A few pearls were faintly visible.

Tristan Lawson cut into the cake again, following the box’s outline.

Inside was a pearl necklace.

No wonder she had felt an obstruction when she cut the cake earlier.

Tristan Lawson put on a pair of disposable gloves, pulled out the box, and opened it.

The lustrous surface of the round pearls emanated a faint, iridescent glow.

They shimmered brilliantly.

Tristan Lawson took off his gloves and removed the necklace.

Without asking for Noelle Sutton’s opinion, he swept her long, glossy black hair to one side and fastened the pearl necklace around her slender, fair neck.

"Pearls suit you better. Don’t wear diamond necklaces from now on; they’re too harsh."

Noelle Sutton’s eyelids fluttered.

’Didn’t he just give me a diamond ring?’

’Isn’t the diamond on the ring harsh?’

Noelle Sutton lowered her gaze. Tristan Lawson picked up a disposable plate with a slice of cake and offered it to her.

She immediately shook her head.

She didn’t want it.

She was full.

"It’s my turn to eat, hmm?"

Tristan Lawson raised an eyebrow, his gaze filled with meaning.

Noelle Sutton’s heart pounded in her chest.

Honestly, in their seven years of marriage, they had never been so intimate outside of the bedroom.

Something like feeding each other would simply never happen.

She had imagined they could be this close.

But it had only ever been a fantasy.

It had never become reality.

Having never experienced it, she couldn’t act naturally; she felt shy.

Her hand still subconsciously took the plate.

The man’s low, husky voice drifted over. "Hold it steady. Don’t drop it."

Tristan Lawson wrapped one arm around her back and the other under her knees, lifting her up.

She had no idea what he was going to do.

He walked to the bedside before setting her down.

He took the cake from her hands and placed it on the nightstand.

"You lie down and rest for a bit. I’m going to take a shower."

Before turning away, he reached out and stroked her head.

There was a hint of indulgence in the gesture, and Noelle Sutton’s heart was a flurry, like snowflakes scattering in the winter wind.

The SPLASHING sound of water came from the bathroom, and Noelle Sutton suddenly came to her senses.

Her eyelashes trembled, and she clenched her fists.

’What’s wrong with me?’

’I’m in a daze.’

’Haven’t I already prepared myself for a divorce, to leave this family for good?’

’How could I...’

Noelle Sutton closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She decided she had to have a proper talk with Tristan Lawson.

She couldn’t make judgments on her own just because of a few things she’d seen.

If she was wrong about everything, just like tonight, what she would destroy was the family she had painstakingly built for seven years and the love she had thrown herself into.

She couldn’t be so rash. She couldn’t just condemn everything unilaterally without even listening to Tristan Lawson’s explanation.

’I’ll ask him properly when he gets out of the shower.’

Noelle Sutton subconsciously touched the pearls on her neck.

Tonight, he had treated her with genuine care.

The kind of care she had waited seven years for.

She wanted to give him and herself one more chance, and also fulfill the wish she had held for eleven years.

Noelle Sutton sat quietly on the edge of the bed, waiting for Tristan Lawson.

When Tristan Lawson came out of the bathroom, he had only a white bath towel wrapped around his waist.

The post-shower moisture made his skin look very hydrated.

His firm muscles were well-defined, his eight-pack abs clearly visible.

And his legs were straight and powerful.

Noelle Sutton almost stared, captivated...

Tristan Lawson approached, and Noelle Sutton frantically signed, "Let’s talk. I have something to say to you."

"We’ll talk later, hmm?"

The man’s voice was sexy and incredibly tempting. As he strode over, the post-shower scent of his body filled Noelle Sutton’s senses.

He sat down beside Noelle Sutton. His powerful presence was like a warm barrier, enveloping her completely.

She had just raised her hands, wanting to ask him about his true relationship with Sophie Hughes.

But he grabbed her hands and pushed her down onto the bed, unwilling to waste time meant for marital intimacy.

He held her hands above her head and moved in to kiss her.

He gave her no chance to express herself at all.

Tonight, he was an expert at wearing her down.

Just as Noelle Sutton was about to break, a frantic knocking suddenly sounded at the door.

Tristan Lawson froze.

"Tristan, Noelle, are you asleep? Joshua’s stomach is suddenly hurting really badly, and he’s crying..."

It was Sophie Hughes’s anxious voice, tinged with tears.

Tristan Lawson immediately got off Noelle Sutton.

"Help me keep an eye on him for a minute. I’ll be right there."

Noelle Sutton got up too.

Lately, she had wanted to clear the air with Tristan Lawson.

’Maybe I really was just mistaken.’

If she was wrong about everything, she still couldn’t possibly ignore her own son.

Tristan Lawson quickly threw on some clothes.

Noelle Sutton slipped on a silk nightgown and got up, preparing to find some clothes.

Tristan Lawson thought about how worked up she’d gotten just moments before; she must be feeling very uncomfortable right now.

And it was so late.

That one night, Joshua Lawson had a recurring fever, and he had taken care of him all night.

He could probably appreciate how hard she had worked taking care of their child all these years.

So he said, "You go to sleep. I’ll take care of Joshua."

Noelle Sutton still wanted to go with him.

Tristan Lawson could see the worry in her eyes.

"It’s just a stomachache, don’t worry. He’s my son, and I don’t want him to be in pain either. Trust me with this, okay?"

He had to soothe her emotions.

He didn’t want to go through the unpleasantness of the past few days ever again.

It would be best if this family could return to its previous state of peace.

Noelle Sutton didn’t dare waste any more of his time, so she didn’t say anything more.

Tristan Lawson opened the door. Sophie Hughes was standing at the entrance, pacing anxiously.

"Tristan, hurry, get upstairs."

When Tristan Lawson reached the upstairs guest room, Joshua Lawson was clutching his stomach, curled into a ball and crying.

He was mumbling, "Mommy, Mommy..."

Whenever he felt sick before, he would always call for his mommy.

Subconscious behaviors weren’t so easy to change.

"Joshua."

Tristan Lawson walked in quickly.

When Joshua Lawson saw him, he cried out "Daddy," his voice full of pain and grievance.

Tristan Lawson pulled him into his arms and asked softly, "It hurts a lot?"

Joshua Lawson looked up with teary eyes and nodded. "It hurts a lot, a lot."

Tristan Lawson’s heart clenched.

Joshua Lawson was his son, a continuation of his own life, and he looked so much like him.

The arrival of this little life had brought him a feeling unlike any other.

After Tristan Lawson left, Noelle Sutton also finished changing her clothes.

When a son was in pain, he needed his mother.

She hurried upstairs.

Just then, Tristan Lawson was picking up Joshua Lawson and comforting him, "Don’t be scared. Daddy’s here. I’ll take you to the hospital."

Joshua Lawson said through his tears, "Where’s Mommy? Why won’t Mommy come see me?"

"Mommy’s a little tired today, she’s resting. It’s the same with Daddy here. Be good, let’s go to the hospital." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Hearing her son looking for her, Noelle Sutton couldn’t help but feel her heart ache.

When her son was sick, he still thought of her.

She shouldn’t let her suspicions stir up such unfounded emotions that she couldn’t even tolerate her child’s smallest mistake.

Noelle Sutton felt a pang of self-reproach and quickened her pace.

Then, Joshua Lawson’s pained and aggrieved voice reached her ears again: "Mommy doesn’t love me anymore lately..."

Noelle Sutton’s heart twisted into a knot.

Her steps grew even faster.