Chapter 35: Chapter 35: They Are Picking Out Wedding Dresses

There was complete silence on the other end of the line.

"Noelle?"

Noelle Sutton hung up.

Tristan Lawson didn’t get a response, only the sound of the disconnected line.

Noelle took the ice pack from Mrs. Miller, lay down on her bed, and started applying it to her eyes.

Mrs. Miller said softly, "Ma’am, I’ll go heat up your food. Don’t forget to eat after you’re done with the ice pack."

Mrs. Miller left the bedroom.

Her phone rang. It was a call from Tristan Lawson.

Mrs. Miller frowned.

’Mr. Lawson is really going too far,’ she thought. ’Taking the young master abroad to see that other woman, leaving his wife all alone at home.’

Mrs. Miller was hesitant to answer, but after a moment’s thought, she picked up the phone.

As soon as the call connected, Tristan Lawson’s voice came through.

"Is my wife crying?"

’So he does have a conscience, knowing to ask about her,’ Mrs. Miller thought.

"I don’t know if she was crying, but she just woke up, and I saw that her eyes were red and swollen."

"Go tell her to book a flight and come find me. I’ve scheduled a photoshoot for our wedding photos and a family portrait."

Mrs. Miller was overjoyed to hear this.

"Okay, I’ll go tell her right away."

"Also, tell her that if she doesn’t come this time, I can’t be sure when I’ll have an opening in my schedule again."

Having given his instructions, Tristan Lawson hung up.

Noelle knew he was busy. He had to create a sense of urgency to make her be good and come over sooner.

Mrs. Miller wanted to tell Noelle right away, but since Noelle was icing her eyes, she decided it was better to wait.

It wouldn’t be too long of a delay.

’This is a chance to mend things with Mr. Lawson and the young master. I hope she seizes it,’ Mrs. Miller thought.

Before long, Noelle came out of her room.

Mrs. Miller, who was cleaning, hurried over and relayed what Tristan Lawson had said to Noelle.

Noelle typed a message on her phone to tell Mrs. Miller she wasn’t going.

Noelle didn’t look well. Her delicate, beautiful features were completely devoid of color.

Mrs. Miller tried to persuade her, "Ma’am, you should go. Don’t you miss Mr. Lawson and the young master?"

Noelle shook her head.

Mrs. Miller thought to herself, ’Mr. Lawson and the young master have always been the people she treasures most. It seems their actions have truly hurt her.’

Not wanting to upset Noelle further, Mrs. Miller continued, "Mr. Lawson is usually very busy. He said he made time for this, and if you don’t go, there’s no telling when he’ll have free time again. He wants to retake your wedding photos with you. This is a good sign! Maybe in a few days, he’ll arrange for a proper wedding ceremony. Ma’am, you can’t miss such a great opportunity."

’Retake our wedding photos?’

’A proper wedding ceremony?’

’I’m a dying woman. I have no need for these ceremonies.’

’And I certainly won’t continue to be his tool, his shield for him and Sophie Hughes.’

Noelle felt utterly pathetic.

The other day, when he said he wanted to retake their wedding photos and scrap their registration photo, she had actually felt a flutter of excitement.

Because of Sophie Hughes’s appearance, the Lawsons were objecting, so he had started to show her favor, to explain himself, to offer her tenderness.

’This man is truly terrifying.’

She didn’t dare to think too deeply about it.

She certainly didn’t dare to look up his schedule.

For the past seven years, he was always on business trips. Who knew if he was actually going to see Sophie Hughes on those days?

Noelle was silent for a long time, and Mrs. Miller thought she was considering going abroad to join her husband and son.

Mrs. Miller stood quietly beside her, waiting for her answer.

Noelle pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose and pulled herself from her thoughts. She tossed the used ice pack into the trash can and went to the dining room to eat.

Noelle didn’t answer Mrs. Miller. The housekeeper followed her and asked in a low voice, "Ma’am, from Mr. Lawson’s tone, it sounds like it wasn’t easy for him to free up this time. If you go, your family of three can finally be reunited."

Noelle typed out a line of text.

"If he calls you again, tell him I’m busy with something lately."

Mrs. Miller stared at Noelle in a daze. ’The missus seems to have changed.’

’She’s become less concerned about Mr. Lawson and the young master.’

’What am I going to do?’

She was just a maid. It wasn’t her place to say too much about her employer’s family matters.

She went back to cleaning.

After eating, Noelle went to rest.

As she thought about the message Mrs. Miller had passed on, her already numb heart couldn’t help but ache.

Taking wedding photos is a significant event for any married couple.

If Tristan Lawson truly cared, their family of three should have gone together. He shouldn’t have chased Sophie Hughes abroad and then summoned her to join them.

She knew he was busy, that his schedule was planned far in advance. Yet for Sophie Hughes, he could change his entire itinerary on a whim.

He had some free time, so as a matter of convenience, he could take her to get wedding photos done.

In his eyes, she was just a wife who, with a small token of kindness, would shamelessly and obediently do as he said.

She couldn’t bear to imagine what a ridiculous figure she cut in his mind.

Noelle still decided to go home.

Even if Tristan Lawson came looking for her, she would only discuss divorce with him.

She packed her suitcase and came out of the room.

Mrs. Miller’s eyelids fluttered.

’Has she come around?’

’Is she going abroad?’

’That’s wonderful!’

’This is what she should do.’

A smile finally appeared on Mrs. Miller’s face. She silently wished Noelle well, hoping that this trip would allow her to reconcile with Mr. Lawson and the young master.

Not long after Noelle left, another call came from Tristan Lawson.

"Is she coming?"

Mrs. Miller said cheerfully, "Mrs. Lawson has already left with her luggage."

Noelle took the high-speed train back to her old home in Silverwood.

On the way, she received a text message from an unknown number.

[What time is your flight? Send me the details, and I’ll pick you up when you arrive.]

Noelle read the message and knew it was from Tristan Lawson.

’He’s certainly confident.’

’Thinking I’m still the same person who comes running at his beck and call.’

’Not anymore.’

She switched her phone to airplane mode.

It was almost eleven o’clock by the time she got home. As Noelle walked in, she saw the diamond necklace lying on the floor. She quickly picked it up, found a clean cloth, and wiped it clean.

The tiny speaker hidden behind the pendant was shattered.

She tried turning on her phone’s Bluetooth, but it couldn’t be detected.

Tristan Lawson’s foot had completely destroyed it.

Noelle turned off airplane mode, planning to search online to see if she could find a shop that sold similar necklaces. She still wanted to find a way to get it repaired and then return it to Wyatt Yates.

As soon as her phone got a signal, several text messages popped up at once.

At the same time, several apps pushed the same news notification.

The headline read: "Foreign Media in a Frenzy as Lawson Group CEO Tristan Lawson Spotted with Mysterious Mrs. Lawson Picking Out Wedding Gowns, Sparking Wedding Rumors."

Noelle swiped her finger to clear the notification, but she used too much force and accidentally tapped into the article.

Just as she expected.

In the article, the woman standing beside Tristan Lawson, arm linked with his, looking at wedding dresses with him, was Sophie Hughes.

Even though Sophie Hughes was wearing a mask and a wide-brimmed sun hat that almost completely obscured her face, she could still recognize her.

And her son was holding Sophie Hughes’s hand, clinging to her side. On his adorable, handsome little face, a smile bloomed like a sunflower.