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

Chapter 287: Chapter 287: No Need for a Marriage Alliance to Solidify Status

The air in the hospital room suddenly froze. The atmosphere, which had softened slightly over a bowl of chicken soup, was now stretched taut as a bowstring.

Sean Sterling’s hands, hanging by his sides, clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white. A shadow of gloom fell over his once-gentle features.

Though his heart was filled with grievance and fury, he didn’t retort with a cold face as he had last time. He was afraid of angering his mother to the point of fainting again; he didn’t dare take that risk.

"Mom, let’s talk properly about Isla and me today. I don’t want to fight with you. I just want to tell you what’s really on my mind," Sean Sterling said, trying his best to suppress his emotions, his tone calm.

Another layer of icy chill spread across Yvonne Donovan’s already pale cheeks. Her eyes were filled with the bitter disappointment of seeing him fail to live up to expectations.

Looking at her son, who stubbornly refused to listen to reason, her heart ached with anger and pain.

"Talk properly? How many times have I tried to talk properly with you? Have you ever taken a single word I’ve said seriously?" Her voice trembled, filled with helplessness.

"Isla Griffith has no family connections, no background. If she marries into the Sterling family, what will people think of us? How could your father and I show our faces in public!"

"You are the sole heir of the Sterling family. From the day you were born, you’ve relied on the family’s support to achieve what you have today, to stand so easily at the top of the pyramid."

"And now that you think you don’t need your father and me anymore, you’ve forgotten your own name and no longer care about the Sterling family’s reputation, is that it!"

Sean Sterling’s expression grew serious. He was desperate to make his parents understand his true feelings.

He declared eagerly, "Mom, I am your son and Dad’s son. I haven’t forgotten my name is Sterling, and I would never fail to uphold the family’s honor."

"Insisting on being with Isla Griffith *is* a disgrace to the Sterling family! It’s the exact opposite of upholding our honor!" Yvonne Donovan grew agitated.

At that moment, Simon Sterling slammed his palm down on the armrest of the sofa. An imposing, authoritative pressure emanated from him, so heavy it was hard to breathe.

"Your mother is right. Being with Isla Griffith is a disgrace to the Sterling family."

His brow was tightly furrowed, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"The Sterling family does not need a daughter-in-law with no background and no value."

"I’ll say it again: if you still consider this your family, if you still acknowledge your mother and me, then you will make a clean break with Isla Griffith immediately."

"Whatever compensation she wants, your mother and I will pay it for you."

Hearing the woman he loved being belittled and scorned by his parents, Sean Sterling’s fists tightened, the veins on the back of his hands bulging. A towering rage burned in his chest, searing him until his whole body ached.

Every nerve in his body screamed at him to retort, but he clenched his jaw, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the surging inferno of his anger.

’I didn’t come here to fight today,’ he thought. ’I absolutely cannot escalate this conflict.’

Sean Sterling managed to hold back from talking back. He looked up at his parents, his gaze full of sincerity and earnestness, without a hint of superficiality.

"Dad, Mom, I understand your difficulties. I know you’re doing this for my sake, and for the Sterling family."

He softened his stance, his heart filled with guilt.

"I was too impulsive the other day. My attitude was terrible, and I was in the wrong. I apologize to you both again and beg for your forgiveness."

He bowed his head, admitting his fault with extreme humility. He was like a different person compared to his previous confrontational self.

"..." Yvonne Donovan and Simon Sterling were both taken aback. They subconsciously exchanged a look, a hint of surprise in their eyes.

Sean Sterling steadied himself and continued.

"Dad, Mom, the Sterling family’s foundation is solid now. The company’s profits double year after year. We’ve not only monopolized the domestic market, but we’re also steadily expanding overseas. Business is booming, so..."

He paused briefly, observing his parents’ expressions.

"I have absolutely no need to rely on a marriage alliance to secure the Sterling family’s position."

"What I want is a woman I love and who loves me back, who understands me, a woman I can spend my life with in earnest—not some emotionless partner from a marriage alliance."

"I’m a man. If my career can only succeed with the support of my wife’s family, there would be no glory in it for me. On the contrary, outsiders would think that our Sterling family isn’t strong enough on its own. *That* would be what truly brings shame to our family name."

Simon Sterling’s composure cracked. He frowned and retorted indignantly, "Who says the Sterling family isn’t strong enough?"

"Dad, it’s precisely because our family has more than enough strength and doesn’t need to depend on support from any other family that I’m saying I don’t have to go down the path of a marriage alliance." Sean Sterling’s attitude remained sincere, his tone steady and measured.

"..." Simon Sterling was momentarily speechless, unable to find a single word in rebuttal.

"..." Yvonne Donovan was also swayed by his words. For a moment, she actually felt that what her son was saying made some sense, and the hardness in her heart softened ever so slightly.

Sean Sterling keenly caught the faint glimmer that flashed in his mother’s eyes and immediately seized the rare opportunity to continue his earnest persuasion.

"Mom, while you’ve been in the hospital, I’ve been more miserable than anyone. I don’t want to fight with you, and I certainly don’t want this matter to tear our family apart like this."

"I’m not trying to defy you on purpose. I’m just begging you to give Isla Griffith a chance. After you get to know her for a while, I’m sure your opinion of her will change, and you’ll support us being together."

"Furthermore, I promise that I will never let my relationship interfere with my career, nor will I ever bring shame to the Sterling family. I just want to be with the person I genuinely love."

"Dad, Mom, the two of you have had such a harmonious relationship for so many years precisely because you love each other. That’s why you’ve only grown happier over time."

"I want that kind of happiness, too. And I know that in your hearts, you must want me to be happy as well."

"You..." Yvonne Donovan gazed at the unprecedented earnestness and sincerity in her son’s eyes. A thousand words caught in her throat, and she couldn’t utter a single rebuttal.

’As a mother, how could I not want my son to have a happy marriage?’

’I’ve only been opposing it so forcefully because I want to help him avoid risks and take fewer detours in life.’

But her son’s heartfelt words seemed to be slowly dissolving the stubborn knot that had formed in her heart.

She opened her mouth, her eyes full of conflict, but no words came out.

The air once again grew heavy with a tense stalemate.

"Dad, Mom, I know you have many concerns, but marriage is the path I have to walk for my entire life, not just for a few days, a few months, or a few years."

"If it’s not with someone I love, even if I marry a woman with the best family background imaginable, we’d be sharing a bed but dreaming different dreams. Life would never be happy."

Simon Sterling lost his patience. He couldn’t listen anymore and cut him off with a cold voice, "That’s enough. Stop trying to trick your mother and me with all this high-minded reasoning. We’re not falling for it."

"Brother." Claire Sterling, who had been sitting silently and listening, suddenly spoke up, breaking the stalemate.

"I think what Sean said today makes a lot of sense."

Simon Sterling’s face was full of disdain. He said in a low voice, "What sense does it make? It’s all just twisted logic to me."

Claire Sterling was speechless. She rolled her eyes and decided to get straight to the point. "Sean said that you and my sister-in-law have a harmonious and happy marriage. Is that twisted logic, too?"

Simon Sterling’s face was taut. "That part is the exception."

"Exactly. People have to be with someone they like to feel happy. Just like you and my sister-in-law, and me and Theodore Lancaster."

Simon Sterling kept a stiff face and said nothing.

Claire Sterling smiled, a cunning glint in her eyes.

"Brother, what’s with the silence? Don’t tell me that when you married my sister-in-law, it wasn’t because you genuinely liked her, but because you had your eye on the Donovan family’s fortune?"

Simon Sterling was instantly agitated and shot up from the sofa.

"Don’t talk nonsense! When I married Yvonne, it was one hundred percent because I liked her. It had absolutely nothing to do with the Donovan family’s status."

"I love Yvonne! Even if her family had no money, I still would have married her!"

Claire Sterling immediately clapped her hands. "Everyone here heard that, Brother. You said it yourself: when you love someone, you’ll marry them even if their family isn’t wealthy."

Simon Sterling’s expression froze instantly. He finally realized he’d fallen into the trap his sister had dug for him. His chest tightened with anger, and he shot her a fierce glare.

"Claire Sterling, how dare you set me up like that."

Watching this scene unfold, Yvonne Donovan pressed a hand to her forehead, a headache coming on.

"Both of you, stop fighting."