Chapter 8 Deep-seated Hatred

Thalia froze, but she quickly retorted, "Lucien and I have been friends for over 20 years. Everyone knows we're best friends. Do you have to read so much into our friendship, Dr. Ainsworth? Should everyone avoid being friends with those from the opposite sex, just in case they mislead others?" Talia vollied immediately, "You can be friends with those of the opposite sex, but the line must be drawn somewhere. Besides, Lucien's married, and so are you. Have some boundaries." "Goodness, I didn't think a doctor like yourself would be so particular about boundaries. A male doctor was present during my surgery last week. I objected right away at the time, but do you remember what you told me? That a doctor's gender had no bearing on his or her profession," Thalia argued, snorting. "That male doctor was an anesthesiologist," Talia countered grimly. "So what? I'm a woman, and that doctor was a man in an OB-GYN surgery! What happened to maintaining boundaries? Do they not exist in those circumstances? Your argument is biased, Dr. Ainsworth," Thalia snapped. Talia took a deep breath and said exasperatedly, "Ms. Griffin, you're drawing the wrong analogy here. You were losing a lot of blood that night, and it was late. The only anesthesiologist on duty that night was the male doctor. "If we hadn't carried out the surgery for you right away, you would have lost the baby! Which do you think is more important at that moment—saving the baby or maintaining boundaries?" Thalia crossed her arms and eyed Talia indifferently. "Well, you're the doctor, so whatever you say goes, right? It's not like anyone else knows how the baby was doing at the time." "What do you mean by that, Ms. Griffin?" Talia demanded, her temper flaring when she realized her professionalism was being questioned. "Nothing," Thalia drawled. "Only that you were called in at the last minute to operate on me, so why couldn't a female anesthesiologist be called in too?" "You—" "If a male anesthesiologist could be present for my surgery, why am I not allowed to reach into Lucien's pocket to take his car keys?" Thalia continued to challenge. "That's enough!" Lucien straightened up, swaying on his feet for a bit before steadying himself. His brows were drawn together, and he reeked of alcohol as he reached into his pocket to take the car keys himself. He pressed the keys into Talia's hand and said soothingly, "Thalia's pregnant, so she's prone to emotional outbursts. Don't take her words personally." Talia took the keys and lifted her gaze to him. "Are you sure you're just friends with her?" Lucien's breathing grew heavy, and his chest rose and fell a few times. With a nod, he said, "Yes." Talia's gaze bore into his as if she could see through his heart. He held her gaze for a while, only to be the first to break eye contact. "It's late. We should go." Talia helped him into the backseat of the car and fastened his seatbelt. She then slid behind the wheel and started the car. She watched through the rearview mirror as Thalia climbed into the backseat and gently draped the jacket over Lucien's torso. "Shouldn't you be taking the passenger seat instead, Ms. Griffin? You get terrible carsickness, after all," Talia said snidely. There wasn't a flicker of panic on Thalia's face as she slowly buckled her seatbelt and said, "I'm feeling alright today. I won't get carsick." A humorless snort escaped Talia, and she stepped on the gas. Brenda was already asleep by the time they arrived home. She went to bed at 9:00 pm, courtesy of the strict and healthy routine she kept. Talia led Lucien into the house, then headed upstairs to their bedroom. However, Thalia followed them and called out, "Hey!" Halting in her steps, Talia turned to look at Thalia questioningly. The latter drawled, "Aren't you going to take Lucien's jacket? I'd expect a wife to be more attentive." "Leave the jacket on the living room couch. I'll put it away tomorrow," Talia replied. "You have work early tomorrow morning, right? You won't have time to put the jacket away." Talia pursed her lips and said in a low voice, "First of all, it won't take more than a few minutes for me to put that jacket away, and it won't keep me from showing up at work on time. "Secondly, Mom's already asleep. She doesn't always have the best sleep cycles, so I suggest you think twice before raising your voice and picking a fight with me here." Letting loose an incredulous laugh, Thalia pointed out, "For someone of your profession, you certainly are silver-tongued, Dr. Ainsworth." "Thank you for the compliment, Ms. Griffin, but keep your voice down before you wake Mom up," Talia berated. Thalia lifted her chin haughtily. "Mrs. Reese loves me. She wouldn't blame me—" "Enough, Thalia!" Lucien cut her off, sighing audibly as he gripped the bannister and held himself upright. He frowned at Thalia. "Just leave the jacket somewhere. It's late, and as a pregnant woman, you should call it a night and go to bed." A little incensed that he'd cut her off, Thalia argued petulantly, "I'm not tired!" "But I am! And so is Talia. She has an early shift tomorrow morning and needs to wake up at six. We need to rest too," Lucien snapped. Thalia flashed him a mocking smile. "I get it. You're a husband now, and all you need is your little wife, but not your best friend, right? I had your back the whole time at the reunion, declining drinks on your behalf and holding onto your jacket, and this is how you treat me?" "How should I treat you, then? Who am I spending the rest of my life with, my best friend or my wife?" Lucien retorted. He turned to Talia and led her up the stairs. "Come on." Perhaps all the drinking had gotten to him, for he wasn't his usual, gentle self. He gripped Talia's wrist so tightly that she couldn't help feeling as if he had some deep-seated hatred within him that was finally rising to the surface, unbridled and ready to burst. When Talia and Lucien entered the bedroom, the former made a beeline for the shower. The finger imprints around her wrist were stark red against her skin, and the surrounding area swelled up slightly after she took a hot shower. Thankfully, her pajamas had long sleeves that reached past her wrists. Talia emerged from the bathroom but didn't see Lucien anywhere in the bedroom. She stalked over to the balcony, and sure enough, Lucien was standing there, smoking. He hadn't even bothered changing out of his suit. The cigarette smoke slowly unfurled from between his fingers as he placed the roll-up between his teeth. He took a long drag, then blew out a cloud of white smoke. His movements were effortless, an obvious sign that he was a seasoned smoker. "Lucien?" Talia called out. Lucien snapped to his senses and instinctively snuffed out the cigarette. He held the cigarette butt and looked around for an ashtray. When he realized he didn't have one, he tossed the cigarette butt into the trash. "Done showering?" he asked. "Yeah. What are you doing? Something on your mind?" Talia asked. He shook his head. "Nothing. I just had a bit too much to drink and figured I should sober up on the balcony." "Were you a smoker before this?" Lucien admitted slowly, "Yes." Talia probed, "Why did you quit?" Chuckling, he said, "Because it's bad for my health." "It is." Talia considered his answer and found it a rather moralistic reason to quit smoking. Lucien returned to the bedroom and said, "You should get some sleep. I'll hop in the shower now." "Okay." He grabbed a set of loungewear and headed into the adjoining bathroom of the master bedroom. The breeze picked up just as he walked past Talia, and she caught the scent of tobacco on him. Just then, there was a beep. Lucien's phone buzzed on the coffee table with a new message from Thalia. "Lucien, are you asleep?" She followed up frantically with a series of texts. "Your wife is a doctor, so where did she learn to argue like that? She's giving me a run for my money, and I'm a lawyer!" "Damn, you're in trouble. Your wife's a mean character. I bet she's going to keep you under her thumb for the rest of your life!" "I can't sleep. How about you come downstairs? We can go stargazing in the backyard, just like we did when we were kids." "Why aren't you replying? Are you actually asleep?" "Are you asleep, or are you and your little wife getting it on in bed? Don't bail on me now! I'm your best friend! Reply to me now, or this friendship is over! Make wise choices, Lucien."