CHAPTER 36: CHAPTER 36: I WOULD RATHER DIE THAN DIVORCE

The school celebration event starts at 1:30 in the afternoon.

Flora had previously reached out to some acquaintances in the student council, allowing her dorm room group of four to enter the venue early after lunch and secure front-row seats.

While munching on sunflower seeds, Seraphina Vaughn asked Audrey Sutton, "When is your husband coming? I really want to see him in person! Everyone in the group keeps saying how handsome he is; I want to feast my eyes too."

Flora said fiercely, "You go away. If Audrey gets divorced, I’m next in line; you wait in line behind me."

Audrey Sutton immediately slapped Flora saying, "Divorce?! Over my dead body, I won’t divorce!"

Barry Barrett laughed heartily, "Look how you’ve made Sutton anxious."

Ding— Audrey Sutton’s phone chimed, and everyone’s gaze fell on her phone.

Audrey Sutton picked up the phone, and sure enough, it was a message from Shane Warner: Had a bit of a situation, will be late.

Seraphina Vaughn: "Is he going to stand you up?"

Audrey Sutton didn’t have any assurances, but she put away her phone and looked at the rehearsing Clarissa Morgan on stage, unsurely saying, "He probably won’t."

Flora glanced at Clarissa Morgan rehearsing on stage and murmured, "Isn’t that woman from our school? She looks quite pretty; I don’t think I’ve seen her before."

Barry Barrett’s crush knows no gender boundaries: "Wow, her figure’s amazing and she has such presence!"

Seraphina Vaughn squinted, examining for a moment, and said sporadically, "I think it’s Clarissa Morgan."

Audrey Sutton froze: "You know her?"

She had only told them Shane Warner might return in the afternoon but never mentioned Clarissa Morgan. So, hearing Seraphina Vaughn mention the name, Audrey Sutton was quite surprised.

Seraphina Vaughn looked at them disdainfully: "You clearly don’t know much about the ballet world. There’s hardly anyone who doesn’t know Clarissa Morgan; she’s got some notoriety internationally and has participated in several international competitions, winning many awards. My sister particularly likes her. Never thought the school could invite her here, otherwise, I’d have brought my sister along."

Barry Barrett: "My new goddess! Beautiful and talented!"

Flora: "I think this woman has a cunning look; she doesn’t seem simple."

Barry Barrett: "You’re just jealous, Flora!"

Flora: "You’ll see, this woman isn’t nice."

Audrey Sutton silently watched the elegantly dancing Clarissa Morgan on stage, feeling thankful she hadn’t signed up for the department’s program; otherwise, she’d likely be the ugly duckling compared to this swan.

Putting aside stray thoughts and focusing only on the dance before her, Clarissa Morgan indeed was captivating.

With delicate features, a slender build, and graceful yet powerful dance moves, she performed confidently as a noble swan.

If such a woman stood beside Shane Warner, they could be called a perfect match, no wonder there was gossip about them during their school days.

When the dance concluded, Audrey Sutton noticed Clarissa Morgan glance at her, which made Audrey suddenly snap back to reality.

It seemed like Clarissa Morgan was provoking her but before she could look closely, Clarissa was already talking with the dance teacher as she headed backstage.

She could faintly hear the teacher’s praises as Clarissa was leaving.

As the showtime approached, students began entering the venue one after another. The nearly 3,000-seat theater was sold out, with quite a few standing in the back.

"Audrey, why isn’t your husband here yet? The show’s about to start."

"... I’ll ask him."

Audrey Sutton didn’t really want Shane Warner to come either, afraid his attention would be completely captured by Clarissa Morgan later.

Before she could send a message, he sent a voice note first: "Where are you?"

"Oh my! That deep voice! I’m in love!" Barry Barrett unabashedly expressed his crush.

Audrey Sutton blushed slightly and sent her seat number to him.

Looking at the one-second voice note, she wanted to play it again but felt shy with so many people around.

His voice was indeed attractive, effortlessly making one’s heart flutter with just two simple words.

After sending the message, Audrey glanced toward the theater entrances and quickly spotted his silhouette in the crowd.

He strode over, becoming a topic of conversation among the students present.

Some even started filming him as if he were a celebrity.

Under the watchful eyes of countless students, Shane Warner walked straight over and sat down beside Audrey Sutton: "What time does it start?"

Audrey Sutton casually looked at him and replied, "Soon."

Shane Warner: "What did you have for lunch?"

Audrey Sutton: "The canteen’s rice with braised chicken."

Flora, sitting closest to Audrey Sutton, couldn’t tolerate their awkward chat anymore and interrupted, saying, "Brother-in-law, you actually have time to come see Audrey watch the performance today?"

Shane Warner glanced at Flora, recognizing her as Audrey Sutton’s roommate, and politely smiled as he replied, "Just happened to be free this afternoon."

Seraphina Vaughn leaned forward and said to Shane Warner, "Brother-in-law, since your company just went public, you must have a lot of work, but of course, spending time with your wife is more important than business."

Audrey Sutton was uninterested and didn’t join in the conversation because deep down, she felt Shane Warner came not for her, but for Clarissa Morgan.

Shane Warner sensed her mood shift, glanced at her, wanting to say something but stopped when the host got on stage.

After the school leaders gave their speeches, the performance officially began.

While watching Audrey Sutton’s other roommates chatting incessantly about the stage performances, Shane Warner noticed Audrey Sutton staying quiet, which was unusual for her.

"What’s wrong? Not feeling well?" he asked softly.

Audrey Sutton’s distracted gaze finally focused, she looked at him and shook her head saying, "No."

Seeing her lackluster state, Shane Warner worriedly raised his hand, parted her bangs, and felt her forehead.

Audrey Sutton was startled, her face turning red instantly as he withdrew his hand, confirming that her temperature was normal.

"If you’re feeling unwell, say something; it’s easy to get a heat stroke in this weather."

Audrey Sutton didn’t reply, silently adjusting her bangs, her forehead seemingly still tingling from his brief touch.

His hand was cool, fingers slender and bony, quite good-looking.

She might already be abnormal, even feeling a bit like a pervert, because she could fantasize about such insignificant details for an extended period.

Clarissa Morgan was scheduled later in the line-up, yet her name was being mentioned repeatedly before she even came on stage.

Audrey Sutton watched the performance absent-mindedly, her gaze fixed on the stage while her mind wandered elsewhere.

Amidst daydreaming, she suddenly felt something strange below.

The familiar sensation filled her with bad premonitions, and she whispered to Flora, "I think I’m having my period."

Flora glanced at her: "Do you have a pad?"

Audrey Sutton rummaged through her bag and then shook her head.

Flora also asked Barry Barrett and Seraphina Vaughn, who both shook their heads too.

At this moment, the announcer’s introduction included words like "dreamy," "beautiful," "swan," which everyone guessed meant Clarissa Morgan would be next.

Flora said to Audrey Sutton, "I’ll go buy one, you wait for me in the restroom."

"I’ll go." Shane Warner said, standing up as he spoke.

And as he got up and walked away, Clarissa Morgan happened to be walking onto the stage.