If Phoebe Miller is a swan, then she is an ugly duckling. Once having had the swan, how could he accept the disparity and suddenly cling to her, the ugly duckling?
Could it really be because of Axel?
If it's because of the child, she would rather Bryan Hawkins not accept her, as she couldn't bear such kindness.
"Yes, she's very outstanding, but you're not bad either." Bryan Hawkins held her hand. "Carolline, my wife, in my eyes, you're really no worse than her. Perhaps there's a proverb called 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' that can attest to my feelings for you. From the moment I met you, I inexplicably had a good impression of you. I didn't know it initially, but it was Matilda Ferguson's constant reminders. I'm slow to grasp things, and it took me a long time to understand that what I unconsciously showed was called fondness."
