Chapter 591
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 Mari.
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 Mari and the usually docile Mari’s explosive
strength when cornered.
“Lily, take Mari back to her room to rest,” ordered Thaddeus, his voiceced with concern as he
turned to Jareth. “You look like hell, too. Let Lily stay with Mari.”
Lily gingerly lifted Mari 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 Mari 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 Mari. I thought Mari hade to ept that, that she
wouldn’t.”
–
“You thought, you thought! Have you ever, for once, considered Mari’s feelings in all of this?” Evadne
exploded, closing the gap between them in two strides and grabbing Jareth by the cor. “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 ept and bear it? Where do you get this blind
confidence? Have you ever truly considered Mari? 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 oftencked the
necessary tact.
Reminiscing, Jareth felt a sharp pang in his heart, his eyes losing their luster.
He had never asked if Mari was happy, if this was what she wanted.
Herpliance, her gentlenes, all made him overlook her true feelings. She agreed to everything he
proposed, appreciated every gift, even the passionate nights that left her breathless, always
whispering, “I love it, I love you, Jareth.”
But now, he suddenly realized he might have been wrong.
He thought he was being considerate, altruistically noble, never pondering whether this was the kind of
‘good‘ Mari desired or could withstand.
“Jareth, you and Mari may bothe from affluent families, but you’re from two entirely different
worlds,” Evadne continued, her voice a mix of anger and concern. “What you need to do is enter her
tender world with enough love and patience, not carelessly drag her into your life, isting her from the
world, severing her normal social needs, and keeping her caged like a canary! Mari has a passion for
art, a raw talent that could make her a prodigious artist. Have you ever seriously cultivated that talent?
Why not hire a teacher for her, send her to a prestigious school for further education? Or is her gift just
a means to amuse you each day? Do you realize you’re squandering her potential?”
Jareth felt as if a gaping hole had been torn in his chest, pain throbbing raw and real, “I’m not wasting
Mari. I’m not holding her back. In this lifetime, I only want Mari! You and Thad have known from the
start that I intended to marry her!”
“And what then? Repeat the same day over and over, possibly even worse than now,” Evadne shook
her head in disappointment. “If you can’t properly care for Mari, you shouldn’t make 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 toe? Can you endure that? Can you persist? You’re not a patient man by nature.
You’re amodating and tolerant now only because you’re in the honeymoon phase of your
rtionship! But what about ten, twenty years from now, when your love and patience run out? Will you
still care for Mari as you do today? Will you still kneel and hold her,fort her like you did this
morning?”
“I can! Why wouldn’t I be able to?” Jareth’s voice broke, hoarse and choked, as he shouted back at
Evadne, “You shouldn’t doubt my love for Mari! You shouldn’t insult me with your skepticism!”
“Enough, Jareth!” Thaddeus stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Evadne to shield her, his eyes
dark and serious. “She didn’t mean it like that; she’s just distressed for Mari. Back in the Abernathy
household, none of us, including myself, ever truly cared for Mari. The only one who’s always been
there for her was Evadne. Seeing Mari in such pain, Evadne feels it just as acutely. Her harsh words
are out of concern.”
Evadne’s lips were tight, and her throat scorched from yelling. She had been harsh, but it was out of
fear for Mari’s welfare.
She never meant to drive a wedge between them, but the current state of their rtionship was
anything but healthy. Mari’s condition meant she couldn’t steer the course of their emotions, and it
was high time she gave Jareth a wakeup call. Otherwise, the unintended hurt was a constant shadow.
“Autism can manifest as either hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity, and unfortunately, Mari is the
former. It’s often her keen sensitivity, her stronger–than–average empathy that makes her so
vulnerable to agitation, her actions so uncontroble,” she exined, her voice steady despite the
weight of her words.
Leaning against Thaddeus, Evadne’s face was a canvas 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 Mari when she was just a little girl. Her own mother sentenced to death, the victim her
beloved brother’s mother–it’s a double blow that would naturally shatter Mari. You should have seen
iting.”
Jareth’s fingers clenched tight, his gaze unfocused and scattered. “Mari said she wanted to see
Elspeth. I didn’t want her to, I refused, and that’s how things ended up like this. Did I really make a
mistake?”
Evadne and Thaddeus exchanged a look, sighing in unison.
After a moment, Thaddeus stepped forward, hisrge hand resting on his brother’s shoulder. “Jareth,
take Mari to see Elspeth. They’re mother and daughter, after all. For better or worse, Mari
deserves that final goodbye.”
Jareth looked stunned, his heart in turmoil. “But Elspeth is your enemy.”
“We separate the issues. Besides, we’ve had our revenge, she’s paid her dues.. That’s enough,”
Thaddeus said, a faint smile ying at the corners of his lips, a sense of release twinkling in his eyes.
It wasn’t about letting go of the hatred for Elspeth, nor was it about diminishing the pain his mother had
suffered. It was the understanding that clinging too fiercely to hatred could drown not just oneself in
agony but also those around you.
Evadne nodded in agreement, her sigh audible. “Jareth, I know you and Thaddeus are tight, but you
have Mari now. You’re a family. Can you put her first next time? Stop worrying about Thad.”
Thaddeus and Jareth were speechless.
“And don’t think Mari wanting to see Elspeth is a betrayal. Her wish to see Elspeth onest time
shows she’s pure–hearted,passionate. If Mari were like Glynnis, acting as if she popped out of a
rock, then you’d really have something to fear.”
Considering Mari’s unstable condition, Evadne decided not to leave that night, even if it meant
staying awake to care for her.
With Evadne staying, Thaddeus naturally wanted to be by her side.
Knowing Evadne’s need for good sleep, he called Gordon to bring over all of her essentials–her
nightgowns, skincare, aromatherapy–everything for just one night’s stay. He personally arranged the
bedroom, ensuring she’d have a peaceful rest.
At nightfall, Evadne went to check on Mari with Lily.
Thaddeus called Jareth to the dining room, opening a bottle of red wine to ease his mood.
Content ? N?velDrama.Org.
However, the usually self–proimed ‘god of wine, Jareth, was sullen, his desire to drinkpletely
absent.
“Jareth, I’ve been thinking. When Mari wakes up, maybe it’d be best for her to stay with Evadne for a
few days,” Thaddeus suggested with a serious tone.
Jareth, taken aback, stood up abruptly. “Thaddeus! What have I done to deserve this? Are you really
trying to take Mari away from me?”
Thaddeus’s brows knitted slightly. “It’s not about taking her away. Mari’s just unstable right now. A
few days with Evadne might help her rx.”
“Being with me makes you that uneasy? Am I that untrustworthy to you?”
Thaddeus paused, then spoke softly, “To be honest, if today’s incident is anything to go by, you’re not
putting us at ease.”
“Damn it!” Jareth’s eyes, narrow and red with anger, looked like they could shatter the wine bottle in his
grip.
“You’ve never been the most stable guy when ites to emotions. You’ve been trying, changing,
controlling yourself with Mari. But personality, it’s in your blood, etched in your bones. You’re nearly
thirty–change doesn’t happen overnight.”
Thaddeus’s gaze dropped, his next words almost too much for Jareth to bear. “Jareth, I know you love
Mari, but if this rtionship is proving too strenuous, too painful, then maybe it’s time to reconsider.
It’s not toote.”
Jareth’s forehead throbbed with visible veins. “Thaddeus, what are you saying?”
“But if after the passion fades, you can’t bear it, you want out, or worse, you start neglecting Mari,
then it won’t just be me, it’ll