NovelOnlineWhen he first found out, he'd been angry, hurt, unable to believe she'd never loved him. But in the end, he never
showed any of it to Elodie.
The whole thing felt absurd.
He didn't want to confront her and make a scene.
So what did he do? He took a four-month overseas assignment and stayed in London for what felt like forever.
On his desk, he kept their only photograph together-a stiff city hall wedding portrait, framed and a little faded.
There were days when his emotions got the better of him and he'd throw the fraway, only to fish it out of
the trash and set it back in its place.
He'd given himself plenty of tto think.
Elodie had married him because scheming relatives and outside pressure had left her no real choice. If she
hadn't been forced, she would never have accepted the situation. Ivan had been sent away for three years
because of a disastrous misstep in a Harcourt project, and with Ivan gone, Elodie decorated their marital home
with care-proof enough that she'd at least considered trying to make things work with Ivan.
He used to be angry that he meant nothing to her, but deep down, he knew he'd been the interloper, that
everyone had used her for their own ends.
He clung to her, unable to let go, but he didn't want to trap her in the nof love, either.
He wrestled with himself for a long time.
He knew Elodie's nature-she was always putting others first, always willing to sacrifice for everyone else. Maybe
she'd stay with him out of guilt, out of duty to the Harcourt family, and just accept a lifetof compromise.
She was always the one to yield, even if it meant losing herself.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtHe had considered, more than once, just pretending he knew nothing, keeping her by his side forever; he
resented that her heart was elsewhere, envied Ivan's luck, and even thought that, if Elodie tried to leave, he
could find ways to make her stay.
Even if she ended up hating him for it.
He wasn't magnanimous enough to let her go easily.
But the situation was a mess-on his side, it was all political infighting and external threats, and on Elodie's,
everyone was pressuring and exploiting her. Did he really want to becjust another person weighing her
down?
What if Ivan got out? What would she want then? And with the rumors swirling about him and Sylvie, Elodie
would have every reason and excuse to walk away -who could blher? Who could stop her? If the choice was
up to her, what would she decide?
But making that decision wasn't easy.
It took him nearly two years to convince himself what he had to do.
He admitted to himself that his actions were often ruled by emotion. He'd used Sylvie as a pawn-giving Elodie a
chance for revenge, a stepping stone, and, even if he wouldn't admit it out loud, a way to provoke just the
slightest flicker of jealousy or affection from her, to compete with Ivan for her attention.
He wasn't as rational as he pretended to be.
Still, as for Ivan, the man he'd becupon release he had no respect for him at all.
Elodie's heart thudded in her chest.
She'd never seen this side of Jarrod before.
He'd never-never-spoken of any of this.
He'd simply carried it all in silence, year after year.
But as for changing her last name...
That had happened right after her mother passed away. The Harcourt family's coldness, Malcolm's
indifference-it all made her want to cut every last tie. Ivan had made the suggestion at just the right moment.
The Thorne family was small and fragile, and she didn't want it to disappear without a trace.
As for the marital home...
It wasn't the future she and Ivan had planned together. It was just her own little dream. When Ivan asked about
it, she'd imagined that one day, when she had the means, she would buy a house for herself-a place that
belonged wholly to her, a true safe haven, not just another borrowed room in the Harcourt household. Her idea
of "home" was tangible, something she'd longed for ever since so much of her life had been taken from her.
But all those things—her new last name, the apartment—just so happened to be
tangled up with Ivan, making misunderstanding almost inevitable.
And yet...
She never offered any explanation.
Both of them—whatever the reasons-had wasted enough time.
Now that they'd agreed to leave each
other's lives, she didpyat 4g!
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more ehtafyi¥rients. The content is
on novelenglish.net! Read the latest
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmchapter there!
Jarrod kept his eyes on her,
searching her face for any sign she
might challenge him on the things he
cared about. Only sey ewes m
il Shean press further did
he finally let out a slow breath. He
bent forward, resting his forehead
against her shoulder, his voice low
and rough with emotion. The content
is on novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
“Elodie, | know I'm not generous. |
have my faults, my selfishness Gut
you nevey asked orfriudr, and | have
n-right—no right at all—to deny you a
bit of The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
freedom."
wf
"If Ivan really calls off the engagement this time, what will you do?"
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