Secretly Married for 4 Years, He Regrets to Tears After the Divorce-Chapter 178: Her Surname Is Su, Too

After leaving the postpartum center, Spencer Sawyer didn’t go home. Instead, he checked into the hotel closest to it.

He had just placed his luggage in the hotel suite’s walk-in closet when his phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID, Spencer Sawyer answered the phone, his voice low. "Mom."

"You still remember you have a mother? You came back to the country without telling me a thing. If Aunt Marshall hadn’t seen you at the airport, would your father and I only have found out after you’d flown off again?"

Mrs. Sawyer’s voice came through the phone. Though her tone was full of accusation, she couldn’t suppress her delight.

After a year, her son was finally home. That matter could finally be dealt with.

Spencer Sawyer pinched the bridge of his nose. The flight of over ten hours had left him utterly exhausted, and he sank onto the sofa, not wanting to move.

"Mom, I just got off the plane. I haven’t even adjusted to the time difference yet. I was planning to tell you both after I got settled."

"Come home for dinner tonight. Your father and I miss you very much."

Mrs. Sawyer’s voice softened, her tone tinged with concern.

"I had the cook make your favorite dishes."

Spencer Sawyer was so sleepy his eyes burned, and he could barely keep them open.

He had been running on sheer willpower at the postpartum center just to stay awake.

"Mom, I’ll come back for lunch with you and Dad tomorrow. I’m just too tired today, not in any state to see anyone."

Understanding his fatigue, Mrs. Sawyer relented. "Alright, you get some rest. I won’t bother you anymore. But you have to come back tomorrow for lunch."

"I will," Spencer Sawyer promised.

After hanging up, he dragged his weary body to the bathroom for a quick shower, then returned to the bedroom and collapsed into bed, falling asleep instantly.

In his sleep, he dreamed of his university days again, dreamed of Wren Sutton.

...

「The next day.」

At noon, Spencer Sawyer arrived home right on time.

"Young Master, you’re back!" The butler, Uncle Foster, trotted over happily to greet him, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crinkling with his smile. "The master and madam have been waiting for you for a long time."

Spencer Sawyer smiled back. "Uncle Foster, is your back still bothering you?"

Uncle Foster’s expression was kind. "Thank you for your concern, Young Master. My back has been much better ever since I started using the medicine you sent from abroad."

"Young Master, please, go on in. We have guests today."

"Guests?" Spencer Sawyer asked, puzzled, and slowed his pace.

His mother hadn’t said anything about guests on the phone yesterday.

Uncle Foster took Spencer Sawyer’s coat and gestured for him to enter.

In the living room, Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer were chatting happily with a mother-and-daughter pair. When Spencer walked in, the conversation came to an abrupt halt, and all eyes turned to him.

"Spencer, come and meet your Aunt Dawson and her daughter, Stella Sinclair."

Mrs. Sawyer stood and took his arm, proudly leading him forward.

Spencer Sawyer’s heart sank. He instantly understood his mother’s intentions.

’This isn’t a family lunch,’ he thought. ’It’s a setup.’

"So this is Spencer! So dashing, even more handsome than in his pictures." Aunt Dawson looked her potential son-in-law up and down, her gaze filled with unconcealed admiration.

Spencer Sawyer nodded politely and offered a courteous greeting. "Aunt Dawson, hello. Miss Sinclair, hello."

"Please, call me Stella. I’m two years younger than you," Stella Sinclair said in a gentle voice. Her pale pink dress accentuated her fair, almost snow-white skin. Her makeup was fresh and refined, and her every move was graceful and proper.

Spencer Sawyer’s first impression of her was quite good. "Stella, hello."

Stella Sinclair was also very pleased with him. "Hello, Spencer."

The three elders watched this exchange with satisfaction.

"Spencer, Stella just returned from studying abroad in Valoria. She majored in art history. You young people must have a lot of common topics to talk about."

Spencer Sawyer shrugged. "Unfortunately, I don’t have an artistic bone in my body."

"That’s alright." Stella Sinclair smiled faintly, composed and confident. "We can talk about other things. There are a million topics in the world; we’re bound to find something we’re both interested in."

Spencer Sawyer: "..."

Lunch proceeded in an atmosphere that was harmonious on the surface but subtly tense underneath.

The three elders intentionally and unintentionally created opportunities for Spencer Sawyer and Stella Sinclair to interact.

Stella Sinclair was very cooperative, taking the initiative to speak with Spencer Sawyer as the elders wished.

Spencer Sawyer, however, maintained a polite but distant attitude, offering lukewarm, simple replies. He was a man of few words.

"Spencer, you’re back this time to shift your career focus from abroad to here, right? If there’s anything I can do to help, I’d be more than willing."

"I appreciate the thought."

Stella: "I heard from your father that your work is very challenging, but it’s also what you’re best at."

Spencer Sawyer cut into the steak on his plate. "Even things you’re good at get boring after a while."

Stella Sinclair smiled faintly. "It’s always good to have a career you excel in. When I was in Valoria, I met several curators in the field of tech art. It’s an intersectional field that’s getting a lot of attention lately."

Spencer Sawyer nodded but didn’t reply, his attitude indifferent.

He could feel his parents’ expectant gazes on him, but he knew his own heart even better.

After the meal, Mr. Sawyer suggested that Spencer take Stella for a walk in the back garden.

The afternoon breeze carried the scent of gardenias.

The two of them strolled along the bluestone path, each lost in their own thoughts.

Deep in the garden, Stella broke the silence, speaking softly, "Spencer, we’re both adults. We should both understand the meaning of today’s lunch."

Spencer Sawyer didn’t deny it. "Yes, I understand."

Stella looked up at him, a sparkle in her eyes.

"Arrangements made by our parents might be outdated in this day and age, but sometimes fate works in mysterious ways. Spencer, I truly admire your talent, and I’m willing to get to know you better. I mean that sincerely."

Spencer Sawyer was silent for a moment. He didn’t want to deceive her.

"Stella, you’re an exceptional, charming, and very sincere person. But I’m sorry, I can’t accept this setup."

Hearing this, the light in Stella’s eyes instantly dimmed.

"Why? Is it because I’m not good enough?"

"You are good," Spencer Sawyer explained. "It’s precisely because you’re so good that I don’t want to hurt you. I already have someone I love in my heart. She’s the only one I love."

His voice wasn’t loud, but it exploded like a clap of thunder in the quiet garden.

The expression on Stella’s face froze completely, and she stood there, stunned and mortified.

Just then, footsteps sounded from behind them.

Spencer Sawyer turned to see his parents and Aunt Dawson standing not far away, having clearly overheard their conversation.

Utterly humiliated, Stella’s eyes filled with tears. She lowered her head and hurried away, and a grim-faced Aunt Dawson followed after her.

"Spencer Sawyer! Do you have any idea what you’re doing?" Mr. Sawyer strode toward him, his face contorted with fury.

"Their family is a perfect match for ours, and Stella is a wonderful girl! How could you just reject her to her face like that? Where are your manners?"

Spencer Sawyer remained calm and composed, standing steadily before his father.

"Dad, being concerned with manners at a time like this would be hypocritical. I didn’t want to lie to Stella. Letting her know the truth right away is the responsible thing to do for her."

Mr. Sawyer was even more furious, enraged that his son wasn’t living up to his expectations.

"You little bastard! Your mother and I went through great trouble to arrange this marriage for you, picking from countless options. I had already accepted Stella as my daughter-in-law!"

"Darling, don’t get so worked up." Mrs. Sawyer stepped forward to hold back her husband, then turned to her son.

"Spencer, tell me the truth. Did you just use that as an excuse to reject Stella, or do you really have someone in your heart?"

Spencer Sawyer took a deep breath. "Mom, I’m serious. I’m in love with someone."

"Who is she? How come you’ve never mentioned her before?" Mrs. Sawyer pressed.

Spencer Sawyer thought it over, considering Wren Sutton’s situation.

He was worried his parents would go and cause trouble for her if he said her name.

He couldn’t be that selfish.

"Mom, when the time is right, I’ll tell you. I can’t say right now."

"Nonsense!" Mr. Sawyer roared. "What do you mean, ’when the time is right’? I think you just made up an excuse. You’re a grown man, yet you’re not taking your own marriage seriously at all."

Spencer Sawyer looked his father straight in the eye. "I don’t like marriage alliances. Relationships mixed with business interests don’t last." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Who says? Your mother and I also had an arranged marriage, and we’ve lived a long, happy, and loving life together. You and Stella can do the same."

"I don’t like Stella. Even if I agreed to marry her, I would never touch her, let alone love her. The Sawyer family line would end with me," Spencer Sawyer said, his words grave.

The moment the words left his mouth, Mr. Sawyer raised his hand and struck him hard across the face with a loud SMACK.

"You rebellious son! Are you trying to anger me to death today? How dare you say something like the family line ending."

Spencer Sawyer didn’t flinch. His thoughts were on Wren Sutton, and he ignored the stinging pain on his cheek.

"Dad, even if you beat me to death today, what I said still stands. I’m in love with someone. If I’m going to marry anyone, it will be her, not Stella Sinclair."

Mrs. Sawyer grew frantic. "So, who is she? Just tell us! If her family is a good match for ours, your father and I might consider letting you be together."

At the thought of Wren Sutton, Spencer Sawyer’s expression grew tender. "Her last name is Sutton."