Mr. Warner, Your Wife is Running Away Again!

Chapter 343: Doubts

The other album captures moments from her school life.There are photos of her at kindergarten performances, her first trip to the zoo where she made funny faces at the tiger behind glass, and standing shyly by the podium as a little host...

The album records many aspects of her childhood. Shane often wishes he could have met her earlier, or been closer in age, so he could be part of all these firsts in her life.

Several other albums document her middle school and high school years; starting in middle school, she had already blossomed with grace.

It was likely around this age that she met him, and began to harbor that naive admiration.

It suggests that kids at this age already understand love.

So when Shane was flipping through the album, he started scrutinizing the ones where she posed with boys.

She was cheerful and quirky, and most importantly, pretty, which made her very popular at school, certainly attracting the interests of many boys.

Yet most photos in the album are with her girlfriends, and the ones with boys are almost always group shots.

However, Shane remembers her saying that her brothers were very protective of her back then, not allowing those young boys any chance to get close to her.

Moreover, Stephen began teaching around the time she entered his class, while interning in college, which should have coincided with Audrey Sutton’s middle school years.

Even before Stephen graduated, he was already sought after by prestigious schools. But Stephen always taught at the school Audrey attended.

As a result, from eighth grade on, Stephen was always her teacher.

Starting as her math teacher in middle school, then later as her English teacher.

Audrey Sutton didn’t indulge in early romances with boys partly due to his presence, and partly because Stephen was her class teacher—who would dare to court his sister under the nose of the teacher?

But as of now, Shane believes the former was the main reason.

After all, she always carried a torch for him.

These thoughts left Shane with a warm feeling inside. He had finished most of the photos when he found an envelope in the drawer.

Could it be a love letter?

He furrowed his brows slightly, reaching for the envelope, which was rather thick, not like it contained mere letters.

He opened the envelope and poured its contents into his hand, and as he saw the photos inside, Shane’s earlier smile gradually disappeared, focusing solemnly on the pictures.

Partly because these photos evoked memories he didn’t wish to recall, and partly out of curiosity about why Audrey Sutton had them. Was she investigating something?

He felt that she was always someone who couldn’t keep things bottled up, likely to come directly to him with any concerns. Yet here she was, secretly looking into things he wasn’t aware of.

Apparently, he still didn’t know her well enough.

Why was she hiding this from him?

Countless questions emerged, as he thoughtfully returned the photos to the envelope, placing it back, closing the cabinet door, and heading downstairs.

As he reached the staircase, he saw Audrey Sutton downstairs, sitting on the carpet by the sofa, playing video games with Phoebe King.

She wasn’t very good at games, obviously no match for Phoebe, but both seemed quite happy.

Watching Audrey Sutton’s cheerful expression, and recalling those photos, Shane suddenly doubted whether she was as simple as she appeared.

"Honey! She’s bullying me, come help me out!" Audrey Sutton exclaimed upon seeing him come down.

Shane gave her a glance, walked over to her, but instead of taking the controller she handed him, he sat down on the sofa beside her, saying, "Play by yourself."

Phoebe King remarked, "Hurry, you’re going to lose again!"

Stephen, who was reading the newspaper nearby, found it difficult to keep his focus amidst Phoebe’s shouting.

Not to mention that Norman Sutton, who was sleeping upstairs, was also disturbed.

With tousled hair, Norman stood by, watching Audrey Sutton’s clumsy gameplay, unable to bear it any longer, he snatched the controller from her: "Let me!"

Audrey Sutton admitted that Six was indeed good at games, and she sat watching Norman Sutton and Phoebe King’s thrilling showdown.

As lunchtime approached, Franklin Sutton and Arthur Sutton returned.

Originally, Franklin Sutton didn’t get along with Shane, but since Shane saved Audrey Sutton last time, his attitude toward him had changed significantly.

When Shane was hospitalized, Franklin Sutton visited him several times, and their relationship wasn’t as tense as before.

Engrossed in gaming, Audrey Sutton hadn’t noticed how distracted Shane seemed after coming downstairs.

Sitting beside her, Shane lit up his phone and looked at the photo on the screen, then at Audrey Sutton, childishly immersed in gaming, he sighed and put away those random thoughts, refusing to believe she approached him with any calculated intent.

If she was, he accepted it.

After all, he had already fallen for her.

That day, Audrey Sutton and Shane stayed the night at The Suttons.

The early summer night was pleasantly mild, and the gentle night breeze wafted through the window, softly rustling the lace curtains by the bed.

Shane looked down at Audrey Sutton sleeping in the crook of his arm.

Picking up his bedside phone, he checked the time; it was a little past one in the morning.

He gently lifted Audrey Sutton’s head, withdrawing his arm, delicately placing a pillow beneath her head, and adjusting the covers around her.

Quietly, he got out of bed, took the cigarette pack and lighter from the bedside, and strolled to the balcony to light a cigarette. He stood in the night breeze, his thoughts drifting.

He wondered if this was related to past events, making him so preoccupied with the photos in her drawer and even harbor suspicions about her.

Once again, he took out his phone, gazed at the image of the laughing girl in the sunflower field, and exhaled, his heart’s vexation slightly eased.

After finishing his cigarette, letting the night air dissipate the smoke smell, he returned inside, rejoining her in bed, holding her close once more...

All night, Audrey Sutton slept soundly.

The previous night, she had fallen asleep early while playing on her phone in Shane’s arms, allowing her to wake up early that morning.

She got up and headed to the bathroom without waking Shane who was still asleep, then quietly picked up a water cup from the bedside and slipped out of the room.

As the door clicked shut, Shane opened his eyes, feeling the empty space where his arm had been, as if his heart was similarly void.

He realized how inseparable he had become from her.

When Audrey Sutton went downstairs, she coincidentally ran into her mother seeing her father off to work.

Like always, helping Samuel Sutton with his tie while chatting.

Seeing Audrey come down, Samuel gave her a glance, leading her to quip, "How can you two still be so lovey-dovey after all these years?"