CHAPTER 28: CHAPTER 28: MUTUAL NONINTERFERENCE

Shane frowned and asked her, "Where are you going?"

Audrey Sutton turned around, giving him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, and said, "Not bothering each other goes both ways. I won’t mind your business, so don’t mind mine. I’m very independent and not clingy."

Seeing her fake smile, Shane’s frown deepened. It was clear she was holding a grudge against him.

Audrey turned and went into the club, with Shane hurriedly following her inside.

She had already told Flora and the others that she was going home, so Audrey didn’t dare to approach them again.

Everyone thought her marriage was perfect, and even she didn’t want outsiders to see the unhappy side.

So, when quarreling with Shane, she didn’t dare to tell anyone and could only keep it to herself.

"Anna? What’s up? Where are you going, all puffed up like that?"

Audrey looked up to see Spencer Forrest walking toward her.

Instinctively, she glanced behind her, seeing Shane closely following.

Spencer saw it all clearly and chuckled before Shane got close. "Had a fight, huh?"

Audrey pressed her lips together, not having had the chance to speak before Shane grabbed her wrist and pulled her over. "Let’s discuss it at home."

Audrey stubbornly tried to shake his hand off, but not too overtly—there were people around, and she didn’t want to make a big scene, as that would be ugly.

Dragged back to the club entrance by Shane, she intended to shake his hand off again when he let go. "Wait here. I’ll get the car."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Audrey head to the roadside.

By coincidence, a taxi drove up. She hailed it, got in without a word, and shut the door.

Shane took a deep breath, hurried to his car, and followed behind.

The taxi arrived at The Suttons’ residence. He watched her get out safely and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He hesitated to get out and follow, not wanting to cause trouble in front of her family.

She usually calms down quickly, maybe a night’s sleep would be enough.

So he quietly drove away.

When Audrey returned home, her parents were already asleep; only Evan was in the living room.

"Audrey? Why are you back?" Evan’s voice was faint, gentle, as always.

Audrey stood by the door to change her shoes, thought for a moment, and said, "He’s on a business trip; I’m scared to live alone."

Evan glanced at her camisole dress and asked, "Went to Fourth Brother’s bar again?"

"No, it was a classmate’s birthday."

Evan said, "I just got back from the hospital. I’m thinking of making something to eat; want some?"

Audrey nodded and then said, "I’ll make it, what would you like, Evan?"

Evan was silent for a while and said, "Anything’s fine."

Audrey knew that Evan, despite having countless good qualities, had two flaws.

First, his cooking skills were poor. He could barely make something edible, given his hospital work and the need to study for exams, leaving little time for cooking.

Second, he spoke little. When with her, he talked the most, while usually with the family, he hardly initiated any conversation.

Audrey cooked two bowls of wontons, knowing Evan loved them.

Sitting face-to-face at the dining table, Evan asked, "Are you used to it over there?"

Audrey paused. Previously, she would share any concerns with Evan, but this time, she was unsure how to start.

So, she answered, "Yes, it’s been okay."

Evan said, "Third Brother said he’s a nice person."

Audrey lowered her gaze slightly, saying, "He’s fine."

Evan continued, "Feelings are complicated. You didn’t have much interaction or understanding before, so there’s a lot to adjust to after marriage. Don’t be too childish. You can talk to me about anything, as you did before."

Upon hearing this, Audrey ate her wontons, contemplated for a few seconds, and asked, "Evan, with a man like him, there’s bound to be many girls with impure intentions around him. Should I care about that?"

Evan chuckled lightly, saying, "You should care, but in the right way."

Audrey immediately put down her chopsticks, gazing intently at Evan, waiting for his advice.

Evan picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth, saying, "If women like him, it’s beyond his control. So when something like this happens, you shouldn’t unreasonably make a scene. You should face the problem with him, not against him."

Audrey pondered his words, then asked, "But what if he’s interested in them?"

Evan replied without hesitation, "Divorce, no need to endure such grievances."

Audrey: "..."

Evan: "Do you see any signs of that?"

"Huh?" Audrey quickly shook her head, "No, I’m just giving an example."

"If you’re mistreated, remember to tell us."

"No, he’s quite good to me." As she said this, Audrey felt a pang of sadness inside.

She didn’t know how to end this mess.

Back in her room, she sat by the bed, took her phone out of her bag, and saw several new WhatsApp messages.

Opening the app, she saw messages from Flora, Laura Yates, and one that seemed unfamiliar at first glance—a white background with black text reading "Five."

The WhatsApp name was simply a capital letter "Y."

It took her couple of seconds to realize that it was Shane.

Her heart tightened, a mix of surprise and apprehension as she clicked open the chat box to see his message: "What time is your class tomorrow morning? I’ll come pick you up."

Audrey didn’t know whether to feel happy or unhappy at this message.

He avoided mentioning his female schoolmate, as if none of that had happened earlier, while she was still angry.

But that he took the initiative to text her was unexpected.

Just this act made half her anger dissipate.

However, she was unaware that Shane had deliberated for a long time, editing and re-editing before sending this seemingly simple message.

Audrey also stared at the message for a long time, then replied: "My brother will take me."

Because her eldest brother was a professor at their school, and the next morning’s class was his, this wasn’t a response out of spite.

Yet Shane saw this reply and thought she was deliberately refusing him out of anger.

Audrey lay in bed, watching his "typing" status, and soon his message popped up: "Your textbook is still at home."

Audrey paused, then he sent another message: "I’ll bring it to school for you tomorrow morning."

Y: "It’s getting late, rest early."

Y: "Goodnight."

Seeing these last two words, Audrey felt like a weight lifted off her heart.

Yet she still held back from sending him a "goodnight" in return.

She put down her phone and lay in bed, thinking about what Evan had just said.

Indeed, she shouldn’t unreasonably cause a fuss because of those women but should confront the issues together with him.

But the main reason she was upset was because of his "not bothering" remark, which was ironically something she had said herself.

Luckily, he reached out to her, which gave her an excuse to let it go.