Chapter 524 Only the Drinker Knows the Temperature of the Water
Maggie was momentarily at a loss for words when asked.
What was she to Fiorello?
They weren't married, not even officially dating; it was a relationship that had to remain hidden.
Maggie felt awkward. Eleanor said, "Even if you don't say it, I know. When Fiorello first got out of the hospital, I never saw him smile. Recently, when I visited him at the company, his mood has improved a lot, and he talked more. I know it has something to do with you."
Maggie didn't know how to respond, so she just listened to Eleanor continue.
"Fiorello has been introverted since he was a child, not talkative. His peers never seemed to be on the same intellectual level as him, so he couldn't make true friends. By the time he was twenty, he was already mature and steady, like someone in their forties. I introduced him to many girlfriends, but none worked out, until he met you."
Eleanor stared at Maggie and said, "I used to think he was a person without passion. After he met you, he changed. He experienced joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. The image of him hurting himself at home is something I'll never forget. You are the person he would protect with his life."
Maggie understood what Eleanor meant. No mother wanted her son to risk his life for someone else.
Maggie parked the car by the river. After a moment of silence, she looked at Eleanor and sincerely said, "Eleanor, I love him uncontrollably, but I promise you, I won't marry into the Flores family. If he falls in love with someone else and wants to marry her, I won't stand in the way. I'll leave gracefully."
Eleanor shook her head. "Many envy a woman whose man will risk his life to protect her. As a mother, I'm proud that my son stays true to his emotions. As for Kimberly, maybe it was fate. I've been thinking lately, if Kimberly hadn't interfered between Joseph and me, Joseph wouldn't have had an illegitimate child, and we wouldn't be where we are today."
"Eleanor," Maggie heard the resentment in Eleanor's voice towards Kimberly.
Eleanor, looking exhausted, said, "It's always been women making things difficult for other women. I don't want the tragedy to repeat. I want Fiorello to be happy."
Maggie was stunned. "Eleanor, you agree with me being with Fiorello?"
Eleanor said, "Whether we agree or not, it won't change Fiorello's decision. He's my son. As a mother, how could I make things difficult for him? Maggie, love each other freely. As a woman, don't let this life be in vain."
Eleanor was also a romantic. She had her regrets in life. She once thought Joseph could be devoted to her, but she was hurt by the harshness of reality.
"Eleanor, thank you." Maggie held Eleanor's hand. "Is there really no way for you and Joseph to reconcile?"
Even though she was no longer in the Flores family, Maggie knew a bit about Eleanor and Joseph's recent situation.
Eleanor shook her head and said earnestly, "Maggie, a wound on the outside can heal, but when there's a problem in the heart, it can't be fixed. Joseph and I have been married for over thirty years. I tried to forget about it, but seeing him arranging Gregory's wedding, knowing his involvement with Natalie was more than a mere drunken night, and learning that Natalie committed suicide due to depression, I knew things could never go back."
Eleanor couldn't accept that a woman had once committed suicide over Joseph.
Eleanor tightly held Maggie's hand and said, "Talking to you today has made me feel better. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to spend some time in Atlantica to clear my mind. I'll trust you to take care of Fiorello."
Maggie asked, "Do Holden and Fiorello know?"
"Boys are careless and don't talk about personal matters. My biggest regret is not having a daughter." Eleanor smiled wistfully. "Maggie, call me Mom one more time."
Maggie hesitated, then said, "Mom."
"Yes," Eleanor responded with a smile, taking the ring off her wrist and putting it on Maggie's hand. "This is from the Flores family, passed down to daughters-in-law. Keep it."
This meant Eleanor acknowledged Maggie as her daughter-in-law.
Maggie accepted it, knowing that Eleanor cared most about her sons' happiness.
Before this, Eleanor must have been hesitant about leaving. After seeing Maggie, she made up her mind to go to Atlantica.
Because Eleanor no longer had to worry about Fiorello's happiness.
After parting with Eleanor, Maggie called Fiorello to tell him about Eleanor's plan to go to Atlantica.
Fiorello paused for a moment on the phone and said, "Eleanor leaving isn't a bad thing. It's good for her to get out and about. People shouldn't be confined here."
Maggie said, "Which son would wish for his parents to divorce?"
"Matters of the heart are are personal, like water—only the one drinking knows if it's hot or cold. Others shouldn't interfere."
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