His Ex Wife Is A Billionaire

Watching Jareth wrap Marilla in his embrace, Aaron’s eyes brimmed

with a stinging sensation, and he couldn’t help but capture the

moment with his camera.

“Aaron, I’m dying to know, when did you figure it out?” Lily, dressed as a pink bunny, couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer.

“Maybe it’s just a cop’s hunch.”

Aaron didn’t tell her that love, that kind of thing, can never be hidden, no matter how hard you try.

The moment he treasured Marilla in his arms, he knew it was Jareth.

“Let’s let Mr. Fairhaven and Ms. Marilla stay together a little longer. We promise not to bother you anymore,” Lily pleaded.

“Don’t worry about me. As long as Marilla’s happy, that’s all that matters.” Aaron didn’t realize how hoarse and gravel–filled his voice sounded as he spoke.

Even with reluctance tugging at his heart, Jareth still brought Marilla back to Aaron.

Any longer, and he might give himself away.

“What’s wrong? Why the tears?” Aaron offered her a tissue, asking gently.

“It’s nothing, really.” Marilla mopped at her eyes, her voice muffled.

Aaron knew the reason for her tears all too well. His heart was bittersweet, but he still managed to flash her a bright smile,

“Are you hungry? Come on, Aaron’s gonna take you out for some good

eats!”

14:25

The mascot dog watched them move further away, then, with a heavy head and stiff limbs, trudged in the opposite direction.

Lily followed him to a secluded spot before removing her stifling bunny head. Her hair clung to her cheeks, damp with sweat, as she gulped down fresh air.

“Mr. Jareth, you should take yours off too. It’s suffocating, isn’t it?”

Lily called out to him twice, but he stood motionless, facing the wall.

Startled, she quickly moved to remove his dog head.

“Mr. Jareth.”

In the next second, Lily’s eyes widened in shock and confusion.

Jareth’s handsome, sweat–drenched face was evident, his hair sticking to his forehead, his chest heaving with emotion, his normally stunning eyes now red and swollen, almost too puffy to open.

Even the dog head was damp with sweat and tears.

“Mr. Jareth.” Lily’s voice choked with sympathy, wanting to comfort

him but at a loss for words.

Jareth braced himself against the wall, as if his body had been drained of all strength.

The lover who once was within reach was now so hard to approach.

Despite being mentally prepared, the stark reality of loss was almost

too much for him to bear.

“Why did she cry?”

After a while, Jareth’s voice broke the silence, hoarse and shattered.

Lily caught her breath, about to respond, but Jareth found his own

answer,

14:26

“Could it be that the dance reminded her of our past? Does Marilla still love me?”

It was a question loaded with doubt.

The confident heir of the Fairhaven family was losing the unshakeable self–assurance he once had in this tangled web of love and pain.

“I believe, deep down, Mrs. Fairhaven still loves you. No one can replace you,” Lily answered with fiery conviction.

Love lies beyond mountains and seas, yet mountains and seas can be crossed.

For love can conquer all.

Jareth wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes, turned away from Lily, and took a deep breath,

“Just let me stay with her a bit longer.”

After dinner, Aaron and Marilla enjoyed a parade of floats.

As night fell, the much–anticipated fireworks show was about to begin. Aaron had reserved the best spot for viewing, and they stood side by side, gazing expectantly at the darkened sky.

Not far off, Jareth in his black coat and Lily blended into the crowd, gazing at Marilla’s graceful figure, those slender shoulders he once couldn’t get enough of.

In his eyes, she was more beautiful than any dazzling display of fireworks.

The cheerful music filled the amusement park, and then, a firework tracing a stunning arc shot into the sky, blossoming into a brilliant cluster against the velvet night.

14:26

“Wow, Aaron! Look!”

Marilla’s eyes widened with delight, pointing to the sky, “It’s so beautiful! That one’s gorgeous!”

“It is beautiful.”

But with his heart’s desire next to him, Aaron couldn’t care less about the fireworks, staring unblinkingly at Marilla’s lovely profile. Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Opportunities like this were rare for him.

And he would treasure every extra glance he could get.

As the grand fireworks filled the sky, and cheers erupted around them, Aaron couldn’t hold back his emotions any longer. He mustered the courage to confess to the girl beside him,

“Marilla, I like you. Would you be my girlfriend?”

His words were clear, his tone steady, yet quickly drowned out by the surrounding laughter.

Marilla’s gaze, reflecting the fireworks, seemed captivated, and she remained silent for a long time.

Aaron’s heart fluttered with hope and then sank in resignation.

She probably hadn’t heard him.

Maybe it was for the best that she hadn’t.

“Aaron, thank you for everything you’ve done for me, and for your affection.”

Marilla slowly turned her gentle gaze upon his stunned face, calm and tender, “I hope everything goes your way, that you find someone who has eyes and a heart only for you. You’ll find her, Aaron.”

Aaron stared at her, blinked back the sting in his eyes, and asked with

14:26

a trembling voice,

“Do you still love him?”

Marilla’s lips curved in a soft smile, like a crescent moon casting a gentle glow,

“Yes, I still love him.”

Aaron lowered his gaze, finally allowing a smile of relief, and looked up at the fireworks he had missed almost entirely.

He had expected it.

After holding it in for so long, torturing himself for so long, she finally said it. And he was genuinely happy for her.

As the fireworks show neared its end, Jareth’s phone vibrated incessantly in his pocket.

Without taking his eyes off Marilla, he lifted the phone to his ear,

“Hello?”

“Jareth! Jareth, it’s me!” A woman’s voice, panicked and desperate, came through.

Jareth’s brow furrowed, “April?”

“I’m being chased by Gary’s men, and I can’t get out of Elmsworth! I’m at my wit’s end! Please help me find a way out!”

The plea echoed across the line as the fireworks continued to burst in the sky, a backdrop to the unfolding drama.