Chapter 186: Chapter 186: Why Wait? Let’s Do It Today

Tristan Lawson wanted to trap her at home, but Hugo Sterling helped her get out.

She had expected that Tristan would make trouble for Hugo.

She had sought out Hugo in the first place because she’d seen that he dared to stand up to Tristan.

Little did she know, she had already caused trouble for him.

"It’s not really because of that." Hugo didn’t want to deceive her. He fell silent for a moment before continuing, "My mother is in poor health; she’s here for treatment and to recuperate. I used to spend most of my time here as well. It’s just... she doesn’t have much time left, and she’s become desperate to find my younger sister. Tristan’s cloud database is a huge help in finding people, which is why I made a special trip back to Glenwater to ask for his assistance."

After hearing his explanation, Noelle pretty much understood.

On the one hand, Hugo needed Tristan’s help, but on the other, he was actively working against him. If Tristan got angry, he might refuse to help.

It was a sad thought—a mother, desperately yearning day and night to find her daughter.

She could also understand that Hugo must be just as eager to find his sister, and she didn’t want to be a burden to his search.

She wrote two words on the paper: "I’ll go."

Hugo knew Noelle was compromising for his sake. It reminded him of the last time he had accompanied her to Westhill Villa. Tristan hadn’t just gotten rid of the officials from the Disabled Persons’ and Women’s Federations; he had tried to send Hugo away as well.

He had known it was a trap, yet he’d walked right into it. As a result, Noelle was taken away by Tristan, and she’d had to go through so much just to escape.

He was deeply remorseful and guilt-ridden.

And yet here he was, once again asking her to do something she didn’t want to do, all for the sake of finding his younger sister. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

’His so-called affection and fondness... it all felt so cheap.’

’So cheap that he could barely face her, feeling utterly ashamed.’

His eyes were slightly red as he said in a low voice, "Noelle, I’m sorry."

But Noelle just smiled and wrote in elegant script, "It’s okay. I should be doing this."

In that moment, he suddenly understood what Adrian Grant had said—Noelle’s personality really was a lot like his younger sister’s.

"I’ll go with you. I promise I won’t let him do anything reckless."

This was all Hugo could do.

Waves of guilt washed over him.

Noelle offered a gentle smile. ’She was beginning to understand, and to care less. It was just a bit of physical suffering.’

’Physical wounds could heal with a doctor’s care, but what about the wounds on her heart?’

’Those were so much harder to recover from.’

’Only by severing all ties to love, by becoming heartless and unfeeling, could her heart be safe from further harm.’

’Noelle truly believed that.’

Besides, she wasn’t angry with Hugo. She could understand, especially since he seemed to blame himself so much for it.

"If you weren’t here, he could grab me and take me back anytime, anywhere, without even asking for my opinion. So, you don’t need to feel guilty. You’ve already done more than enough for me."

As Hugo looked at the words Noelle had written, a strong desire washed over him—he wished she could speak.

’She could only express herself through writing, which made it difficult for others to truly sense her emotions.’

’Communication between people requires you to read their emotions and adjust accordingly.’

’But with her, what they understood of her emotions was likely just a fraction of the whole.’

"By the way, your inability to speak, is it congenital?"

Hugo didn’t know that she had aphasia.

"No, it’s aphasia."

’Hugo made a mental note of it. He had to find a specialist and see if her condition could be treated.’

After he finished talking with Noelle, Hugo sent Tristan a message.

[She agreed. When should we meet?]

[No time like the present. Let’s make it tonight.]

Tristan was also eager to see her.

’If she couldn’t remain calm all the time, perhaps they would have more opportunities to communicate.’

’A peaceful resolution was better than ending up in court, only for her to come looking for him and start another fight.’

[Got it. I’ll bring her over before dinner. By the way, did you know her inability to speak is acquired?]

When Tristan received the message, his thin lips tightened.

He had only found out recently.

[I know.]

[Have you taken her to see a doctor? Do you know what caused it?]

Hugo quickly sent another message.

Tristan’s expression soured.

’He didn’t know.’

’And he’d never taken her to see a doctor.’

He remembered finding out about her aphasia in the coffee shop. He had even asked her why she hadn’t told him.

But right after that, a whole mess of other things had come up, and he had forgotten all about it.

Hugo waited for a while, but no reply came from Tristan.

’He didn’t need a reply to know. Tristan had clearly never taken Noelle to see a doctor.’

’How could any man be so thoughtless?’

’What kind of husband had he been for the past seven years?’

Hugo put his phone away and looked at Noelle. "I’ve arranged it with Tristan. We’re going to the Hughes family for dinner tonight."

’Noelle had her own questions.’

’She and Tristan had been married for seven years and even had a son. Even if Tristan had never taken her to meet his grandparents, surely the elderly Mr. and Mrs. Hughes knew their address. Marriage was a major life event. Tristan couldn’t possibly have hidden it from his own grandparents. So why had they never once shown up in all seven years?’

’The only time had been after Sophie Hughes returned from Aridia. She had brought a gift for her from Grandma and Grandpa Hughes, which Tristan had accepted on her behalf. He never gave it to her, though.’

’She never even found out what the gift was.’

’If this were the old her, she might have prepared a gift to bring to his grandparents.’

’But now, as she and Tristan reached the end of their marriage and were about to face each other in court for their divorce, she felt conflicted about whether she should prepare a gift.’

She had no choice but to convey her uncertainty to Hugo.

"Noelle, you should still prepare something," he advised. "Grandpa and Grandma Hughes are very good people. They..."

Hugo’s brow furrowed, and he trailed off, not finishing his sentence.

’He was worried Noelle would be upset if she knew the truth.’

’In the beginning, it was Tristan who hid everything; his grandparents weren’t to blame.’

Hugo changed the subject. "Your paper-cutting is so beautiful. Why not give them one of your pieces as a gift? The Hughes family is famously scholarly. Even though they immigrated here, their house is still decorated in a traditional Chinese style. Your paper-cut art would be a perfect match for their villa."

Noelle glanced at the time and quickly wrote a line: "I have enough time to do the paper-cutting, but as for getting it mounted, I don’t know any shops. I’m afraid there won’t be enough time for that."

"Don’t worry about that. I know a place," Hugo said. "I’ll make an appointment right now. Once you’re done with the cutting, we can go straight there to have it mounted. It’s very quick. I’ve had things framed there before."

Fortunately, Noelle had been here for a few days. She had kept up her paper-cutting over the years, so it was a familiar habit. When she’d gone out shopping, she had already bought a tool kit for herself, along with some paper and fabric.

’She estimated their age, guessing they were probably around the same age as Grandpa Sterling. And they were from a famously scholarly family...’

’She only had one afternoon, so she couldn’t do anything too complex.’

’It needed to be relatively simple, yet still be a heartfelt gift.’

Noelle thought for a moment, then settled on a design.