Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3494

Marina lowered her gaze, her voice quiet. "Mom, if I broke off my engagement with Carson, would you support me?"

"Absolutely not!" Rhiannon snapped instantly. "Stop talking nonsense. Carson is an incredible catch. What more could you possibly want?"

Marina looked up at her, dead serious. "What if I'm just not happy?"

Rhiannon immediately slipped into full-blown lecture mode.

"You're just young. You spend all day obsessing over love and romance, but what good does that actually do? Putting love above all else rarely ends well!"

"Don't call us old-fashioned, just look around. How many women who throw everything away for love actually get a happy ending? Marrying a capable husband who gives you a solid foundation in life is what truly matters."

"Carson excels in every category, and he treats you well. My instincts about him are spot on!"

"If the two of you are having a spat, being angry is perfectly normal. But you cannot make any rash decisions while you're emotional!"

...

Marina's head throbbed as her mother's words went in one ear and out the other. "Okay, okay, I get it!"

Chatting idly, the two of them stepped into the living room. Aunt Charlotte had recently developed an obsession with collecting jewelry and was currently boasting about her latest acquisitions to Grandmother Evert.

Upon spotting Marina, Phoebe stood up with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Marina, you're back!"

Grandmother Evert looked up. "Come sit down, Marina."

"Grandma. Aunt Charlotte," Marina greeted politely.

As they took their seats, Aunt Charlotte waved a maid over to pack away her jewelry cases before turning her attention to Marina. "Are you still living out of a hotel?"

Unlike Rhiannon's genuine concern, Aunt Charlotte's tone dripped with her signature passive-aggressive mockery.

Marina offered a tight smile. "Yes, I am. Thank you for your concern, Aunt Charlotte."

Phoebe chimed in, her voice dripping with fake innocence. "What's going on with Mr. Foster? Getting an AC fixed shouldn't take this long, right? How could he just leave you stranded in a hotel?"

Marina had half a mind to chuck her glass of juice right at Phoebe's face. The mother-daughter duo loved playing good cop, bad cop to corner her, and then had the audacity to act like victims and call her 'emotional'?

She let out a dry laugh. "Just don't get 'emotional' yourself, Phoebe. After all, my heart works perfectly fine—I can handle it."

Phoebe flinched, and on cue, her eyes welled up with tears, making her look like a fragile, bullied victim.

Aunt Charlotte's face darkened with rage. "Marina, how could you say something so vicious?"

Even Rhiannon shot Marina a displeased look. "Marina, that was completely out of line!"

With everyone staring at her in accusation, Phoebe immediately jumped in with her soft, trembling voice. "Aunt Rhiannon, please don't yell at her. Marina probably just had a fight with Mr. Foster and is taking it hard."

Marina shot her an icy glare. "Who told you we were fighting?"

Grandmother Evert scowled at Marina. "Marina, Phoebe is trying to defend you! Even if you are in a bad mood, you have no right to use your family as a punching bag and throw tantrums at everyone!"