Faux Vows, True Desires
Chapter 405

"You've got a whole army of staff at your disposal, just say the word and there's a line of people eager to wait on you," Cecilia said, trying to pry the arms wrapped around her waist.

He claimed his injury was so painful he couldn't even hold cutlery steady, yet when he held her, his grip was strong enough that she couldn't break free.

He was clearly lying, deceiving her!

Her former mother-in-law couldn't stand the sight of her, blaming her for Owen's injury, branding her a 'jinx' that brought bad luck to men. If she stayed, facing her day in and day out would only end in mutual loathing.

For the sake of it being his mother, she swallowed her anger and didn't make a scene.

But she really didn't want to stay.

Marriage was the union of two families. Without her mother-in-law's approval, conflicts were bound to surface post-marriage. Perhaps this was why her family disapproved of her relationship with Owen.

Cecilia was also hesitant to commit.

If she severed the ties now, it would still be timely, preventing future hurt.

Upon overhearing the words Olina had spat out when she arrived with Derek, Cecilia was determined to distance herself from Owen.

"I don't want them to feed me; I want you to. Cecilia, would you really be so heartless as to let me starve?" Owen, shamelessly clinging to her, pleaded pitifully, causing the onlookers' expressions to vary. Harry could tell his brother had genuinely fallen for Cecilia.

He mused to himself: After Owen had let go of his fixation on Ruby, he quickly became invested in his feelings for Cecilia.

Perhaps Owen's heart had died to Ruby a long time ago, but his stubbornness persisted for years, preventing him from truly letting go.

With Cecilia in his life, Owen gradually shifted his focus and affection onto her, finally moving past Ruby.

It was quite the turnaround, and Harry had actually rooted for Owen and Ruby, because their grandfather disliked Ruby. If Owen insisted on being with Ruby, it would disappoint their grandfather, giving Harry a chance to rise in status.

Unfortunately, Owen had come to his senses and was able to let go of his decade-long obsession with Ruby.

When Olina tried to speak, her father-in-law glared at her, silencing her immediately.

Seeing everyone come out to watch, Owen reluctantly let go of Cecilia.

The moment he released her, she headed for the door.

"Cecilia."

Owen followed her like a lost puppy, refusing to let go.

"Mr. Martinez, you don't need to see me out. I can manage on my own."

"Cecilia."

Owen's handsome face drooped in misery, looking as pitiful as could be. "My mom doesn't always think before she speaks, don't take it to heart." Cecilia surely had heard the nonsense his mother had said.

Owen felt like dying of embarrassment.

Why did he have a mother who only knew how to hold him back?

He was nearly thirty years old; didn't he have the freedom to choose whom to love?

"It's not on my heart; it's etched in my brain, unforgettable. Mr. Martinez, I'm the 'jinx' you're talking about, the one who brings bad luck to her husband. You're better off staying away from me, lest you meet an untimely end because of me."

Being called a jinx was infuriating.

If it weren't for the fact that Olina was Owen's mother, Cecilia would have given her a piece of her mind.

Although Owen and his grandfather had countered Olina's words, Cecilia was still very bothered.

"Cecilia, I'm sorry."

"You've done nothing to apologize for."

"My mom, she just..."

"She just doesn't like me, I get it. She's been against me since she knew I existed."

Before, Cecilia didn't care whether Olina liked her or not because she didn't love Owen and knew their marriage would eventually end in divorce.

Now, Cecilia cared about Olina's opinion because she had started to develop feelings for Owen.

Indeed, once emotions were involved, defeat was inevitable.

"Cecilia, my mom may not like you, but we don't have to live with her for the rest of our lives. In the future, we can move out and live on our own."

Owen was well aware that getting his mother to accept Cecilia would be difficult. His own mother wasn't as reasonable as Stefan's. In their circle, open-minded parents like Stefan's were rare. Therefore, he envied Stefan for having such liberal elders. Unlike him, his father may not have taken a stance, but Owen knew his father also looked down on the Yates family as being from a lesser background, not worthy of the Martinez lineage. His mother, on the other hand, was openly disdainful.

His pursuit of marriage was fraught with unnecessary trouble and difficulty.

Cecilia looked at Owen steadily for a moment, ultimately choosing not to delve deeper into the conversation, and simply said, "Mr. Martinez, I really don't want to talk about this right now. You should go have your soup; I'm leaving."

With that, she turned and walked away without looking back.

Owen didn't chase after her this time. He turned back to his family and, with a thud, knelt before his grandfather, bowing his head in silence.

Trenton was startled, quickly signaling Harry to help him.

"Owen, what are you doing?"

"Grandfather, I have failed as your grandson. I kneel before you now to bid farewell, as I can no longer serve you. Consider me no longer your grandson. Hand the business over to Harry to manage. I'm going to be a hermit."

The room fell into stunned silence.

"Owen!" Olina cried out, "Are you blaming me for this? If you become a hermit, do you want to drive me to my grave?"

Harry helped his brother to his feet, whispering, "Big bro, hang in there!"

His brother was a man who always threw caution to the wind for love.

A man deeply driven by his emotions.

It had its pros and cons.

But his brother's readiness to renounce everything and become a hermit for Cecilia, to bravely defy their family, earned Harry's respect.

If he ever found a girl he loved who wasn't accepted by the family, he could learn from his big brother.

The elders would never actually let them become hermits, so it was all just a tactic.

"You don't like Cecilia and can't accept her as your daughter-in-law. You're my mother; what can I do? I might as well give up everything and become a hermit. If I can't marry the woman I love, what's the point of it all? Better to become a hermit."

Olina's face turned a thunderous shade of purple with rage. "Owen, you've really crossed the line, threatening your own mother over Cecilia. What's so great about her? Why must it be her or nothing? I don't like her, and that's that. Do you think you can force me to change my feelings?"

She then cast an accusatory glance towards her father-in-law, blaming him for the whole mess.

If he hadn't pushed his son into marrying Cecilia, would they be in this mess?

"Dad, aren't you going to do something? Owen's talking about running off to become a hermit, for crying out loud. You never should have let him marry Cecilia. Sure, Ruby got a bit wild living abroad, but that's just how it is over there, it's a free-for-all. As long as she straightens up now that she's back, she's miles better than Cecilia."

Ruby had turned herself in.

Megan had been groveling and sweet-talking Olina lately, trying her utmost to win her over.

Olina had been close with Megan for years, and after being cajoled, her anger had slowly dissipated. She still believed Ruby was the right choice for her son.

If it hadn't been for Cecilia showing up, her son would have surely forgiven Ruby.