Chapter 353

I never imagined that he lived such a hard life behind closed doors. "But Ian was only human. He got tired too. I'd catch him sneaking out in the middle of the night to smoke. And it broke my heart to see that every time. I knew it was my fault that he was so stressed," Jewel said, shaking her head slightly. "I wanted to leave him—not just for my sake and not because I didn't love him anymore. It was because I loved him so much that I couldn't stand to see him so worn out." Jewel's words painted her in a new light. "Well, he's not tired anymore. And he never will be again," I muttered under my breath. Jewel caught the irony in my voice. "Madeline, you've never lived a day in my shoes. You'll never understand what it's like," she said loudly, almost screaming. She looked me in the eye. After a moment, her anger slowly faded. "Madeline, as for Ian's death, I swear I'd never meant to hurt Ian. I just wanted him to see me betray him, so he'd finally leave me on his own. I wanted