Chapter 793 Wronged

Mrs. Green managed to calm Rosalind Green down, and she didn’t bring up divorce again. But in her heart, she had already made up her mind: she had to get a divorce.

Whether Ethan Hawthorne knew what that woman was planning or not, the fact that he was involved with such a vicious person was unforgivable. Worse, he had given the woman her and their son’s address. If Mr. Yates hadn’t happened to pass by, she would have certainly been assaulted tonight—and she might not have even survived.

Rosalind found it bitterly ironic. When Ethan Hawthorne left five years ago, he had warned her and their son over and over not to return to Tristone and not to look for him. They were to wait obediently at Millstone Peak until he came for them. Heh… She and Kenneth had done just that.

No matter how hard things got, she never once considered going to Tristone to find Ethan Hawthorne, afraid she might interfere with his important business.

But Ethan Hawthorne had given their address to his mistress, needlessly causing tonight’s calamity. It proved that there was no longer any place for her and their son in his heart. ‘He must have been completely bewitched by that woman long ago,’ she thought.

“Mom, I’m alright now. Please, go lie down.”

Rosalind wiped away her tears. She promised herself she wouldn’t cry for Ethan Hawthorne ever again. She had to be strong, to follow Phoebe Huxley’s example. Even if she couldn’t be a pillar of support for her son, she would never, ever hold him back.

That was why she had to get a divorce—to get away from Ethan Hawthorne and that vicious woman.

Mrs. Green’s back had just started to feel better, but now it was aching again. Mr. Yates went over to help, supporting her as she lay down. He massaged her back a few times until she felt some relief.

“Mr. Yates, thank you so, so much for what you did tonight.”

Mrs. Green thanked him again. The more she looked at Mr. Yates, the more she liked what she saw. ‘This Mr. Yates might look a bit frightening,’ she thought, ‘but he has a good heart. He saved my daughter. He’s a truly good man.’

“It was nothing, Ma’am. You’re too kind. Please, don’t trouble yourself. Just get some rest.”

Mr. Yates gave a reserved smile, but inwardly he was ecstatic. He could clearly feel his future mother-in-law’s gaze had grown much warmer. ‘Keep it up,’ he told himself. ‘I have to win her over as soon as possible.’

Mrs. Green was truly exhausted and soon drifted into a heavy sleep. Rosalind and Mr. Yates began to clean up together. The table and chairs had been knocked over, a few cups were shattered, and the floor was a complete mess.

Phoebe Huxley dragged the three thugs with her to find Preston Thorne. Preston Thorne and Jethro Golding were dealing with the aftermath of the fire. They needed to find a place for Sherman Golding’s family to stay, and another family had also suffered losses. But most importantly, they had to find out what started the fire.

“The fire definitely started in the Spann family’s house,” Preston Thorne said. “No one’s lived there for over half a year. How could a fire just start on its own?”

Jethro Golding summoned Linden Golding and his son, demanding, “Did you two store charcoal in there again?”

The father and son shook their heads vehemently. “No! After what almost happened last time, we wouldn’t dare.”

“Are you sure?” Jethro Golding was skeptical.

“We really didn’t! I swear on my life!” Silas Golding declared. “If I’m lying, may I drop dead on the spot!”

Jethro Golding remained unconvinced. The family had a terrible reputation for honesty, and they had a history of this sort of thing. Just a few days ago, Silas Golding had stored some charcoal in there and nearly started a fire. Luckily, someone spotted the smoke before it could turn into a major disaster.

When cooking, every household in the village would scoop out embers that hadn’t fully burned out and place them in an earthenware jar. Once the lid was on, the glowing embers would extinguish and turn into usable charcoal. This was the simplest way the villagers of Millstone Peak made it.

Last time, Silas Golding had been unlucky. He had just finished scooping the embers when his jar became full. After capping it, he saw the coals had all turned black and assumed they were extinguished. Since his own storage was full, he dumped the jar of charcoal in the Spann family’s empty house and left. However, one ember hadn’t been fully extinguished. Exposed to oxygen and sitting in a pile of other coals, it began to smolder and soon ignited the rest.