Chapter 197: Chapter 197: Did He Ignore Her Feelings?

Noelle Sutton had no intention of dealing with Tessa Lawson. She simply asked the clerk to wrap up her purchase.

As she was taking out her money,

Tessa Lawson had already taken a bank card from her wallet. "I’ll pay for her."

Noelle pressed her hand down and shook her head. Tessa raised an eyebrow. "I’m your sister. What’s wrong with me paying for you?"

’I ran into Noelle today, so I should use this chance to smooth things over with her and apologize.’

’Tristan doesn’t want a divorce, and as his older sister, I can’t be the one holding him back.’

’She’s my sister-in-law, after all. We’re all family, so what’s the big deal about apologizing?’

Because she couldn’t speak, Noelle failed to stop Tessa, who quickly paid for the item.

After the payment was complete, the clerk handed the boxed cufflinks to Noelle.

Tessa looked at Noelle and said, "Want to get a cup of coffee?"

Noelle didn’t answer. Instead, she offered the packaged cufflinks to Tessa.

’These are for Wyatt Yates. I can’t let Tessa pay for them.’

’Besides, Tessa probably thinks I bought them for Tristan, which will just cause more unnecessary trouble down the line.’

Tessa frowned. "I paid for them for you, so just take them. You won’t even have a cup of coffee with me?"

Noelle took out her phone and typed a message: "Tristan and I are getting a divorce soon. We were never close before, and there’s even less reason to be now. I’ll pass on the coffee. Here are the cufflinks back."

Noelle pushed the cufflinks into Tessa’s hands and walked away without a backward glance.

"Hey, you..."

Tessa immediately chased after her. "Noelle, I know you want to divorce Tristan, but you haven’t yet, have you?"

Noelle stopped and typed to Tessa, "What do you want to say?"

"There’s a cafe right up ahead. Let’s sit down and talk."

Noelle knew Tessa had a princess attitude. If she didn’t let Tessa finish, Tessa would definitely keep following her.

’Tristan finally left, and now I have Tessa clinging to me. I’ll never get any peace and quiet.’

Noelle followed Tessa to a cafe in the mall. After they ordered two coffees, Tessa took a velvet box out of her bag—a gift she had specifically bought for Noelle while shopping earlier.

She placed it in front of Noelle, her tone somewhat apologetic. "I know I treated you poorly before. I just bought you this necklace as an apology. We’re family, after all. There’s no need to keep this up. Look, the house has been a mess lately. With both you and Tristan gone, there’s no one to look after Joshua."

Noelle found it laughable. ’I’m so cheap in the eyes of the Lawson family.’

’It’s like I’m not a person of flesh and blood, someone who doesn’t need emotions or affection.’

’The Lawsons think they can just buy off my entire life with a few gifts and a little money.’

’If I hadn’t been in love with Tristan and devoted all my time to our family, did they really think I couldn’t earn my own money or buy myself nice things?’

Noelle made no move to take the gift. Tessa couldn’t help but feel a little angry, but she suppressed it.

’I’m always so disdainful of Noelle, and it makes Tristan unhappy. Even if I don’t care about Noelle’s feelings, I have to consider Tristan’s.’

’Since Tristan still wants this family, as his sister, I have to help him without a second thought.’

So, with rare patience, Tessa continued, "There’s a limit to how long you can be angry. It’s been a while; it’s time to let it go. It’s not like Tristan is abandoning you. Our grandparents even tried to persuade him to just grant your wish and divorce you, but he refused. If he didn’t have feelings for you, he would have dumped you long ago. Just think about it. You have a perfect family of three, Tristan isn’t some terrible, cheating man, and your son is smart and eager to learn. For a woman, the life you have is the pinnacle of success. What are you being so stubborn about? Isn’t it tiring, having to work?" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

’I have nothing to say to her.’

’In the eyes of the Lawsons, I’m just The Little Mute, a clinging vine that can only survive by depending on Tristan Lawson.’

’Not a single one of them respects my thoughts. Not one is willing to understand my worth.’

’When I loved Tristan, I was willing to give up all my talents for him, to be a devoted wife and mother at home.’

’Now that I don’t love him anymore, I can reclaim my skills and shine in the professional world.’

’I won’t waste any more of my life on this meaningless marriage.’

’Now, I have a chance to cure my aphasia and extend my life. From now on, I only want to live for myself.’

She pushed the velvet box back toward Tessa, then grabbed a notepad and pen from the table and began to write forcefully on the paper.

"I don’t need your gift, and I certainly don’t need your apology!"

She passed the note across the table.

Then another.

"When I loved Tristan, you were his sister, so I respected you. No matter how you treated me, I could tolerate it. But now, you can drop the high-and-mighty ’Miss Lawson’ attitude. I’m not buying it!"

"Do you all think that if you give me a gift, I’m supposed to hold out my hand and gratefully accept it? You must have forgotten about that day at Westhill Villa. That box of money was what I earned from my own work. It’s not that I can’t support myself—it’s that seven years ago, I gave up everything to be a good wife to Tristan Lawson."

"I don’t want him anymore, and I don’t want his son either. I’m even giving up my own son. Do you really think I have any reason to be nice to you? He and his son are your blood relatives, not me."

"Tessa Lawson, if you want to throw your weight around as the great Miss Lawson, do it somewhere else! As for Tristan and his son, when I wanted them, they were my treasures. Now that I don’t, they’re just weeds."

Tessa watched the notes Noelle threw at her, her face paling and flushing by turns.

By the time she processed it all and wanted to scold Noelle, Noelle had already grabbed her bag and left.

Tessa was so angry her chest ached.

’That little mute has such a temper now!’

Later that evening, Tessa figured Tristan’s flight had probably landed.

She took pictures of the notes and sent them to Tristan’s WeChat.

[Look at the things she said. She doesn’t even want Joshua anymore.]

Tessa didn’t dare to bluntly tell Tristan to just give up and divorce Noelle.

After all, Sophie Hughes was waiting in the wings, eyeing him covetously.

Tristan opened the images.

After reading the contents, his gentle, handsome features turned as cold as ice.

The handwriting was elegant, yet forceful.

’She must have been absolutely determined when she wrote this.’

’She doesn’t want me anymore?’

’She sees me and our son as weeds?’

At that moment, Tristan wasn’t angry. Instead, he read a deep sense of sorrow between the lines.

’All these years, I thought we had a harmonious marriage.’

’But she didn’t see it that way at all.’

’Was it me? Did I neglect her feelings?’

Tristan took out his phone and dialed Secretary Shaw.

"Withdraw the request to freeze her assets."