The Husband I Loved for Eight Years Never Loved Me-Chapter 28: Adding Joy Upon Joy

Chapter 28: One Joy After Another

Mr. Fitzwilliam looked grim. "We’re leaving!" he said.

With that, he headed toward the parked car just a short distance away. Jacob Archer stepped forward to open the door, and Mr. Fitzwilliam got in.

After seeing Claire Ainsworth to her car, Tristan Sterling watched the Hongqi sedan drive past before looking away and getting into his own vehicle.

「In the blink of an eye.」

Golden ginkgo leaves withered and fluttered to the ground on the wind as the weather grew steadily colder. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Rachel Royce’s belly grew bigger by the day. She couldn’t walk for long without needing to sit down and rest. Getting dressed became increasingly difficult; putting on pants, in particular, took ages. Her nighttime trips to the bathroom grew more frequent, her lower back ached terribly, and leg cramps often startled her awake. Occasionally, she even found it difficult to breathe.

Meanwhile, she and Tristan Sterling continued to live completely separate lives. Though they were under the same roof, she did her best to avoid eating with him. Even when they did cross paths, he acted as if she didn’t exist. Rachel had grown used to it.

「Late November.」

Tristan Sterling left on a business trip for a week. Lisa Lawson reminded her to pack his luggage and necessities, but Rachel refused. She had no desire to do anything so meaningless, knowing it would only earn his disgust.

Lisa Lawson huffed and packed Tristan Sterling’s luggage herself.

With him gone, Rachel returned to her parents’ house. Her mother, Florence Preston, stayed with her every night, and being looked after at home made life much easier.

「The day before he returned.」

Madam Sterling called to give her a heads-up.

Rachel had no choice but to go back.

She decided she would wait for Tristan Sterling to return and have a serious talk with him. She wanted to ask if she could stay at her parents’ house for the time being, since she would become less and less able to care for herself as her pregnancy progressed.

After lunch, she rested on the sofa, watching TV.

「Around two o’clock.」

Rachel heard a noise.

She looked toward the entrance.

Lisa Lawson hurried forward to set out a pair of slippers for Tristan Sterling. He was on his phone, talking as he changed his shoes.

He did not look pleased.

After changing his shoes, the man headed straight upstairs.

Rachel watched his back as he disappeared up the stairs, then slowly looked away.

Lisa Lawson took the suitcase that the driver rolled in. Seeing Rachel sitting motionless on the sofa, she couldn’t help but shoot her a disdainful look.

Rachel pretended not to notice. She turned off the TV and went to her room.

She had only been reading for a short while.

Just then, Madam Sterling called. "Is Tristan back?"

Rachel replied, "Yes, he just got back."

"I couldn’t get through when I called him. Please let him know we’re having dinner at the main residence tonight."

"Okay," Rachel agreed.

After hanging up, Rachel left her room and took the elevator to the second floor. She walked to the door of Tristan Sterling’s study. It was ajar, and she could hear him talking on the phone inside.

She only caught a snippet, but it sounded like a joint project with the government had been blocked, failing to pass its review.

The Sterling family members were not only involved in business but also in politics. Tristan Sterling’s own father, Harrison Sterling, was a high-ranking government official.

That was how Tristan Sterling was usually the first to receive policy-related information and secure the most advantageous collaborations with the government.

Rachel was surprised to hear this.

’It seems something has gone wrong,’ she thought.

She waited for him to hang up.

Rachel raised her hand and knocked.

"Come in."

His voice was laced with an icy chill.

Rachel pushed the door open but didn’t enter. Standing in the doorway, she said to Tristan Sterling, "Grandmother just called. She wants us to go to the main residence for dinner tonight."

Tristan Sterling pulled out a plush chair, glanced at Rachel, and said coldly, "Go make me a cup of coffee."

"Okay," Rachel replied.

Rachel made the coffee and brought it upstairs. The man was engrossed in his work on the computer. She set the coffee down, then turned and left the study.

She didn’t know how long he would be busy or when they would need to leave.

So, she decided to leave early and had Zachary Dudley drive her to the main residence.

When Tristan Sterling came downstairs, ready to go, he saw Lisa Lawson but not Rachel. "Go tell her to come out," he ordered.

"She already left," Lisa Lawson said, unable to resist a complaint. "I don’t know what kind of airs she’s putting on. It’s not like anyone did anything to her."

Tristan Sterling’s brow furrowed slightly. He didn’t respond to Lisa Lawson, simply striding out the door.

Rachel arrived at the main residence before Tristan Sterling.

The entire Sterling family was present, and the parking lot was filled with luxury cars.

Just as she arrived, Rachel happened to run into Thomas Sterling.

Thomas greeted her.

The two of them hadn’t seen each other in some time.

Thomas looked her over, his gaze landing on her stomach. "Your belly’s gotten bigger," he said, "but you’ve lost weight in your face. You look even more beautiful."

Rachel couldn’t help but smile. Only Thomas would say something like that—that she’d gotten more beautiful.

"Well, you’ve gotten more handsome too."

"Is that right? I was thinking the same thing!"

They looked at each other and laughed.

"Alright, let’s head inside."

Rachel had been feeling quite nervous and awkward. She felt like an outsider intruding on a large, happy family. But thankfully, she had run into Thomas. Walking in with him, her anxiety subsided.

They entered the living room.

The room was filled with warmth. The sound of conversation and laughter mingled with the voices of children, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Only the women of the family were in the living room.

Upon seeing Rachel and Thomas enter, Madam Sterling called out a greeting.

The two of them walked over.

Thomas greeted everyone, and Rachel followed suit, politely addressing each of them.

Madam Sterling looked at Rachel. "Why are you alone? Where’s Tristan?"

Rachel explained, "He’s still busy, likely with something urgent, so I came on ahead."

Madam Sterling’s eyes darkened slightly, but she didn’t say anything in front of the others.

"Go on, have a seat."

Thomas’s two young nephews spotted him and ran over, dragging him away to play.

Rachel found a seat and listened quietly to the elders’ conversation.

Evelyn Fitzwilliam glanced at Rachel’s belly and asked, "When’s your due date?"

Rachel replied, "Mid-January of next year."

Evelyn Fitzwilliam smiled. "Oh, that’s right before the New Year. What a wonderful time. One joy after another! The house will be even livelier from now on."

Rachel responded with a polite smile.

「Half an hour later.」

Tristan Sterling arrived at the main residence and greeted the elders.

When they saw Tristan, the two five-year-olds, Henry and James Sterling, greeted him. Tristan’s voice was gentle and warm as he responded, telling them he had brought back gifts from his trip.

Henry and James were overjoyed with their gifts.

Watching the scene unfold, Rachel wondered, ’When he becomes a father, will he be this gentle with our child?’

She didn’t dare to dwell on the thought and quietly averted her gaze. No one noticed the flicker of worry and loneliness in her eyes.

As he watched Tristan interact with the two children, Thomas instinctively glanced over at Rachel.

Just then, the butler came over.

Dinner was ready.

Madam Sterling sent someone to call the men down for dinner.

「In the dining room.」

Everyone began to take their seats.

Rachel sat down next to Tristan, with Thomas on her other side.

It was a rare occasion for the entire family to gather for a meal.

The Sterlings didn’t have a strict "no talking at the table" rule. The atmosphere was lively as everyone chatted about daily life.

As long as the conversation didn’t turn to her pregnancy, no one paid much attention to Rachel—with the exception of Thomas, who continued to chat with her.