Chapter 168: Chapter 168: Tristan Only Married Her Because She’s a Mute

After seeing Noelle Sutton off, Hugo Sterling immediately rushed to the hospital.

By the time he got there, Tristan Lawson was already undergoing emergency surgery. A man he didn’t recognize was standing by the door.

"Are you the one I just spoke to on the phone?"

The truck driver nodded, his voice filled with apology. "I was making a turn when his car came rushing out at high speed. I slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. He swerved and hit the guardrail, and then my truck hit the back of his car. I’ve already called the police. They’ve sent someone to investigate the scene..."

Hugo Sterling’s brows furrowed. The truck driver was dressed plainly, and his hands were trembling nonstop.

’He probably took one look at Tristan Lawson’s car and figured he could never afford the damages. On top of that, Tristan was injured. It didn’t matter if Tristan was speeding or not; the driver was turning, and turning vehicles have to yield to through traffic. He was still going to be held responsible.’

Hugo Sterling knew that making a living wasn’t easy for working-class people, so he offered a word of comfort. "Don’t worry too much. You didn’t flee the scene, and you brought him to the hospital. The authorities will take that into account."

’I just hope nothing serious happens to Tristan Lawson.’

After receiving Hugo Sterling’s call, the entire Lawson family rushed to the hospital.

The sight of them terrified the truck driver even more.

Hugo Sterling said to him, "You should go talk to the police. I’ll take care of things here."

The driver left in a hurry.

Tessa Lawson’s face was pale with anxiety. She rushed over and grabbed Hugo Sterling’s arm. "Brother Hugo, how could Tristan get into a car accident?"

"He might have been on the phone while driving and wasn’t paying attention to the road. I happened to be talking to him when it happened. I heard the crash. We’ll have to wait for him to wake up and ask him what happened."

Hugo Sterling didn’t go into detail, wanting to prevent the Lawson family from blaming Noelle Sutton.

On the way, Noelle Sutton had already booked a flight to Aridia.

Once she arrived safely, she hailed a cab to the airport.

She hadn’t eaten anything and felt extremely weak.

Once she was in the car, she started typing a message.

"Mr. Sterling, thank you. I’ve arrived at the port and am on my way to the airport..."

Her fingertip hovered over the screen. She wanted to add another sentence, but after typing the first letter of Tristan’s name, she deleted it.

After hesitating back and forth several times, she sent only that first line.

Meanwhile, Tristan Lawson was still in surgery.

The Lawsons’ expressions grew grimmer and grimmer as they waited.

Tristan Lawson was the most important member of the Lawson family. No one wanted anything to happen to him.

Hugo Sterling saw Noelle Sutton’s message and quickly replied.

"You’re welcome. Have a safe trip. Go and find your dream. Remember to be happy. If I get the chance to visit Aridia, I’ll come see you."

Noelle Sutton’s phone chimed. She quickly opened the message. A moment later, the light in her eyes faded, and the hand holding her phone slowly dropped to her side.

Everything went smoothly: arriving at the airport, going through security, and boarding the plane.

As she stepped onto the flight to Aridia, the suffocating feeling that had constricted her heart seemed to release all at once.

Still, a single thread remained, and a gentle tug was all it took to make her ache with pain.

She sat down and closed her eyes.

’I don’t want to think about it anymore.’

’I want to breathe the air of freedom.’

’More than anything, I want to set myself free.’

Tristan Lawson’s surgery lasted for more than three hours.

When the operating room door opened, the Lawsons swarmed forward, demanding to know Tristan Lawson’s condition.

Hugo Sterling couldn’t even squeeze through the crowd.

"Doctor, how’s my brother? Is he going to be okay?"

"Doctor, we’ll pay whatever it costs. Nothing can happen to my grandson."

"That’s right! Nothing can happen to my son! We have money. We’ll pay whatever it takes, just save him!"

"Quiet!" the doctor snapped. They all fell silent. The doctor removed his mask and said, "The patient had a broken rib, which we’ve surgically removed. Fortunately, it didn’t damage any internal organs. We’ve also treated the internal bleeding from the impact. His right leg is fractured, so we’ve inserted a steel plate. He has multiple abrasions, but they aren’t severe. There was a previous knife wound on his abdomen that had been stitched up, but it reopened, so we’ve re-sutured it. He also suffered a blow to the head, which caused a hematoma. We performed a minimally invasive procedure to drain it. He’s in critical condition for now. If he wakes up within forty-eight hours, he should be fine. If he doesn’t..."

"What happens if he doesn’t wake up?"

Old Master Lawson grabbed the doctor’s arm anxiously. Tristan Lawson was the grandson he had personally groomed, the one he was most proud of. He couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to him.

"We’ll need to run more tests to be sure. Now, please step aside. The patient needs to be moved to the ICU."

The mention of the ICU made the situation feel dire. Old Master Lawson’s eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

Nathaniel Lawson, his wife, and Talia Lawson crowded around the old master and rushed him away.

Tessa Lawson, however, didn’t follow them. Instead, she stared at Hugo Sterling with cold eyes. "You know exactly what happened, don’t you?" she said in a low voice.

Hugo Sterling pressed his lips together and said nothing.

Tessa Lawson’s eyes narrowed, her brows knitted tightly. "Say something!"

Tristan Lawson was her twin brother. Someone else could look after the old master, and she could ignore other matters, but not this. She couldn’t ignore anything concerning Tristan.

"Wait for Tristan to wake up and ask him yourself. I’m not getting involved in his private affairs."

Hugo’s heart was in knots as well. The forty-eight-hour wait would feel like an eternity for all of them.

He had helped Noelle Sutton, but he never wanted anything bad to happen to Tristan Lawson.

Tessa Lawson’s expression grew darker. "This is about Noelle Sutton, isn’t it?"

’That night, she’d had to drag Tristan away from The Orchidelle. He’d been looking for Noelle Sutton everywhere after that. She hadn’t seen Tristan since. He hadn’t even come home. The two of them were neglecting their own son. She’d had to take Joshua to her place.’

These thoughts made her suddenly remember Noelle Sutton. "Tristan’s in a serious accident, so where is Noelle Sutton? How could she not be at the hospital? No, I have to call her."

Tessa Lawson dialed Noelle Sutton’s number.

"We’re sorry, the number you have dialed is currently turned off."

Tessa Lawson almost smashed her phone in frustration.

"The nerve of her, turning her phone off at a time like this! She’s gotten more and more irresponsible lately. First, she abandons her son, and now her husband? I guess she really doesn’t want to be Mrs. Lawson anymore."

Hugo Sterling said quietly, "Maybe she really doesn’t."

Tessa Lawson took a step forward and grabbed Hugo Sterling’s tie. "Don’t piss me off. Tell me, was Tristan’s accident because of that mute?"

Hugo Sterling yanked his tie out of her grip. "She’s your sister-in-law. Stop calling her a mute. It makes you sound classless. If I were her, and you treated me with that attitude, I wouldn’t be able to stay with the Lawson family either."

Tessa Lawson sneered. "I saw how you looked at her at Grandpa Sterling’s birthday banquet. It was far from ordinary. Hugo Sterling, others might not know the real story, but you do, don’t you? You know why Tristan suddenly got married seven years ago. He was willing to marry Noelle Sutton because she got incredibly lucky and stumbled into a golden opportunity. If she weren’t a mute, do you really think Tristan would have ever married her?"