Mari''s face, once pampered to a soft glow, beamed with a tender maternal light as she scribbled away.


    Jareth, lurking behind her, bore a shattered expression, his pale lips quivering uncontrobly.


    He wrapped his arms around her from behind, his chin resting on her slender shoulders, nuzzling her affectionately, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.


    "Babe, I thought... I thought you didn''t want kids?"


    His voice was a husky whisper, filled with raw emotion, his cool lips brushing against her ear, "Didn''t you want to focus on your art? Didn''t you want it to be just us forever?"


    Mari''sshes fluttered shyly as she continued writing:


    "That was before. I''ve changed my mind."


    Her voice trembled slightly, "Jareth, I know my body. With all the medications and treatments, who knows when I''ll be out of this hospital. I want us to have a child, a boy or a girl, it doesn''t matter. We''ll raise them together. This way, even if I leave this world before you, you won''t be alone."


    Jareth, overwhelmed by her words, frantically cleared his phone screen, his vision blurred by tears:


    "Mari, don''t talk like that! We''re going to make it, we''ll grow old together! And I don''t need kids! I have you, that''s enough for me. I don''t like kids, I don''t want them!"


    Mari, sensing his turmoil, firmly grasped his hand, calming his tremors.


    Jareth, biting back his sorrow, captured her lips in a deep, tender kiss.


    Mari melted into his embrace, their connection reigniting his passion.


    Their intimacy had been on pause since her hospitalization. Despite his desires, he''d rather suffer than impose on her frail state.


    He had gone from insatiable to a study in restraint, putting herfort above his needs.


    After a moment, they parted. Jareth gently wiped away the moisture from her lips, nting soft kisses on her cheek.


    Mari, sensing his gaze, turned around, kneeling to unfasten his belt.


    "Mari, no," Jareth stopped her, shaking his head.


    Mari''s eyes, wide and expressive, pleaded with him.


    They hadn''t been together in so long, and she wanted to ease his burden.


    "Let''s wait until you''re stronger. We have our whole lives ahead," he whispered, embracing her tightly, fighting back tears.


    In the early hours, while Evadne was fast asleep, Thaddeus, having finished reviewingpany documents, was about to join her when Jareth''s call came through.


    "Jareth?" He answered immediately.


    "Mr. Thaddeus, it''s Dean! I''m sorry for thete call, but Mr. Fairhaven''s a mess. Drunk, crying, refusing to leave. I''ve never seen him like this! Can youe? He''s falling apart, and it''s honestly quite rming."


    Thaddeus felt a knot in his stomach, heading out immediately.


    "Give me the address. I''m on my way!"


    Arriving at the dimly lit bar, Thaddeus found Jareth alone, drowning his sorrows in hard liquor.


    After sending Dean outside, Thaddeus sat beside his friend, cing a reassuring hand on his shoulder:


    "Jareth, stop drinking. It''s bad for you, especially with your wedding around the corner. You need to take care of yourself."


    Jareth lifted his face, his handsome features marred by tears, his eyes a heartbreaking shade of red.


    "What happened?"


    Thaddeus was shocked, his gaze intense, "Tell me what''s wrong. We''ll figure it out together."


    "Mari... Mari..."


    Thaddeus'' heart raced, "What about Mari?!"


    "She can''t be a mother. The doctors said she can''t have children."


    Jareth, a towering figure of a man, crumbled before his closest friend, sobbing uncontrobly.


    Thaddeus felt a pang in his heart, struggling to find words.


    Evadne had warned him about Mari''s condition, mentioning the risks and uncertainties of her bearing a child.


    Hearing it from Jareth, however, brought a new wave of sorrow:


    "Jareth, happinesses in many forms."


    "No, it''s not that. I was just talking big before. Whether Mari can have kids or not, I don''t care! I love her no matter what!"


    Jareth''s forehead rested against Thaddeus'' chest, his voice broken, "But isn''t this all my fault?! I ruined her! She could have been healthy. It''s me, I destroyed her!"


    Thaddeus felt his heart wrench. He knew that feeling all too well, the guilt, the self-me, the despair.


    "If you truly believe that, then make it up to Mari. Show her your love." Thaddeusforted him like an old sage, gently patting his shivering back, "To love and cherish her all your life, to treat her like she''s forever your little girl, isn''t that wonderful too?"


    "What if Mari finds out. How heartbroken she would be."


    Jareth, his heart tearing apart, pounded his chest with his fists, "Today, she even talked about having a child with me. Thad, at that moment, I truly wished I were dead."


    "In a marriage, besides trust, the most crucial thing is to face everything with honesty."


    Thaddeus, reminded of his own beloved, felt a pang of pain so acute his eyes welled up, "Jareth, Mari is with you because of love, not just to carry on the family name.


    Always remember, the happiness between the two of you is what matters most. Everything else is just icing on the cake."