<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span><div style="margin: auto; overflow: visible; max-width: 600px;background: #0000000; color: #000000;text-align: justify"><br/>
<div style="text-align: right"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 22px">rafael silva<br/>
_________________</span></span>​</div><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span><br/>
<div style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">
<div class="bbImageWrapper lazyload js-lbImage" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-single-image="1" data-src="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/attachments/1622634799527-gif.84398/" title="1622634799527-gif.84398">
<img alt="1622634799527-gif.84398" class="bbImage lazyload" data-src="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/attachments/1622634799527-gif.84398/" data-url="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/attachments/1622634799527-gif.84398/" data-zoom-target="1" height="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" style="" title="" width=""/>
<noscript><img alt="1622634799527-gif.84398" class="bbImage" data-url="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/attachments/1622634799527-gif.84398/" data-zoom-target="1" height="" src="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/attachments/1622634799527-gif.84398/" style="" title="" width=""/></noscript>
</div>
</span>​</div><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Rafael had no intentions of making Danielle feel bad and he wasn’t going to blame her for his actions and how she related to them. Her anger was rightful of course, but he just wanted to avoid this at all costs. Maybe he was a fool or just naïve – he was still stuck in some aspect of fantasy where everything just worked itself out. It was easy to be in that state of mind considering things had been peaceful between him and his wife the last couple of months. He knew it wasn’t Aven’s intention, but it had disrupted their relationship. He still felt it wasn't right for him to blame her and to cost her work because of this. This wouldn’t just damage his reputation, but also Aven’s. He knew better than to bring that up as it would only make Danielle feel worse. She wasn't made to feel like a monster though. She was the innocent one in all of this. Still, Aven wasn’t a terrible person and judging how she reacted the night of their talk, Rafael had come to realize that. He was the true enemy. And it was that realization that made him stand firm in his decision. Rumors would follow Aven wherever she worked. There would be talk about how she got a job in the kitchen and how she kept it – the culinary world was cruel toward women already, this would bring even more unnecessary challenges her way and disrupt something she loved: her career.<br/>
<br/>
“I’d remember that,” Rafael said, deflated now. His hand reached up to wipe his face. He was absolutely exhausted already by this conversation and this was a mood that wouldn’t just go away after a night’s rest. He knew that Danielle was serious. He sighed out, looking over his shoulder at the distant sound of Violet’s cries.  He watched as his wife began toward the entry, pausing to turn and glare IN his direction with her final stance on the manner. She left little time for him to respond, but dejected Rafael stared at the now empty space. What was he going to stay? She had made up her mind and he had made up his. As terrible as it may have sounded, Danielle’s threat was empty. He didn't think she would leave him over this – there was too much invested in this marriage and they had Violet to consider. No matter how she felt, this couldn’t be a means for leaving him. What did that say about her decision to stick by his side when he cheated?<br/>
<br/>
That said, he knew she was serious about him sleeping in the same room with her. It was bittersweet as they had only recently started sleeping in the same bed. They’d gone through the wedding and honeymoon fine, but Rafael had learned maybe she was able to deal with him much easier because she was caught in the fantasy of their wedding. Coming back from Europe had been a wakeup call with Danielle clear he wasn’t to come near her, even after Violet’s birth she hadn’t really let up that much. Things were just starting to work between the two and now they were back to square one. He slipped from the kitchen and through the empty home, pausing as he reached Violet’s door where he could see Danielle rocking her, humming softly. He didn’t want to lose his family. He couldn’t. But he was a selfish bastard and he didn’t want to lose Aven either.<br/>
<br/>
To make things easier, Rafael packed him a small bag to keep with him in the guest room. He hoped this wouldn’t affect Danielle’s decision to come to the grand opening, though he knew it was too soon to even approach the topic of his restaurant. It was hard for him to focus at home though, sitting in bed and stewing in his thoughts. As cowardice as it may have been, he grabbed his jacket and left that night, heading to the one place where there was some peace: his restaurant.</span></div>