“I bought the house, if I remember correctly?” She hummed back, eyes sharp but lips pulled into a small smirk, the delight she felt at the sight of him almost clear on her features. And if she were being truthful, she had missed him, but she was rarely truthful. “But no, I don’t. I miss my Eden – I leave for a month and you burn its walls down. In no way do I enjoy the new atmosphere.”
“Yes, you bought it for us and our family, Artemisia. You did a great job.” Stepping close, he gave her a gentle, yet patronizing pat on her shoulder, hand never leaving its place. She was beautiful, more than ever even, and Marcel did not mind letting his feelings slip through the cracks of well built exterior — it was weird not having her near, and despite their separations for decades here and there, he felt anxious with her being away. “You know you don’t miss your Eden,” he objected, the very same curve never leaving edges of his lips, “Besides, this suits you so much better.”














