Faux Vows, True Desires
Chapter 406

Owen scowled darkly, "Mom, Ruby doesn't love me, no matter how good I am to her, it's pointless. You think I care about her deceit? My heart's been shattered, completely chilled to the core. Don't compare Ruby to Cecilia; they're in different leagues. Cecilia's irreplaceable in my heart, and Ruby doesn't even come close."

After the mother and son fell silent, Trenton glanced at Olina and dropped a bombshell, "The biggest mistake I ever made was agreeing to Shane marrying you."

Olina was stunned.

"Owen, I've said it before, I intervened in your marriage once, and I won't do it again. From now on, you call the shots in your love life. If anyone tries to stop you, stand up to them and fight for your happiness." Trenton made himself clear, mainly because Owen had fallen for Cecilia.

Had Owen still been smitten with Ruby, Trenton's tune would've been far from so enlightened.

"Thanks, Grandpa."

"And no more talk of becoming a hermit, but if you truly see through the world's illusions and decide to renounce everything, even then, I'd support you."

That last comment was directed at his daughter-in-law.

He knew her well - her obsession with status and prestige.

If Owen truly renounced the world to become a hermit, it would be a blow straight to her heart.

By then, whether Owen married Cecilia or a beggar off the streets, Olina would be begging for it to happen.

"Anyway, Owen, I've got more than one grandchild. The Martinez family won't be lacking heirs. Harry, come with me for a bit."

With that, Trenton and Harry left the room.

Olina's face was a kaleidoscope of emotions.

Owen turned to his mother, his voice earnest, "Mom, if you can't replace it in you to like Cecilia, I won't force you. But please, show her some basic respect. Don't pin every fault on her. I'm hurting because I chose to. As long as she's fine, even if it costs me my life, I'll have no regrets."

"The woman I love now is Cecilia, and it will be her in the future too. Ruby and I are history-in fact, we never even had a history because she never truly belonged to me. Her heart has always belonged to Stefan! Your favorite daughter-in-law never loved your son, not even a little bit! If you think so highly of Ruby, maybe Dad should marry her. She'd make a fine sister."

"Owen, what the hell are you spouting!" Shane cursed at his son for dragging him into this mess.

He didn't want to admit that he, too, wasn't fond of Ruby and her mother. He'd kept silent for the sake of marital peace, as they were close to his wife.

Olina was livid at her son's words.

After a moment of silence, Owen didn't say another word. He turned and carried the nourishing soup and tonic Cecilia had brought upstairs.

"Honey, look at what your son is saying, driving me mad!" Olina clutched at her husband's sleeve, "Aren't you going to do something?"

Shane removed her hand irritably, "What can I do? He's your son, and if you can't handle him, what makes you think I can? He's closer to Dad than either of us. You should just stay out of our son's marriage matters. A grown child's decisions aren't for their mother to make, and we haven't exactly been stellar parents."

"What's so great about Cecilia?"

"My parents asked the same about you back in the day."

Olina was at a loss for words.

"You and the boys are all ganging up on me now, huh? Is Cecilia comparable to me. At least, I come from a respectable family!"

"What can we do if the boy's in love? It doesn't matter if they're a good match or not, as long as our son's happy. If you keep holding him back and he really becomes a hermit, you'll have nowhere to cry. Didn't you see Dad taking Harry out? Dad's not short of grandsons, and Harry's just as good as our son."

Olina found herself speechless again.

Shane sighed, "Look, their marriage won't last forever. They'll probably divorce at some point. Just let them be."

"But if they divorce, Owen will be twice-divorced."

"Your son's already a divorced man."

Olina was struck dumb once more.

"What happened at the Martinez estate?"

During a lull, Lucinda slid into the cashier's booth next to her friend and asked with concern.

Cecilia had come straight back to the shop to help out after her visit to the Martinez family. Although she acted like nothing was amiss, Lucinda could tell her friend was weighed down with worries. Cecilia was usually too restless to sit at the cashier's desk, preferring to stay on the move, and only occasionally pausing to tap out an update for her latest story.

"It's nothing," Cecilia denied, not meeting Lucinda's gaze.

But Lucinda wasn't having any of it. She gently tilted Cecilia's chin up, forcing her to look into her eyes. "Cecilia, we're not strangers. You can't hide your troubles from me. Tell me what's on your mind. Maybe I can help, or at least, it's better to vent than to keep it all bottled up. Did they give you trouble at the Martinez place? Did your former mother-in-law give you grief?"

Lucinda was acutely aware of Olina's disapproval of Cecilia.

At the Martinez estate, the only one bold enough to upset Cecilia was Olina. Given Olina's close ties with Megan, even after Ruby's fiasco, it was easy for Megan to coax Olina back to her side.

Lucinda inwardly sighed. Such was the life of a protagonist. As authors, they loved to craft stories filled with trials and tribulations, so their characters could emerge through hardship to a satisfying conclusion. Cecilia and Owen's journey was far from over.

"I had just walked in when I overheard those words that cut me deep, Lucy. I think I've really fallen for Owen; otherwise, why would it hurt so much? I managed to hold back from slapping them right there and then."

Anyone else who spoke about her like that would've gotten a taste of her backhand.

But it was Owen's own mother.

So, she bit her tongue, kept her cool, and didn't let her hand fly across Olina's face.

The fact that she could hold back must mean she's in love with Owen.

Lucy stayed silent for a moment before speaking up, "Falling for someone is easy, and Owen has always been different with you. After he got over Ruby, the way he treated you was genuinely heartfelt. It's no wonder you'd fall for him. After all, a man like him, when he pours his entire being into winning a woman's heart, I bet there aren't many who could resist."

A good man, who gave his all to a woman, was truly intoxicating.

Except for Ruby. She was blind to Owen's virtues because she had Stefan to compare him with.

She could only see Stefan's charm, missing out on Owen's excellence.