Chapter 228: Chapter 228: Recalling the Past, Eyes Sore and Hot
Adrian Lancaster flinched. He slowly lowered his hand and turned to face her.
In the shadows, his face was pale, with faint bluish rings clearly visible under his eyes. He seemed to need a moment to focus when he looked at her.
He tried to curve his lips into a reassuring smile, but the deep-seated exhaustion etched between his brows completely stamped it out before it could form.
He even subconsciously raised a hand, pressing his thumb and forefinger hard against his temples and letting out an almost inaudible sigh.
"You’re awake?" His voice was even hoarser and drier than before, like sandpaper. He got up, walked to the side of the bed, and helped Wren Sutton sit up properly.
"Water first, or the restroom?"
Adrian Lancaster didn’t mention his own glaring exhaustion. His first words were all about Wren’s needs.
"I’d like some water."
"Okay."
Soon, Adrian Lancaster returned with a glass of warm honey water.
Wren Sutton finished it in small sips and set the glass down.
"Thank you."
"You don’t have to thank me. It’s what a husband should do." Adrian Lancaster sat on the edge of the bed and gently tucked a loose strand of hair from her forehead behind her ear, his gaze filled with deep affection.
"In the past, when I’d come home after work events, especially if I’d been drinking, you would take care of me all night. Compared to everything you did for me, what I’m doing now is nothing."
Wren lowered her eyes, remaining silent. A powerful emotion swelled in her chest—an indescribable feeling, a mix of sourness and warmth.
Adrian Lancaster leaned in. "I’ll carry you to the restroom."
Wren raised a hand, declining the offer. "I can walk there slowly on my own."
Adrian: "The doctor said your foot can’t touch the ground for a week. If you want to recover quickly, we have to listen to the doctor."
"Head Foster’s exact words were, ’Avoid putting weight on it unless absolutely necessary,’ which means..."
Before Wren could finish, Adrian had already lifted her into his arms.
"As long as I’m home, I won’t let you put any weight on that foot."
"Adrian Lancaster, you’re being too dictatorial and overbearing. You’re making me feel like an invalid."
Adrian Lancaster’s brow furrowed. "Who would dare call my wife an invalid? I’d kill them."
Wren was speechless. "..."
’A leopard never changes its spots. The high-handedness in his bones hadn’t changed one bit; if anything, it had gotten worse.’
Adrian Lancaster gently set Wren down on the toilet.
"Call me when you’re done. I’ll be right outside the door."
With that, he turned, discreetly stepped out, and closed the door.
Wren sighed in relief.
’At least Adrian had some sense of propriety. He didn’t stand guard inside the bathroom; that would have been mortifying.’
...
After she came out of the restroom, Adrian carried Wren back to the bed.
He adjusted the pillows behind her back and propped up her right foot, making sure she was comfortable.
After doing all that, Adrian Lancaster sat down on the edge of the bed. His body swayed for a moment before he quickly steadied himself.
"..."
Wren could see the exhaustion pooled between Adrian’s brows, as thick and dark as ink that wouldn’t dissolve. The bluish shadows under his eyes were becoming more and more obvious.
’More than half a day had passed since they returned from the old family home, and he hadn’t stopped for a moment.’
’Studying up on childcare, taking her for a walk, bringing her to the hospital, looking after her, looking after the baby, playing with the baby, putting the baby to sleep...’
’How could he not be exhausted with one tedious task after another?’
’Especially since he’d only just been discharged from the hospital yesterday. The doctor had told him to get plenty of rest and not to overexert himself.’
"Adrian Lancaster." Wren’s voice was quiet but carried an undeniable resolve. "Stop what you’re doing. Rest."
Adrian Lancaster looked up and saw the slight furrow in Wren’s brow, a sign of her worry, and felt the heavy weight of her concern, which left no room for argument.
The cold, heavy sense of exhaustion in his chest was instantly enveloped by a surge of warmth.
"Hearing you say that makes it all worth it, no matter how tired I am." His voice was thick with an emotion so potent it was almost tangible.
The next moment, Adrian Lancaster leaned over and pulled Wren into his arms, his embrace both forceful and restrained.
He buried his face in the crook of Wren’s shoulder and took a deep breath, his scorching exhalation washing over her neck.
Wren’s eyelashes trembled, and a tingling sensation spread across her skin.
Then, she felt a kiss on the top of her head—incredibly gentle, yet profoundly reverent.
"Adrian..."
"You’re worried about me, aren’t you?" Adrian Lancaster’s voice held a barely perceptible tremor.
Wren’s heart ached for him. "You’ve been busy all day. I’ve seen everything. Don’t forget, you haven’t fully recovered either. You need to rest and recuperate too."
Adrian Lancaster forced a casual smile. "I can handle it, Wren. You don’t have to worry."
"Even the strongest body isn’t made of steel. If you won’t listen to me, you should at least listen to the doctor."
"If you collapse from exhaustion from taking care of me and the baby, what will other people think of me?"
Adrian Lancaster’s body visibly tensed, and he began to think it over seriously.
After a long moment, he replied in a low voice, "Alright. I’ll listen to you. I’ll rest for a bit."
This time, he didn’t try to tough it out. He lay down on his side on the bed, his movements almost clumsily careful, as if terrified of bumping Wren’s injured right foot.
Their shoulders touched lightly, and they could feel the warmth from each other’s bodies.
"I’ll just sleep for a little while. If you need anything at all, you have to wake me."
"Mm," Wren replied softly.
Almost the instant he closed his eyes, Adrian Lancaster’s breathing became deep and even.
The deep furrow between his brows finally smoothed out, and his tense shoulders relaxed, revealing a state of unguarded peace.
But even in his sleep, one of his hands unconsciously shifted toward Wren, his fingertips gently brushing against her hand.
The room fell completely silent.
Wren turned her head slightly, her gaze landing on Adrian Lancaster’s face.
The dark circles under his eyes were starkly visible. Short stubble dotted his jaw, and his lips were slightly chapped and peeling from dryness.
Even so, none of it could conceal his handsome features and exceptional presence.
An image of her first time meeting Adrian Lancaster surfaced in Wren’s mind.
She remembered it was under a sycamore tree. He seemed to be waiting for someone, radiating a youthful, noble, and dazzling energy. A single glance from afar had made her heart pound, sending butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
Later, by a twist of fate, she married Adrian Lancaster and became the enviable Mrs. Lancaster.
On countless nights, Adrian Lancaster would come home drunk. She would make him soup to sober him up and wipe his hands and face with a hot towel. He would grab her wrist, mumble her name, and hold her in his arms all night long.
She’d had brief moments of sweet happiness in their marriage, but they were overshadowed by bitterness and pain.
Adrian Lancaster’s cold, disdainful glares had pierced her tender heart. For Maya Marshall, he had repeatedly given her the cold shoulder, ignored her feelings, and trampled all over her sincere love and devotion.
Countless times, she had swallowed her bitter pain alone in the dead of night, crying her pillow damp with tears.
"Adrian Lancaster, you really were such a scumbag."
"I was so in love with you, I loved you with all my heart. I was your secretary by day and your wife by night. I never once went against your wishes."
"And how did you treat me?"
Wren Sutton murmured to herself as her eyes began to burn and sting, tears welling up within them.
