His Ex-Wife Is A Billionaire (Evadne and Thaddeus) novel Chapter 602

Elspeth's heart quivered with excruciating pain as she faced her daughter's heart-wrenching questions.

Yes, she despised Thaddeus, but she had to admit that he was genuinely kind to Marilla. Even she, Marilla's own mother, couldn't compare to that kindness.

Now, looking back, her hatred for Thaddeus seemed to diminish.

But what could she do? Elspeth could only choose one path, and Cynthia, her enemy, was the one Frederic had chosen for her.

After a long pause, Elspeth finally spoke in a faint voice, "Back then, I was already carrying your sister. I wanted to secure a status for myself, to give my child a good life, a promising future."

"You got what you wanted. Dad accepted you, and your goals were met. But why did you have to kill Thaddeus's mother? Thaddeus never despised me or treated me coldly because I am your daughter! And Evadne. They treated me like their own sister, the care and love that I never experienced. It all came from them! They were my benefactors. How could you be so cruel?"

Marilla wasn’t naive; she knew of her mother's selfishness and understood the indifference she was shown.

She even felt deeply inferior and guilty.

She hated herself for not being as healthy as her sister, for not being a boy. Maybe then, her grandfather would have accepted her mother, and her mother wouldn't have to tread on thin ice at home, focusing her entire being on securing her position, living days filled with pretense and scheming.

But she never imagined that her mother, for her own selfish desires, would resort to murder!

"If my good days were bought with someone else's blood, I'd rather have never come into this world. I'd rather give up the identity of Ms. Abernathy!" Marilla's eyes reddened, her fingers clenched tight, as she trembled violently in Jareth's embrace.

"Darling, calm down, don't get upset."

Seeing her state, Jareth's heart raced, and he held her tighter, his chin resting on the top of her head as he gently soothed her, "Honey, didn't we agree? No matter what we discuss, you shouldn't get angry. It's bad for your health and won't do your condition any good."

Marilla clenched her teeth, leaning into the warmth of Jareth's arms, as her near-breaking emotions gradually steadied.

Elspeth's tear-filled eyes remained unblinking, large droplets fell from the corners, filled with painful remorse, "Back then, I was blinded by ambition, I was so desperate to rise above my class. As a child, I had enough of poverty, the endless supply of nearly expired food, the never-ending hand-me-down clothes. It made me feel so inferior, I never held my head high in front of others. Later, I was discovered and entered the entertainment industry. I climbed up with all my might, just not to live those days of hunger and cold again."

"But do you know what kind of life Thaddeus's mother had?"

Facing Elspeth's grievances, Jareth's eyes reddened with anger rather than sympathy, "Mrs. Winter and the unrecognized Thaddeus lived in a chaotic slum for five whole years! She was too weak to work, and it was five-year-old Thad who shouldered the family's burden, preventing them from starving! All Mrs. Winter wanted was a life free from hunger. Even after Frederic took her back to the Abernathy family, even though you were the mistress, she never thought of fighting you for status! It was you, insatiable and discontent, who for your own ends, killed an innocent and kind woman, almost leading to Thaddeus’s death! Elspeth, even if you are Marilla's mother, I must say this. Your death was divine retribution; it was what you deserved!"

Marilla looked at Elspeth's tear-soaked, pale face, her heart torn between pain and hatred, unable to utter a word.

"I know, nothing I say now makes a difference. The crimes I've committed, the life I owe Cynthia. I will pay for them."

Elspeth's tear-streaked face pressed against the glass, her eyes wide as she stared at her daughter, "Marilla! It's all my fault, it has nothing to do with you, please don't do anything foolish! You must go on living. You're still young, and Jareth adores you, your future is surely bright!"

She then looked at Jareth with concern, "Jareth, you will be good to Marilla, won't you? You will marry her, won't you?"