novelraw Chapter 365 - 366: Domestic Violence
Chapter 365 - 366: Domestic Violence
Chapter 365: Chapter 366: Domestic Violence
Sienna had a dream that left half her pillow soaked in tears.
"Adrian, I had a nightmare..."
"I know."
Sienna had been having nightmares recently, so Adrian always came home to be with her regardless of how late it was. She couldn’t eat well or sleep well, which was taking its toll on her body.
It rained that night, making the roads in the suburb difficult to navigate. Adrian came home late, and he hadn’t expected Sienna to cry so heartbrokenly in her dream.
"It’s okay, they’re just dreams, they’re not real..."
"Adrian, my dream was so scary just now... I dreamed of..."
"Shh..." Adrian stopped her from continuing.
"Adrian, I’m scared..."
"Let me take you for a walk."
Adrian really wanted to say, if it doesn’t work out, let’s not have this child. He could only think this secretly, not daring to say it out loud.
He just hoped that his seed was strong and tenacious enough to survive.
"But it’s raining outside."
"The rain has stopped."
Adrian put warm clothes on Sienna, picked her up, and walked outside.
「...」
The rain really had stopped, and the sky was gradually brightening. The air was filled with the scent of the earth. The air in the countryside was much better than in the city, and even the stars at night were brighter.
There were many green vegetables growing in the fields, all organic, without any chemical fertilizers or pesticides. They relied on the manure of their own poultry for fertilization and let frogs and birds eat the insects. It was a small, self-contained ecological cycle.
It was mainly because Adrian had concerns about the safety of food in the area. Air-freighting them wasn’t as fresh as growing them himself, so he built this farm.
Rose Collins loved this place very much. Each day she tended to the vegetables and fed the chickens, and her health had improved. The only thing she worried about was Bryant Robertson’s marriage.
The vegetables and fruits from their yard became a special supply for Sienna and Curly. Every morning, someone would specially deliver fresh produce, which really tasted different from what was bought in the supermarket.
"I love this place; it’s so peaceful. When we get old, let’s retire here, okay?" Sienna unexpectedly became emotional.
"You just haven’t been to truly good places. How can this be considered good?" Adrian didn’t think much of it.
"It’s not the same. This is my home."
Adrian didn’t say anything.
Sienna continued, "Abyanabad is nice too; the environment is indeed better than here. When we retire, we can also go back to Abyanabad."
"We’ll see." Adrian had no plans to retire and then return to Abyanabad; he had always intended to coax Sienna into going to Abyanabad with him.
There was a lake on the farm. Although it was a non-flowing body of water, its water was replaced regularly, so it was always clear.
At the northeastern corner of the lake, they planted lotus flowers. It was now the season when lotus flowers bloomed, but they hadn’t borne lotus seeds yet...
They both went boating to pick lotus flowers. Adrian didn’t let Sienna move, afraid of tiring her out, and picked many for her. Sienna loved lotus flowers; inhaling their fragrance lifted her spirits considerably.
Adrian was still wearing a suit, as he seemed to have rushed straight from his company. Sienna felt sorry for his hard work and said softly, "...If it’s too late in the future, you don’t need to come. My mom is here; she’ll take good care of me."
"Has Madam Johnson arrived?"
"Yes."
Adrian’s face darkened, appearing wary of Pauline Briggs. Sienna laughed. "I never thought there would be someone in this world that Sixth Master would be afraid of."
"Well, she *is* your birth mother. I can’t hit her, and I can’t scold her. I haven’t even done anything to her, and she’s already crying like that. Outsiders who don’t know any better would think I actually did something to her."
Sienna chuckled. "Actually, I’m also afraid of Madam Johnson."
The two of them had found a common subject to complain about in Madam Johnson, and Sienna was genuinely surprised by how many grievances Adrian had against her.
"...I really don’t understand how there can be men in this world who would like Madam Johnson. She’s so prone to crying over nothing. How can your dad stand it? Fortunately, your personality is nothing like hers; otherwise, I would have a splitting headache."
Sienna had an Electra complex and didn’t allow anyone to speak ill of Dexter Johnson. "My dad is the best man in the world—handsome, kind, faithful, and knows how to cherish women..."
"What about me?"
"What?"
"Your dad is the best man in the world? Then what about me?" Adrian asked, jealous.
"My dad is my dad, and you’re my husband. How can you be the same?"
"How are we different? We’re both men!"
"Okay, you’re as good as my dad."
"Hmph!"
With a proud and petulant pout, Sixth Master turned his head to one side, dissatisfied with the perfunctory answer.
After rowing for a while, seeing that Sienna’s mood had stabilized, Adrian took her ashore. He had bought her a cake during the day.
Since becoming pregnant, Sienna had developed a strong craving for sweets. Adrian figured that this pregnancy would probably result in another daughter. It wasn’t that he disliked having another daughter, but he was older than Sienna and had sustained many injuries. The doctor had said that these injuries wouldn’t be apparent when he was young but would cause problems as he aged. If he were to pass away, and without a son, who would look after Sienna and Curly in the future?
After finishing the cake, Sienna fell asleep peacefully in Adrian’s arms, inhaling his familiar scent. Adrian also dozed off for a while.
「...」
At breakfast, Pauline saw the red mark on her daughter’s face, which was unmistakably from being slapped. She immediately thought of Adrian, for there was no one else here who would hit Sienna.
She asked in astonishment, "Sienna, who hit you? Was it Adrian?"
"What?" Sienna was completely confused.
Pauline glared at the man coming downstairs and yelled, "Adrian, how could you hit a woman?"
Adrian was just as puzzled.
Rose Collins glanced at Adrian, frowned, and fetched some ice for Sienna to apply to the red area.
"You tell me, Sienna is pregnant now and already suffering so much. How can he still hit her?" Pauline said, heartbroken, her eyes looking at Adrian as if she wanted to kill him.
Adrian came down and looked at Sienna’s face, only then realizing why Pauline hated him so much. Sienna’s fair skin clearly showed the red, five-fingered print of a slap on her cheek.
Last night it was dark, and he hadn’t noticed. He didn’t expect that he had hit her so hard. Adrian’s heart ached as well.
"I’m sorry. You had a nightmare last night, and I couldn’t wake you up, so I slapped you... Does it hurt?" Adrian took the ice bag from Rose’s hand and applied it to Sienna’s face.
When Pauline heard this, her tears gushed out again as if a dam had burst. "Sienna, look at this man! He actually hit you! You’re already so uncomfortable with the pregnancy, and you’ve lost so much weight, yet he still hit you."
"..."
"I told you before that he would be abusive, but you didn’t believe me."
Sienna, who didn’t feel any pain, said nonchalantly, "Don’t cry. Didn’t Adrian already explain? I had a nightmare last night and couldn’t wake up. That’s why Adrian slapped me to wake me up..."