Chapter 591

Watching from the sidelines, Lily felt the heartache as she saw the torment in Jareth’s fiery eyes, his desperation palpable. Initially, she too had not been in favor of Jareth’s “tough love” approach, fearing it too harsh for Marilla.

But the stark reality of Elspeth’s death sentence could not remain hidden forever. Better to deal with it now and rip off the Band–Aid than let the wound fester.

Yet, she had underestimated Jareth’s control over Marilla and the usually docile Marilla’s explosive strength when cornered.

“Lily, take Marilla back to her room to rest,” ordered Thaddeus, his voice laced with concern as he turned to Jareth. “You look like hell, too. Let Lily stay with Marilla.”

Lily gingerly lifted Marilla from Jareth’s embrace, easily sweeping her into her arms and ascending the staircase with unwavering steps.

The couple was left dumbfounded.

Jareth’s secretary, raised in the household since she was a girl, was proving to be worth her weight in gold.

“I just wanted for Marilla to face reality. I didn’t expect for it to turn out like this,” Jareth confessed, his chest heaving as if a bellows had been shoved inside, his whole being seeming to fry in an invisible frying pan. “Elspeth never truly cared for Marilla. I thought Marilla had come to accept that, that she wouldn’t.”

“You thought, you thought! Have you ever, for once, considered Marilla’s feelings in all of this?” Evadne exploded, closing the gap between them in two strides and grabbing Jareth by the collar. “From the moment you charmed her, brought her into your life, keeping her away from the Abernathy family, then parading her before the scrutinizing eyes of the Fairhaven elite – your grandfather, your mother! And now you impose your will upon her, assuming she’ll just accept and bear it? Where do you get this blind confidence? Have you ever truly considered Marilla? Have you seen things from her perspective? Have you ever cared about her feelings?”

“Evadne.” Thaddeus’s gaze faltered.

He wanted to interject but feared making matters worse, knowing his own words often lacked the necessary tact.

Reminiscing, Jareth felt a sharp pang in his heart, his eyes losing their luster.

He had never asked if Marilla was happy, if this was what she wanted.

compliance, her gentlenes, all made him overlook her true feelings. She agreed to everything he proposed, appreciated every

he

this was

and concern. “What you need to do is enter her tender world with enough love and patience, not carelessly drag her into your life, isolating her from the world, severing her normal social needs, and keeping her caged like a canary! Marilla has a passion for art, a raw talent that could make her a prodigious artist.

wasting Marilla. I’m not holding her back. In this lifetime, I only want

promises you can’t keep. This isn’t the first time, and certainly the most severe. How many more times will there be over the decades to come? Can you endure that? Can you persist? You’re not a patient man by nature. You’re accommodating and tolerant now only because you’re in the honeymoon phase of your relationship! But what about ten, twenty years from now, when your love and patience run out? Will you still care for Marilla as you do today? Will you

hoarse and choked, as he shouted back at Evadne, “You shouldn’t

Marilla. Back in the Abernathy household, none of us, including myself,

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Chapter 591

lips were tight, and her throat scorched from yelling. She had been harsh, but it was

healthy. Marilla’s condition meant she couldn’t steer the course of their emotions, and it was high time she gave Jareth a wakeup call. Otherwise,

can manifest as either hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity, and unfortunately, Marilla is the former. It’s often her keen sensitivity, her stronger–than–average empathy that makes her

of somber reflection. “Besides, Elspeth is her mother. Even though she’s a murderous fiend, irredeemable, a step back would remind us that Elspeth did raise Marilla when she was just a little girl. Her own mother sentenced to death, the victim

“Marilla said she wanted to see Elspeth. I didn’t want her to, I refused, and that’s how

exchanged a look, sighing in

stepped forward, his large hand resting on his brother’s shoulder. “Jareth, take Marilla to see Elspeth. They’re mother and daughter, after all. For better or worse, Marilla deserves that final goodbye.”

his heart in turmoil. “But Elspeth

That’s enough,” Thaddeus said, a faint smile playing

the pain his mother had suffered. It was the understanding

audible. “Jareth, I know you and Thaddeus are tight, but you have Marilla now. You’re

and Jareth were speechless.

is a betrayal. Her wish to see Elspeth one last time shows she’s pure–hearted, compassionate. If Marilla were like Glynnis, acting as if she popped out of

condition, Evadne decided not to leave that night, even if it meant staying awake to care for her.

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