Chapter 1: Preparing for Divorce for a Long Time Editor: Henyee Translations

Ever since discovering Tristan Lawson’s secret, Noelle Sutton had been secretly preparing for a divorce for a long time.

She had met with many law firms, but as soon as they heard the lawsuit would be against Tristan Lawson, the consulting lawyers would politely see her out.

Noelle Sutton stared at the crumpled liver cancer diagnosis in her hand, her almond-shaped eyes turning red.

This was fine, too. The doctor said she had missed the optimal window for surgery, leaving her with only six months to live. In half a year, she would no longer exist in this world, and her marriage to Tristan Lawson would be over.

Just then, a message popped up on her phone.

It was a voice message from Tristan Lawson.

"The school has a parent-child activity at two this afternoon. Don’t be late."

Mrs. Miller, who was cleaning nearby, heard Tristan Lawson’s voice and said excitedly, "Ma’am, it seems Sir is finally going to make your relationship public!"

In the past, she might have been ecstatic.

But not anymore.

In their seven years of secret marriage, Tristan Lawson had refused to take her to any public events. Whenever they had guests at home, he would even transfer two million to her bank account and tell her to go shopping.

Because she loved him, she endured it all.

She tried to thaw his cold and indifferent heart with her gentle affection.

He did have a passionate side—he just saved it for someone else.

If she hadn’t accidentally discovered the truth, she might have been kept in the dark forever.

How she had once longed to attend these parent-child activities, just so their family of three could have one happy day out together.

But Tristan Lawson forbade her from attending every single time. She couldn’t tell their son why, leaving him just as disappointed.

She could be indifferent to Tristan Lawson, but she could not be indifferent to Joshua Lawson, the son she had carried for nine months and given birth to.

Today, she decided she would attend the parent-child activity and fulfill her son’s wish to have his family of three there together.

At two in the afternoon, Noelle Sutton arrived at the school. She took a notepad from her bag, wrote a short note, and politely handed it to the security guard.

"Hello, I am Joshua Lawson’s mother from Class 1-3. I’m here for the parent-child activity. Could you please open the gate for me?"

She had deliberately chosen a pleated chiffon blouse, her hair gathered into a low bun. For the first time in a long while, she also wore the pearl earrings Tristan Lawson had given her.

She already had a serene beauty, and this simple effort made her look particularly gentle and captivating. She knew that’s how children were; they always wanted their mothers to look beautiful at school events.

The security guard raised an eyebrow and looked her over. "Can’t you talk?"

Noelle Sutton smiled and nodded.

She hadn’t been born unable to speak. A massive trauma years ago had caused her to develop aphonia, and she had long since grown used to such questions.

The guard took out the sign-in sheet, looked at it carefully, and then looked Noelle Sutton up and down.

A beautiful woman, he thought. Pity she’s a mute.

The guard’s tone turned hostile. "Joshua Lawson’s parents have already signed in and gone inside. How dare you try to impersonate his mother?"

Noelle Sutton frowned and quickly wrote on her notepad, "Joshua Lawson is my son. Why would I pretend to be his mother?"

The guard impatiently shoved the sign-in sheet at her, pointing to the line with Joshua Lawson’s name. "See for yourself!"

When Noelle Sutton saw the two names in the parent signature column, it felt as if a thorny vine had sprouted from the depths of her heart, growing rapidly to bind it tight.

After developing aphonia from a childhood trauma, she had endured years of scorn and ridicule. She was used to it. But today, her chest felt so tight it was suffocating.

It wasn’t because of the guard’s mockery.

It was because of the name left behind in Tristan Lawson’s sharp, angular handwriting: Sophie Hughes.

DING.

A message came in.

It was from Tristan Lawson.

Tristan: You don’t need to come to the parent-child activity.

The blood in Noelle Sutton’s veins seemed to freeze. She stood rooted to the spot, unable to process what was happening for a long moment.

So, Sophie was the mom.

Noelle Sutton put down the sign-in sheet and walked away like a soulless puppet. The guard’s sneer followed her. "A mute dreaming of being Mrs. Lawson. She really doesn’t know her place."

The happy laughter of children filled the air, and at the thought of Joshua, Noelle couldn’t help but turn to look back at the school.

Through the white fence, she instantly spotted the dazzling father-son duo in the crowd. But next to them stood a petite, lovely woman.

That must be Sophie Hughes.

Red ribbons were tied around Joshua’s ankles, connecting him to the ankles of Tristan Lawson and Sophie Hughes.

Joshua’s smile was radiant.

Even the perpetually stern Tristan Lawson had a faint smile playing on his lips, and a soft light glinted in his dark, ink-black eyes.

He was tall and lean, with features so sharply defined they seemed sculpted. Beneath his thick black hair, his eyes were a deep, intense color, and his every movement exuded a devastatingly noble grace.

She had seen him in his element in the business world, triumphant and full of spirit.

She had been infatuated from the very first glance, falling deeper and deeper until she was completely lost.

But how much of that gaze, as gentle as water, had he ever spared for her?

As for Sophie Hughes... she wore a simple, pale dress, her skin as fair as snow. Graceful and lovely, she radiated the effortless, intellectual air of a high-society lady.

As their tied ankles got tangled and they nearly fell, Tristan’s usually impassive face filled with alarm. His voice was so gentle it seemed to drip with honey as he said, "Careful."

With lightning-fast reflexes, Tristan Lawson grabbed Sophie Hughes by the waist. But he couldn’t steady them, and all three of them tumbled to the ground. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Sophie Hughes landed squarely on top of Tristan Lawson.

From where Noelle stood, it looked like their faces were pressed together.

Noelle’s fingertips curled tightly. Her eyelashes trembled violently. Tearing her gaze away, she turned and hurried off. But the voices of the other parents still found their way to her ears.

"Joshua Lawson’s parents are such a good-looking couple."

"I know, right? The dad’s handsome, and the mom’s gorgeous. No wonder their son is so cute."

"That family of three really makes you green with envy."

Back at the villa, a sharp pain flared in Noelle’s abdomen.

The doctor had told her that the liver itself has no pain receptors. By the time the pain is noticeable, the disease is usually in its final stages.

Noelle took out her phone, wanting to look up information about her condition, only to find that the battery was dead.

She plugged in the charging cable, and once the phone turned on, she saw the parents’ group chat had been flooded with messages.

She stared at the "99+" notification before tapping it open.

Besides the scenes she had already witnessed with her own eyes, there were also numerous candid photos.

Flipping through them, her heart no longer felt a single ripple of emotion.

She only pitied her past self for giving so much so unconditionally. Her eyes began to sting, and tears welled up, shimmering at the corners.

The pain in her abdomen was so intense that cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

Seeing that she was unwell, Mrs. Miller hurried over. "Ma’am, are you feeling alright? Should I take you to the hospital?"

Noelle shook her head and typed a message on her phone: I’m fine. I’ll feel better after some rest.

"Are you sure?"

Noelle nodded.

She got up, poured a glass of water, and went into the bedroom. From her bag, she took out the palliative medicine prescribed by the doctor and took a few pills as instructed.

After setting down the glass of water, she looked up at the wedding photo on the wall.

It was an enlarged version of their marriage registration photo.

She had wanted to have a proper wedding photoshoot for their bedroom, but Tristan claimed he hated having his picture taken. He told her that if she really wanted a photo, she could just enlarge their marriage registration picture.

In their seven years of marriage, this was the only photo she had of them together.

And yet today, he had taken so many pictures with Sophie Hughes. Only now did she finally understand. It wasn’t that he disliked having his picture taken; he just didn’t want to take any with her.

It was a lie she had used to deceive herself, and she had believed it for seven years.

Tonight, she would tear this whole charade apart. Even with only six months left to live, she was going to demand a divorce.

A little after ten at night, the familiar sound of an engine growled from outside.