Chapter 149: Chapter 149: Do You Care That Much About His Gift?

The air had turned chilly after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The water was naturally colder than in the summer, and a shiver ran through Noelle Sutton as the fine spray hit her skin. She couldn’t help but shudder.

Tristan Lawson held her down in the bathtub. She struggled, but he remained unmoved.

His eyes were filled with the flames of anger, his only thought to wash her clean.

The frigid water made Noelle’s body tremble, and several strands of wet hair were plastered across her eyes.

After a while, the water temperature gradually rose. Her body warmed slightly, easing the discomfort, but her heart remained cold.

Seeing that she had stopped struggling, Tristan Lawson gripped her hand tightly, applied some body wash, and began scrubbing it forcefully.

His thin lips were pressed into a line as hard as a blade.

He scrubbed the back of Noelle’s hand until it burned before he finally grabbed the showerhead and rinsed the foam from her hand.

Suddenly, the purplish-blue bruises on her wrist appeared starkly before his eyes.

Even the back of her fair, delicate hand was completely red...

Tristan Lawson froze.

Only then did he realize how rough he had been.

Noelle sat in the tub, expressionless. Her beautiful, large eyes held a shattered light.

The showerhead suddenly slipped from Tristan Lawson’s hand, clattering against the tub. He reached out and pulled Noelle into his arms.

"Sorry... I..."

His voice was choked, as if any explanation he could offer had become pale and feeble.

He wasn’t a man who hit women.

Twice, she had angered him so much he’d wanted to slap her, but his hand had always stopped just short of her cheek. He had always pulled back, never touching her.

’But what have I done now?’

’I’ve hurt her.’

Noelle Sutton suddenly remembered something important. ’My necklace can’t get wet!’

She shoved Tristan Lawson away, hastily took off the necklace, and cupped it in her palms. Tears streamed down her face, her expression pained.

Last time, Tristan Lawson had thrown the necklace, and it had fallen into a sink and been damaged.

She had felt incredibly guilty.

Wyatt Yates had taken it to be repaired, and now Tristan Lawson had ruined it again.

The flicker of anger in Tristan Lawson, which had just begun to subside, was instantly reignited.

That morning, he had put the sound-emitting ring on her finger, but she had ignored it in favor of the necklace from Wyatt Yates. He hadn’t even had a chance to settle the score with her about that, and here she was, crying over a gift from Wyatt Yates.

He reached out and grabbed her jaw, his cold, deep voice seeming to spill from his throat. "You care this much about a gift from him?"

To Tristan Lawson, her tears were a mockery.

’It’s really been too long since I’ve touched her. She’s forgetting that I’m her man!’

Noelle tried to pull her face away, but Tristan only gripped it tighter. With his other hand, he took the necklace from her and dangled it in front of her. "You still haven’t answered me. Do you care this much about a gift from him?"

When Noelle reached for it, Tristan Lawson hurled it out the window.

Noelle’s eyes widened. She ducked her head and bit down hard on the web of his thumb.

Tristan Lawson winced in pain, but he didn’t move, letting her bite him.

After a long moment, Noelle finally let go.

The wound on his neck had only just healed, the teeth marks still a tender pink. Now, she had drawn blood from his hand.

"What are you, a dog? Always biting people?"

The man was in a foul mood.

Noelle paid him no mind. She climbed out of the tub and, completely soaked, hurried outside.

Tristan Lawson chased after her, only to see her run to the open space outside the bathroom window, where she bent over, searching.

A dark shadow seemed to envelop the man.

Noelle searched all around but couldn’t see the necklace. She squatted down and began rummaging through the lawn.

A cool autumn breeze blew past, and goosebumps erupted all over her drenched skin.

Tristan Lawson looked down and opened his clenched fist.

The necklace was in his palm. He had only faked throwing it.

’Her...’

Tristan Lawson felt as if something was being stripped away from inside him.

The sensation filled him with an indescribable panic.

It was a feeling he had never had before.

Not even when facing deals worth tens of billions had he ever felt this way. He strode toward Noelle Sutton.

She was still squatting on the ground, her body hunched over as she searched through the grass.

Her damp palms were covered in bits of grass.

Tristan Lawson grabbed Noelle’s wrist and pulled her up. The moment she fell into his arms, Noelle fainted.

"Noelle Sutton!"

The man’s voice was urgent.

"Noelle Sutton, Noelle?"

He called her name twice and tapped her cheeks, but there was no reaction.

He immediately reached out to touch her forehead. ’It’s burning up!’

He quickly scooped her up and hurried toward his car.

Just then, Joshua Lawson rushed out in a panic, shouting, "Dad, Sophie heard from the maids that you brought Mom back, and she was rushing to apologize to her. She was going down the stairs too fast and fell! She’s bleeding a lot, you have to go see!"

After he finished speaking, Joshua finally noticed his mother in Tristan’s arms. Her eyes were shut tight, she was soaked to the bone, and her hands were filthy. He was about to ask what was wrong with his mother, but then he remembered how she had embarrassed him at the paper-cutting competition that day. The words died on his lips.

He had been so sad and heartbroken today. It was Sophie Hughes who had stayed with him and comforted him, from morning until now.

His mother, on the other hand, hadn’t paid any attention to him in a long time.

The more he thought about it, the more he resented his mother for the hurt and neglect.

Tristan Lawson’s brows furrowed. "Is it serious?"

Joshua Lawson nodded emphatically. "She’s bleeding a lot. The wound on her forehead that hadn’t healed yet broke open again."

Tristan Lawson placed Noelle in the car and strode quickly into the villa.

Mrs. Miller and a few maids were gathered around Sophie Hughes, pretending to be anxious.

Tristan came over and saw blood seeping from the wound on Sophie Hughes’s forehead. She was unconscious. He reprimanded them harshly, "Are you all stupid? Don’t you know to call an ambulance?"

Mrs. Miller said cautiously, "I saw that you were home, Sir. Taking her directly to the hospital would be faster than an ambulance."

Extremely irritated, Tristan picked Sophie Hughes up and put her in another car.

Tristan Lawson told the driver to take Sophie Hughes to the hospital.

Joshua Lawson followed them out and squeezed into the car with Sophie Hughes.

Tristan Lawson’s expression darkened. "What are you doing? Your mother is in my car. I’m driving that one. Come with me."

But Joshua grabbed Sophie Hughes’s arm and said pitifully, "Sophie spent so much time with me today. She’s hurt, so I want to stay with her. Mom has you, right? You can stay with Mom, but Sophie is all alone. She’s hurt worse than Mom, and it’s so sad for her to be by herself."

Tristan Lawson pressed his lips together.

’Joshua is right. Noelle has me.’

’But Sophie...’

So, he didn’t stop Joshua Lawson from accompanying Sophie Hughes to the hospital.

The driver drove off, and he got into his own car.

He and the driver arrived at the hospital at almost the same time. Emergency personnel quickly came out to receive them.

Both women were taken into the emergency room.