Chapter 231: Chapter 231: After All, Deep Down She Still Rejected Him
Adrian Lancaster froze, the expression on his face stiffening.
He looked into Wren Sutton’s eyes, where he saw both honesty and unspoken words.
Almost instantly, a sharp, heavy ache seized his heart without warning.
It wasn’t the pain of anger, but a dull throb buried deep within his heart, one that now surged forth at the slightest touch.
He also saw the subconscious distance in Wren Sutton’s eyes and the way her fingers curled tightly, as if she had made some kind of decision.
It all felt like fine needles pricking the softest part of his heart.
Adrian Lancaster knew what this meant.
His wife, Wren Sutton, still hadn’t fully accepted him. Her unwillingness to be intimate with him in the privacy of their bedroom at night meant that, deep down, she still rejected him.
The invisible barrier between them—the one he himself had created—still existed.
Adrian Lancaster’s Adam’s apple bobbed. A bitter feeling, carrying an icy chill, seeped into his very bones. He could almost hear a cold wind whistling in his ears.
His heart ached.
But he didn’t blame Wren Sutton. The only one to blame was himself for having hurt her so deeply in the past.
All the pain, bitterness, and self-reproach churned in his chest, but he ultimately forced it all down, not letting a single trace show on his face.
He even managed to twitch the corner of his mouth, attempting to form an understanding and reassuring expression.
"No," Adrian Lancaster said. His voice was steadier than he’d expected, though a careful listener could detect a low undertone born of immense restraint.
Wren Sutton looked up at him in surprise, apparently not expecting such a direct refusal.
"Adrian..."
Adrian Lancaster gently interrupted her, his tone firm. "Your foot is injured. You can’t be moving back and forth. I can’t let you sleep alone in the next room."
Wren Sutton stressed, "I won’t need to use the restroom during the night."
"That still won’t work."
...
Adrian Lancaster, his emotions now stable, had already thought of a compromise.
He pointed to the connecting door between the master bedroom and the nursery.
"You stay here in the master bedroom. Don’t go anywhere, just sleep in this bed. I’ll take the children and sleep in the nursery."
"That way, I won’t disturb your rest. And if you need anything, or if the children make a sound during the night, I’ll know immediately."
Adrian Lancaster’s suggestion left Wren Sutton stunned.
She looked at him, trying to read something beneath his placid expression, but all she saw was a profound calm and, deep in his eyes, an almost imperceptible, carefully hidden shadow.
He wasn’t sulking, nor was he trying to indirectly persuade her to stay. He was genuinely considering her feelings, protecting her emotions in an even more considerate way.
"That seems like too much trouble," Wren Sutton said, her voice trailing off. The resolve in her heart suddenly lost its footing.
"It’s no trouble," Adrian Lancaster smiled. "It’s only natural for the lady of the house to sleep in the master bedroom. We agreed I’d take care of the children, so it’s perfect for me to sleep with them in the nursery. Nothing will be neglected, and most importantly, your rest won’t be disturbed. So, it’s settled."
With that, he turned away from the complex emotions in Wren Sutton’s eyes, walked over to the cribs, and began pushing them toward the nursery.
Adrian Lancaster remained expressionless, but only he knew that with every breath, the dull ache in his chest reminded him of his past mistakes.
...
She caught a glimpse of something in his retreating figure—something fleeting, held back with extreme restraint.
Her own heart clenched, but the feeling vanished so quickly she thought she must have imagined it.
When Adrian Lancaster reached the nursery door, he paused and looked back at Wren Sutton.
"Get some rest. Don’t let your mind race. If you need anything at all during the night, call me immediately."
He added gently, his voice sounding exceptionally clear and deep in the silence.
"Good night. Sleep well."
In the nursery, Adrian Lancaster leaned quietly against the sofa in the dim light.
The placid mask he wore slipped away, and his deep-set eyes grew dark and unreadable in the gloom, swirling with a pain and loneliness only he could understand.
He slowly raised a hand and pressed it to his heart.
There, the dull ache remained, accompanied by a heavy, almost suffocating regret.
He had once pushed Wren Sutton away with his own hands. Now, every act of consideration, every concession he made, was a repayment of that old debt, a step toward rebuilding a safe harbor where she could feel at ease once more.
’Does it hurt? Of course, it does.’
’But this is what I deserve.’
Adrian Lancaster sighed softly, gazing at the blurry shadows on the ceiling.
The night stretched on. With his eyes wide open, he lay in the silence, tasting the bitter fruit of his own making. Yet, in that bitterness, a firmer resolve took root: he would close the gap between them, little by little.
’There’s no rush. I have a lifetime to wait, to make amends.’
He was confident that he could make Wren Sutton trust him again, to accept him willingly.
