Chapter 342: Slice of Life (GT Bonus Chapter)

Mark woke up with the first rays of sunlight filtering through the window.

He opened his eyes slowly and, for a few seconds, lay in bed, staring at the ceiling of that small wooden house.

Everything was quiet, save for the distant song of some bird and the whisper of wind through the trees.

It was a peace he'd never experienced before.

That was when he caught the smell of something cooking.

Hot butter, bacon sizzling in a pan, and something else drifting in from the other room, enough to make his stomach growl.

Mark got out of bed, dressed without any rush, and followed the smell to the kitchen.

Peeking in, he couldn't help but smile.

Mary stood with her back to him, cooking over the stove. She wore an apron over her clothes, her black hair pulled back into a ponytail that swayed gently as she moved back and forth.

She hummed a tune under her breath as she made eggs and bacon, completely absorbed in the task, with a homely naturalness that made the scene strangely warm.

"Morning, sleepyhead," she said, hearing him come in, turning her head with a radiant smile. "Right on time. Breakfast's almost ready."

Mark crossed the kitchen and came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder as he watched her cook.

"Morning, my love," he murmured before kissing her cheek gently.

Mary laughed, still stirring the eggs.

"Keep distracting me and I'm going to burn these," she protested, though she made no attempt to pull away. "Go on, sit down, they're almost ready."

Mary soon served him a plate of eggs and bacon before settling in across from him with her own.

And that's how the day started.

They ate breakfast at a leisurely pace, talking about nothing in particular, laughing at silly comments, enjoying a normalcy neither of them usually allowed themselves.

When they finished, they went out for a walk through the valley.

In full daylight, the valley looked even more beautiful.

The sun lit up the green fields, the river gleamed in the distance, and a gentle breeze swept across the landscape as the two of them wandered with no particular destination, no hurry, nowhere they needed to be.

They talked about whatever crossed their minds, avoiding, almost without meaning to, anything that belonged to the outside world.

Mary spent a good part of the walk talking about her old life.

She told him about her favorite games, some ridiculous habits she used to have, and a bunch of little anecdotes she'd never had a reason to share with anyone before.

Mark answered with stories of his own.

Memories from college, old hobbies, and several drunken misadventures he only managed to tell after admitting some of them were pretty embarrassing.

After talking for so long, the conversation gradually faded, and the two of them kept walking in a comfortable silence until they reached the riverbank.

Mark stared at the water for a few seconds, and an idea started forming in his head.

"Hey, Mary," he said with a mischievous smile. "Come here, check this out for a sec."

"What is it?" she asked, walking closer to the edge of the river, not suspecting a thing.

The moment she got close enough, Mark grabbed her by the waist and, before she could react, tossed her into the water.

"WAIT—!"

The rest of the scream disappeared under the splash.

Mary fell backward, throwing up a huge spray of water, and when she resurfaced she was completely soaked, black hair plastered to her face, glasses crooked.

Meanwhile, Mark was already doubled over laughing on the bank.

"I can't believe you!" she exclaimed, spitting out water, somewhere between indignant and amused. "How dare you?! Get over here right now!"

"No way," he answered, still laughing.

"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be!"

Mary grabbed his leg before Mark could react and yanked with everything she had.

This time it was Mark who fell into the water with a splash, while Mary burst out laughing.

From there, it turned into a full-blown water war. They splashed each other, tried to dunk one another, and ended up laughing like a couple of kids, filling the valley with their laughter.

By the time they finally climbed out, their clothes clung soaked to their bodies, dumb grins plastered on their faces.

The day slipped by almost without them noticing.

First they had a little picnic, the basket of food Mary conjured for them just by wishing for it.

Then they lay in the grass until sleepiness got the better of them, and Mary ended up dozing off with her head resting on Mark's chest.

Later they wandered around the farm, fed the animals, and laughed at some of the creatures Mary had made simply because she'd wanted to see them there.

At some point in the afternoon, Mark found a bottle of wine in the pantry and decided to open it to go with the sunset.

But once Mark was a few glasses in, Mary ended up taking the wine right out of his hand.

"That's enough, sweetheart," she said, making the bottle disappear. "Keep drinking at this rate and you'll be asleep before sunset, and I'm not letting you ruin the end of the day."

"I was just gonna have one more, love," Mark protested, slurring his words.

"No," she replied, frowning. "I've had more than enough of watching you drown yourself in alcohol in the past. I'm not seeing that again, not even here. So that's it for today."

Mark was about to argue, but seeing Mary's expression, somewhere between scolding and worried, he thought better of it.

"Alright, alright," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "You win."

"Of course I win. I always win."

Mary smiled, satisfied, and took his arm.

"Now hush and follow me. I want to enjoy the sunset with you."

The two of them climbed up to the hill where the great tree stood and sat beneath its shade, side by side, as the sun sank slowly behind the mountains, painting the sky in shades of red and gold.

Neither said a word. They just sat there, savoring the moment.

It wasn't until night fell that the two of them headed back to the house.

Mary made dinner, and they sat down to eat by the dim glow of candlelight, chatting quietly.

"That was such a beautiful day," Mary said softly, chin resting on one hand. "I can't remember the last time I was this happy."

Then a dreamy smile crossed her face.

"You know what a day like this would need to be completely perfect?"

"What?"

"A bunch of kids running all over the house," she answered, eyes lighting up just imagining it. "Can you picture it? The house full of little ones causing chaos from morning till night."

She let out a little laugh.

"We'd have to chase them down just to get them to bathe, scold them for sneaking off to the river without permission, cook triple portions at every meal... it'd be an absolute madhouse."

"Sounds exhausting," Mark remarked, smiling.

"Sounds wonderful!" Mary corrected him, leaning forward eagerly. "You have no idea how much I've dreamed about something like that. A loud house full of life, with our kids running everywhere."

She lowered her voice a little, her smile turning softer, almost shy.

"Sometimes I wonder what they'd be like, you know? Whether they'd look more like you or me. If they'd have your personality, or mine... I like imagining it. A little girl with my hair chasing after you, or a boy with that same dopey smile you get when you're happy."

Hearing her talk like that made Mark look at her with a tenderness he couldn't quite hide.

There was something deeply touching about the way Mary got so excited over something as simple as the idea of a real family.

She sat there, gaze lost in the flicker of a candle flame, savoring that beautiful fantasy.

Then she sighed, and some of the excitement dimmed just a little, giving way to a more wistful warmth.

"Thank you, Mark," she said quietly. "For giving me this."

"You don't need to thank me," he answered, shaking his head slightly. "I've enjoyed it too."

Both of them sat in silence for a moment, savoring each other's company, until Mark got up.

"I'm a mess," he said, stretching. "Gonna take a bath before bed. You good handling the dishes?"

"Go on, go on," Mary answered, waving a hand, already clearing the table. "I've got it here."

Mark nodded and headed off to the bathroom.

Under the hot water of the shower, he closed his eyes and let his body relax as he mentally replayed everything that had happened that day.

He couldn't deny that this life was tempting.

Breakfasts together. Walks through the valley. Hours without a single worry, absurd conversations, and the peace of knowing nothing could reach them there.

It was a dream come true.

And yet, he couldn't fully lose himself in that fantasy.

Because no matter how hard he tried, his mind kept drifting back to the others.

To his wives, Mark had already been missing a full week, and he knew exactly what that meant.

By now they had to be worried sick, searching for him everywhere, afraid something terrible had happened to him.

Just imagining it left an uncomfortable pressure in his chest, stripping some of the shine off the calm of that paradise.

'I can't stay much longer…' he thought, letting out a long sigh. 'I need to get back as soon as—'

"Is there room for one more, sweetheart?"

Mary pulled him out of his thoughts instantly.

Mark turned his head and found her standing by the door, wearing nothing, a smile far too mischievous to hide her intentions.

His worries didn't disappear, but Mark decided to set them aside for the moment.

There would be time to deal with everything once he got back.

That day wasn't over yet, and he'd promised Mary as much.

"There's always room for you," he answered.

Mary grinned from ear to ear, stepped under the hot water, and wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Well, would you look at that... I just got here and DarkLord69's already hard as a rock," she said, sliding a hand down to Mark's cock.