Goodbye My Arrogant Ex (Marguerite and Leonard) novel Chapter 226

If it hadn’t been for her illness, the two of them would never have come back with her to the old family house. She knew that, which made her want to spend even more time with them while she could.

On the way back, Marguerite sat with her grandmother, never leaving her side.

“Even though you two are only engaged right now, things have moved along pretty quickly,” the elderly Mrs. Murphy said, her voice gentle but earnest. “Your relationship seems stable, and it’s about time you thought about giving us a little one.”

She reached over and squeezed Marguerite’s hand, her eyes soft but serious. “You can see for yourself—my health isn’t what it used to be. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be around. My only real wish before I go is to see my great-grandchild with my own eyes.”

She’d wanted to talk about this for a long time—hinted at it, danced around it—but today, she finally said her piece, laying her hopes bare.

“Mom, young people these days think a little differently from how we did,” Mrs. Murphy said, coming to their defense. “Their jobs keep them busy, and honestly, having children isn’t at the top of their minds right now. Please don’t worry about it so much.”

“If they decide they want a baby, we’ll be thrilled, of course. But if they’d rather wait, that’s fine too. We’re not going to pressure them. There’s no need to make them feel burdened.”

Ever since they’d gotten together, their relationship had always felt lukewarm—sometimes loving and attentive, sometimes distant, as if they were just two people going through the motions, too busy with their own lives to really connect. Marguerite found herself more and more confused by it all.

Leonard, as usual, stayed quiet on the subject. He hadn’t dared to tell anyone the truth—that being engaged didn’t feel all that different from being acquaintances, and they hadn’t even shared a real married life together, let alone thought about having a child.

If the elderly Mrs. Murphy ever found out, she’d never let him off the hook. So Leonard kept his silence, out of respect for Marguerite and a hope that, someday, things would simply work out on their own.