, about you two? Have you thought about how I feel, the way you have been neglecting me lately?"
Asher sighed, rubbing his temples. "Look, Ariella, this is not ideal for anyone. No one is winning. I'm just trying to do what I can for everyone involved."
"But I'm your wife. I should be your first priority," Ariella insisted,
Suddenly, Asher banged the table, causing Ariella to stumble back, her eyes widening in surprise. The anger in his eyes was unmistakable, and his body language had shifted dramatically. It was like he was facing off against an enemy rather than having a private discussion with his wife. He breathed heavily as he looked back at Ariella, eye to eye.
"I don't want to talk about Scarlet with you anymore," he spat. "My friends were right, Scarlet was right. You're obsessed. Just go home, Ariella. I'll see you there during dinner. I'll tell Henry to prepare your meal to go."
"You're kicking me out?" Ariella's voice shook with shock.
"I have work to do. As you can see, I'm at work. You didn't tell me you were coming to the office. I have work to do. Why don't you go and lay down while I help you take care of your mother's company and you take care of yourself and the kids? Don't stress yourself. Don't go wandering around causing press conferences and media outlets. You know how my grandparents were mad about the media the last time and today you went and made another scandal."
"Asher, you asked me out for lunch and didn't show up. What was I supposed to do?" Ariella's voice broke down with frustration.
"Just leave, Ariella. I don't want to continue fighting with you." Asher sighed heavily and then turned to face her fully " Do you know why I don't come to the Blackwell's house to see you? Because every time we meet, all you do is make an argument, so all we ever do is fight. Who wants to come home tired and fight the whole night? I probably won't be making it to dinner. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Asher…." Ariella started,
" I guess now, I'll see you for tomorrow then," Asher replied.
Ariella felt her strength waning as defeat settled in. She composed herself, took a deep breath, and left Asher's office with her head held high, but her heart in pieces. She realized Asher was too far gone for her to reach him now.