Chapter 790: The Only One Who Sacrificed Was Her Alone

Chapter 790: The Only One Who Sacrificed Was Her Alone

"Evelyn!" Edward tensed up.

Eric was such a tall, striking man, yet Evelyn was yanking him forward, his body going limp like every bone had been pulled out of him, as if he might fall apart at any moment.

"Eric... you wouldn't give Molly her freedom, kept saying it was to protect her... and what happened? You still ruined everything! You couldn't even hold the most basic line of keeping her physically safe!" Evelyn's tears pooled at the corners of her eyes, filled with fury and heartbreak. "You think you're so noble, willing to sacrifice everything for Molly. But in the end, what have you actually lost? The only one who's been paying the price, the only one who keeps losing, is Molly!"

"It was Molly who gave up her freedom, who put her reputation and her name on the line to stand by you! She could have stayed young and carefree forever, been our little sister, the sheltered princess of the Wellington family who never had to face the ugliness of the world! But instead, in the best years of her life, she chose to follow you, to give you everything, to rush headfirst into this cruel world for you, to learn how to be a caring, devoted wife for you!"

Beneath the weight of her anger, Evelyn didn't even realize she was crying. "She's already been trying so hard to meet you halfway, to accommodate you... she's done everything she possibly could to avoid causing you trouble! But in the end... why did it still come to this? What did Molly ever do wrong? Why does the Clark family get to treat her so cruelly, like she's nothing?"

Eric's heart felt like it had cracked into a thousand tiny pieces all at once. His lips trembled, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't put together a single complete sentence. "It's my fault... it's all my fault." He kept saying it, over and over, his face wet — rain or tears, impossible to tell — his damp hair falling in a mess over eyes that had once been so full of confidence.

"Before... whatever I gave her... she always said she liked it. She said she loved me... she said she wanted to be with me forever..."

"Because Molly never knew how to say no! Because everything Molly ever did came from one place — wanting to make you happy!" Evelyn shoved him hard, hard enough that his tall frame swayed and nearly gave way.

To make you happy. What a bitter irony, for a man who was always saying he'd spend his whole life spoiling Molly.

It turned out he was the one who'd been spoiled, the one who'd been indulged all along. The beautiful love story he was so proud of had been built entirely out of Molly's hurt, her suffering, and her soft, unguarded heart — all of it just to create a warm and gentle world for him.

"Evelyn, Eric knows he was wrong, and he does truly love Molly." Edward kept his voice low and soft, slipping off his suit jacket and gently draping it over her thin shoulders.

"Molly's world is simple and pure. All she ever wanted was to live a quiet, peaceful life." Evelyn rubbed her aching, swollen eyes and sniffled, her nose red from the cold. "But now... you've already dragged her into this mess, and she doesn't even have the strength to fight back. They're not even officially married yet, and the Clark Group is already using such vicious tactics against her. If she actually marries you one day, she'll be ground down by schemes and plots every single day. Can you keep your guard up for the rest of your life? As long as you're in power, those snakes hiding in the shadows of your family will never stop looking for ways to hurt her. Sooner or later, she'll break again."

No powerful family is ever clean. They're all arenas of greed and ambition, places that chew people up and spit them out. A warm, close-knit family like the Taylors — one where everyone genuinely looked out for each other — was almost unheard of among the wealthy elite.

"I'll handle it." After a long silence, Eric finally spoke, his voice shaking. "Those rotten people in the Clark Group — I'll deal with them. Evelyn, I love Molly. Without her... my life means nothing. Please don't make me lose her. Just give me one more chance... one last chance. Please." The words had been stripped down to pure, bare desperation.

Evelyn lowered her eyes and shook her head. "This isn't my call to make. I can't decide anything for either of you. Get past Grandpa first, then we'll talk." With that, she turned and walked back into the villa without looking back.

Edward stayed with his friend in the cold rain, two tall figures standing alone in the dark, the wind and sleet making them look small and heavy with grief.

"Let Molly stay here with Grandpa for a while. Go back and deal with the mess inside your family first. Come back when Grandpa's had some time to cool down." Edward let out a long, heavy sigh and placed his broad hand on Eric's cold, stiff shoulder.

Eric's voice was rough and hoarse. "Tonight... I want to stay here with her."

"Are you serious? The temperature's going to drop below freezing tonight — you'll get seriously sick standing out here all night!" Edward's expression turned stern. "If Molly wakes up and finds out you did this to yourself, she'll feel even worse than she does now!"

"Then... don't let her find out." Eric pulled the corners of his pale lips into a bitter, self-mocking smile. "Edward, this is the only way I can feel even a little bit better. Don't try to stop me, okay."

......

Evelyn walked back into the villa with a knot of worry she couldn't shake, and the moment she stepped into the living room, her phone rang. It was Peter.

"Peter..."

"Evelyn." There was a brief pause on his end, and then he asked carefully, "Is Molly... okay?"

His warm, steady voice made all the emotions Evelyn had been holding back surge up at once, and she felt the urge to cry all over again.

"She's asleep. They gave her a sedative." Evelyn's throat tightened.

Peter took a slow, deep breath on the other end of the line, his voice low and controlled. "Is there... anything I can do for her?"

Evelyn pressed her lips together and said softly, "If you get the chance, bring Molly a box of those handmade bear cupcakes she loves so much."

"Okay. I'll go line up for them first thing tomorrow morning and bring them over."

"Do you want to stop in and see Molly while you're here?"

There was a touch of boyish shyness in Peter's voice, mixed with the quiet thoughtfulness of a grown man keeping himself in check. "No, I won't. Let her rest. And don't tell her the cupcakes are from me — just say you got them for her."

Hearing that, Evelyn felt a sharp ache settle in her chest.

......

Ellen had stayed in the room with Molly for a long time, and only after making sure she was sound asleep did she reluctantly step out into the hallway. She was still rubbing her red, puffy eyes when she turned around and found Edward and Evelyn walking toward her.

"Ellen, you've always been exceptionally skilled — everyone inside the Clark Group knows you're the best." Edward's brow was furrowed, and he finally asked the question that had been nagging at him most. "How could anyone inside the Clark Group be capable of taking you down like that, cutting off every way you had to reach Eric, and slipping my sister out from right under your nose without anyone noticing?"

"They've got a lot of nerve, and their reach in Mugden is way too bold!" Evelyn's eyes were red with fury, her fingers gripping her husband's arm so tightly that she'd crumpled a large patch of his white shirt into wrinkles.

Even now, just thinking back on it sent a chill down Ellen's spine. "The man who came after me from the shadows — he was no ordinary family bodyguard. He was more like a top-level professional killer with a very deep background. His fighting style was brutal and unpredictable, completely ruthless. I was no match for him at all. As far as I know... the only person who might actually be able to go up against him is Mr. Wellington himself."