His Ex Wife Is A Billionaire

Chapter 491

Thaddeus gazed at Evadne’s pallid, haggard face, his heart aching beyond words.

“I want to be with Evadne forever. But Jareth, I can’t be that selfish. Evadne’s family isn’t like mine. I would give up everything for her, but if she were to lose her family for me, do you think I could live with myself? Without the blessings and company of her family, can she truly be happy and content?”

Thaddeus shook his head in agony, his voice hoarse as he repeated, “I’ve already taken too much from her. I’ve almost ruined her. Jareth, I can’t hurt her anymore; I can’t let her lose anymore. I just can’t.”

“Is that what you think? But have you ever asked Evadne what she wants?”

Jareth, seeing the turmoil in his friend, furrowed his brows, “It’s a stormy night out there. Evadne must have suffered a lot to come and find you. Family is important, of course. But right now, Evadne cares more about you; she wants to be with you. If you force yourself to let her go for the sake of what you call happiness, then a danger greater than tonight’s might occur, and it could end in tragedy. Thaddeus, don’t come to regret it.”

Jareth’s words struck deep, piercing Thaddeus’s heart.

Thaddeus remembered Evadne mentioning their child, begging him to save their little one. Although she was delirious with fever, wasn’t that the wound she had suppressed in her heart, hidden beneath her hearty smiles, a pain so raw upon touch?

“How do you do it, Evadne?

How do you manage to smile at my detestable face every day, to be so, so kind to me?”

In front of his closest friend, Thaddeus could no longer hold back and burst into tears, slapping himself hard on the face!

“Thad! What the hell are you doing?!”

Jareth’s eyes widened in shock, hurriedly grabbing his hand, “Man up, Thad! Self–pity isn’t going to fix anything! If it did, I’d grab all the kitchen knives right now and let you stab yourself to your heart’s content!”

The doctor quickly arrived to treat Evadne.

Thaddeus sat by the bed, staring deeply at Evadne’s pale face, pressing her lukewarm hand to his burning lips, kissing it silently. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“She’s running a fever; it’s serious.”

The doctor administered a fever–reducing shot and started an IV, “Had it been any later, there could have been complications with her heart, making it more difficult to handle. However, Mr. Abernathy, I suggest you take Ms. Ashbourne to the hospital at dawn. My facilities here are limited, and I can’t provide her with the best care, only temporarily alleviate the fever. If it spikes again. tomorrow night, you must go to the hospital.”

Thaddeus’s trembling hand brushed Evadne’s sweaty forehead. It was still hot to the touch, hoping that by dawn, all would be well.

“By the way, Mr. Abernathy, did Ms. Ashbourne sustain any injuries to her hand? Has it been fractured?” The doctor suddenly asked, puzzled.

Thaddeus was taken aback, “Fractured? What do you mean?”

“Look at her left little finger; my experience tells me that it’s been fractured before, or severely torn ligaments. Even if it healed, it would probably leave some impairment.”

Thaddeus’s pupils shook, his heart pounding!

“Impossible! How could this happen?!” Jareth was utterly astonished.

“Looks like it’s an old injury, perhaps due to lack of proper care after the initial injury.”

Jareth became more perplexed, “Evadne is from the Ashbourne family, which would call an ambulance over a scratch on her hand. How could they ignore something as serious as a fracture!

Even if the pinky isn’t used much, it’s still a disability, isn’t it?”

A disability?!

Thaddeus’s breath hitched, clutching Evadne’s delicate hand tighter.

He remembered asking Evadne about her little finger before, but she had deflected the question, unwilling to answer him directly. What had happened that she avoided talking about it?

After the doctor left, Lily brought clean pajamas, and then she and Jareth left the room.

Thaddeus personally changed Evadne into her pajamas, then brought over a basin of water and knelt down to clean her

mud–stained feet with a wet towel.

Her alabaster feet, usually so exquisite he would never feel enough touching them, now bore scars and dried grime. The sight tore at his heart.

“Evadne. I wanted to bring you happiness, but look at what I’ve brought you instead.”

Thaddeus closed his eyes, his breath ragged, a deep, muffled sob escaping from his throat. His phone vibrated, a call from Mr. Murray.

Wiping his eyes, Thaddeus stood up and walked to the window to answer, “Murray, how’s Grandpa doing?”

“Mr. Hamilton Abernathy is fine, just worried sick about Ms. Ashbourne. He only went to bed late because of her. Mr. Thaddeus Abernathy, have you found Ms. Ashbourne? Mr. Hamilton Abernathy was asking before he fell asleep,” Mr. Murray’s voice was filled with concern.

“She’s been found. Tell Grandpa when he wakes up not to worry. I’ll stay with her always.”

Just not sure how long ‘always‘ would be.

“Mr. Thaddeus Abernathy, I’m sorry.”

Mr. Murray’s voice was heavy with guilt, “It’s my fault. If I had told you sooner about Ms. Ashbourne’s miscarriage, none of this would have happened.”

“It’s not your fault. Today’s tragedy is all by my own hands.”

Thaddeus fell silent, and then suddenly remembered something!

Three Christmases ago, he remembered that day, he was on a business trip abroad, inspecting a project.

Because of the time difference, when the car accident happened back home, it was daytime where he was, it was impossible not to receive a call.

“Murray, you said Evadne called me, but I didn’t pick it up?” Thaddeus tensed up again.

“Yes, Ms. Ashbourne tried to reach you right away.”

Mr. Murray let out a sigh, “It’s all water under the bridge now, and thank goodness Mr. Hamilton Abernathy is doing just fine. You shouldn’t beat yourself up over it. Back then, your place at the firm was shaky; you were always jetting off on business trips, so busy you hardly had time for a sandwich. When the call came through, it wasn’t like you ignored it on purpose.”

Suddenly, Thaddeus jolted as if struck by lightning, his shoulders shaking! It all came rushing back to him!

That day, he was toiling away at the Abernathy Group’s regional office when Acacia Stirling barged in, hell–bent on dragging him to some shindig.

He was frantic to get to a meeting and turned Acacia down, which set her off. She threw one of her classic fits and dunked his phone right into the fish tank.

So, was that when Evadne’s life–saving call had come through? In an instant, a chasm of darkness opened before Thaddeus‘ eyes. “Mr. Thaddeus Abernathy? Mr. Thaddeus Abernathy? You’ve gone quiet; are you all right?” Mr. Murray asked, his voice laced with

concern.

At that moment, Thaddeus, bracing himself against the window sill, felt his towering frame begin to crumble inch by inch, his

spirit teetering on the edge of collapse.

The next day.

As Evadne’s fever finally broke, Thaddeus felt the weight on his heart lift ever so slightly.

When she opened her eyes and saw the man she loved right before her, she dove into his arms, the two hearts beating in unison as they clung to each other with all their might.

“Thaddeus, this isn’t a dream, is it?”

Evadne looked up with her tear–swollen face, pinching Thaddeus‘ gaunt cheeks until they turned red. Most people pinched themselves, but this missy pinched someone else. Quite the sprite.

But Thaddeus didn’t feel a twinge of pain, his eyes brimming with bliss as he fondly stroked her hair, “It’s no dream, Evadne. It’s me. If you don’t believe it, touch me again.”

“Oh, thank goodness, thank goodness!”

Evadne buried herself in his embrace once more, her strong facade crumbling as she sobbed aloud. She pinched hard, and she cried loud. The little lady must be on the mend.

After comforting each other for a while, Thaddeus pressed his lips to her ear, his voice heavy with guilt, “Evadne. I’m sorry, so sorry. Once you’re well, you can hit me, punish me as much as you want.”

“Why would I do that? Everything’s fine, isn’t it?”

Evadne’s bright eyes blinked, “Have you got a mistress? Been letting your heart wander while I was gone?”

Thaddeus turned green, “Evadne.”

“Just kidding.”

Evadne pinched his face again, her heart aching at how thin he had become, “You’ve lost so much weight. Are you trying to make me worry on purpose?”

Tears from the night before still marked Thaddeus‘ face, his fingers intertwined tightly with hers, yet he remained silent for a long while.

After much deliberation, he decided not to speak of it and instead covered her lips with his, giving her a sweet, lingering kiss.

He would shoulder her grievances and pain, and for the rest of his life, he would repay her in kind, even if it shattered him to pieces.

When Marilla woke up and learned that Thaddeus and Evadne had come to visit, her pretty, fresh face lit up with excitement. She wanted to go and see Evadne, but Jareth wrapped his arms around her from behind, “Sweetheart, let’s give your sister–in–law and your brother some alone time. They’ve had it tough.”

“Ugh, but I miss her so much,” Marilla’s eyes were dewy with anticipation.

“Don’t you miss me?”

Jareth turned his little wife to face him, his eyes pleading, “I was up all night working, and you don’t miss me?”

“Well, I can see you every day,” Marilla looked puzzled.

Jareth’s mouth turned down in a mock pout, looking pitifully at her.

That was it; it was over. While he was still full of passion, his wife had settled into comfy domesticity, finding him neither exciting

nor new!

In a panic, Jareth’s arms wrapped tighter around Marilla’s waist as he leaned in for a deep, fierce kiss that nearly melted her into his embrace. After a long while, they parted, Marilla’s eyes soft, their breaths and lips still intertwined.

“Be good, can you wait a bit longer to see your brother and sister–in–law, hm?” Jareth’s fingers traced her lips, moistened by their kiss, pleased with her innocent yet passionate response.

“Okay, then.”

Marilla, still dazed from the kiss, agreed softly, “I’ll go bake a cake for her, she loves sweets. I’ll bring it to her later.”

With his little wife set on showing off her baking skills, Jareth couldn’t agree more.

Lily quickly gathered the ingredients and tools, and Marilla rolled up her sleeves, donning her apron and buzzing around the kitchen like a busy little bee Jareth couldn’t have been more in love.

–

“Darling, I’m hungry; feed me a bite,” Jareth half–sat on the counter, leaning towards Marilla with his mouth open, waiting.

Marilla, feeling playful, scooped up a dollop of frosting and without warning, smeared it on his face, then burst into giggles.

“Oh, you’re getting naughty! Just wait till I gobble you up!”

As the two played out a scene fit for a slapstick comedy, the doorbell rang.

“Jareth, did you invite someone over?” Marilla was still pinned beneath him, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Jareth’s brows furrowed in confusion, Firstly, he rarely entertained guests in private. Secondly, few people knew where their cozy

love nest was.

“Lily, see who it is,” Jareth ordered with a firm tone.

“Yes, Mr. Fairhaven.”

Lily promptly went to check, but time passed, and she didn’t return. Suddenly, a loud thud echoed from the foyer, startling them

both!

“Marilla, stay here; don’t come out. I’ll go check!”

As Jareth reached the living room and saw the visitor, his pupils contracted sharply, and he gasped in shock!

There, the usually agile Lily was effortlessly subdued by a strikingly handsome man, who pinned her wrists against the wall with

casual ease!

“This place is nice. I like it,” Elvis’s piercing gaze swept the room, finally resting on Jareth’s stunned expression. His lips curled into a smile, “Maybe I should get one too, be neighbors?”