Goodbye My Arrogant Ex (Marguerite and Leonard) novel Chapter 183

Leonard felt utterly helpless, but there was nothing he could do. He was already halfway through Winifred’s physical therapy; if he just dropped everything and left now, he knew she’d be hurt. So he didn’t rush out the door—in fact, neither he nor Winifred were planning to leave in a hurry. He figured he could finish up what he needed to do here and still make it back in time.

Meanwhile, Marguerite felt the pressure mounting as she faced the three of them alone. She had no idea what to say, or even how to start. On the way home, she’d already texted Leonard, updating him on what was happening at the house.

“You just head back,” Leonard had replied. “Once I wrap things up here, I’ll come home as soon as I can. If they ask you anything, just tell the truth. Don’t try to cover for me—there’s no hiding this sort of thing anyway. And I haven’t done anything wrong, so there’s nothing to hide.”

Leonard was calm and forthright about it, but he also knew his mother’s temper. If she got truly upset, she’d never let him care for Winifred. She might even lock him in the house just to keep him from leaving.

“Okay, I understand,” Marguerite had answered. “I’ll explain everything to them. Honestly, I haven’t told them much about us, so I’m not sure what they actually know.”

The whole way home, Marguerite felt dazed. She couldn’t figure out why they’d all decided to show up together, and there were things she really didn’t want to be the one to explain.

Soon enough, she arrived at the house.

“Grandma, Mom—what are you both doing here? You didn’t even call first! I was in the studio, buried in work.”

“Maggie, listen to me,” her mother said, voice low, “I’ve been around long enough to know—what woman could stand her fiancé spending every day with another woman in rehab? That Winifred is just manipulative. She wants to keep Leonard tied to her side, I’m sure of it.”

Back when the accident first happened, Mrs. Murphy and Grandma had both met Winifred and come away convinced she was cunning. But, since the family owed her, there hadn’t been much they could do.

“Alright,” Grandma said, stepping in to steady the conversation. “Let’s all sit down and talk this through. The real issue now is your engagement. Once you and Leonard are officially engaged, Winifred will have to respect that boundary, and Leonard will remember where his loyalties lie.”