Chapter 343: Roar, Emotional Breakdown
Sean Sterling didn’t believe it.
He staggered forward a step. Cold rainwater dripped from his soaked pant cuffs, spreading into a small puddle on the polished marble floor.
His bloodshot eyes stared at Adrian Lancaster, as if trying to see right through him.
His gaze churned with anxiety and a hint of paranoia, honed by relentless despair.
Two full days of sleepless searching had stripped Sean Sterling of all his composure. Now, he was like a cornered beast, unable to calm down.
He tugged at the corner of his dry mouth, his voice hoarse as he questioned, "Really no news?"
Just now, when Adrian Lancaster had said, "No definite news for now," his tone had been regretful, but his eyes were too calm. It was an almost deliberate calmness.
And then there was Wren Sutton. The flash of panic in her eyes as he entered hadn’t escaped his notice.
He’d also seen her quickly shoot Adrian Lancaster a look.
"I don’t believe you. The way you two looked at each other just now, your expressions were off. I saw everything."
"You definitely have news about Isla. You’re deliberately hiding it from me."
Adrian Lancaster’s expression remained unchanged. He wasn’t flustered at all.
"You’re overthinking it. If we really had news, there would be no reason to hide it from you."
Sean Sterling trusted his instincts. His eyes crimson, he coldly withdrew his gaze and turned to Wren Sutton.
His expression shifted from paranoid rage to pleading.
"I have nothing now. I can’t lose Isla too. I’m begging you, tell me where she is. I need to bring her home."
"She just had a miscarriage. She’s incredibly weak. She shouldn’t be out there wandering around."
"Wren, you’re Isla’s best friend. Surely you can’t bear to see her dragging her exhausted, weak body around all alone."
"What if she runs into some kind of danger? How will she handle it on her own?"
Seeing Sean Sterling in such agony, Wren Sutton felt a pang in her heart.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to bring Isla home to rest and recuperate.
But...
Her decision to hide the truth from Sean Sterling was one she had made after long and careful consideration.
Seeing Sean Sterling would make Isla relive all those painful memories.
She chose to keep it a secret so that Isla could rest at the clinic for a night, free from fear and further distress.
Wren Sutton had no regrets.
"I’m just as worried about Isla’s safety as you are. She’s my best friend. How could I bear to let her suffer out there?"
"I’m even more anxious than you are that we haven’t found her. I haven’t let up for a second. Adrian and I just got back from searching all day."
"I understand how you feel, but I really don’t know where Isla is right now. If I knew, don’t you think I would have told you?"
Sean Sterling shook his head, still unconvinced. He looked at Wren Sutton with despair and disappointment, letting out a bitter laugh. His voice was laced with misery.
"Even you’re lying to me."
"I’m not lying to you."
"I don’t believe you! Do you dare to swear on it?" As if triggered, Sean Sterling suddenly grew agitated. Veins bulged on his temples, and his expression was so ferocious he looked like he could eat someone alive. "Do you dare?!"
His voice was loud, nearly a roar.
Adrian Lancaster’s gaze turned cold. He stepped in front of Wren Sutton, forcefully gripping Sean Sterling’s shoulders.
"Sean Sterling, don’t you dare yell at my wife."
"My wife has been working herself to the bone over you and Isla Griffith, pouring all her energy into this without a single complaint. You have no right to shout at her."
"Calm down now, or we can’t continue this conversation."
"I can’t calm down!" Sean Sterling violently threw off Adrian Lancaster’s hands. His chest heaved, and his reddened eyes were filled with anguish.
"I’m going crazy not being able to find Isla Griffith! This is a living hell, and you’re telling me to calm down?"
"You clearly have a lead, so why won’t you tell me? Why are you hiding it from me? Why?!"
Sean Sterling’s ragged shout exploded in the living room.
Rainwater mixed with hot tears fell to the floor, mingling with the puddles already there.
He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, his nails digging into his palms. He had completely lost his sanity, descending into a frenzy.
Worried that the out-of-control Sean Sterling would frighten Owen and Nina, Wren Sutton quickly told the nanny to take the children back to their room and not come out.
After being thrown off, Adrian Lancaster’s face grew even colder, the atmosphere around him dropping to a frightening low.
He took half a step forward, his eyes sharp, and said cruelly, "Sean Sterling, who are you putting on this crazy act for? The person Isla Griffith wants to see least right now is you."
The words were like an icy dagger plunging straight into Sean Sterling’s heart.
The blood in his veins seemed to freeze instantly. He staggered back a step and bumped into the coffee table behind him. Cups and saucers clattered loudly as they fell to the floor in a mess.
Wren Sutton finally couldn’t hold back any longer and stepped out from behind Adrian Lancaster.
"Do you still not understand? Isla disappeared entirely because of you, because of your family."
"Even if Isla came back right now, can you guarantee your family would never hurt her again?"
"All you know is how to search for her like a madman. Have you ever stopped to think why Isla is hiding from you? It’s because she doesn’t want to return to this place that has left her covered in scars."
Wren Sutton’s words were like daggers to the heart. Sean Sterling’s face turned white as a sheet, and he froze on the spot.
The living room fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the patter of rain outside the window.
A moment later, a choked sob, suppressed to its absolute limit, broke from Sean Sterling’s lips, filled with endless despair and remorse.
"You’re right. I’m the one who hurt Isla. I’ve failed her."
As if all his strength had been drained, he leaned against the edge of the coffee table, his once-straight back completely slumped.
Two days and two nights of torment with barely any food, water, or sleep had already exhausted all of Sean Sterling’s physical strength.
Coupled with the heart-stabbing words, the extreme remorse and despair instantly crushed him.
A hollow, cramping pain twisted in his stomach. His head felt as if it were filled with lead, and a dizzying, world-spinning sensation washed over him.
Sean Sterling’s body went limp. He fainted, collapsing straight toward the cold floor.
Adrian Lancaster’s expression changed abruptly. He strode forward and caught Sean Sterling.
Sean Sterling’s body was surprisingly heavy, and his forehead was burning hot. It was clear that the days of frantic searching, combined with the emotional shock, had triggered a high fever and caused him to pass out.
...
「The hospital.」
Sean Sterling was wheeled into the emergency room, where doctors were working to treat him.
Adrian Lancaster waited by the door for news. After a moment’s thought, he decided to call his uncle, Simon Sterling.
The phone rang a few times before it was answered.
"Adrian, what is it? Why are you calling so late?" Simon Sterling’s voice carried a hint of fatigue and an almost imperceptible weariness of age.
"Uncle, my cousin fainted. He’s at the hospital now." Adrian’s tone was heavy.
He felt a pang of guilt. He knew Sean Sterling was on the verge of a breakdown, yet he had still provoked him with those words.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. The air seemed to freeze.
Simon Sterling’s body tensed, his hand trembling, but he feigned indifference as he spoke. "You don’t need to tell me about his affairs. I don’t care."