Secretly Married for 4 Years, He Regrets to Tears After the Divorce

Chapter 281: Chapter 281: Don’t Be Angry, Baby

At his words, Isla Griffith’s spine went rigid. A bone-chilling cold shot from her heart and spread through her entire body.

A wave of heartache so intense it threatened to drown her washed over her. Her nose tingled with the sting of unshed tears, and her eyes welled up, but she grit her teeth and forced them back.

’It’s just as I suspected.’

From Sean Sterling being out of touch all day, to his return late at night, utterly exhausted, pale-faced, with a despair in his eyes that he couldn’t hide—she’d had a sinking feeling.

’He must have done it for me, for our baby. He must have had a complete falling out with his family.’

To protect her, this golden boy, who had been coddled his entire life and never known a moment’s hardship, had taken a slap from his own father.

’He was so proud, so brilliant. When had anyone ever dared to strike him like that?’

’But this time, for my sake, he took it all.’

Isla bit her lower lip. She didn’t cry. She didn’t ask.

She was afraid that if she said a word, she would shatter the fragile peace Sean was desperately maintaining for her. She was even more afraid that her own emotions would only make him feel more guilty and conflicted.

She forced down all her suspicions and all her pain.

Isla told herself over and over that Sean getting hit had nothing to do with her. It was just a disagreement between father and son over company business, a slightly more heated argument than usual.

That was the only way to keep from adding to Sean’s burden.

After a moment, Isla’s tense shoulders slowly relaxed.

"You can let go. I’m not leaving."

Sean’s arms tightened around her. "Really?"

"Mhm." Isla nodded faintly. "You told me the truth, so I’ll keep my word."

Only then did Sean slowly relax his grip. His knuckles were still white, and his body was taut as he fought back the lingering fear.

Isla slowly turned around. She had already wiped away the tears, leaving only a faint redness around her eyes.

She looked up, her gaze falling on the stark, red handprint on Sean’s face. Her heart clenched with another pang of pain, but she forced a breezy smile.

"I knew it. It must have been about company business. You and your father had a disagreement and got into a big fight, didn’t you?"

She was offering him the most dignified, least wounding excuse, personally shielding him from all the humiliation.

Sean froze. It felt as if a warm hand had clenched tightly around his heart, a bittersweet, aching sensation.

He could see it so clearly. Isla understood everything; she’d guessed the truth. Yet she was pretending to be oblivious, choosing to swallow her own pain just to preserve the last shred of his dignity.

Isla raised her hand, gingerly touching the red mark on Sean’s cheek.

"Does it still hurt?" Her voice was heartbreakingly soft.

"Don’t argue so fiercely with your father anymore. He’s your dad, after all."

"Grudges between a father and son shouldn’t last overnight. Blood ties can’t be broken. When you disagree, just talk it out slowly and communicate properly. Don’t keep clashing head-on."

She was the one who was truly hurting, the one who most deserved to be comforted, yet here she was, comforting him and urging him to be understanding of his parents.

Her understanding was like the softest, sharpest blade, plunging deep into Sean’s heart.

The more he looked at her, the more his heart ached.

The more his heart ached, the more guilty he felt.

The more guilty he felt, the more he hated himself for being so useless.

He hated that he’d made her worry and suffer, that he couldn’t give her an official status, that he’d forced her to hide even her own sadness.

Sean couldn’t take it anymore. He pulled Isla into his arms, his embrace so tight it felt as if he were trying to merge her into his very bones.

"Isla, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry you’ve had to suffer."

Leaning against his fever-hot chest, Isla felt a sting in her nose, and tears threatened to spill once more.

She fought back the tugging pain in her heart and forced her lips into a smile.

"You’re so good to me. I’m not suffering at all."

She gently pushed Sean away and sniffled, her eyes holding a trace of stubborn tenderness.

"I’ll go get the first-aid kit and put some ointment on your face. It’ll be swollen tomorrow if we don’t."

Sean tried to act tough. "Don’t worry about it. It’s just a small thing, it doesn’t even hurt anymore."

"Sean Sterling." Isla looked up at him, purposefully putting on a stern face. She was like a fluffy kitten trying to look fierce.

"Listen to me, or I’ll get really angry."

Sean surrendered instantly, his eyes full of adoration and compromise. "Don’t be angry, baby. I’ll listen. Whatever you say, I’ll do it."

"That’s more like it." Isla pressed her lips into a small smile and pointed to the sofa.

"Go sit over there. Don’t move. Wait for me."

With that, she turned and walked toward a storage cabinet.

Her figure, seen from behind, looked frail yet stubborn. Her composure was so absolute it seemed forced, like a thin sheet of ice over a roiling torrent of emotion.

Sean stood rooted to the spot, his expression unreadable, a whirlwind of emotions in his heart.

Soon, Isla returned to the living room with a white first-aid kit and sat down beside Sean.

She opened the kit, taking out antiseptic and cotton swabs. Avoiding his gaze, she began to gently clean the mark, starting from the edges.

Her touch was feather-light, her fingertips trembling slightly with cautious tenderness.

"Does it hurt?"

"No."

"I’ll try to be gentle." Isla said, her expression focused and serious.

Sean watched her, her gentle eyes downcast, her long lashes casting shadows on her cheeks. His heart felt full, a sweet ache of love so profound a thousand words could not express it.

Suddenly, he took her hand. His palm was feverish, his gaze intense as he called her name tenderly. "Isla."

Isla’s hand trembled, and the cotton swab slipped from her fingers, falling to the floor.

"Oh, I was almost finished. I’ll just get a new one, it’ll only take a second."

The words had barely left her lips when Sean pulled her, settling her securely onto his lap.

One of his hands wrapped around her waist while the other cradled the back of her neck. He lowered his head and kissed her without a moment’s hesitation.

Isla froze instantly, her eyes wide as she stared at his face, so close to her own.

In his dark, deep eyes, there was no filter—only pure, raw love and adoration that seemed ready to overflow.

Sean deepened the kiss, a potent mix of gentleness and dominance, stealing Isla’s breath and her sweet scent.

Isla didn’t struggle. She slowly closed her eyes, her arms lifting to circle his neck as she responded with equal passion.

They kissed until they were lost to the world, only pulling apart when they were both breathless.

Sean nuzzled his nose against hers, about to kiss her again, but Isla stopped him.

"Stop!"

"Baby won’t let me kiss her anymore," Sean said, his tone full of mock grievance, like a big puppy scolded by its owner. But his eyes were smiling.

Isla’s cheeks flushed slightly as she picked up a new cotton swab and dipped it in the antiseptic.

"Let me finish with the ointment first."

"We can kiss more when we’re lying in bed. It’s tiring to do it sitting up. My back is sore."

"Okay." Sean became perfectly still, cooperating obediently.

「Three minutes later.」

The bedroom lighting was soft.

Isla snuggled in Sean’s arms, breathing in his clean, comforting scent.

He’d been amorous with her for a while, his actions restrained and gentle, careful not to harm the baby. Though he was left wanting more, he felt deeply content.

As they lay together, their fingers were tightly intertwined.

Sean lowered his head, resting his chin on the crown of Isla’s head.

"Isla, let’s go get our marriage license tomorrow morning."

"I don’t care if my parents agree or not. I need to make you my wife."

"And give our child a proper, legitimate family."