Chapter 329: A Heartwarming Scene, No Place for Him
Wren Sutton’s voice held no anger, but it was like a fine needle piercing Adrian Lancaster’s heart, shattering the tender atmosphere between them.
Adrian Lancaster looked up at her, his gaze meeting hers. Her eyes seemed calm, but he saw no resentment or suspicion in their depths—only a faint, almost weary desolation, like a thin layer of frost coating their usual warmth.
His heart plummeted. Instead of letting go, he tightened his grip, his hand enveloping her cool fingertips as his gaze fixed heavily upon her.
"Whether you’re not feeling well or just upset about something, please don’t keep it to yourself. Tell me, okay?"
Adrian paused, his voice laced with concern. "I can’t shake the feeling that you’re hiding something from me."
He knew Wren. She was gentle by nature. She wouldn’t get upset for no reason, nor would she be the type to hide her feelings or play games.
But now, even though she was right in front of him, it felt like an impenetrable fog separated them, creating a palpable distance.
Adrian Lancaster racked his brain, replaying every moment since they’d returned from the Sutton Family’s home.
He couldn’t for the life of him pinpoint the reason for Wren’s sudden shift in mood, leaving him feeling utterly lost and helpless.
’I haven’t done anything to upset her. I haven’t said anything to upset her. Why has this wall suddenly gone up between us?’
Wren pulled her hand from Adrian’s grasp. The movement was gentle, yet final.
She didn’t say a word about the strange phone call. It wasn’t because she feared mutual suspicion or wanted to avoid a fight. And it certainly wasn’t because she was bottling up her feelings. She simply found it contemptible and pointless.
That sickeningly sweet voice, that cheap, provocative ploy—in Wren’s eyes, it was all just a tawdry and uninteresting little trick. Just a clumsy attempt by someone to stir up trouble.
She couldn’t be bothered to figure out who the caller was, nor could she be bothered to investigate the reasons behind it. She especially disdained the idea of dignifying such a sordid affair by discussing it and wasting her emotional energy. It was all so dreadfully tedious.
The flicker of romance that had died in her heart was just a momentary ripple. It wasn’t sadness, and it certainly wasn’t insecurity. It was simply the annoyance of being so abruptly interrupted. Nothing more.
Wren glanced at Adrian’s worried face and said nonchalantly, "I’m fine. Let’s eat."
Her words shut down the conversation completely.
Seeing her so casual and unconcerned only made Adrian more frantic, stripping away his sense of security.
"Are you sure you’re okay? Please don’t hide things from me."
Wren sighed, mentally exhausted. "I just want to eat. Can we please stop talking about this?"
Hearing that, Adrian swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
The soft light spilled down, but it couldn’t dispel the stagnant air between them. An invisible wall had come up.
Adrian stood on the outside of that wall, his heart filled with anxiety, apprehension, and confusion.
Wren remained on the inside, detached from it all, too disdainful to argue and too tired to care.
Adrian suppressed his swirling doubts, silently picked up his chopsticks, and continued to place food on Wren’s plate.
His movements were as gentle as ever, but his eyes held a deep, lingering ache.
’What on earth did I do wrong? Could it have been... in bed?’
’But she was clearly responsive then. Her body wasn’t rejecting him at all; in fact, she seemed to trust him completely.’
’If not for their two little rascals, Owen and Nina, suddenly waking up, everything would have progressed to its natural conclusion.’
Wren’s appetite was quite good. She ate a hearty dinner, finishing nearly everything Adrian had placed on her plate.
Once she’d had her fill, she cleaned her mouth and hands with a wet wipe.
"I’m finished. I’m going to go play with the children. You should eat; you’ve been so busy putting food on my plate you’ve barely had a bite yourself."
With that, Wren stood up, pushed the stroller out of the dining room, and settled onto the living room sofa. She started playing with Owen and Nina while watching TV, the picture of domestic bliss.
Adrian sat alone at the dining table, rubbing his aching temples. He looked utterly preoccupied, lost in a fog with no sense of direction, no idea what to do.
The table was laden with warm food, but he couldn’t bring himself to eat a single bite.
Adrian watched Wren in the living room, her clear laughter echoing as she played with the children. It was a heartwarming scene, but one in which he had no part.
It was as if the wall between them had never existed. But he alone was left behind, his heart a tangle of anxiety and confusion.
’Just what is going on?’
’Did I say something wrong without realizing it? Or do something I wasn’t aware of?’
Adrian replayed the day’s events over and over, but he couldn’t find a single clue.
A feeling of helplessness consumed him.
He wanted to get closer, but she was pushing him away without a touch. He wanted to press for answers, but he was afraid of making her even more impatient. He wanted to find the reason, but he had absolutely no leads.
Adrian averted his gaze and let out a heavy sigh. The ache in his heart swelled, mingled with confusion, and the light in his eyes dimmed.
...
Night fell and the villa grew quiet. Wren and the children were asleep, but Adrian was wide awake with insomnia.
He unlocked his phone, the piercing white light making him squint. He quickly lowered the brightness, tapped the search bar, and started typing.
Wife suddenly cold for no reason, won’t fight or say why. What’s happening?
Adrian stared intently at the screen, watching as relationship analyses and user responses loaded one after another. He felt like he was grasping at straws.
He read every word, every sentence, mentally comparing each point to his own situation, mulling over every possibility.
The first top-rated answer read:
When a woman suddenly grows cold, it’s almost always because the man overlooked some detail, said something hurtful, or did something that bothered her without even realizing it. Women are sensitive; when disappointment builds up, they choose silence.
Adrian immediately replayed the day’s events in his mind, examining his every action.
After thinking it over and over, he concluded that he hadn’t made any critical errors or said anything that could be easily misunderstood.
Adrian scrolled down and read the second analysis.
It could be that during intimacy, the husband did something inappropriate that made his wife uncomfortable. She might be too embarrassed to say anything, so she uses coldness to avoid the situation entirely.
"..." Adrian frowned, automatically dismissing this one.
He had never, ever made Wren uncomfortable in bed.
He knew her body, knew all her sensitive spots, and knew exactly how to arouse her interest and desire.
Adrian was supremely confident that in that department, he and Wren were perfectly matched.
He wasn’t some brute who only cared about his own pleasure and ignored her feelings.
’So, it definitely wasn’t because of anything that happened in bed.’
Adrian kept scrolling and came to the third analysis.
The wife has run into trouble, especially interference from a third party who is deliberately trying to create a misunderstanding. She’s become disheartened and would rather stay silent than waste energy confronting her husband.
Reading this, Adrian’s heart suddenly clenched, as if squeezed by a large, invisible hand.
Wren’s behavior tonight fit this description perfectly. There was no resentment, no sense of being wronged—only a weary disdain.
Adrian’s mind went into a panic. ’Could someone have really said something to her? Have I been completely in the dark this whole time, without a clue?’