In an instant, Wrenna stiffened momentarily at her teasing. Clarissa could even sense a slight change in her countenance.
The next moment, Wrenna came to her senses and put on a cheerful smile as she continued to browse through the photos. Even though she changed the topic casually, Clarissa still sensed something awry. She could barely wait for another second to talk to Matthew about it right after Wrenna left.
“Do you think something is going on between Damian and Wren?” Clarissa went straight to the point.
“Is there any problem?” Matthew, who engaged himself in reading a book, only responded placidly without lifting his head.
“I brought up the topic about childbearing to Wren just now, but I sensed something amiss from her expression. Do you think Damian has any problem?” Clarissa asked anxiously.
“Hmm,” Matthew mumbled.
Clarissa commented again, “My gut instinct tells me that there is something wrong between them. Moreover, I don't think it's a minor problem that can be easily resolved.”
“Hmm,” Matthew responded briefly again.
Clarissa nearly flipped out at the sight of Matthew's nonchalance. She snatched his book right away and tossed it aside to vent her anger.
“Matthew Tyson, did you hear what I said?” Clarissa lashed out at him.
Only then did Matthew lift his head slowly and reply, “Yeah, I heard that.”
“Then why didn't you say anything other than mumbling? Hmm! Hmm! Do you have constipation?” Clarissa snapped at him. After being husband and wife for a few decades with him, she could blurt out anything to him without a second thought.
Matthew could feel his temples starting to throb as he responded resignedly, “Even if they are having problems among themselves, that's none of our business, right? As for their childbearing issue, are you sure you want to meddle with it, huh?”
Clarissa was at a loss for words to refute him. Even so, she was reluctant to give in to him.
She glared at him and started to bombard him with words. “Matthew Tyson, what do you mean? Did you get the point? I'm worried sick if there is anything that strains their relationship. Do you think you can let go of everything just because our son is an adult now? After all, you are the one to be blamed! I bet Damian Quigley must have taken after you! Not to mention, it's the most annoying part of your temperament!”
Clarissa tended to put all the blame on Matthew. Ever since Damian started to grow up and resemble Matthew even more, she had been grumbling non-stop about that.
Even Matthew was gradually brainwashed by her, as though he was the one to be responsible for that.
“Fine, it's all my fault,” he echoed resignedly.
“Whose fault is it then if it is not yours?” Clarissa fumed with pouted lips.
Matthew tried to appease her by holding her hand, but she shrugged him off at once with a glare.
Matthew glanced obliquely at her quietly. She was obviously displeased, with a grim look on her dainty face.
“I'm serious about it. I'm convinced that there must be something wrong between them. The moment I mentioned childbearing, Wren's smile froze. If there is nothing wrong, how could she have such a reaction? Could it be the previous problem still exists all this while, but Damian has been telling white lies? Do you think he is bothered with that... that kind of problem? You know what I mean, don't you?”
Nonetheless, Matthew shook his head right away and retorted, “That's impossible. After all, there are many other reasons when a man doesn't feel like touching a woman.”
Clarissa knitted her brows and asked hesitantly, “Or perhaps it's because he doesn't have any feelings for her?”
“It could be. You have been instilling the so-called right concept about love in his mind all this while, haven't you?” Matthew asked in return.
Clarissa twitched her lips in an instant.
Have I done anything wrong by telling him that?
She kept reminding Damian not to enter into an ambiguous relationship with any women if he had no feelings for them.
Now that Damian marries Wren without having feelings toward her, what's the difference then? Their marriage will be just in name. He's indeed a scumbag!
“Damian Quigley is undoubtedly a scumbag!” she rebuked in dismay.
In the meantime, Damian, who was far away overseas, had a sneeze.
Hmm! Is someone thinking of me at the moment?
Indeed, someone was really thinking of him at the moment and could barely wait to lash out at him!
This round, it was Clarissa's turn to have throbbing temples.
“My goodness! What are we supposed to do? Since they are already married, how can they stay like this for the rest of their life? If Damian insists on that, I would rather talk Wren into divorcing him. Damn it! Your son is really a sc*mbag!”
Apart from that, Clarissa could not resist feeling guilty toward Wrenna.
Matthew embraced her and mumbled to her words of consolation. “You have been emphasizing on allowing nature to take its course all this while, haven't you? Well, just let them go with the flow then. Familiarity breeds fondness. Who knows, Damian might gradually fall for her later. By then, everything will be resolved.”
Clarissa turned to give Matthew a look of displeasure and mocked, “Do you think it's simple as that, huh? How are they going to have familiarity without physical intimacy?”
The next moment, she was regretful of blurting out those words.
As Matthew looked at her with a subtle smile, she blushed and cleared her throat to ease the awkward atmosphere.
“Hmm... I thought that should be the way since they are husband and wife. Could it be Damian still can't get that woman out of his mind? He can't continue to be like that...” Clarissa explained incoherently.
Matthew continued to gaze at her for quite a while before he burst into laughter.
Clarissa threw a punch on his chest and snapped in embarrassment, “How dare you laugh at me? Did I say anything wrong? Aren't you guys placing that as a priority? Pfft! You dare to deny that you were not first drawn toward me because of my look and figure many years ago? Who was the one drooling over my figure at that time, huh?”
Even after so many years, Clarissa could still remember how Matthew could barely take his blazing eyes off her decades ago.
Matthew was reluctant to admit it. He furrowed his brows and rebutted, “Are you sure? I don't think so...”
Clarissa rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Ha! Men!”
Matthew almost responded by mocking, “Ha! Women!”
Nonetheless, he held himself back as something came into his mind. He decided to exercise restraint after recalling how coldly Clarissa treated him when they had a conflict previously.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: You’ll Fall for Me, Today or Tomorrow