Chapter 387
Niamh shot back immediately.
“Because your hand’s injured… In your condition, even if you went up against Marina in front of everyone, you wouldn’t win. You’d just embarrass yourself-” Before Jonathan could finish, Niamh cut him off, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
“So what if I make a complete fool of myself? It doesn’t affect you at all, does it, Mr. Thomas?”
“Is that really what you think of me?”
Jonathan’s expression changed instantly, a flash of anger in his eyes.
“You think I’m stopping you just to save my own reputation?”
“What else?” Niamh retorted, then feigned sudden understanding. “Oh, right–there’s also the part where you’re clearing the way for Marina. Not like you haven’t done that before.”
“Niamh!” Jonathan snapped, unable to hide his frustration.
That wasn’t what he meant at all.
The restoration contest at the Solmaris Museum had drawn a crowd of renowned jewelry designers, collectors, and art/restoration experts–every one of them a heavyweight in the field. With Niamh’s hand still healing, she’d never be able to do her best. If she showed up now, she’d only confirm the whispers about her declining skills and hand her competitors an easy win. It would be professional suicide–unless Niamh was ready to walk away from jewelry design for good.
Jonathan suddenly realized that was a real possibility.
He’d witnessed Niamh’s craftsmanship firsthand more than once; he no longer doubted her talent. But jewelry work, like surgery or illustration, demanded precision–steady, skillful hands. Once those were damaged, the glory days were over, no matter how gifted you’d once been.
Was Niamh really considering giving it up?
But what would she do instead? For a moment, an image popped into Jonathan’s mind–Niamh as a housewife.
Come to think of it, that was the role she’d held the longest, and the one where
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she’d always seemed most capable. Now that her hand was injured and her career prospects dim, maybe she’d settle for that again.
Except…
Jonathan knew, deep down, that even if Niamh became a full–time homemaker again, she’d never be his wife anymore.
He stared at her, eyes burning, searching her face for answers. Niamh could feel the intensity of his gaze, the way his expression kept shifting, as if there were a thousand things he wanted to say.
But Jonathan didn’t utter another word. He just turned and left her hospital room in silence.
The room felt emptier than before. Niamh let out a heavy sigh.
“I really don’t want to see you sighing over that jerk.”
From the open doorway of the next room, Elmer poked his head out, concern written across his face.
Niamh just shrugged and managed a smile.
To her, Jonathan really was a jerk–always scheming for Marina’s benefit. But from Marina’s perspective, he probably looked like the world’s most devoted man.
Meanwhile, at a dimly lit bar across town, Marina was drinking alone.
She had no one left.
She couldn’t call Jonathan.
She couldn’t call Preston.
And Michael had dropped off the map ever since he’d gone abroad for business.
“When I come back… I’ll get back everything I lost…”
Marina muttered to herself, propping her head on one hand, a bitter, self–mocking smile on her lips.
Back in Blackspire, during those endless, hopeless days, it was Jona n who’d kept her going. She’d told herself, over and over, that if she could just return, she’d reclaim everything she’d lost–she’d be the center of attention again, everyone’s little princess.
“Niamh…”
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Chapter 30
She took another drink, crushing the ice between her teeth in frustration.
Eventually, Edna found her and took her home.
Edna didn’t know what Marina’s problem was this time, but seeing her this drunk,
she was sure it had something to do with Jonathan.
“Marina, you can’t let this get you down. No matter what Jonathan said, as long as you’re good enough, he’ll come back to you… he always does…”
