Chapter 197
“But this is a lesson that you needed to learn. Not everyone gets a good outcome from being too sympathetic. Think about the past, about how disappointed you were.” Nathaneil’s voice was calm.” Disappointment doesn’t just happen. I won’t dig into your past, but Matthew told me that you’ve been through a lot. You shouldn’t be sympathetic to someone who did you wrong. It doesn’t matter if he was the culprit or an accessory; he still hurt you. He doesn’t deserve your trust.”
Hesper closed her eyes, then when she opened them again, her tiredness turned into fierceness.
“You’re right. Thanks, Nate.”
Hesper cracked her knuckles, not knowing how to approach the next topic. After much hesitation, she finally said, “I’ve always avoided talking about our marriage arrangement. You know my situation. You’re a gentleman, and I don’t want to-”
“It’s fine.” Nathaniel cut her off again. “Our marriage was arranged by our elders, and there isn’t any benefit to it. Grandpa Arthur isn’t an unreasonable man, As for my family… I’m the only one left. So, if you don’t want this arrangement anymore, we can just do away with it.”
Hesper always felt complicated when it came to Nathaniel, but no matter which angle she looked at it from, she knew she didn’t love him and the relationship was a burden to her.
What Nathaniel said relieved her, but she still felt guilty
“We’ll talk about this when we’re back in Emperion. By the way, I forgot to ask, why did you suddenly go. abroad? Do you have work?”
Nathaniel paused and said that it was because he wanted to surprise her, then decided to end it there.
“Alright, it’s getting late. You probably haven’t rested well, with so many things going on.”
The moon was high in the sky. Hesper didn’t notice it, but she was relieved, and her eyelids were suddenly really heavy. Her mind was more exhausted than her body. She tucked away what Nathaniel said about the surprise and said good night, then was soon unconscious.
In the night breeze, the screen lit up.
“Good night, Hesper.”
The next day, Hesper packed up Renfrew’s things and sent him back to the Duvals.
She hesitated about it but finally decided that if she wanted to take the Duvals down, she would have to be very careful every day from now on. Renfrew wasn’t a burden, but she had very limited time. She couldn’t be sure that she would be able to take good care of him.
“Mom, are you leaving me…?” Renfrew’s eyes were filled with hurt. “Please don’t send me away. I’ll be good. Did Daddy make you angry? I don’t want to be away from you. I don’t want to be a kid without a
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: A Spoonful of Sugar: Don't Beg for Love