Secretly Married for 4 Years, He Regrets to Tears After the Divorce-Chapter 42: A Young Girl’s Tender Heart

A resonant, deep voice suddenly rang out, and everyone turned to look.

No one present had expected the person who arrived to be Adrian Lancaster, especially not Wren Sutton.

Even before turning around, she’d guessed it was him just from his voice, but she found it hard to believe. ’Impossible.’

’Given Adrian Lancaster’s devotion to Maya Marshall, he should have been at the Marshall family home all afternoon, or even all night, keeping her company and comforting her.’

’Why would he suddenly return to The Seagate Villa now?’

Wren Sutton thought it over and understood. It was because of Lucia.

’He could comfort his beloved tomorrow, but his own sister’s birthday only comes once a year.’

Adrian Lancaster walked over with a steady pace, his oppressive gaze falling on Wren Sutton.

’He thought she would have gone home by now, not expecting her to still be here.’

The people next to Wren Sutton instinctively made way for him.

Adrian Lancaster sat down right next to Wren Sutton, who didn’t move away from him in front of everyone.

A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Lucia Lancaster’s face.

"Brother, are you going to join the game?"

"I’ll play a round with you all, but..." Adrian Lancaster paused, taking Wren Sutton’s hand and holding it in his own.

"First, let’s have your sister-in-law answer the last question."

As soon as he said this, Wren Sutton became the center of attention. All eyes were on her, awaiting her answer.

Wren Sutton had intended to answer all along and hadn’t changed her mind just because of Adrian Lancaster’s sudden arrival.

She lowered her gaze, reined in her emotions, and repeated the question on the card.

"’Have you ever thought about replacing your other half?’"

Out of the corner of her eye, she felt an intense, dark gaze fixed on her, like a predator lying in wait in the night.

Wren Sutton tried to ignore it, slowing her breathing. She tried to pull her hand away, but his grip only tightened.

"If my other half doesn’t love me, then I’ll replace him."

The room fell silent.

Everyone in the room had a different expression. Some were shocked, some broke into a cold sweat on her behalf, and others excitedly sensed the scent of fresh gossip.

Taken on its own, there was nothing wrong with Wren Sutton’s answer. But to say it in front of Adrian Lancaster gave it a rather intriguing subtext.

Sure enough, Adrian Lancaster’s expression soured on the spot, his dark eyes growing dim.

’What did she mean by that?’

’He had never even considered replacing her, yet she dared to entertain the thought of replacing him.’

Noticing the tense atmosphere, Lucia Lancaster quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Considering the question, my sister-in-law isn’t wrong. Anyone else would have said the same thing, right?"

After a moment of silence, the guests began to nod in agreement.

"Lucia has a point."

"Wren gave a textbook answer."

"Looks like we were just overthinking it."

Wren Sutton’s expression remained unchanged.

Adrian Lancaster, however, still looked grim.

The game continued.

The lucky person in the second round was Lucia Lancaster.

"I’ll choose truth."

The card she drew read, ’Is there anyone here you have a secret crush on?’

Lucia Lancaster looked around the room and shook her head. "Nope."

Then, she added candidly, "The person I have a secret crush on isn’t here today."

Caleb Caldwell’s hand, which was holding a wine glass, suddenly tightened.

"That question isn’t juicy at all! How boring," someone booed.

"Yeah, what a letdown."

Lucia Lancaster smiled triumphantly and put the card back into the box.

"We all wrote these questions separately. The fact that I didn’t draw a juicy one just means I’m lucky."

Caleb Caldwell backed her up. "Princess Lucia has a point."

The others had nothing to say to that.

Whether you could dodge a scandalous question really did come down to luck.

The game continued.

The lucky person in the third round was Caleb Caldwell.

"I’ll choose truth, too."

He casually drew a card from the box.

’Is there anyone here you have a secret crush on?’

It was the exact same question Lucia Lancaster had drawn in the previous round.

Caleb Caldwell smiled, looking incredibly handsome in profile.

"The person I have a secret crush on is here."

The room instantly erupted in a wave of hoots and hollers.

Someone jokingly asked, "Mr. Caldwell, is your crush a man or a woman?"

Caleb Caldwell stated seriously, "A woman. A very beautiful, kind, and adorable woman."

As soon as he said this, many people turned to look at Lucia Lancaster.

"Isn’t that our Princess Lucia he’s describing?"

Lucia Lancaster looked utterly bewildered.

’She wouldn’t believe in a million years that Caleb Caldwell had a crush on her.’

"It’s not me! Stop making wild guesses. We’ve been rivals since we were kids; we used to argue and fight every single day."

"And who won?"

"Me, of course," Lucia Lancaster said proudly, shooting a smug look at Caleb Caldwell. "Isn’t that right?"

Caleb Caldwell nodded. Even though he’d been losing to her since they were children, he never held a grudge.

"That’s right. Ever since we were kids, I could never out-argue you or beat you in a fight."

Satisfied, Lucia Lancaster looked away.

’She wasn’t Caleb Caldwell’s type, and he wasn’t hers. They were suited to be best friends, like brother and sister, but definitely not a couple.’

As Caleb Caldwell returned to his seat and looked up, his eyes met Adrian Lancaster’s deep, unreadable gaze.

He unnaturally averted his gaze, looking elsewhere.

Wren Sutton, observing them discreetly, noticed that the tips of Caleb Caldwell’s ears were red.

’Beautiful, kind, adorable...’

’In her mind, that was Lucia Lancaster to a T.’

’If it was true, then Caleb Caldwell had hidden his feelings incredibly well.’

’A secret crush...’

Wren Sutton picked up her glass of juice, leaned back, and took small sips through the straw.

A myriad of thoughts ran through her mind as memories flooded in like a tidal wave.

No one knew she’d had a secret crush on Adrian Lancaster even before they were married.

She had never told anyone about those secret feelings from her youth—not even Isla Griffith.

Including their four years of marriage, she had been in love with Adrian Lancaster for a total of seven years.

Her heart had fluttered and pounded for him. She had fallen completely and utterly in love, sincere and passionate, unable to pull herself free.

Now, that same heart was like an extinguished flame, having lost all its yearning for love.

The cool juice slid down her throat.

Wren Sutton reined in her thoughts and lowered her gaze, a faint sadness flickering in her eyes.

She thought no one had noticed, but Adrian Lancaster suddenly leaned in close, his masculine presence overwhelming her.

"What are you thinking about? Your secret crush?"

Wren Sutton’s heart jolted. It wasn’t the first time; Adrian Lancaster always seemed to guess her thoughts with unnerving accuracy.

She maintained her composure and denied it. "Nothing."

’The one who is loved is always secure in their fearlessness. If Adrian Lancaster found out she’d had a secret crush on him for three years, he’d only look down on her more, making her love seem all the more pathetic.’

Adrian Lancaster didn’t call her out directly. "You have a habit of biting your lower lip when you lie."

Wren Sutton was speechless.

’Did I just bite my lip? He must be trying to trick me. I’m not falling for it.’

Adrian Lancaster gave her a meaningful look. "There’s no shame in having a secret crush."

He whispered the next part directly into Wren Sutton’s ear, his posture intimate and suggestive. "The shame is in having that crush fail."

Wren Sutton froze.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and she felt an inexplicable wave of nervousness.

’Could Adrian Lancaster have discovered the secret she had so carefully hidden for years?’

’Impossible!’

’Back then, he had barely given her a second glance, he didn’t even know her name. How could he possibly have known the secrets of her heart?’

A new round of Truth or Dare began.

Wren Sutton was somewhat distracted, paying no mind to what others chose or how they answered.

Until...

"Wren, it’s your turn again."

Wren Sutton snapped back to reality and looked down to see the bouquet in her hands.

...

"Truth or dare this time?" someone asked eagerly.

Wren Sutton thought for a moment. "Dare."

The dare she drew read: ’Take off the belt of a person of the opposite sex.’