Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Don’t You Want to See Your Mentor Again?

Tristan Lawson was already far away.

Sophie Hughes stood rooted to the spot, helpless.

’He was really starting to care more and more about Noelle Sutton.’

’Seven years... It seemed a lot of things had changed.’

Tristan Lawson found Noelle Sutton’s attending physician and learned that she had gone into shock from extreme fright.

The police had found her in her hotel room and brought her to the hospital.

The tension in Tristan Lawson’s chest eased slightly.

He vaguely remembered one night in bed during a thunderstorm. She had clung to him tightly.

She, who was usually so passive when they were intimate, had initiated a kiss.

Afterward, she had continued to cling to him like a vine.

’So she’s afraid of thunder.’

The thunderstorm last night was the kind you don’t see for years. The lightning lit up the sky like a web, and the thunder was deafening.

For Noelle Sutton to be frightened into shock... one could only imagine how terrified she must have been.

A sudden wave of regret washed over Tristan Lawson.

When he found out the flights were grounded at the airport, he should have just taken a helicopter.

Tristan Lawson walked straight out of the hospital.

Sophie Hughes rested for a moment before returning to the floor of Tristan Lawson’s hospital room.

She stood waiting in the hallway, assuming Tristan Lawson would be back soon.

But instead, she saw Tristan Lawson walk out of the hospital.

He was still in his hospital gown.

’What is he trying to do?!’

’Go see Noelle Sutton looking like that?’

Sophie Hughes could almost hear the sound of her own heart shattering.

Tristan Lawson was meticulous about his image. He was always in a sharp suit, clean-shaven, with his thick black hair perfectly combed. There was never a single crease on his clothes.

He was so anxious and worried about Noelle Sutton.

If it had been anyone else acting this way, Sophie Hughes probably wouldn’t have cared at all.

But this was Tristan Lawson.

He had completely disregarded everything he normally held so dear.

Sophie Hughes clenched her fists tightly.

The next second, she walked to the stairwell, steeled herself, and threw herself down the stairs.

As if by design, her forehead struck the handrail, drawing blood.

Stars exploded in her vision.

She struggled to pull out her phone and dial Tristan Lawson’s number.

Tristan Lawson was waiting for a car by the road. When he saw Sophie Hughes’s name on the screen, he swiped to answer.

Tristan Lawson was about to tell her to find a hotel to stay in, but her pained, broken voice came through the phone first.

"Tristan, where did you go? I couldn’t keep up with you. I was... I was in such a hurry trying to find you that I missed a step and fell down the stairs. I hit my head, and I twisted my ankle... It hurts so much..."

Tristan Lawson’s thin, sharp lips tightened. After a moment, he said, "I’m coming back now."

Satisfied, Sophie Hughes put her phone away.

When Noelle Sutton woke up, she picked up her phone and checked the time. It was already past five in the afternoon.

She had a missed call. She tapped it and saw it was from Tristan Lawson.

She stared at the familiar name for a moment before putting the phone down and getting up to freshen up.

When she came out, she was ready to go get something to eat.

A message from Wyatt Yates came in.

"The Little Mute, I’m waiting for you downstairs at the hotel. I’ll take you out for a good meal."

Noelle Sutton went downstairs.

Wyatt Yates’s car was parked right at the hotel entrance.

She got in the car and signed to Wyatt Yates that it was her treat.

She didn’t want to be indebted to too many people.

Wyatt Yates had promised to help her find a lawyer, and he had even come to the hospital to look after her last night. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Wyatt Yates didn’t refuse.

He knew that if he refused, she probably wouldn’t agree to go out with him again.

The two of them went into a restaurant and ordered their food.

Wyatt Yates also ordered a glass of warm milk for Noelle Sutton.

"The Little Mute, my mom called me this afternoon. She said they had a party yesterday, and all the guests loved your paper-cutting art. They want to buy some pieces for a high price and asked her to make an introduction. She told me to ask you if you’re interested."

Noelle Sutton’s spirits had been low lately, so she hadn’t given much thought to these matters.

But there was a more fundamental reason: she didn’t have much time left.

In these few short months, she probably wouldn’t have enough time for anything she started.

"The Little Mute?"

Seeing she didn’t respond, Wyatt Yates waved a hand in front of her eyes.

Noelle Sutton looked up, her hands moving heavily as she signed, "If the demand isn’t too high, then yes."

Wyatt Yates didn’t really understand. Noelle Sutton’s paper-cuttings were practically works of art, a craft passed down from her grandmother.

She had been very close with her grandmother.

So why wasn’t she planning to make a name for herself with it?

Wyatt Yates asked tentatively, "Is there something you’re worried about?"

His mother had previously offered to fund an exhibition for her, but she had to take care of her husband and son back then, so it was understandable that she refused.

Now that she was preparing for a divorce, she wouldn’t have to spend so much time on her husband and son. It would be a great opportunity for her to do something she loves.

Wyatt Yates really wanted to support her.

Besides, she had caught Director Ford’s eye at sixteen and was given a recommendation for early admission to Glenwater Media University. She clearly could have had a brilliant future.

Noelle Sutton was silent for a moment before raising her hands to sign, "I haven’t done any design work in years. I’m afraid I’ll embarrass your mother."

"How could you? My mom can’t stop praising your designs. The guests at our house yesterday were all people with refined taste. The fact that they liked your work proves it has merit. And aren’t you planning on getting a divorce? If you don’t have a career of your own, how are you going to fight Tristan Lawson for custody of your son?"

At the mention of her son, Noelle Sutton’s expression fell. Her hands moved heavily. "I’m not planning to fight him for custody."

Even if she fought, she couldn’t win.

She only had six months. There was no point in fighting for custody.

Besides, Joshua Lawson himself would never choose her.

There was no need to set herself up for humiliation.

Wyatt Yates stared at her, his eyes darkening.

No mother would willingly give up her own son.

’The Little Mute must have gone through something unimaginable.’

’How on earth did Tristan Lawson treat her these past seven years?!’

A fire of rage ignited in Wyatt Yates’s chest.

Noelle Sutton looked as if she had lost all hope in life.

It was truly heartbreaking to see.

Wyatt Yates suppressed the fiery anger rising within him and said in a low voice, "Even if you don’t fight for custody, a divorce is a new beginning. You can live a better life."

Noelle Sutton met Wyatt Yates’s gaze.

She wanted so badly to tell Wyatt Yates that just being alive was a luxury for her now. Living a *better* life was completely out of the question.

But she couldn’t tell him.

She didn’t want anyone to know about her miserable state.

Growing up, her inability to speak had earned her not only ridicule but also countless looks of pity.

For someone with a disability like her, the last thing she wanted was anyone’s pity.

Wyatt Yates held her gaze, his own firm. "Do you really not want to live a better life? Don’t you want to carry on your grandmother’s craft? Don’t you want to see your mentor again?"

Wyatt Yates had heard that Director Ford had a piece in his debut exhibition that he recognized at a glance as being in Noelle Sutton’s style.

Director Ford had been deeply disappointed when she gave up her career to marry for love.

Every one of Wyatt Yates’s powerful words struck Noelle Sutton’s heart like a blow.

He took an exhibition ticket out of his bag.

"From what I’ve heard, your mentor is looking for a final apprentice. I bought a ticket for tomorrow’s exhibition. Do you want to go?"