Black Swan's

THE TWINS' BIRTHDAY PARTY

Turning off her phone connection which made her ears hot, Aciel then snorted while throwing her phone on the table. The things that Eden wanted should never be missed. He will be chatty for a long time and then cause his ears to be very hot. He said he should not miss a wife's wish. Hells.

“What's with Eden?”

“Birthday party for the twins in two weeks. At first he refused, but suddenly he had plans to hold a party at home with the concept of camping party. I don't know, Eden's been a little crazy lately.” Rubbing her hands over her tired face, Aciel said, “She is very worried about your life. Olivia okay?”

Sian did not answer immediately. His heart was hesitant to discuss his household matters with Aciel.

These two months he might have managed to avoid that topic of conversation to talk about with Aciel, but this time it didn't seem like it.

“I think he's okay. No complaints after returning from Dallas.”

“For physical problems, I don't doubt it.” Aciel shrugged his shoulders briefly. “But I doubt the condition of his heart. Has she been happy all this time?”

Nah! That was the answer that Sian wanted to give, but only stopped at the tip of the tongue.

She knew Olivia wasn't okay all along. The woman was devastated that she had been living in him for two months. But not without reason he did. He just can't see the baby and Olivia together. It was like something was wrong to see the scene every time he was at home and his heart was always struggling with great pain.

“I'm not a psychologist, Ace. Maybe I know if he is happy or not. So far I've seen her life is fine with—” somewhat choked to spell the baby's name in front of Aciel. “— with her baby. Scout **.”

It took a great struggle not to vomit in front of Aciel because he forced himself to pronounce the name of the curse after for weeks he forbade himself to say the name in his home.

“Since when did the Sian I know become a fool like this? You're not a responsible man who can't understand a woman's heart, man. You think I believe in your answer? Tell me, is your relationship with Olivia not going well?”

Yeah, she knew she would never manage to trick Aciel out of the topic the man wanted to talk about. Well. It's a dead end.

“Actually our relationship has been a bit strained lately.”

“Basic fucking liar!” Aciel grunts in disgust. He walked up to the drink rack on the right side of his study, then poured himself some whiskey.

“Serve yourself if you want. Back to the topic, you've been tense since two months

a ago.” Aciel took a sip of his drink as he glanced towards Sian's face through the crack in his glass mouth.

“What can you expect from our tumultuous domestic relationship, Ace? From the very beginning

I'm not sure about any of this, but at least I tried. I'm still thinking about Justice, just so you know. I don't want his future to be ruined because of us.”

“Actually it's been broken ever since that bastard kidnapped Olivia. Now look at how Justice, he spends more time in my house. And she's happy.”

“Yes I know. Your family looks ideal in Justice's eyes. I'm happy that he spends more time in your house. By the way I thank Eden and also you, you guys take good care of Justice.”

“What kind of stupid thing is that? Justice I've taken it like my own son. Even if your relationship stays bad like this, me and Eden agreed to adopt Justice as our son.”

Sian was not angry at Aciel's words at all. Justu instead, he was relieved to know Aciel's plan to his daughter.

“If that's necessary, I don't have a problem. My household can no longer be maintained.”

From where he leaned near the bar table, Aciel curses violently. He then placed his whiskey glass just like that and hurriedly walked towards Sian furiously.

“Hey loser, you can't just forget your responsibilities. You must rise! You must solve your problems with Olivia before you make the life of an innocent little girl suffer.”

Aciel was furious to see Sian who was so passive, even impressed without passion for life. His patience has run out after weeks of letting Sian live his life as he pleases, without intervening from him. But it just proves that Sian can't do anything without him getting involved in it. Just like when Olivia was kidnapped. His indifference only made Olivia move further and further away from Sian, while now he did not want it to happen again in the Sian family because he was quite concerned about Justice's condition.

“That's none of your business, Ace. I let you intervene with me all this time. Sorry, not this time. Let me decide for myself what I'll take.”

Aciel clenched his hands furiously. His decision to talk to Sian in his study this afternoon was indeed very wrong. He shouldn't have wasted any time calling the man here just to hold back his wrath from punching the ass in the face right now.

“Then good luck. We see what will happen to your family without my intervention,” said Aciel cynically before he slammed the door of his study hard and caused tremors in the surrounding walls.

-00-

Exactly an hour ago Olivia had just finished her conversation with Eden. The woman wanted to know her condition as well as talk about Justice.

With a calm voice and a mind made as clean as possible, she talks about Justice with Eden as if she were a good mother, who knows well the growth and development of her daughter. He did not want Eden to know about his problem with Sian. Although he believes Eden knows it and only pretends not to know to keep his feelings, but he chooses to lie. She plays as a good mother. Then in their conversation that seemed very exciting but felt bland for him, he was told that tonight Justice will stay at the house of Eden.

Sian turns out to tell Eden that tonight he will not pick up the little girl. But it's a pity because Sian didn't even tell her that Justice was staying at Eden's house.

It was very painful considering his relationship with Sian which was like hell. Their married life is very sick. And he was determined to himself that he would get this done as soon as possible.

Finished with his business breastfeeding Scout until the baby fell asleep very soundly in his baby crib, he immediately walked towards the guest room located near the stairs. He needs to talk to Sian tonight. He had heard the sound of Sian's car engine in his yard. And as he peeked out of his bedroom window a moment ago, he could see Sian's white SUV parked down there.

There were only two places in this house that Sian would go to, his living room and his study room downstairs.

But to prove his hypothesis, he first came to the guest room which from the outside looked dark and lonely. But that doesn't mean Sian isn't there. It could have been that the man was resting and wanted to calm his chaotic mind in a dark room.

“Sian... can I log in?” Olivia asked in a soft voice that sounded trembling. His heart hit his sockets very hard. He was so nervous about his own plans tonight. But it's too late to back off.

“Sian... there's something I want to talk about.”.

When there was no answer, he ventured to pull the doorknob and stepped into Sian's dark room.

There was no sign of life in that room. The large bed in the middle of the room was still very neat. The sheets had not even shifted in a single way, which showed that Sian had not yet come to his room.

Sighing, Olivia backed out of the room and closed the door quietly.

Sian did not seem to have entered his room at all. He immediately went to his study after arriving home a moment ago. It could have two possibilities, Sian is at work or he is having a lot of problems.

Again feeling the same fear while standing in front of Sian's workspace, Olivia did not let the fear master her any longer. So before his trembling legs stepped back and ran away towards his room, he immediately pulled the doorknob of Sian's study and lowered his head into Sian's dim workroom.

“Do you mind if I come in? There's something I want to talk about.”

At first glance Olivia was surprised to see the appearance of Sian tonight. It seemed like he had not taken care of the man for a long time and was watching the man until he was really surprised to see the sideburns on Sian's face had already grown so thick. The bags under his eyes were very black. The man's cheeks were so thin that his cheekbones stood out with concern. In addition, the twinkle of happiness in both eyes of Sian has now disappeared. Those rays of happiness had not only dimmed, they had now even disappeared completely and left behind only a pair of extremely horrifying tired eyes.

Oh God! Olivia groaned in her heart, how far has she hurt that man to become like this?

“You can enter if you want.”

In his hand Sian held a glass filled with brandy. It seems like it has been a long time since the drink was filled. The big bottle of brandy on his desk had only a few more sips left. Tonight Sian looks very drunk to forget all his problems for a moment.

“I can come back another time if you don't want.”.

“Come Olive. I have been waiting for this day for a long time. We must speak for the clarity of our household that is getting closer to destruction.”

For the first time Olivia heard Sian wanted to talk about the clarity of their domestic relationship. This time the man was determined and did not want to dodge as he usually did. Is it because of the brandy he gulps? Might as well. Whatever it is Olivia feels grateful. He could not stand the silence shown all this time.

His good attitude lasted only two days after he returned from Dallas. After that Sian began to avoid him and locked himself more in his room or in his gloomy study.

“You didn't tell me if Justice was staying at Eden tonight.”

“I just didn't get to.” He replied while shrugging his shoulders indifferently.

He knew it was a lie. Sian was just trying to reason to avoid hurting him. He knew the man became awkward whenever their gazes met. So he is unlikely to aggravate that awkwardness by talking to her about Justice.

While pulling the nearest leather chair, Olivia ventured to start her first conversation with Sian. “Last-lately he's more like the Lutherford brothers.”

“Isn't that undeniable anymore? Justice has become a part of Lutherford. I barely recognized her as my own daughter since one year ago.”

Not rude, does not contain a lot of emotions, but very effective to make Olivia's heart like being held by a sword. He really felt pain imagining the innocent face of his daughter who was slowly walking away from him.

“You.... have not been with him all this time?”

“I've tried. My attorneys split up to look for you. Actually Justice is the real victim of the rottenness of our household.” Sian grunting. Starting to feel the emotions he had been holding back for more than a year, it now began to blaze into embers ready to soar high into the air.

“It wasn't my wish to be in that situation. I've tried to talk to you since the beginning, but you didn't give me a chance.”

Sian chuckled softly. His voice sounded like a dying patient. That lips

dry and chapped, twitching, making hoarseness from within his almost dry mouth. It was as if all the brandy he had drunk had evaporated into the air with the anger he was currently feeling.

“You can say that because you're not in my position.”

“You are also not in my position,” reply Olivia fierce. Finally the anger that he had endured for so long, tonight would burst into the air.

His handbook that lay on his lap clenched firmly. Her tightly clenched lips hid the bubbling anger from within her heart.

“I experienced what people call stress and depression. Everything happens almost simultaneously

when I was sick. What reaction do you think a husband betrayed by his wife deserves besides an angry reaction? Especially if her husband is sick, then suddenly his wife is pregnant with another man. Do you think my attitude is excessive, Olive?”

Olivia threw away her face, unwilling to look at Sian's face that looked scarier for the first time since they were married.

“Why don't you dare look me in the face Olivia?” Sian grinned.

“You're too drunk for this talk.”

“No need to find a reason to escape from this problem, Olive. See my face.”

Olivia had no other choice but to turn her face towards Sian.

“Toh I didn't do it on purpose. You should be able to forgive him and help me get out of that black hole. But you left me alone with Scout.”

“No need to find a reason to justify your actions, Olive.”

“I don't!” Olivia exclaimed in anger. “I never justify my actions. I only think about my son's life from a mother's side. I don't want the baby to get a bad response from society. I want him to live in a conducive environment with complete parents.”

“You love him, don't you? You love that rotten bastard.”

No matter how much he tried to minimize this damage, he could never. The two of them are indeed destined to damage each other and hurt if they want this problem to get clarity.

“I love everyone who loves me Sian. Not in an intimate sense,” cut Olivia fast when Sian almost refuted her with ridicule.

“When he offered protection and promised a decent life for his son, I could do nothing but accept him. He was the man who initially hurt me, but then he was willing to compromise on you and turn to love me. Something I was expecting to come from you at the time, Sian.”

“You always position yourself as a victim to defend. Cih, you're sneaky. I can't believe your innocence is just a mask. You're not that stupid.”

Feeling angry with himself, though, he immediately gulped down the rest of the brandy he had from inside the bottle and slammed the bottle hard on the surface of the table until the table trembled under the surface of Olivia's palm.

“I now see more clearly.” Olivia replied no less fierce. “Thank you for sacrificing so much for me so far. These eyes, I really appreciate it.”

Olivia rubbed her right eye like she was wiping a precious piece of gold.

But for him those eyes were far more precious than all his possessions. With one eye given by Sian, he could see everything more clearly. Both, both the surface and the hidden.

“I never regret having donated my eyes, if you want to know. Even with that betrayal, I never regretted it. What I regret is your actions and your choices. How can you give your heart to that man, Olive? How is it possible?”

Sian's eyes relaxed. The tension had already gone from him, replaced by so much sadness that was emanating from every pore of his body.

“Scout shows me new things I haven't gotten from you. I'm sorry Sian, not because I want to compare you, but I feel a marked difference between you.”

“You've done it. You made a difference for us. All I'm asking is, what would you do if Scout hadn't died? Which one of us will you choose?”

Olivia was pensive about the question. Who will he choose? It was a question that had popped up in his brain months ago. As she was feeling indecisive with her heart, she tried to convince her heart of who the right man was for her. But when he falls into a coma and Scout dies, he begins to forget the question and chooses to return with Sian. But now that question suddenly bothered him again.

“Who, Olive? You can't answer huh?”

Looking at both eyes of Sian solemnly, he said out loud, “You both mean a lot

to me. You're the father of my children. And you're the man I consciously chose to be the father of my son. As for Scout, I never chose him, circumstances that made me have to choose him. Do you understand now?”

Sian chuckled, still unable to understand Olivia's greedy way of thinking. The woman could even refuse her marriage to Scout, but why should she do it? The child will still be born without marriage.

He repeatedly denied it from his head. But many times it was also he got a very excruciating pain. The thought that Olivia accidentally accepted the man's proposal to be his wife, it was already inevitable proof that Olivia had loved Scout and was slowly beginning to forget him.

“You love Scout.”

Olivia silent. There is no point in denying that what Sian said is the truth. He does love Scout, but he also loves Sian.

“I love you Sian.”

“Because you feel you have to repay my kindness. No need to force yourself if you just want to pretend.”

He felt ill seeing Sian scorn him so cruelly. Clenching his palms under the table, he looked at Sian's bead in earnest, then raised a very surprising question. Even for himself. It was like he didn't say it. But he did.

“Do you want a divorce? I think it's time we decided.”

“That's what you want, not me.”

“That's obviously you!” reply Olivia growled. “You've been cold to me for two months. You ignore me, you sleep apart from me and you avoid everything related to me. Isn't that enough to prove that you really want a divorce?”

Olivia gasped for breath after saying everything that had been bothering her all along. If only Sian had not behaved this way, he would not have interpreted all his complaints as an indication of divorce.

“If you want to do it. I won't stand in his way at all. Let's get divorced.”

He did not expect that sentence would slide easily from Sian's lips. The man didn't even bother to deny it. He took all the charges he gave the man and made it a reason to divorce.

“You are not happy living with me. I am also unhappy with our situation. You've changed since that bastard kidnapped you. Your love for me is gone. I think divorce is the best way.”

Tears welled up in her eyes. His heart ached at the thought that the breakup would soon happen to him and Sian. What about Justice? What will happen to the little girl's future if her parents get divorced?

“Justice? You don't think about the feeling?”

“Of course I thought about it. But I cannot force a woman who does not love me to be by my side. Sleep Olive, tonight we are both equally tired,” said Sian flat while walking away from his study.

That's the best way to avoid further widening the issue. He did not want his pride to be further skinned by Olivia until he was completely naked in front of the woman.

“You coward Sian! You're acting like a loser and don't dare to face reality! You're afraid of yourself because you feel you've lost to Scout.”

Sian did not turn his head at all as Olivia shouted with all the emotions surrounding her. He better listen to his hearing. He will not turn to look at the woman's face again or perhaps he will waver and regret his actions to separate from the woman.