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 find 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 kiss her softly on the lips, 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.
"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 finds 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."
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: His Ex-Wife Is A Billionaire (Evadne and Thaddeus)
Please upload further chapters...
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Where is the continuation of this story? You should not have started writing a story if you dont intend to continue till the end you left us hanging, thats very unprofessional as a writer....
Next chapter please.....
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Hurry up and load more better yet just load the whole book...