The Husband I Loved for Eight Years Never Loved Me-Chapter 181: It’s Time to Consider One’s Own Marriage
Chapter 181: Time to Think About Settling Down
In the hospital room.
Julian Jennings was leaning against his hospital bed, dealing with work. He was slightly surprised when Rachel Royce walked in, but he quickly realized who must have told her.
"Rachel, you’re here." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
Rachel Royce placed the fresh flowers and fruit basket on the coffee table. Turning to look at Julian Jennings’s pale face, she asked, "Professor, are you feeling any better now?"
Julian Jennings said, "I’m much better now. You don’t have to worry."
Rachel Royce walked over and glanced at the laptop and documents spread out before him. "The company won’t go bankrupt if you take one day off, will it?"
A faint smile touched Julian Jennings’s lips. He took off his glasses and looked at Rachel Royce. "I would have thought that to you, working while sick is a perfectly normal thing to do."
Rachel Royce couldn’t help but smile.
For five years, it had been routine for her to work and study even when she was sick. No one could ever talk her out of it.
As the two chatted, Julian Jennings put his work aside.
The weather was nice today.
Julian Jennings hadn’t left his room since yesterday afternoon and wanted to go out for a walk.
So Rachel Royce went with him.
The hospital grounds were pleasant. The two of them strolled along a path lined with sycamore trees as an autumn breeze rustled through the leaves.
"You don’t have to be with Melissa today?" Julian Jennings asked.
"Melissa went over to the Sterling family’s estate."
Julian Jennings gave a slight nod.
「At the same time.」
By the window of a fourth-floor hospital room.
A tall, slender figure stood there, his dark, deep-set eyes fixed on the two figures below.
Today, Rachel Royce wore a blue blouse with a long, white skirt, her hair tied back in a half-up style. The wind billowed her skirt and sent strands of her hair fluttering.
He couldn’t tell what they were talking about.
A gentle, faint smile graced Rachel Royce’s face. The autumn sunlight, filtering through the sycamore leaves, fell upon her, making her look radiant and full of life.
"Tristan!"
Suzanne Sullivan walked over and patted his shoulder.
Following his gaze downward, she didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
"What are you looking at?"
Tristan Sterling had already composed himself and said, "Nothing."
Suzanne Sullivan glanced at him. Although he had hidden his emotions quickly, she had still clearly sensed that something was off about Tristan Sterling’s mood just a moment ago.
She didn’t press the issue.
"I just got a call. Something came up that I need to take care of, so I’ll have to ask you to watch over Claire a little longer."
When Suzanne Sullivan arrived, she had told Tristan Sterling to go home and rest, but he had insisted on staying.
She had originally planned to have lunch with Claire before leaving.
Tristan Sterling said, "Just go. Take care of what you need to."
The two returned to the hospital room.
After saying a few parting words to Claire Ainsworth, Suzanne Sullivan left the room.
Once her IV drip was finished, Claire Ainsworth said to Tristan Sterling, "Tristan, I’d like to go for a walk."
Tristan Sterling said, "It’s windy outside. You should rest in your room so you don’t make your condition worse."
Hearing his concerned words, a sweet smile bloomed on Claire Ainsworth’s face. "All right, then," she said.
Just then, Tristan Sterling received a call from the family estate summoning him back, and he agreed to go.
Although Claire Ainsworth was very unhappy that he couldn’t have lunch with her, she knew she was in no position to force him to stay. She could only be magnanimous and let him leave.
Her mood only improved slightly after Tristan Sterling promised to come see her again in the afternoon if he had time.
Tristan Sterling left the hospital room.
He went downstairs.
As he stepped out of the elevator, he overheard a couple of people getting in.
"He’s so handsome, and the woman is gorgeous. A handsome man and a beautiful woman really are a sight to see."
"I can only dream of having a boyfriend that handsome and considerate."
"..."
As the two young women were speaking, they suddenly felt a crushing, oppressive presence.
They subconsciously looked up at the man striding past them.
Their mouths fell slightly agape as they watched his retreating figure, and it was a long moment before they snapped out of their daze.
Tristan Sterling walked into the lobby.
There, he came face-to-face with two people walking in.
Rachel Royce was nibbling on a stick of candied hawthorns, while Julian Jennings held a bag of other snacks for her. The hawthorns must have been too sour, because she didn’t want any more after the first bite.
Julian Jennings wanted to try one.
Rachel Royce held the skewer out to him, assuming he would take one with his hand. Instead, Julian Jennings simply leaned forward and bit a piece of the candied fruit directly off the stick.
The moment he leaned in, they were very close.
Rachel Royce caught his faint, clean scent and paused for a moment, taken aback.
Julian Jennings, seemingly oblivious, chewed the piece of fruit and looked down at her, his eyes smiling. "It’s actually pretty good. Not too sour. If you’re not going to eat the rest, give it to me. We shouldn’t let it go to waste."
Rachel Royce snapped out of her daze and smiled. "No, that’s okay. Professor, your stomach issues haven’t gone away yet. One taste is enough for you."
Julian Jennings didn’t insist. "Fair enough."
Rachel Royce put the stick of candied hawthorns into the bag.
As they continued walking and talking, they noticed someone standing a short distance ahead.
Rachel Royce stopped abruptly. The gentle smile on her face instantly turned to ice. She quickly composed herself, however, and continued walking straight toward the elevators with Julian Jennings.
Just as they were about to pass Tristan Sterling, with only a few feet separating them...
...the man’s voice, laced with sarcasm, suddenly cut in. "President Jennings, I see you have an interest in married women."
Rachel Royce stopped, frowning as she glared at him. "Tristan Sterling, not everyone is as vile as you—"
Before she could finish, Julian Jennings raised a hand to stop her. He looked at Tristan Sterling and said, "So, in President Sterling’s eyes, Rachel is still a married woman."
Tristan Sterling turned, his dark eyes locking with Julian’s.
The standoff between their equally powerful presences made passersby instinctively keep their distance, not daring to get close.
The tableau of two handsome men and one beautiful woman drew frequent, lingering glances from the people around them.
But no matter how you looked at it, the oppressive atmosphere was clearly not right.
"President Jennings, you’re certainly not getting any younger. It’s time to think about settling down. But allow me to offer a piece of friendly advice: don’t waste your energy on people who are meaningless." As Tristan Sterling spoke, his cold gaze swept over Rachel Royce’s livid face.
Rachel Royce glared at him, the fury in her eyes impossible to hide. She desperately wanted to snatch the bag of fried food from Julian’s hands and smash it over Tristan’s head.
Julian Jennings’s tone was indifferent. "Thank you for the advice, President Sterling. But instead of reminding me, perhaps you should reflect on whether or not you’re being too much of a busybody."
