Beyond the Divorce

"You might as well say that you're smart. That's the crux of the matter," Arnold teased.

I wasn't affected at all.

"Exactly. Wasn't it supposed to be super exclusive, as Melvern prepared it? How did they get caught?"

"At first, the parents involved in the event suspected us, the Beringer brothers, because only a few of us left the gathering. The leak could only be from us," Arnold explained. "All fingers pointed at us. That's a typical reaction."

"Are you saying someone reported this?" I asked curiously. It seemed unbelievable, as the informant had to be one of the attendees.

I glanced at Arnold, asking, "Was it someone from here?"

"Yes, it was someone with inside information." Arnold didn't deny it. "You don't think it was us, do you?"

He looked at me, teasingly smiling. "At that time, all accusations were directed at us. Grandma warned us not to say anything. So, regardless of how the outside world criticized the Beringer family, we just ignored it."

"Grandma Rose is indeed wise! It's a smart move to stay silent," I said thoughtfully. "Some things do tend to get worse when explained."

"You're just as smart as her. No wonder Grandma has such high hopes for you," Arnold teased.

So what happened next? How did

forget, after my brother dragged me away, a few

mean this person also left the scene?"

Arnold shook his head, adopting a deliberately elusive tone. His last statement

I was a

told me without

"Atticus?"

answer left

did

but his father is just a contractor. Their family is a

nothing. Therefore, when they

to settle scores. He has always been quietly enduring. This time, he happened to unravel the ins and

with a plan. I had always thought Atticus was a person

and steady was his

when we left, everything was normal. We were just drinking and dancing, but some mischief had already started. Otherwise,