His Ex Wife Is A Billionaire

Chapter 591

Watching from the sidelines, Lily felt the heartache as she saw the torment in Jareth’s fiery eyes, his desperation palpable. Initially, she too had not been in favor of Jareth’s “tough love” approach, fearing it too harsh for Marilla.

But the stark reality of Elspeth’s death sentence could not remain hidden forever. Better to deal with it now and rip off the Band–Aid than let the wound fester.

Yet, she had underestimated Jareth’s control over Marilla and the usually docile Marilla’s explosive strength when cornered.

“Lily, take Marilla back to her room to rest,” ordered Thaddeus, his voice laced with concern as he turned to Jareth. “You look like hell, too. Let Lily stay with Marilla.”

Lily gingerly lifted Marilla from Jareth’s embrace, easily sweeping her into her arms and ascending the staircase with unwavering steps.

The couple was left dumbfounded.

Jareth’s secretary, raised in the household since she was a girl, was proving to be worth her weight in gold.

“I just wanted for Marilla to face reality. I didn’t expect for it to turn out like this,” Jareth confessed, his chest heaving as if a bellows had been shoved inside, his whole being seeming to fry in an invisible frying pan. “Elspeth never truly cared for Marilla. I thought Marilla had come to accept that, that she wouldn’t.”

–

“You thought, you thought! Have you ever, for once, considered Marilla’s feelings in all of this?” Evadne exploded, closing the gap between them in two strides and grabbing Jareth by the collar. “From the moment you charmed her, brought her into your life, keeping her away from the Abernathy family, then parading her before the scrutinizing eyes of the Fairhaven elite – your grandfather, your mother! And now you impose your will upon her, assuming she’ll just accept and bear it? Where do you get this blind confidence? Have you ever truly considered Marilla? Have you seen things from her perspective? Have you ever cared about her feelings?”

“Evadne.” Thaddeus’s gaze faltered.

He wanted to interject but feared making matters worse, knowing his own words often lacked the necessary tact.

Reminiscing, Jareth felt a sharp pang in his heart, his eyes losing their luster.

never asked if Marilla was happy,

him overlook her true feelings. She agreed to everything he proposed, appreciated every gift, even the passionate

realized he might have been

was being considerate, altruistically noble, never pondering whether this was the kind of ‘good‘ Marilla desired or could withstand.

mix of anger and concern. “What you need to do is enter her tender world with enough love and patience, not carelessly drag her into your life, isolating her from the world, severing her normal social needs, and keeping her caged like a canary! Marilla has a passion for art, a raw talent that could make her a prodigious artist. Have you ever seriously cultivated that talent? Why not hire a teacher for her, send her to a prestigious school for further education? Or is her gift just a means to amuse you each day? Do you realize you’re squandering

been torn in his chest, pain throbbing raw and real, “I’m not wasting Marilla. I’m not holding her back. In this lifetime, I only want Marilla!

worse than now,” Evadne shook her head in disappointment. “If you can’t properly care for Marilla, you shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep. This isn’t the first time, and certainly the most severe. How many more times will there be over the decades to come? Can you endure that? Can you persist? You’re not a patient man by nature. You’re accommodating and tolerant now only because you’re in the honeymoon phase of your relationship! But what about ten, twenty years from now, when

voice broke, hoarse and choked, as he shouted back at Evadne, “You

Jareth!” Thaddeus stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Evadne to shield her, his eyes dark and serious. “She didn’t mean it like that; she’s just distressed for Marilla. Back in the Abernathy household, none of us, including myself, ever truly cared for Marilla. The only one who’s always been there for her was Evadne. Seeing Marilla in such pain, Evadne feels it

scorched from yelling. She had been harsh, but it

current state of their relationship was anything but healthy. Marilla’s condition meant she couldn’t steer the course of their emotions, and it was high time she gave Jareth a wakeup call. Otherwise, the unintended

the former. It’s often her keen sensitivity, her stronger–than–average empathy that makes her so vulnerable to agitation, her actions so uncontrollable,” she explained, her

a canvas of somber reflection. “Besides, Elspeth is her mother. Even though she’s a murderous fiend, irredeemable, a step back would remind us that Elspeth did raise Marilla when she was just a little girl. Her own mother sentenced to death, the victim her beloved brother’s mother–it’s a double blow that would naturally shatter Marilla. You should have seen it coming.”

gaze unfocused and scattered. “Marilla said she wanted to see Elspeth. I didn’t want her to, I refused, and that’s how things ended up like this.

Thaddeus exchanged a

large hand resting on his brother’s shoulder. “Jareth, take Marilla to see Elspeth. They’re mother and daughter, after all. For better or worse, Marilla

stunned, his heart in turmoil. “But

said, a

nor was it about diminishing the pain his mother had suffered. It was the understanding that clinging too fiercely to hatred could drown not just oneself in agony but also those

are tight, but you have Marilla now. You’re a family. Can you put her

Jareth were

Elspeth one last time shows she’s pure–hearted, compassionate. If Marilla were like Glynnis, acting as if she popped out of a rock, then you’d really have something to