SWNOVELS Chapter 320
She was practically itching with envy. All of this should have been hers, if only Morwenna hadn't swooped in and stolen her spot. Somehow, someway, Adelaide was determined to drive Morwenna out.
Distractedly nibbling on her breakfast, Adelaide seized a moment when no one was paying attention to shoot Morwenna a provocative glance. Her eyes seemed to taunt, "See? Not only am I still here at Rosefrost Hollow, but I've made it into the manor. What can you possibly do to me, even if you did marry Stuart?"
Morwenna felt a heavy weight in her chest as she caught Adelaide's gaze. No matter how sweet Stuart was to her now, she couldn't shake off the memory of him choosing Adelaide over her, time and time again. Biting her lip, Morwenna would have kept her silence before yesterday. She would have waited to see Stuart's stance. But things were different now; she might be carrying a baby, and she couldn't just step back.
Turning to Stuart, Morwenna met his eyes, her voice filled with accusation, "Stuart, didn't you say you were sending Adelaide abroad for a while? Why is she back? Did you agree to this?"
Morwenna feared that if Stuart compromised for Adelaide once, he would do it countless times again. She needed clear answers, now more than ever. Unbeknownst to Stuart, if he remained ambiguous about Adelaide, and if he chose Adelaide over Morwenna again, he would indeed lose Morwenna for good.
The dining table fell silent at Morwenna's words. Adelaide snickered internally, thinking Morwenna was getting too cocky, daring to publicly question Stuart. How could Stuart possibly explain himself to a woman in front of everyone?
The younger Hetfields also thought Morwenna was getting ahead of herself, believing her favoritism allowed her to act recklessly, even questioning their cousin. Norbert stopped mid-bite, turning to Stuart with everyone else.
To everyone's surprise, Stuart gently rubbed Morwenna's head, explaining softly, "Her brother, Jethro, was in a bit of a scrap, almost got himself seriously hurt. She's back to look after him for a bit." Stuart had explained. In front of everyone, he had chosen to clarify things for Morwenna. The heavy weight that had been pressing on Morwenna's heart since Adelaide's return seemed to lift. Morwenna, puzzled, asked, "Who did it?"
Adelaide, with a mockingly sympathetic tone, chimed in, "Ms. Winslet, if my brother's troublesome nature got him into trouble at school and offended you, and if Barclay stepped in to sort it out on your behalf, and you were there, don't you remember?"
This time, Adelaide didn't bother with the pretense of sisterly affection. Morwenna's eyes widened. She had been there the day Barclay fought, even sneaking in a kick at Jethro herself. But they hadn't been that harsh, just a few kicks to let off steam. How could that have nearly killed him?
Instinctively, she protested, "How is that possible?"
Adelaide, feigning magnanimity, answered, "Ms. Winslet, there's no need to rush to your own defense. Don't worry, I won't trouble you over this. But the fact remains, Barclay ended up paying a million dollars in medical bills."
Hearing the figure, Morwenna's face paled. What kind of injuries required a million dollars? She was partially to blame for Jethro's condition, having kicked him as well.
Just then, Stuart, wrapping an arm around Morwenna, spooned some bird's nest soup into her mouth, "Here, love, you need to put on a bit of weight. Eat up." Adelaide's grip tightened around her chopsticks until they finally snapped...