Chapter 402 - 405: Never Apart

Claire Bennett had just gotten back to her apartment from the mall when she received several photos from her informant.

She picked up her phone and swiped her finger across the screen. A single glance was all it took for the blood to rush to her head.

One after another, they were the very images she dreaded seeing most.

Adrian Lancaster and Wren Sutton were gazing into each other’s eyes, their expressions full of tender affection. They leaned close, sharing a gentle kiss.

With every glance, Claire’s nails dug deeper into her palms, but she couldn’t feel the pain.

A potent mix of rage and jealousy bloomed in Claire’s heart. It spread like poisonous vines through her chest, devouring her sanity bit by bit and twisting into a morbid, paranoid obsession.

"Wren Sutton, you think you’re worthy of kissing him? Adrian Lancaster is mine! Mine!"

"You had to fight me for a scarf, and now you have to fight me for a man? What gives you the right to have all the best things? Who the hell do you think you are!"

Claire stared at the photos, her breathing growing ragged. Beneath the rage and jealousy in her eyes, a crazed possessiveness churned.

Suddenly, a strange, cold smile touched her lips. She transferred the photos from her phone to her computer.

Her fingers found the mouse, and she expertly opened a photo editing program. The cursor hovered over Wren Sutton’s face.

Using the mouse and keyboard, she began to erase the face she hated to her very bones.

Then, meticulously matching the lighting and angles, she photoshopped her own face into its place.

Claire was incredibly meticulous. She adjusted every detail—the curve of the hair, the line of the neck, the shadows cast by the light on the face—until it was perfect.

Soon, a picture that was nearly indistinguishable from a real one appeared on the screen.

In the image, Adrian Lancaster’s gentle gaze remained unchanged, but the person he was looking at so affectionately was now Claire Bennett.

Claire zoomed in, her nose almost touching the screen. Her eyes were glued to the photo, her breathing growing lighter yet hotter, her expression more and more enthralled.

"Adrian..."

Her fingertips gingerly caressed Adrian Lancaster’s face on the screen. A perverse sense of satisfaction and possessiveness completely overwhelmed her reason.

’How could you kiss Wren Sutton? You should be kissing me. I’m the one who loves you and cares for you more than anyone else in this world.’

’What is Wren Sutton, anyway? She doesn’t love you. She loves the Lancaster family’s power and status. She loves the prestige of being Mrs. Lancaster.’

’Only I love you for who you are, with all my heart. Why can’t you see that?’

Claire closed her eyes, and her mind began to spiral into uncontrollable fantasies.

She imagined the scene in the photo was real.

She imagined she was the one sitting beside Adrian Lancaster, not Wren Sutton.

She imagined Adrian leaning over, pulling her into his arms, and kissing her brow, her nose, her cheeks, her lips, her neck, her collarbone, and then slowly moving lower...

In that moment, her jealousy twisted into the ultimate obsession and delusion.

Immersed in the false reality she had created, Claire wore an enraptured yet eerie smile, softly murmuring Adrian Lancaster’s name. It was a chilling sight.

’I’m the only one who deserves you. You were always mine. You were, you are, and you always will be.’

’We had our own sweet, happy times together. You can’t forget that. You can’t...’

An unknown amount of time passed before Claire finally snapped out of her fantasy, though the obsessed smile never left her lips.

She knew in her heart that this picture could never be sent to anyone, let alone be leaked.

It was her secret.

Claire encrypted and archived the image, saving it to a private folder on her computer. She then synced a backup to a hidden album on her phone and protected it with a two-layer password to prevent anyone from ever seeing it.

For countless lonely nights to come, she would pull out this photo and gaze at it as she fell asleep.

She would immerse herself in the false reality she had woven, using the fake picture to brainwash herself, soothe her jealousy, and indulge the sick, paranoid possessiveness in her heart.

...

The day of Adrian Lancaster’s discharge from the hospital was drawing near. His condition was improving steadily, and he could now walk on his own without a wheelchair.

However, his attending physician still recommended he focus on resting and avoid putting too much strain on his legs. He was to do moderate exercise daily but control the duration, ensuring he didn’t walk too much.

For days, the weather had been clear and the sun brilliant.

Every day, Wren Sutton would accompany Adrian Lancaster down to the garden to bask in the sun, where they would sit for an hour or two.

Even without saying much, just sitting closely together, holding hands, and leaning against one another felt blissful.

The world seemed to freeze in that quiet moment, and time slowed down.

Without the need for overly sentimental words, their two hearts drew closer and closer.

Adrian Lancaster still carried guilt towards Wren Sutton and hadn’t been able to let it go completely, but he was no longer as tense and uneasy as before.

It was Wren Sutton’s thoughtful gentleness and quiet companionship that had healed him. A steady, constant warmth enveloped his heart.

He squeezed Wren Sutton’s hand tightly and placed it over his heart.

"My love, can you hear it? This heart beats for you."

"You were right. We have to look forward in life and not trap ourselves in the pain of the past."

"We still have a long life ahead of us. Instead of living in a constant swirl of fear and anxiety, it’s better to cherish the present, love you, love our children, and live a good life."

"Darling, for what I owe you... I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, okay?"

Wren Sutton leaned on Adrian Lancaster’s shoulder, her eyes growing a little moist. Her heart filled with a mixture of bittersweetness and joy.

She smiled and nodded, lacing her fingers with Adrian Lancaster’s.

"Okay, Adrian Lancaster. You have to keep your word. Spend your whole life making it up to me and making me feel happy. Let’s never be apart again."

"Never. We’ll never be apart again."

The words had barely left his lips, and a smile still graced Wren Sutton’s face, when she suddenly sensed a faint, almost imperceptible gaze from a distance. It was coming from the bushes at the edge of the garden, hidden in the shadows, spying on her and Adrian Lancaster.

!!! Alarm bells screamed in Wren Sutton’s mind, and her heart skipped a beat.

Her days of being on guard and secretly investigating had yielded no suspicious individuals. The trail had gone cold for no apparent reason, leaving her with no leads.

Just when she was about to give up, the person hiding in the dark finally made a move.

Wren Sutton guessed that the person must know Adrian Lancaster was about to be discharged. They were taking a risk to probe one last time before he returned to the Lancaster family estate.

Wren Sutton suppressed her excitement, keeping her expression neutral. She continued to speak softly with Adrian Lancaster beside her, adjusting the collar of his shirt. Her every move was calm and natural, as if she hadn’t noticed a thing.

It was as clear as day to her.

The voyeur hiding in the bushes was very likely an informant planted in the hospital by the true mastermind, sent to gather information so the mastermind could find an opportunity to get close to Adrian Lancaster.

Wren Sutton lowered her gaze, a sharp, cold glint flashing in her eyes.

’Since they’re looking for an opportunity, I can use this informant as a bridge. I’ll just play along and set a trap, then wait for my prey to walk right into it.’