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

brother dragged me away, a few followed us," he reminded

person also left the

deliberately elusive tone. His last statement

I was a

told me without

"Atticus?"

left me

it did sound

Melvern have never gotten along. Atticus is a bit arrogant, but his father is just a contractor. Their family is a typical nouveau

Melvern, Atticus was nothing. Therefore, when they were in school

This time, he happened to unravel the ins and outs of the matter

was surprisingly straightforward. He showed Atticus was a person with a plan. I had always

steady

us. Naturally, it was later than us because when we left, everything was normal. We were just drinking and