**TITLE: HereSelf 531**
**Chapter 531 The Unequal Relationship**
A sharp pang pierced Ruby’s heart, an ache so profound it felt as if it might consume her. She could hardly bear the weight of her daughter’s struggles, the unfairness of it all pressing down like a heavy blanket.
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“If your mother had found you sooner, with the kind of support that a family like the Stones could provide, you wouldn’t have allowed yourself to be treated so poorly, would you? Let’s be honest here: it was your isolation that made you vulnerable. You were terrified of upsetting Jensen, afraid he would walk away and leave you alone once more. From the very beginning, this relationship was lopsided.”
As Ruby spoke, the emotion swelled within her, threatening to spill over in tears.
My daughter. How could life have dealt her such an unfair hand?
In that moment, Natalie experienced a sudden clarity, a light breaking through the fog of her past.
It’s true. I loved Jensen deeply, but the reality was that external circumstances had tainted that love from the start. Only now am I beginning to understand the full weight of that truth.
It was no surprise, then, that Jensen had shamelessly gone ahead and registered his marriage with Sharon. After all, how could he respect a Natalie who was so emotionally dependent on him?
“Mom, that’s all behind me now. Please don’t feel sad for me. I’m in a good place. Baron treats me wonderfully,” Natalie reassured her mother, squeezing Baron’s hand tightly as if to draw strength from him.
Baron, aware of Natalie’s affection for him, couldn’t help but notice that it lacked the wild intensity she had once felt for Jensen.
A wave of jealousy washed over him, but he fought to quell it. After all, he was now Natalie’s legal husband, and that thought slowly soothed his restless heart.
It doesn’t matter. We have a lifetime ahead of us, and I will gradually push Jensen out of her heart for good.
Baron gazed at the way Natalie held his hand, interpreting it as both a gesture of reassurance and perhaps a hint of guilt.
A smile crept onto his lips despite the turmoil within.
As long as my wife is willing to invest her heart in me, that is more than enough.
Taking a deep breath, Baron composed himself and asked softly, “So, Jensen doesn’t know about this back door?”
“That’s correct. He has no idea. I always felt a sense of security after I double-locked that back door. If I’m not mistaken, Rachel must have discovered it and used it to sneak in and take Jensen. The door actually opens up to a shop. I knew the owner well, so I often used her side entrance for coming and going. It seems Rachel might have done the same. What do you think? Should we check it out now? We still have time, and perhaps we can uncover a clue.”
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