leaving his wife alone. Vanessa knew that he could not stand her tears, and therefore did not even hope that he would return to comfort her. She also left the gazebo and went to the fountain, which was in the depths of the garden. Louis walked along the path towards the house and hoped that Vanessa would follow him, but almost reaching the house, he looked back and did not hear his wife’s steps. He had to walk back to the gazebo, but when he got there and looked inside, Vanessa was not there. He listened to sounds in the garden, but there was no hint of anyone’s presence other than himself. There was a feeling that she simply evaporated like stardust, dissolved in the air. Only the crowns of the trees rustled softly and reminded him of that soft and warm autumn when Vanessa agreed to become his wife. It was the happiest autumn for both.
“We had a fight again,” Ludovic thought to himself with annoyance, “but before that didn’t bother me, it’s strange. All this talk about our imminent separation from Olivia revealed so many problems that existed before, but for some reason we didn’t talk about them. Do I… have a soul?” – the question asked to himself surprised him. Of course he had a soul, but his heart was stone ice. All people are accustomed to considering it something living, but for him it was just a piece of meat, a muscle that only distilled blood in the body and nourished other organs. The indifference with which he lived towards people admired and horrified at the same time. Neither screams, nor tears, nor pleas had any effect on him. He always made decisions and acted exclusively on conditions favorable to him. People who interacted with him on business matters were amazed at the predatory grace with which he managed his affairs and the gentle way he treated his wife and daughters at receptions and celebrations. His favorite expression was the words: “Just because you exist, this does not mean that you live.”
Olivia found him in such deep thought in the gazebo.
– Where is mom?
Louis was silent, and then calmly answered:
– I do not know where she is. We had a little fight, and I thought that she would follow me, but when I got home, I realized that she was not there. I returned here, but she was no longer here.
– What do you mean she was no longer there? And where is she?
– I don’t know, I think somewhere nearby, at least she definitely hasn’t disappeared.
Olivia was upset by her father’s attitude towards her mother and wanted them to find her.
– Dad! – Olivia looked sternly at her father, “Aren’t you worried about what’s wrong with your mother?”
“She’s safe and sound, and you’re being too dramatic.” Let’s go into the house, she’s probably already at home and waiting for us.
– Are you sure? – the daughter asked her father in a suspicious tone.
– Yes, I’m sure she was overtired, the conversation was not easy for her. The news is very unexpected.
All these words from her father and his obvious indifference hurt Olivia. There were tears in her eyes, and she repeated the same phrase in a whisper:
– How can you be so indifferent?
A minute later she was overcome with rage, mixed with pity for her mother, and she began to yell:
– How can you be so indifferent?! – the air shook under her scream, tearing her father’s soul, touching him to the quick that lived in the depths of his cold heart. He made an effort and hugged his daughter. She didn’t even try to escape.
– Well, don’t cry, mom will be found, let’s go into the house.
Olivia removed his hands from her and, looking at him, said:
– As always, yes, everything will be fine? You don’t have it any other way.
“Yes, you’re right,” Louis left his daughter in the gazebo, and he quickly walked towards the house. His temples were pounding with anger; he was angry that Olivia, who had not known her mother’s love for many years, defended her so fiercely. A swarm of thoughts swirled in his head.
“What ‘s going on this evening? The two of them decided to finish me off. Is it really not obvious to Olivia that there is such a different attitude towards her and Inessa? If she had disappeared, Vanessa would hardly have been so worried, but while looking for Inessa, she would have made the planet spin in the opposite direction, so long as nothing happened to precious Inessa. Devil”.
When he entered the house, his voice echoed through the hall like thunder as he called to the housekeeper:
– Louise! – from his cry the crystal glasses shook and began to sing.
The housekeeper immediately left the kitchen:
– Did you call, monsieur?
– Where is your mistress? She came home? – Instead of answering, he bombarded the servants with questions.
– Yes, she came ten minutes ago and immediately went up to her room and said that she wouldn’t have dinner.
“Very good,” with these words Louis ran up the stairs, and Louise heard the door slam in Vanessa’s room. She remembered this evening for a long time, because it was the first time she saw the owner of the house like this. A conversation in a raised voice could be heard upstairs.
Louis burst into the room and began to say :
– What are you allowing yourself to do?
Vanessa was sitting in a chair at that time and raised her head to look at her husband. Her gaze was completely calm, and her voice was as if nothing had happened:
– Something happened?
Louis was taken aback for a second and did not know how to react to such behavior. These were the first signs of mental illness in his wife, but then he did not pay attention. Louis calmed down and said:
– Let’s go have dinner.
“Okay, let’s go,” Vanessa rose from her chair, and together they went down to the dining room. By this time Olivia had already returned to the house and they sat down to dinner.
Chapter 3 Dijon. Captivated by dead roses
Having chosen a place of residence, Olivia and her father purchased a chateau, which was not far from Lyon. The region was called the Gold Coast, it was located 25 km from Dijon. She lived there alone for a year, opened a wine store, her father visited her periodically, but she was not very happy about this and waited for her parents to finally move to Sicily. Louis never warned her about his arrival, and now he arrived unexpectedly once again. But he decided not to immediately go to his daughter, but to visit his old friend. His path passed through the place where her store was located, and as he passed by, he noticed that there were rose bushes near the entrance. He smiled and thought:
“Did Vanessa really manage to instill in her a love of flowers? Wow.”
Life flowed like a river, and time inexorably ran forward. Louis clearly felt how age was taking its toll and how his feelings towards his family were intensifying; tenderness for his daughters and warm feelings for his wife began to appear. Now, when the time had
