Chapter 357: That Year’s Blue Diamond Necklace
The night was quiet and still.
When Adrian Lancaster and Wren Sutton returned home, the maid told them that Owen and Nina had just fallen asleep.
Wren’s heart was with her children. She washed her hands and tiptoed into the nursery.
Looking at her two sleeping treasures, a wave of blissful contentment washed over her, and she couldn’t help but lean down and place a gentle kiss on each of their faces.
"Goodnight, my darlings. Mommy loves you."
Afterward, Wren left the nursery. Dragging her slightly weary body, she walked to the vanity in the master bedroom, sat down, and kicked off her high heels.
She didn’t immediately remove her makeup or change her clothes. The soft glow of the floor lamp illuminated her, and the deep blue diamond brooch refracted a brilliant, cold light.
Wren raised her hand, her fingertips slowly tracing the edge of the brooch.
The cool sensation spread from her fingertips. That familiar blue glint pricked at her eyes, breaking open the floodgates of her memory.
Her heart trembled as she suddenly remembered the heart-shaped blue diamond necklace from all those years ago...
It was a gift from Adrian Lancaster, one he had also won at an auction.
It was larger than the "Heart of the Ocean" from the movie *Titanic*—a one-of-a-kind blue diamond necklace, priceless and impossible to replicate.
But back then, upon receiving the gift, Wren Sutton had felt not a shred of joy.
She was Adrian Lancaster’s wife, but in his eyes and in his heart, he always favored Maya Marshall.
If Maya Marshall suffered the slightest grievance, he would blindly defend her, leaving nothing but coldness and blame for his own wife.
Back then, Adrian Lancaster’s pattern was to hurt her, then offer a sweet gesture to make up for it.
One moment, he would turn cold on her over a few words from Maya Marshall, forcing her to swallow all her grievances and humiliation alone.
The next, he would use priceless jewelry as the "sweet treat" to compensate her.
In Wren Sutton’s eyes, this expensive and extravagant blue diamond necklace was never proof of Adrian Lancaster’s love for her; it was merely a tool he used to placate and appease her.
He thought that by using such a rare piece of jewelry, he could erase his injustice toward her, that he could offset the pain he had caused.
He never understood that what she wanted was never these cold jewels.
Therefore, from the bottom of her heart, Wren Sutton didn’t care for the necklace. She even found it glaring and lent it to her best friend, Isla Griffith, without a second thought.
A few days later, Isla Griffith returned the necklace to her. Annoyed just by the sight of it, Wren asked her friend to sell it for her.
A buyer offered a hundred million and expressed interest in purchasing it. They arranged to meet at a teahouse across from The Rhodes Group’s building.
Wren Sutton and Isla Griffith went to the meeting together. The other party, a man with the surname Zhong, signed a check on the spot.
It was only later that Wren Sutton learned the buyer was actually Maya Marshall and the money had come from Adrian Lancaster. He had conspired with the man named Zhong to tamper with the check, making it impossible for her to cash.
In the end, she didn’t get a single penny, and the necklace ended up in Maya Marshall’s hands...
"..." Wren pulled back from her thoughts, her fingertips pausing. A sour ache spread through her chest.
’Why didn’t I think of all this when I saw the blue diamond brooch at the charity gala tonight? Why is it all coming back to me now that I’m home!’
The memory of those days of being neglected and ignored made Wren Sutton’s heart ache.
All the grievances and pain she had endured were still clearly branded deep in her soul, as if they had happened only yesterday.
Wren Sutton stared at her own somber reflection in the mirror, so lost in thought that she didn’t notice the movement behind her.
Adrian Lancaster stood at the bedroom door, his deep gaze taking in every detail of the expression on Wren Sutton’s face.
From the strange glint that flashed in her eyes to the way her expression slowly turned cold, he saw it all. He knew she was remembering what had happened back then.
He slowly pulled a hand from his trouser pocket and walked toward the vanity.
Wren Sutton heard the footsteps and looked up to see Adrian Lancaster in the mirror. In the instant she froze, he had already stopped beside her.
The man’s well-defined hand slowly opened, revealing a luxurious and exquisite blue diamond necklace lying in his palm, emitting a dazzling, brilliant light.
"!!!" Wren’s pupils contracted sharply. Her eyes widened, and her breath caught in her throat.
She couldn’t believe it. The blue diamond necklace before her was the very same one Adrian Lancaster had given her all those years ago.
’How is this possible?’
’Isn’t this necklace with Maya Marshall?’
Wren Sutton turned her head and looked at Adrian Lancaster in disbelief, her eyes filled with shock. "This necklace..."
"It’s the one I gave you back then," Adrian Lancaster admitted, his tone solemn.
Wren Sutton: "..."
’What on earth is going on? My mind is a mess, I can’t think straight.’
Adrian Lancaster looked into her eyes and explained patiently, "Back then, when I found out you were going to sell it, I was furious. I was angry that you were so merciless, that you didn’t care about my feelings. So, I conspired with Zhong to trick you."
Wren Sutton: "..."
"Not long after, right after that fashion show, I got the necklace back from Maya Marshall. But because I was still angry, I kept it from you and never told you."
The air grew heavy.
The soft glow of the floor lamp fell between them, but it couldn’t dispel the complex emotions churning in Wren Sutton’s heart.
Adrian Lancaster’s voice was still echoing in her ears, but her mind felt like a tangled mess.
She stared blankly at the necklace. The blue diamond glittered so brightly it made her eyes burn.
A film of moisture had gathered in her eyes without her realizing it. Puzzled, she asked, "Why would you do that?"
Her voice was low and her tone was soft, hiding a torrent of emotions.
There was grievance, confusion, and a faint glimmer of hope that even she was unwilling to admit to herself.
Seeing the redness in Wren Sutton’s eyes, Adrian Lancaster’s heart ached.
He finally understood just how outrageously wrong he had been all these years.
He once thought that material possessions could make up for his failings, but he never realized that the real damage was already carved into Wren Sutton’s heart, causing her pain with every fleeting memory.
Adrian Lancaster knelt on one knee beside the vanity, bringing himself to eye level with Wren Sutton, and carefully took her hand.
"Wren, I’m sorry."
His voice was deep and hoarse, full of sincere repentance.
"I was a terrible, scummy person back then. I did so many things to hurt you and wrong you. I shouldn’t have used this necklace as a tool to placate you, and I especially shouldn’t have played games with you and humiliated you out of a moment of spite."
As he spoke, Adrian Lancaster gently placed the necklace in Wren Sutton’s palm.
"I kept it to remind myself to never repeat my past mistakes."
He looked up, his deep eyes swirling with remorse and profound affection as he gazed deeply at Wren Sutton.
"I, Adrian Lancaster, swear this: for the rest of my life, I will never let you suffer the slightest grievance again. All of my devotion will be for you alone."
"This blue diamond necklace... I want to put it on you with my own hands. Not as compensation, but as a new beginning."
"Only you, Wren Sutton, are worthy of truly owning it."