Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3476

Nocturne frowned slightly. "He actually isn't home very often."

Marina felt a flicker of confusion. Hearing the way his mother had just spoken, she'd assumed his parents had a deeply loving marriage. Why wouldn't his father come home often?

It wasn't her place to pry into his family matters, so she turned her attention back to tossing fish food into the pond.

The conversation easily flowed back to their manga. Wyndham Moss had sent the finalized cover art for the upcoming animated adaptation to their group chat, asking for their feedback.

Because the romantic pairing had gained a massive following, the animation studio had amplified the emotional arc between the main characters. Nocturne thought it was a brilliant move, and Marina had no objections either.

The cover art heavily featured the two protagonists. Nocturne zoomed in on the details, a soft smile on his lips. "When I drew them, I imagined the two of us. Walking hand in hand, creating a masterpiece together."

Marina blinked in surprise. "You drew the cover?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I didn't trust anyone else to get it right."

He paused, looking thoughtful. "By the way, regarding the ending. Originally, we planned for the female lead to sacrifice herself. But I've changed my mind. I don't want her to die. I want her to survive alongside the hero. They could have kids, build a family... It fits perfectly with the theme of rebuilding a new world."

Marina furrowed her brows. "But if we do that, we'll have to rewrite huge chunks of the later plot."

The heroine was supposed to die three-quarters of the way through the story. Altering that meant rewriting the entire final act.

"Then we rewrite it," Nocturne said easily. "Look at the comments. The readers are practically begging for them to be together. If we kill her off now, there'll be a riot."

Marina held her ground. "We can't just bend the entire outline to cater to one segment of the fanbase. The story will lose its soul."

"But I honestly think it's a better narrative if she lives," he countered gently.

Marina sighed, considering it. "Let me think about it."

In the original draft, the hero was supposed to tackle the final, massive missions alone after her death. They were supposed to be brutal, action-packed, high-stakes scenes. If the heroine survived, the dynamics of those final battles would completely change, and they might lose that hard-hitting impact.

"It's fine," Marina said. "It's completely understandable that she wants you to find a girlfriend."

"She was never like this before," he said with a helpless laugh. "She started socializing with some of the other wives recently, and now she's caught the matchmaking bug."

Marina smiled. "Then you should probably hurry up and find someone."

"It's not that simple. I have to genuinely like her, and our personalities have to click."

They reached her car. Marina turned to wave. "I'm heading out. Thank your mom again for the hospitality."

"I hope you liked her enough to come back," he said, his gaze warm.

"I'll definitely visit when I have time." She waved again and climbed into the driver's seat.

"Text me when you get home," he called out.