The Husband I Loved for Eight Years Never Loved Me-Chapter 180: He Hates Rachel Royce

Chapter 180: He Hated Rachel

Tristan Sterling pulled the blanket over himself and Melissa, then planted a kiss on her forehead before turning and leaving the room.

Rachel watched the closed door, then lowered her gaze and returned to her work.

Melissa took two days off from school to recuperate at home.

Rachel worked from the villa for those two days to be with her.

Tristan Sterling kept his regular work schedule but would come home early to be with Melissa.

However, during those two days, even though they saw each other, they barely spoke, only exchanging a few words when they ate with Melissa.

That day, she received a call from Lawyer Goodman.

The court had not granted the divorce.

It was an expected outcome.

That day, after Stella got out of school, June Jennings brought her over to see Melissa.

The two children sat on the carpet, playing with building blocks.

While they were chatting, Rachel learned that Julian Jennings had been hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis.

"When he gets busy, he often forgets to eat. He hasn’t been feeling well recently but refused to go to the hospital. This time, it got so serious he had no choice but to be admitted."

Tomorrow was the weekend.

Rachel decided she would visit him at the hospital.

June Jennings asked, "Rachel, are you living here now?"

Rachel nodded with a sigh and murmured in agreement. "Melissa’s heart is weak. I’ll stay here with her for a few days for now."

She couldn’t imagine what Melissa had gone through during her surgery. Seeing her lying in that hospital bed, she felt as if her own heart was about to break.

June Jennings could relate. "Why does Melissa have a heart condition?"

Rachel said, "She probably inherited it from my dad, skipping a generation."

Wendy Royce had heart disease. Five years ago, when the company ran into trouble, his health was already quite poor. So after the company stabilized, he no longer had the energy to manage it and had no choice but to sell.

But since retiring a few years ago, his health has improved significantly, and he hasn’t had any further issues.

June Jennings watched the two children and remarked with a sigh, "There really is no such thing as a perfect life. A happy and prosperous existence always comes at a price."

"With Tristan Sterling refusing the divorce, this legal battle is going to be tough."

She recalled how she had spent nearly two years divorcing Ivan Alden.

Rachel’s situation was quite similar to her own. ’Of course,’ she thought, ’Tristan Sterling isn’t refusing the divorce because he has any feelings for Rachel.’

Rachel said, "It will all come to an end one day."

She had come to terms with her situation and no longer wanted to have pointless arguments with Tristan Sterling. Whether it took one year, two, or even five, the day she finally divorced him would eventually come.

’Thomas Sterling was right,’ she thought. ’The more I fight him, the more he digs in his heels. It’s better to just ignore him.’

June Jennings squeezed her hand. "I used to think Ivan Alden would wear me down for the rest of my life, but now I’m free. You’ll have your day too, Rachel."

Rachel hummed in acknowledgment.

That evening.

Tristan Sterling came home rather early, carrying four boxes of cake.

Melissa had called Tristan Sterling to tell him they had guests and asked her dad to bring home her favorite cake.

When June Jennings saw Tristan Sterling, his powerful aura made her tense up instinctively.

"Daddy."

Melissa called out.

Melissa introduced him to Stella. "This is my daddy."

Stella said politely, "Hello, sir."

Tristan Sterling crouched down and said gently, "Welcome to our home. What’s your name, little one?"

Stella replied, "My name is Stella Jennings."

Tristan Sterling smiled. "Go have some cake with Melissa!"

Tristan Sterling set the cake boxes on the coffee table, opened them, and handed a spoon to each of the girls.

Melissa said, "Thank you, Daddy."

Stella said, "Thank you, sir."

"You’re welcome."

Tristan Sterling turned to look at Rachel, who was sitting silently on the sofa, and said, "I didn’t know what flavors you two would like, so I just grabbed a couple at random."

June Jennings watched Tristan Sterling. Though his words were gentle, his expression clearly grew cold the moment his gaze shifted from the children to Rachel.

She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she got the feeling that Tristan Sterling hated Rachel.

Of course, any outsider who didn’t know better would probably assume he was a wonderful, doting husband.

The corner of June Jennings’s mouth twitched into a faint smile as she offered her thanks.

Tristan Sterling gave a slight nod. "Just let the nanny know what Stella would like for dinner," he said.

June Jennings replied, "Okay."

Tristan Sterling said nothing more and headed upstairs.

Later that night.

June Jennings and Stella stayed for dinner, and Lisa Lawson brought a tray up to Tristan Sterling’s study.

A heavy rain began to fall that night.

Rachel was woken by the noise in the middle of the night and went to the bathroom.

Suddenly, headlights swept across the window, accompanied by the roar of a sports car.

Rachel walked to the window, parted the curtains, and glanced outside. She saw a car driving away from the villa. She calmly dropped the curtain, her expression placid, and returned to bed to sleep beside Melissa.

「The next morning.」

Tristan Sterling was gone.

Melissa asked Lisa Lawson, "Grandma Lawson, where’s my daddy?"

Lisa Lawson replied, "Sir must have gotten busy with work and gone to the office. Why don’t you have some breakfast, Young Miss?"

Melissa just said, "Oh."

After breakfast, a driver from the main Sterling Family residence came to pick up Melissa.

Since she was planning to go to the hospital anyway, she told her daughter, "Melissa, you go to Great-Grandma’s house first. Aunt Evelynn is going to the hospital to see a friend."

After the nanny left with Melissa, Rachel drove off.

She had left her car at the hospital during her last visit and had asked someone to drive it over for her.

After arriving at the hospital, Rachel received a call from Joanna Sutton. She was also coming to see Julian Jennings today but wouldn’t arrive until around eleven.

"Alright, I’ll wait for you at the hospital," Rachel said.

Rachel got out of the car, holding a bouquet of flowers in one arm and a fruit basket in the other.

Just as she got out, she happened to see Suzanne Sullivan getting out of his car in the opposite parking space.

Rachel kept her eyes fixed straight ahead and walked directly toward the inpatient building.

Suzanne Sullivan watched her for a moment before looking away.

Rachel went upstairs.

The VIP floor was relatively quiet. As she was walking toward Julian Jennings’s room, the door to a room on her right suddenly opened, and a tall, handsome figure emerged.

Rachel froze for a second.

In the instant he opened the door, she caught a glimpse of the woman inside the room.

But Rachel quickly composed herself. ’To any outsider, we just look like complete strangers.’

Tristan Sterling stood in the doorway, his body turned sideways as he watched Rachel’s retreating back until she knocked on a door and disappeared inside.

"Tristan, what is it?"

Claire Ainsworth’s puzzled voice drifted out from the room.

Tristan Sterling turned back to look at the woman on the bed and said gently, "It’s nothing. Your brother’s here."

Suzanne Sullivan approached them. He looked at Tristan Sterling and said, "Thank you for everything last night. Tristan, you should head home and get some rest."