Chapter 380

Barry Fairhaven had called Jareth into an urgent meeting when Thaddeus' frantic call interrupted. Without hesitation, Jareth excused himself, ignoring the bewildered stares of his colleagues as he bolted toward Sunset Ridge.

"What the hell—?"

Before he even reached the gates, thick plumes of smoke curled into the sky, turning his blood to ice. He sprinted inside, heart hammering.

Thaddeus stood in the backyard, methodically feeding items into a blazing metal barrel.

The flames cast eerie shadows across his ashen face, his expression hollow, like a marble statue amidst ruins.

Jareth's stomach dropped. "Thad? What are you doing?"

Before he could react, Thaddeus tossed another object into the fire.

A photograph.

Of him and Acacia.

"Did you bring me here after I was drugged?" Thaddeus' voice was eerily calm.

"Yeah. I knew this place was safe. Didn’t you used to come here all the time?" Jareth’s pulse spiked. "I couldn’t take you back to Windermere Estate in that state, and my place wasn’t an option. This was the only choice."

Thaddeus' eyes snapped open. "Did you call Evadne?"

Jareth swallowed. "You kept begging for her while delirious. I thought I was helping." His gaze darted around. "Wait—where is she? Did she leave?"

A deafening crash shattered the air.

Thaddeus kicked the barrel over, embers exploding like fireworks.

Jareth barely shielded his face in time, but the sparks still seared holes into his designer suit, singeing his hair.

"Jesus Christ, Thad! Are you trying to cremate me too?" He batted at the smoldering fabric.

Thaddeus swayed, sweat-drenched and trembling, his eyes burning with raw fury.

"How could you bring her here?"

"What’s wrong with this place?" Jareth demanded, baffled.

"This villa was a gift for Acacia." Thaddeus' voice cracked. "And you dragged Evadne into it. Were you trying to destroy her? Make her hate me?"

Jareth recoiled.

In all their years of friendship, he’d never seen Thaddeus unravel like this—never directed that rage at him.

Evadne meant everything to him.

"Thad, I didn’t know."

"I told Gordon to sell this place months ago." Thaddeus clawed at his hair, voice breaking. "All of Acacia’s things—I ordered them destroyed. If I’d known Evadne would see—"

His knees buckled.

Jareth lunged, catching him before he hit the ground. "Thad! What’s wrong? Are you sick?"

"Jareth." Thaddeus' fingers dug into the dirt, tears glistening. "The one thing Evadne couldn’t bear was my past with Acacia. When she saw those photos... it was over. We’re over."

"Bullshit!" Jareth’s throat tightened. "This is my fault! You’ve been drowning in work, barely holding it together. I should’ve handled this. I’ll fix it—I’ll explain to Evadne!"

Thaddeus gripped his arm, shaking his head with a broken laugh. "Explaining won’t erase how I hurt her."

Jareth’s breath hitched.

Was there anyone who suffered more in love than this man?

Upstairs, Thaddeus collapsed into bed, exhaustion swallowing him whole.

Jareth watched, gut twisting. The PTSD episodes were worsening. If this leaked, everything Thaddeus had built would crumble.

Gordon arrived, face drawn with guilt. "Mr. Fairhaven, I—"

"Not your fault." Jareth scrubbed a hand over his face. "I’m the idiot who screwed this up. But Evadne won’t even see me now."

"I’ll resign," Gordon said hoarsely. "If my failure cost Mr. Abernathy her forgiveness—"

"Don’t be stupid. He needs you." Jareth exhaled sharply. "Just keep this quiet. Especially from Hamilton."

Gordon nodded grimly.

Exhausted, Jareth returned to the penthouse he shared with Mari.

The moment the door opened, she launched herself at him, wrapping around him like a koala. "Jareth!"

"Call me honey," he murmured, kissing her flushed cheeks.

"Honey," she whispered, melting against him.

Their lips met, slow and deep, until Jareth carried her to the bedroom, stripping her gently before drawing a bath.

"I can do it myself," Mari protested weakly as he lifted her into the steaming water.

"Where’s the fun in that?" His hands slid over her curves, mischief glinting in his eyes.

Mari shivered. "Bathing with you is... exhausting."

"You don’t like it?" He feigned offense.

"I love it." Her shy confession reignited him.

Later, as he toweled her off, Mari studied his quiet expression. "Something’s wrong."

Jareth hesitated, then confessed everything—Thaddeus’ breakdown, Evadne’s rage, his own guilt.

Mari’s eyes widened. "Evadne and Thaddeus... they’ve been together before."

"What?"

"Two years ago." She bit her lip. "I saw her sneak into his room one night. He came home drunk, and... they didn’t leave until morning."

Jareth’s jaw dropped. "You never told him?"

"Evadne didn’t want him to know." Mari’s voice trembled. "She was terrified he’d despise her for taking advantage."

Jareth pulled her close, heart aching. "The bastard wronged her and doesn’t even remember."

"Can they fix this?" Mari whispered.

"They have to." Jareth kissed her hair, praying he wasn’t lying. "If she still loves him, there’s hope."

Ashbourne Hospital.