Secretly Married for 4 Years, He Regrets to Tears After the Divorce-Chapter 197: My Name Is Not Tarn, I Have a Name
Darkness. Endless, boundless darkness.
Time lost all meaning. It felt like only an instant had passed, yet also like a thousand years of oblivion.
As Adrian Lancaster slept, his consciousness was like a feather, drifting in a torrent of nothingness, with neither direction nor weight.
Occasionally, fragments would pierce the terrifying silence, making him remember something.
Adrian Lancaster’s head was splitting.
But soon, the darkness swallowed everything once more, like a stone tossed into a deep pool, stirring only the faintest ripple before returning to a dead calm.
But there was always a voice that would periodically stir this stagnant water, trying to awaken him.
The voice was soft, like a distant mountain stream, carrying a stubborn gentleness that soothed the nameless anxiety deep in his soul.
"Adrian Lancaster, what time are you getting off work? I made your favorite dishes at home."
"You said your business trip would only be a week, but you’re still not back. I’m getting a little angry."
"Adrian Lancaster, you’re a father! I gave you twins, a boy and a girl. Grandma gave me a billion as a reward, so what are you giving me?"
"Adrian Lancaster, I miss you. Where are you? Why have you been gone so long? Don’t you want me and the children anymore?"
"If you don’t come back soon, I’m going to take the kids and remarry."
"Adrian Lancaster, wake up. Don’t sleep anymore. Get up and watch the sunrises and sunsets with me, the stars and the seas. You promised me. Are you going to break your promise?"
"Adrian Lancaster... President Lancaster... Honey..."
Every sentence, every word, was like a thunderclap, exploding in the deathly silent ocean of Adrian Lancaster’s consciousness.
The immense emotional impact, mixed with that gentle voice, formed a powerful force that slammed violently against the dark barrier imprisoning him.
An unprecedented, powerful sense of self began to coalesce. A voice was calling to him, someone was waiting for him.
’I can’t die here.’
’I have to go back. Back to her side.’
Adrian Lancaster used all his mental strength, trying to break through these invisible shackles.
A crack seemed to appear in the darkness, and a faint light shone through.
Adrian Lancaster struggled desperately in the chaos, his obsession to live on supported by one person: Wren Sutton.
"Wife..."
The long-unheard sound escaped Adrian Lancaster’s cracked lips, so hoarse it was barely human, and it drained all the strength he had used to wake up.
Nia’s head shot up, her eyes wide.
"Tarn, you’re awake!"
Her voice was filled with elation, yet also held a choked, trembling sob as tears of excitement streamed down her face.
"You’re finally awake! I knew you’d pull through. This is wonderful, you’re alive!"
Adrian Lancaster’s blurry vision gradually sharpened, focusing on the face of a completely unfamiliar young woman.
Her skin was dark, her features well-proportioned, and her eyes, filled with tears, seemed especially clear.
Her long hair was woven into many small braids, decorated with colorful feathers and bone beads.
She looked like a character from a movie or a TV show.
Right now, she was grabbing him excitedly, large tears rolling down and dripping onto the back of his hand.
The cool sensation made Adrian Lancaster’s heart tighten. He snatched his hand back, his eyes full of vigilance.
"Who are you?"
His voice was still weak, but his wariness made his tone sharp.
Adrian Lancaster quickly scanned his surroundings, and his heart sank.
This wasn’t a hospital, nor was it any place he recognized.
Rough mud walls, a thatched roof, no electric lights, not a single piece of modern furniture—it was a very typical, primitive style.
The air was filled with the smell of herbs and woodsmoke.
Beneath him were thick animal hides that carried a raw, gamy smell.
Everything before him, including this woman’s attire, pointed to a harsh reality.
He was very likely in an extremely backward, primitive tribe with no modern civilization.
"..." Nia was stung by Adrian Lancaster’s sudden resistance and the cold vigilance in his eyes.
But she could understand. After all, he had been in a coma for nearly a year. It was normal for him not to recognize her now that he’d just woken up.
Nia took a deep breath, wiped away her tears, and forced a reassuring smile.
"Please don’t be alarmed or afraid. I won’t hurt you. My name is Nia, and this is my home, the Sarankal Tribe."
She spoke with a strange accent, but Adrian Lancaster could just barely understand her.
He tried his best to remember, and the image of a plane crash finally surfaced in his mind.
An ominous premonition, like a cold snake, coiled around his heart.
"Where on Earth is Sarankal?"
Seeing the confusion and alarm in Adrian Lancaster’s eyes, Nia told him everything that had happened a year ago.
"This is the Sarankal Tribe, deep in the primeval forest. We are the children of the River God and have lived here for generations.
A year ago, I found you by the river in the dense forest at the foot of the Sacred Mountain.
You were severely injured, covered in blood, and your breath was faint. You were on the verge of death.
I brought you back to the tribe and used our ancestral herbs to stop your bleeding and heal your wounds, which is how I saved your life."
「One year ago.」
Those three words struck Adrian Lancaster’s heart like a thousand-pound hammer.
He had actually been unconscious in this primitive tribe for a whole year.
’A plane crash, missing for a year... Back in Aston, thousands of miles away, did his family, his wife, all think he was dead?’
Adrian Lancaster’s heart suddenly felt like it was being twisted by a knife. The light in his eyes dimmed as his soul roared in despair.
’This primitive tribe has no modern means of communication. How can I possibly get a message out and have my family rescue me?’
Nia continued, her tone growing heavy. "The tribe’s elders, including my father, they’re very scared. You’re from the outside world, wearing strange clothes and carrying strange things. They worry you’ll bring disaster to the tribe, anger the Mountain God and the River God, and bring about our annihilation."
Adrian Lancaster’s heart grew colder and colder. He could imagine their xenophobia and hostility.
"They’ve tried many times to offer you as a sacrifice to the River God in exchange for rain and peace."
Nia’s voice became tearful, but it also carried a hint of determination.
"But I refused. I swore on my life that if they hurt you, I would go with you! You are the man from the ancient, mysterious prophecy. You are a gift to me from the gods, and you will bring hope to the tribe. I’m going to marry you, and I’ll nominate you to be the new chief."
As she finished, a blush rose on Nia’s cheeks, but her gaze was exceptionally firm as she watched Adrian Lancaster, observing his reaction.
"..."
Adrian Lancaster looked as if he’d been struck by lightning, frozen stiff.
’Sacrifice? Marry him? Tribe chief?’
Each word was like a thunderclap exploding in his mind, shattering what little sanity he had left.
’I’m a modern man who survived a plane crash! I have nothing to do with this tribe! How could I possibly be the one to bring them hope?’
’This is utterly absurd.’
Adrian Lancaster found it impossible to accept.
"Nia, I am extremely grateful that you saved my life, but I don’t belong here.
I have my own home. My family, including my wife, is waiting for me. I can’t possibly stay here, and I certainly can’t marry you."
Nia could hear the sound of her own heart breaking. Her Tarn wouldn’t accept her, and she was devastated.
"From the moment you appeared in Sarankal, this became your home. You are destined to be the next tribe chief.
It is the will of the gods. The River God told me in a dream, and no one can defy it."
Adrian Lancaster said, "I’m sorry, but I can’t consider this place my home."
He endured the sharp pain in his body, gritted his teeth, and struggled to his feet. Without looking back, he started walking toward the exit.
Nia rushed to support him, worried.
"Tarn, you’ve only just woken up! Your injuries haven’t healed yet. Don’t move around. Lie back down quickly. It’ll be time to change your dressings soon."
Adrian Lancaster didn’t appreciate the gesture, feeling extremely agitated.
"My name isn’t Tarn. I have a name. It’s Adrian Lancaster."
"Adrian Lancaster..." Nia repeated the name twice, frowning. ’What a mouthful. It doesn’t sound like a person’s name.’
"That’s your old name. It doesn’t suit this place. Here, you are Tarn. That’s the name I gave you."
Adrian Lancaster pulled his arm away and changed his approach and tone.
"Nia, if you really have my best interests at heart, you should let me leave, not keep me trapped here."
Nia grew angry. Her eyes turned fierce, gleaming with a wild, cold light that she made no effort to hide. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
"Why are you so determined to leave? I saved your life! Aren’t you the least bit grateful? Don’t you like me even a little?"
Adrian Lancaster’s expression didn’t change. "I am extremely grateful to you, but I can’t like you, because I already love someone. Her name is Wren Sutton. She’s my wife, and I have to go back to her."
After he spoke, he continued walking forward with heavy, difficult steps.
Just as he was about to step through the doorway, he heard footsteps behind him.
THUD. Nia knocked Adrian Lancaster unconscious with a wooden mallet. He collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from his forehead.
Tears streamed down Nia’s face. She knelt on the ground and wiped the blood from Adrian Lancaster’s forehead.
"I’m sorry, Tarn," she whispered. "This is the only way I can keep you here."
