Sharron was the one to break the silence in the hallway.
"Carlo wasn't always like this. He would have a drink or two to loosen up at events, but it was never this bad. Now it feels like he can't stand being sober." Her voice trembled slightly and her earnest eyes glistened with a faint shade of red as she spoke.
Nero, excitedly ready to pounce on her, was stopped by her emotional turmoil and remained rooted to the spot.
Her behavior made him uncomfortable. He was used to her being a cunning vixen, skillfully hiding her true feelings behind the carefully curated masks she wore to toy with him. Seeing her now, like a damsel in distress looking for a shoulder to cry on, left him bewildered.
Nero wanted to brush off her sorrow as just another act in their usual role-playing, but unfortunately, his understanding developed from the intimate time they shared, which was more about her sad emotions being authentic than an act.
As the realization of a problem cropping up at the last minute hit him, Nero felt a headache coming on. Understanding that silence wouldn't serve him well, he cautiously opened his mouth, hoping he didn't step on a land mine after securing the bunny.
"Did you two fight?"
"Fight? Do you think I'm the type to argue with someone I see, at best, what, twenty days a year?" Sharron replied with a strained smile, looking at him with sadness.
"Are you okay?" Noticing Sharron's evident distress and sensing that nothing he had in mind would work with her current state, Nero asked with the intention of at least patching up her mood.
When she didn't respond, keeping her head down and fidgeting restlessly with her fingers, Nero sighed softly and approached her.
In one smooth movement, he scooped her up, cradling her effortlessly in his arms. Startled, she gasped and instinctively wrapped her arms around his shoulders for support.
Nero carried her to the nearby table and sat, placing her gently on his lap. "I'm all ears until morning, Sharron," he said warmly.
"You don't have to listen to anything from a stupid fucktoy! Just do it and hop off to Crafts Wood. Let me take my clothes off. Isn't that what you've been waiting for all evening?" Sharron squirmed in his hold, trying to free herself as she whined in an irked voice.
Seeing her on the verge of tears while she struggled to leave his grasp, Nero tightened his hold.
"Is this really how you think I see you?" he asked softly. "If that is what you want, I am happy to oblige. Or if you'd rather I walk out the door, I can do that too. Everything I do when we're together is to see you happy. Your happiness means everything to me. I am sorry if what I did the whole evening hurt you, but I was too eager to see your smiling face one last time before we parted ways. And if you need someone to stay by your side and hear you out, I would gladly do it too, because if it gives you a hint of peace and brings back the smile on your face, I will be satisfied. But please don't act like I don't care about you because it genuinely hurts." He said emotionally while pressing her close to him.
Nero realized something was oozing between the couples that wounded her, and all his actions had only exacerbated the bleeding. There was no point in forcing her to do it or doing it with her mind not in it, so he decided that parting on good terms might be the best course. If he couldn't get what he wanted today, He hoped she would remember him fondly as a 'good guy' and act grateful when they crossed paths again.
Sharron blinked rapidly, her chest hitching as she absorbed his words. The warmth of his embrace wrapped around her like a comforting blanket, and taking a shaky breath in them, Sharron felt torn. Part of her yearned to lean more into his warmth, while another part hesitated, wary of revealing anything that could be used against her family.
"Sharron, you don't have to put on a brave face for me. I like to think I'm trustworthy enough for you to share whatever is troubling you." Feeling she was more or less inclined to pour out her sorrows, Nero gave one last nudge.
Sharron looked into his eyes for reassurance. All she saw was his sincerity and genuine concern for her well-being.
"Nero," she exhaled softly, leaning in closer, "how much does a peddler need to earn to build a home in the village, only to abandon it for the city without hesitation?"
As he processed her words, Nero realized she, too, had doubts about Carlos' trade. His grip tightened unintentionally, but feeling he shouldn't make his interest obvious he asked innocently, hoping she would spill the beans herself.
"Do you think Carlos has more in his wallet than he should have? What if he is just that successful in his business?"
"No, even if he is the best at what he does, there should be limits on a peddler's earnings. Anytime I tried to test his boundaries, asking him for something extravagant that should be beyond his means, he delivered it without issue. He used to bring his old friends to our home, but that's not the case anymore. I haven't seen or been introduced to anyone for ten years. Whenever Jacob mentions his father's work or his colleague, Carlos, he steers the conversation away or shuts it down, as if he despises the idea. Almost like he hates it or is shielding us from it." As Sharron listed her doubts about Carlos, she became more confident about her husband being involved in something suspicious.
"Have you brought this up with him?" Nero asked tactfully. "Maybe you're reading too much into this. Or maybe you're right, perhaps he's gotten tangled up in something he can't escape from and needs help."
Frustration flickered in Sharron's eyes as she shook her head. "Yes, I know I can't conclude based solely on assumptions, and that's why I've tried to bring up my concerns about him. But every time I do, it's like he brushes me off as if he doesn't like what I'm hinting at and doesn't want to talk about it. It seems Carlo chose the bottle over me. Nero, I'm afraid I will only know about his actions when the temple announces them as we are led to the gallows." Her tensed voice trailed off with a tremble.
While it might seem she was exaggerating, she was not that off the mark. The likely punishment would depend on what exactly Carlos was dealing with and who was likely the beneficiary of his little endeavors.
If someone from the bigwigs would down the line reaping from all this, the authorities would sweep everything under the rug with only surface-level scrutiny and a scapegoat. In that case, Carlos only had to make sure he was not the sucker.
But if the recipients of all these were heretics or the smuggling materials were something deemed a threat to the authorities, then it would pretty much be game over for a normal civilian. And things will probably be extreme since authorities were all pretty into making an example out of the 'convicted' to ensure the rest of the lambs don't stray.
Carlos would be screwed once he was convicted and Sharron would be dragged into the mess unwillingly. It would be up to her to prove she was an innocent party implicated in the situation.
At best, Sharron would be left off, labeled as an idiot who couldn't see what her husband was doing and as an incapable parent who failed to provide safety. She would lose custody of Jacob. Even then, she might be under intense scrutiny after the ordeal and even have to work against the heretics to prove she is still righteous. These are the best cases.
The only silver lining in this situation is that because Jacob is so young and still gullible, the authorities would probably induct him after his parents are dealt with. They would genuinely take good care of him if he had potential, but only to brainwash him to wage a dangerous fight against their enemies as part of a 'noble cause' and as a redemption for his parents' sins.
Understanding the gravity of the situation and what was going through her mind, Nero suggested in a low and steady voice, "Sharron, if you want you can always plead innocence and he will be the only one to disappear down the earth."
"What? No! How could I possibly betray my husband? Even if he's involved in something shady, I've been eating off everything the man made for years. How could I look myself in the mirror or my child in the eye after that?" Sharron exclaimed, her body trembling as she shook her head, desperately trying to dispel the thought of the consequences.
"I'm sorry, that was thoughtless of me," he quickly apologized, seeing her vehement reaction.
"It's alright. You were only trying to look out for me. It's comforting to know someone genuinely cares about my well-being," she murmured, burying herself deeper into his warmth and rubbing her cheek against his chest.
"Well, don't say that. I'm sure your parents back at Blossom Peak also care about you," he said, trying to cheer her up. But when their eyes met as she lifted her gaze from his chest, he instantly realized he had stepped on the landmine.
Tears she had been holding back streamed down her face, and she finally let them flow freely. "I… didn't even get to see… M-mom… one last time," she cried, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions.
Nero silently cursed himself as he gently wiped away her tears with his thumb. "I'm so sorry, Sharron. I had no idea."
Sharron, finally having someone to listen to her, cried her heart out. He awkwardly continued to clear the tears from her eyes while tightening his embrace and murmuring soothing words to calm her. As her sobs subsided, she felt a weight lift off her shoulders and spoke in a shaky tone.
"Our situation at home wasn't great. All my deadbeat father ever brought home were creditors screaming for money, and the rest of the villagers hated us for his antics. When he finally passed away, it all fell on my mom, who didn't even have a path. Yet, she never complained and worked tirelessly until her body ached, trying to pay off our debts. Unfortunately, despite her hard work, it was a struggle to feed a family of five, and Carlo was an immense help during those years. Even though he was starting on his path as a peddler, he supported us financially and later aided us as we started our family trade. So when he asked for my hand in marriage, I saw no reason to refuse such a kind, hardworking man who selflessly helped my family."
Nero raised an eyebrow at her last remark but lost in his embrace, Sharron continued, oblivious to his reaction.
"I missed everyone so much, and the loneliness of being away from home for the first time was suffocating. But I never complained to anyone, not even to my Goddess. Yet just two years into our marriage, my world came crashing down when my mother fell seriously ill. I suppose the poor thing's body finally gave in after years of toil. Instead of rushing to her side, I foolishly delayed my trip, caught up in my job, caring for Carlo's aging parents, and looking after one-year-old Jacob. I can still recall that evening when Granny Orias came and said, 'Her condition has deteriorated,'. I felt a gnawing dread settle in my stomach right then, and I begged to leave immediately. But the Guardian back then took two long days to arrive, and by the time I reached home, it was too late."
After a moment of silence, the weight of her grief came crashing down again, her voice trembling as tears streamed down her cheeks. "I didn't even get to see her face one last time before they buried her." She was choking as she uttered those words, and he could feel her regret and pain dripping behind each of them. Nero hugged her tighter, unsure what to say, and gently squeezed her hand for reassurance. It might've been enough, as he felt the tension in her body ease slightly as she continued to speak.
"Carlo stayed in the village for half a year to help me cope. He would talk endlessly, sharing every little detail of his day, and checking in on me every chance he got. There were no secrets between us. I can't believe the same Carlo would risk our family's safety for financial gain. Nero, I fear that if we move to the city, he'll sink even deeper into whatever he's involved in, and that terrifies me."
Nero felt increasingly at a loss for how to comfort her. He couldn't imagine Carlo backing out now after all his years of work. If he had indeed become deeply entwined in an organization, he was probably in a binding contract or fear of retribution would likely hold him in place. Unless one of them stepped forward to seek help from the authorities, he saw little hope for a way out.
With a shaky laugh, she said bitterly, wiping away her tears with a mix of resignation and determination. "Look at me, complaining about Carlo when I've become even worse! Someone who drugs her husband and child to sleep with her young lover. Maybe this is a divine punishment for being such an unfilial child. But don't worry about me. I'm finally finding a sense of peace. I've decided to face whatever lies ahead and stand by my family until the end."
Feeling the weight of the somber mood she created, Sharron felt a pang of guilt. Attempting to lighten the mood, she said with a silly smile, "You know, being the oldest of five, I always thought it was selfish to complain when others celebrated with new clothes and toys at the Harvest Festival while we struggled. So, I'd fill my father's old liquor bottle with cheap flower wine we made and brag about my 'drink' to everyone. All the idiots thought I was the coolest person in the village, including Carlos. Plus, there is hardly room for sadness when you're dancing the night away, blissfully wasted."
Nero usually would've picked up on her cue and followed her lead, but now that he saw a crack, he couldn't pass the opportunity to stab deeper.
Gently cradling her face with his hand, he leaned down and pressed a long kiss to her forehead, causing her to gasp in surprise.
"Sharron, my love, when will you learn to stop carrying the blame of others on your shoulders? Do you honestly believe you're responsible for everything that has happened?"
"But I-" When she tried to respond, he silenced her with a finger pressed softly against her lips.
"Listen to me. Carlos isn't the only one as a peddler out there, okay? Many people on this path have a healthy work-life balance and share burdens with their spouses equally. If he had done half of what they do, you would have been much better off. Think about it, did Carlo help your family out of sheer kindness, or was it always with you as an end goal? Would you have burdened yourself so heavily with work or even agreed to marry him if it hadn't been for feeling indebted to him? Was it love or the fear that your family's name would be tarnished for rejecting a benefactor that pushed you to say yes?"
His voice was slow and deliberate, each word trying to inject doubt into her wounded mind like a snake poisoning its prey.
Seeing her not arguing or dismissing his concerns, he became bolder and continued.
"Do you seriously believe that he was unaware of the consequences of his involvement in shady business? Did it not cross his mind that the temple will not only punish him but also make your and little Jacob's lives tragic?"
"Enough, please..." Sharron interrupted, lifting her head from his lap and covering her ears as if she couldn't bear to hear anymore.
"I'm sorry to say this, Sharron, but if Carlos truly cared to help you, you could have seen your mom before she passed away. Maybe you wouldn't have to carry so much regret and your mom would have lived longer if she had seen her daughter one last time."
"STOP! I don't need to hear anymore. Please… stop," Sharron sobbed, pulling away from his chest to catch her uneven breath and compose herself.
Nero took a deep breath, realizing he may have pushed too hard. "I didn't mean to hurt you or turn you against him. I just… I only want you to see things differently and see you are being wronged."
"I know," she replied mournfully, wiping away her tears. "But it's difficult to hear these things. Didn't I already say I will stand by my family no matter what? So don't waste your time with these hurtful words."
Seeing him remain silent, she gave him a quick kiss and said with a mixture of grief and sweetness, "I'm sorry that I can't fully repay you for all the love and care you give me. I hope you can forgive me."
Hearing the woman, Nero was flabbergasted. The more and more he got to know Sharron, the more his admiration for Carlos grew. He had to hand it to him for finding such a perfect sucker.