Love's Redemption (Chris and Maddie) novel Chapter 353

I never imagined that he lived such a hard life behind closed doors.

"But Ian was only human. He got tired too. I'd catch him sneaking out in the middle of the night to smoke. And it broke my heart to see that every time. I knew it was my fault that he was so stressed," Jewel said, shaking her head slightly.

"I wanted to leave him—not just for my sake and not because I didn't love him anymore. It was because I loved him so much that I couldn't stand to see him so worn out."

Jewel's words painted her in a new light.

"Well, he's not tired anymore. And he never will be again," I muttered under my breath.

Jewel caught the irony in my voice.

"Madeline, you've never lived a day in my shoes. You'll never understand what it's like," she said loudly, almost screaming.

She looked me in the eye. After a moment, her anger slowly faded.

"Madeline, as for Ian's death, I swear I'd never meant to hurt Ian. I just wanted him to see me betray him, so he'd finally leave me on his own. I wanted to set him free."

"The car accident wasn't your doing?" I asked in a low voice.

"No, it wasn't. Ian was too good to me. I'm not a monster. How could I ever hurt him?" Jewel shook her head vigorously.

"But in the end, he still died because of you."

I didn't let her off the hook, keeping her weighed down by the guilt of Ian's death.

Jewel's eyes faltered as she looked at me before lowering her head. "I'll pay him back in the next life."

"You're so evil that I bet if Ian meets you in the next life, he'll probably run the other way."

I didn't hold back as I confronted her, with each word more cutting than the last. If she wasn't pregnant, I might have stepped out of the car and given her a few slaps.

I remembered Chris telling me that his best friend, Ian, was devoted to his loved ones. He would choose his wife over his life. Ian had treated Jewel like a goddess, and Chris had never seen anyone dote on their wife the way Ian did.

Now, hearing Jewel's words, all I felt was heartache for Ian. He had been too naive.

Loving someone was one thing. But when that love became unbalanced, it would only lead to destruction.