Free Web NovelChapter 336: I’m A Selfish Man, Mrs. Rochefort
January passed in a blur of reports and routines.
Arianne had learned, over the years, to measure her life in quarters. Fiscal quarters, calendar quarters, the relentless rhythm of board meetings and investor calls and quarterly assessments that Gio distributed with the same efficiency he brought to everything.
But this January had been different. Fuller. The twins had school and homework and the wedding preparations that consumed their weekends. Franz had been gone since the morning after New Year, and his absence had settled into the house like a dull ache—present but manageable, the way it always was when he was away.
She spoke to him at night, when she could. Video calls on her tablet, his face appearing on the screen in the dim light of her bedroom. His hair had grown longer. He’d started tying half of it back, away from his face, the rest falling loose around his shoulders.
The director had wanted a mature look, and the months of filming had carved it into him—something rougher around the edges, darker circles under his eyes, a permanent shadow of stubble along his jaw. He looked tired. He looked like a man who had been working long hours on a production that demanded everything he had.
Tonight, she was already in bed when the call came through. Her bedroom was dim, the lamp on low, the wooden whale on her nightstand where Leo had left it weeks ago. She’d stopped returning it. He’d stopped asking for it back.
Franz’s face appeared on the screen. He was in his hotel room, the same beige walls she’d seen a dozen times before. His hair was tied back, the way she’d grown used to seeing it. He looked exhausted.
"There were delays today," he said without preamble. "One of the other actors had a family emergency. The production’s been held up for three days while they sort it out."
"Are you involved?"
"No. I’ve been staying out of it. The issue is between him and his wife. Apparently things have been strained for a while, and it finally came to a head on set. The director had to send him home for a few days." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It’s been tense. Everyone’s waiting to see if he’ll come back or if they’ll have to recast."
"Will they?"
"I don’t know. I hope not. He’s good. The part suits him." He paused. "How are the twins?"
Arianne settled back against her pillows.
"Occupied. When they’re not at school or playing with Kyle, they’ve been accompanying me, Audrey, and Sam on the wedding preparations. Lily has opinions about flower arrangements. She’s compiled a list of acceptable and unacceptable blooms. Roses are acceptable. Carnations are not. She says carnations look like they’re trying too hard."
Franz smiled. "What about Leo?"
"He types his assessments. He rated the cake samples on a scale of one to five. The lemon cake received a four. The chocolate received a five. He took his responsibilities very seriously."
"He always does."
"Audrey asked him to carry a pillow with the rings during the ceremony. He’s been practicing walking in a straight line. Lily times him with her tablet." She paused. "Your parents asked to take the twins on weekends. So I can rest."
"Did you agree?"
"I did. Your mother was insistent. She said she’d made a promise to help us, and she intended to keep it. They pick them up on Friday afternoons and bring them back on Sunday evenings. Lily says your father lets her sit in his study while he works. Leo draws the gardens."
Franz said nothing. When he spoke, his voice was softer.
"I should be there. I know how busy this time of year is for you, and I should be helping. Instead, you’re handling everything alone."
"I’m not alone. I have Aunt Estella and Gio and your parents and half the others on speed dial." She paused. "And there’s a pile of documents waiting for your attention when you return. I’ve been adding to it all month. It’s quite substantial."
His smile faltered. "You’re joking."
"I’m not. The quarterly reports alone would take you a week."
"Aria."
"The board meeting minutes are color-coded by urgency. Red means immediate attention. There are several red tabs." freewebnσvel.cøm
"You’re punishing me for being away."
"I’m keeping you informed of your responsibilities as a member of the Rochefort family." Her expression was perfectly neutral. "Chairman already signed off on the ones that required his approval. The rest are yours."
Franz stared at her through the screen. "You’re terrifying."
"I’m efficient."
"That’s the same thing."
She didn’t deny it.
The mood changed. His voice dropped into the register he used when he was about to ask something that mattered.
"Your period," he said. "Has it come?"
They had been waiting. The delay had stretched across several days, long enough for both of them to notice, long enough for hope to flicker in the dark spaces between their conversations. They hadn’t spoken of it directly. They hadn’t needed to.
Her expression answered before her words did. "It started this afternoon. Late."
"The test?"
"Negative." She said it plainly, without drama. "I expected it. Given how busy we’ve been, and how little time we’ve had together since you left, I would have been surprised if it were otherwise."
"Are you upset?"
"No." She meant it. "If I were pregnant right now, with the workload and the twins and the wedding and you away—I couldn’t guarantee everything would be fine. The timing would be difficult. I’m not upset. I’m just aware of what would have been required."
Franz nodded. She could see him processing, the way he always did—turning her words over in his mind, weighing them against what he knew of her. "We can try again," he said. "When I’m home. When things are calmer."
"Yes." freewebnoveℓ.com
"And in the meantime—" He paused, and a hint of a smile crept back into his expression. "This means I get to have you all to myself a little longer. Before we have to share you with someone else."
She laughed. It was a low sound, tired but genuine, the kind of laugh that surprised her when it came. "Is that what you’re thinking about?"
"Among other things." His smile widened. "I’m a selfish man, Mrs. Rochefort. I’ve waited years for you. I’m not in a hurry to divide your attention."
"You already share me with the twins."
"The twins are different. They were part of the package."
"And the baby wouldn’t be?"
"The baby would be ours. That’s different, too." He leaned closer to the camera. "I want a child with you. I want it very much. But I’m also content with what we have right now. The two of us. The twins. The house. The chaos. If a baby comes, we’ll welcome it. If it takes longer, we’ll keep trying. There’s no rush."
She looked at him through the screen. His face was rougher than it had been in January, the months of filming etched into the lines around his eyes, the set of his jaw. But his voice was the same. Steady. Certain. The voice of a man who had waited two decades and would wait longer if she needed him to.
"Okay," she said.
"Okay."
"I should sleep. You should sleep too."
"I will. I’ll call tomorrow."
"I know."
The screen went dark. Outside, the January night was cold and dark. The month was ending. February would bring the wedding and the hospital episode and the slow march toward spring. Franz would come home eventually. The documents would wait. The baby would come when it came.
She closed her eyes. The house was settled around her. Somewhere down the hall, the twins were asleep. And Arianne lay alone in her bedroom, the ghost of a laugh on her lips, thinking about her husband’s voice on the screen and the way he’d said, I get to have you all to myself a little longer.
Selfish man. She’d married a selfish man.
She was smiling when she fell asleep.
