Chapter 136: Chapter 136: Give Me a Chance to Explain Myself

Smith couldn’t understand sign language, so he didn’t know what Noelle was communicating to Tristan Lawson.

All he could tell from Noelle’s expression was that they seemed to be arguing.

Director Ford’s expression froze.

Noelle actually wanted to divorce Tristan Lawson...

’They...’

She had thought their marriage was strong and their family stable.

Noelle seemed to have infuriated Tristan. A grim, sinister aura now enveloped him.

His handsome features were terrifyingly stern, his thin lips pressed into a single line.

Noelle shot him an indifferent glance, then looked away. She turned, typed a message on her phone, and showed the screen to Smith.

"Don’t pay any attention to him. Whether he agrees or not, he can’t stop me from taking the role in your film. I’ll leave with you the day after tomorrow."

Noelle hadn’t wanted to completely burn bridges with Tristan. They had been husband and wife, after all, and they had a son. From the very beginning, she had been considerate of his and their son’s dignity, wanting only to settle things peacefully.

But her tolerance hadn’t yielded the results she’d hoped for.

In fact, he had nearly driven her into a corner.

Even a cornered rabbit will bite.

She’d had an epiphany. She wasn’t going to take it anymore.

If they had to burn bridges, then so be it.

She had not betrayed their marriage.

Her conscience was clear.

He, on the other hand, had been unfaithful, still infatuated with Sophie Hughes even after they were married.

He practically crossed the line with Sophie Hughes right in front of his own wife.

And behind her back? She couldn’t even imagine what they’d done.

If word got out, Tristan Lawson would be the one to be utterly humiliated!

The Lawson Family wanted to cover up the scandal, but Tristan himself seemed to enjoy flaunting it, tearing at the cover-up, as if he couldn’t wait for the world to know how deep his feelings for Sophie Hughes ran.

Fine. They could flaunt it and tear it all down together. It would be easier for her to get a divorce once everything was in tatters anyway.

"Noelle."

Tristan’s voice was cold.

Noelle didn’t want to deal with him anymore. She had already made herself perfectly clear.

She typed another message and showed it to Smith. "Let’s exchange contact information."

Noelle typed in her phone number.

Tristan strode forward and grabbed Noelle’s phone. "If you want to go abroad," he said in a low, cold voice, "you’ll come home and discuss it with me first."

Annoyance flashed across Noelle’s face. She snatched her phone back, set it on the table, and signed, "I told you I’m not discussing it with you. Don’t you get it?"

"Noelle," Director Ford called out, her voice full of apology. "I had no idea that offering you this job would cause so much trouble. If I’m the reason your family is falling apart, I am so, so sorry."

For someone of Director Ford’s generation, forming a family was no easy feat. A couple with a child shouldn’t get divorced unless there was absolutely no other choice.

’No wonder Noelle was always so hesitant about working,’ she thought. ’The real reason must be that Tristan doesn’t want her out in the public eye.’

Noelle quickly signed an explanation. "Director, please don’t say that. What’s happening between him and me isn’t because of the job you offered. It’s because..."

"Enough!"

Tristan’s sharp voice cut off Noelle’s signing. ’It’s bad enough that she misunderstands the situation with Sophie,’ he thought, ’but I can’t let her go around spreading rumors. Sophie still has a career in the animation world. If Director Ford and Smith get the wrong idea, it could ruin her reputation.’

"I’ll say it again. Come home with me."

’Dirty laundry shouldn’t be aired in public. A couple’s problems should be dealt with behind closed doors. Making a scene like this is a disgrace.’

"I’m not going back..."

Tristan clamped his hand around Noelle’s wrist, cutting off her signing, and began to forcibly drag her outside.

"Noelle."

"Tristan."

Director Ford and Smith chased after them.

Tristan shoved Noelle into the car. He then stood blocking the door, glaring coldly at Smith and Director Ford. His thin lips parted. "I respect your eye for talent, but the woman of Tristan Lawson does not need to scramble for a job. I expect you to stop contacting her about work, starting today!"

Though the glass muffled the sound, Noelle could still make out Tristan’s words. She shoved hard against the car door, but it wouldn’t budge. She pounded on the window, but Tristan remained impassive.

Smith frowned. "Tristan, if you don’t want her to go abroad, I can give her the script and she can work on it here. I really need her for this..."

"What’s more important? Your movie, or the fact that she’s trying to divorce me?"

Tristan’s tone left no room for compromise.

They were a married couple, and Tristan clearly didn’t want a divorce. Even though Noelle had said otherwise, Director Ford couldn’t help but blame herself for how things had escalated.

Tristan was clearly furious, and Smith felt it was best not to say anything more.

Neither of them knew what Noelle had been through; they only saw a couple fighting about divorce who were, for the time being, still married.

As outsiders, it wasn’t their place to interfere any further.

So, they could only watch helplessly as Tristan drove away with Noelle.

Tristan drove fast.

Trapped in the car, Noelle could no longer fight back.

She grew quiet, her face a pale, emotionless mask.

Catching sight of Noelle’s face in the rearview mirror, waves of irritation washed over him.

The car stopped at the entrance of Westhill Villa.

Tristan, still forcing a semblance of patience, got out, walked over to the passenger side, and opened the door for Noelle.

"I don’t want to fight. Get out. Can we just talk?"

Noelle didn’t move a muscle.

Tristan added, "Behave, and maybe I’ll consider signing the divorce papers."

Hearing that, Noelle finally reacted. She got out of the car.

She followed Tristan into the villa.

This was the house she had called home for seven years. It had once been her most cherished sanctuary.

A place that had once been filled with her hopes for love and family.

She had only been gone for a few days, but now, the house felt completely alien to her.

Tristan walked into the living room, sat on the sofa, and gestured for Noelle to take a seat.

Noelle struggled to compose herself before finally sitting down.

Tristan held his suit lapel with one hand and reached into an inner pocket with the other, pulling out a cigarette.

The gesture was effortlessly smooth.

He lit it and took a deep drag, tendrils of smoke curling around him.

His dark, unreadable eyes swept over Noelle. "I’ve only just realized," he said lightly, "that I might never have known you at all."

A mocking smile touched Noelle’s lips.

’Of course he doesn’t know me.’

’A man’s eyes follow his heart.’

’If he had ever really looked at me, how could he not know me?’

’Seven whole years. Not seven days.’

’As a husband, how dare he say something like that?’

Aside from the topic of divorce, Noelle had no intention of responding to anything else he had to say.

Tristan leaned back against the sofa, crossing his legs. He rested the hand holding the cigarette on his knee, his posture growing more languid. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

His tone was slow and gentle, as if he’d reined in his emotions. "Even a criminal on trial is given a chance to speak by the judge. You want a divorce, so there must be a reason. I’m giving you the floor today. Ask me anything, and I’ll answer truthfully. Consider it... giving me a chance to explain myself before we divorce. Hmm?"