Chapter 592

In a moment, Jareth felt as if he had been shot through the heart, a sharp pain that made his tall frame shudder.

“In the Abernathy family, Marilla had no sense of self and lived a joyless existence. Now, she’s the woman you keep by your side, living life to your plans, to your tastes, too compliant for her own good. That’s not necessarily a good thing.”

Thaddeus sipped his whiskey, eyes downcast, “You two should take a break, cool off for a few days. It’s also a chance to think about where this relationship is headed and how to proceed.”

“Thaddeus. Are you even listening to yourself?”

Jareth’s palms slammed down on the table, making the liquid in the decanter ripple. His eyes were more bloodshot than the red wine within, “When you were chasing Evadne, at your lowest and most helpless, I never let you give up! And now, you won’t even help me replace a way out. You’re actually suggesting I throw in the towel? After all this time, in your eyes and your wife’s, I’m just some irresponsible jerk who leaves chaos in his wake! You never really wanted Marilla and me to work out. From the start, you never truly intended to let her be with me! All my friendship with you was for nothing!”

Thaddeus’s brow furrowed deeply, “Jareth, you’re being too one–sided.”

“If it were Evadne, and I asked you to leave her, to step back, to give up on her. Thaddeus, could you do it? Answer me, could you?”

Jareth’s bitter laugh was filled with pain, “You couldn’t, could you? Without Evadne, you’d rather be dead, right? Well, guess what, I feel the same about Marilla. What’s the point of living without her? When you talk about reconsidering this relationship, about taking Marilla away, you might as well be killing me. It’s not just murder. It’s scattering my ashes to the wind!”

“Evadne, and Marilla are different. How much can Marilla take? Even the slightest shock, and her world might crumble!”

Thaddeus’s gaze was dark and troubled, his concern like that of a father vetting his daughter’s suitor, “What the average person can endure, she cannot. If you love her, you need courage, resolve, and patience far beyond the ordinary. But today, your actions show a clear lack of patience, or you wouldn’t be handling things with such force!”

Jareth felt as though a bucket of cold water had been dumped over him.

He knew he was in the wrong, and he couldn’t blame anyone else.

In the midst of this tense moment, a crisp voice rang out, “What in the world are you yelling about at this hour?”

Both Jareth and Thaddeus looked up to see Evadne, hand on hip, standing at the entrance to the living room, her gaze sharp.

“Marilla’s awake, though a bit weak.”

With a complex look on her face, Evadne glanced at Jareth’s bitter expression, “Go check on her.”

Jareth rushed upstairs, grateful for the reprieve.

Evadne approached Thaddeus, her frown betraying her weariness as she sighed softly.

Seeing her fatigued, Thaddeus, filled with tenderness, reached out to hold her delicate hand, pulling her between his legs and wrapping his arms naturally around her waist.

He looked up at her, his eyes full of deep affection as he massaged her lower back, “You must be exhausted. I’ll go with you to rest. Don’t worry about Marilla. I’ll watch over her.”

“I’m not tired,” Evadne’s voice was light as a feather.

“You can barely manage more than a word, you’re so tired.”

Thaddeus lifted her effortlessly onto his lap, leaning in to k*ss her softly on the l*ps, his voice gentle, “If you don’t want to go back to the room, then rest here with me.”

“I don’t want to. Your muscles are all tense, not comfortable at all.”

Evadne complained, yet comfortably nestled against his chest, “They really worry me to death.”

“Is it really okay to let Marilla and Jareth be alone right now, after their fight?” Thaddeus asked in a low, probing voice.

“Marilla still loves him, I know it. And after this, Jareth must realize his mistake. Let him go in and properly charm her. It takes the bell ringer to undo the bell.”

He nodded thoughtfully, his fingers gently stroking the strands of hair by her cheek, “Yeah, that’s best.”

*Lily mentioned that Barry is holding the corporate shareholder meeting this month. He’ll officially appoint his grandson as the CEO of Fairhaven Group and bring him onto the board of directors. Then, he plans to propose to Marilla’s family.”

Thaddeus’s eyes flickered, but he remained silent.

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Chapter 592

“What’s wrong? You don’t look happy. Don’t you approve of this match?

Evadne caressed his defined cheek, “Don’t mind how mad I got at him; I’m actually worried. I’m afraid Jareth won’t take good care of Marilla, so I wanted to intimidate him a bit. They’re in love. How could I stand in the way of that? If they can settle their affairs, Marilla will have a home of her own.”

“It’s not that I disapprove, I just feel helpless as Jareth’s best friend. I can’t do much to aid his marriage.”

Thaddeus spoke with a sense of helplessness, regret etched into his features, “His proposal will inevitably lead to a meeting with Frederic. Given my current standing with that man, and the fact that Jareth defended me last time, causing Frederic to lose face. My narrow–minded father holds grudges. If he replaces an opportunity, he will certainly make Jareth pay.”

“So, you think Frederic will cause trouble for your good friend’s marriage?” Evadne’s bright eyes twinkled.

“It’s not what I think; it’s a certainty.”

Thaddeus chuckled mirthlessly, “I have no hope for Frederic’s character.”

“I’ve been racking my brain, and I still think we need to seal the deal on those two as soon as possible.”

Evadne, with her meticulous mind and genuine concern for Marilla’s future, pondered even deeper, “You know as well as I do that Frederic is hardly going to agree to this marriage. At that party at William and his son’s, in front of all those Elmsworth bigwigs, Jareth made a fool out of Frederic. If he agrees to give his daughter to Jareth after that, he’ll feel like the laughingstock of the whole Elmsworth. With the Fairhaven family seeming to have him under their thumb, and with Frederic always prizing his reputation above all else, how could he bear it? Now, while Grandpa’s still strong and can have the final say, we should have him push this union through.”

Thaddeus’s eyes sparkled as he gave her waist a rewarding squeeze, “Evadne, you’re brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that? Grandpa’s fond of Jareth, treats him almost like his own grandson. With Grandpa stepping in, Frederic won’t be able to interfere!”

When Jareth walked into the room, he found Marilla weakly leaning against the headboard, her doe–like eyes dull and lifeless, her gaze listless and vacant.

A sharp pain swept over him, nearly drowning him, making even breathing difficult.

Lily stood by with a bowl of soup, trying to coax the mistress to take a sip, but no matter how much she pleaded, Marilla refused to open her mouth.

“Marilla.”

Hearing the husky call of Jareth, Marilla, as if triggered, immediately shut her eyes tight and clutched her head, her frail b*dy shaking uncontrollably.

Jareth stood rigidly by the bed, as if a boulder had struck his heaving chest, tears of regret and sorrow welling in his eyes.

Look at what he had done!

If he had just been a little more patient, if he had considered her feelings a bit more.

“Sir, don’t rush, take it slow.”

Lily whispered soothingly, stepping away, but Marilla suddenly clung to her from behind, crying out with a sobbing voice, “Lily, don’t go! Please, don’t leave!”

“Marilla, you needn’t fear, it’s not a stranger, it’s Jareth,” Lily hurriedly comforted.

“Please, don’t go.”

“Alright, alright, I won’t leave. I’ll stay with you,” Lily said, casting a look at Jareth, whose face was ashen with distress.

Jareth’s eyes reddened, he knelt on one knee in front of Marilla. As he reached out to hold her hand, she flinched away.

“I know I was wrong. If I ever speak harshly to you again, you can take a million dollars and bite me hard, let out all your frustration, alright?”

Marilla bit her l*p so hard that beads of blood appeared, yet she said nothing.

“Do whatever you want, just please don’t ignore me. Babe, please.”

The very mention of Jareth could make many tremble in fear, yet here he was, in front of the woman he cherished, humbled to less than a dog.

In this regard, he and Thaddeus were quite alike.

“You want to see your mother one last time, right? I promise you.”

Jareth’s voice choked up by the end, “Not just one last time, two times, three times, whatever you want to do in the future, I’ll

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Chapter 592

agree, I’ll be with you.”

“Jareth. I’m sorry.”

Hearing the girl’s tender voice sobbing and apologizing to him, he was almost crushed by the guilt within, and he pulled her into his arms, his whole b*dy warming with the feeling of having regained a precious lost treasure.

He would never ask anything of her again.

This torment was truly worse than death.

The large stone that fell from the sky had given Cedric a concussion, and he ended up with eight stitches across his forehead.

Mr. and Mrs. Dempsey, upon learning that their promising eldest son had become a pariah, were shaken to the core, and Mrs. Dempsey, unable to handle the shock, suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital.

Jason was at Silverlake Harbor when he got the call from his father. Learning of his mother’s illness, he was anxious to visit her.

“Jason, let me come with you!”

This time, Nydia showed no hesitation, gripping his hand firmly, unwilling to let go, “With so much chaos in your family, it’s going to be tough for you to handle it all alone. I’ll stand by your side for support. If your mother is sick, my woman’s touch will surely be more delicate and caring than yours.”

Jason was deeply grateful, yet he hesitated, “Nydia, thank you for caring, but my family has been…”

Nydia quickly pressed her finger to his l*ps, smiling gently as she shook her head, “As long as your heart is with me, as long as you love me, I can face any difficulty. I’m not afraid. An ugly bride will eventually have to meet her in–laws, right?”

Jason’s breath caught, and he drew her into his arms, speaking softly, “Who dares call you ugly? Nydia, you are beautiful as an angel.”

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