Lennox lifted her hand and uncurled her fingers. Adrienne hadn’t noticed that she clenched her fist so hard while recounting what happened in her past life.
"What about Alistair Han? What beca of him?" Lennox asked.
Adrienne shrugged. "I don’t know. A week before my death, Ayla contacted and disclosed his affair with Alistair. She claid to bear his child, and the Han family no longer needed . She was more than willing to occupy my position as the madam of the family. Ayla had beco a popular actress by then and made a na for herself. If what Ayla said was true, Alistair wouldn’t have any choice but to marry after my passing."
Lennox held her shoulders and drew her into his embrace. Only then did Adrienne realize that she’d beco stiff and tense. He solemnly stroked her head, saying, "How could your father allow you to suffer like that?"
Adrienne smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She asked that question several tis, but in the end, she could only swallow the truth that her father never cared about her or saw her as his daughter.
"What of him? My father remained the sa. Selfish but cowardly. He didn’t see as his daughter but as a bargaining chip to advance his career and the future of the Jiang family." She answered. "Once I fulfilled his expectations, my father didn’t have qualms about Camilla getting rid of .
So far, what Lennox had learned about Adrienne’s past was tragic, but he couldn’t wrap his mind around what his wife had encountered. It was even more impossible to imagine that the strong woman before him, who didn’t care about anything, had also experienced a ti of helplessness and despair.
"Addie..." His embrace got tighter. Lennox regrets not being able to help her at all. At that mont, he could only feel helpless and hug Adrienne.
Lennox took a deep breath. He always knew that a strong heart must co from a fatal loss. Adrienne’s strength differed from ordinary people, and she must have suffered unimaginable things. But all his speculations couldn’t compare to the pain that Adrinee revealed to him.
At this mont, he empathized with Adrienne and deeply understood her pain and despair. He understood why Adrienne hated the Jiang family and Alistair Han so much. And, if it were him, the hatred would not be any less than hers.
Lennox then felt panic in his heart. What would happen if he were to lose Adrienne?
"I could endure whatever they throw my way, but I would never forgive the Jiang family for harming Dylan. It would have been better if they spared an innocent child, but they didn’t. I knew I had died with him, Len. However, the next ti I opened my eyes, I realized I had returned to my mother’s room on the eve of my eighteenth birthday. I might not be able to save my mother from the car accident, but I was able to avoid many traps the Jiang family set for and my mother. I’m not sure why God gave a second chance to live, but I decided to take a different course and make the most of it. With my newfound knowledge, I focused on building a better future for myself and my mother. Everything that I have done is to prevent what happened in my previous life from happening again, and everything I do is to collect the blood debt the Jiang family owes ."
Adrienne tried to stiffen a sob but failed. She rested her forehead against Lennox’s chest as he held her. His eyes showed no repulsion or disgust, much to her relief.
"When I proposed marriage to you, I was only thinking of my survival and ensuring a stable life for both of us. I knew that by aligning myself with a powerful and influential family like yours, I would have the resources and support to protect my mother and secure our future. However, as ti passed, I realized that my feelings for you grew deeper than just a ans to an end. I genuinely fell in love with you, and now my proposal holds a different significance. Len, I’m not the strong person you deem to be. I’m so broken, but I still have you with everything left of . Do you understand, Lennox? You are not my first love. You are my second husband, but you are the love of my life."
Lennox cupped her face and dried her tears with his thumb while looking at Adrienne affectionately. Adrienne could see that his eyes were a bit red, but she wasn’t sure what the reason behind it was. Was he upset with her or enraged by what the Jiang family and Alistair Han had done to her?
"I understand, but I don’t care, Addie. You are my wife now. I will not think of you differently because I wasn’t your first." Lennox took a deep breath and said, "My only regret was not eting you in your past life. I made you suffer because of this."
Adrienne sniffed and patted his shoulder. "What does it have to do with you, Lennox? I was foolish enough not to see the red flags along the way."
Lennox shook his head. Upon hearing her confession, he couldn’t help but feel unhappy. Adrienne was the love of his life, and he regretted being unable to save her, sparing her from the unnecessary suffering her family and Alistair Han caused. Whenever he thought about Adrienne’s sadness and loneliness, his heart ached for her. Adrienne might not have told everything to him, but he could sense from her words that she suffered greatly. Hearing Adrienne’s recollection of her previous life, it felt like soone stabbed his chest a thousand tis with a sharp knife.
He had not known that his wife had so many secrets and that, in this life, these secrets were the burdens she carried alone. Adrienne’s reason for living was her deep-seated hatred against her family, and the years she had lived without anyone knowing her past grievances must have been hard for her. He could not bring himself to think about it.
"What has beco of , Addie?" He asked. Lennox was curious about what kind of life he had when Adrienne was suffering alone in the hands of the Jiang family and Alistair Han.
Adrienne pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. Lennox leaned forward, his eyes tranquil and gentle at the sa ti.
"I never knew you were the patient across my mother’s hospital room. I rember hearing you throw a fit at your companions out of pain, but I never got the courage to open your door and confront you like I did during our first eting. There weren’t many things I knew about you, Len, and what I knew was superficial—the things you allowed the public to know. However, the news claid you died at the age of 38, and they didn’t specify its cause. I died at the age of thirty-one, Len. My physical age is 21, but my mind and soul were that foolish Adrienne Jiang from my previous life."
Lennox let out an amused smile. "I don’t know what to feel, Addie. Should I feel relief that I’m not a cradle robber? Or should I be astonished that my wife is older than ?"
Adrienne chuckled, happy to see that Lennox could lighten the mood. "I don’t think it matters, Len. We have a lifeti to catch up on each other’s stories and secrets."
Lennox nodded, his eyes softening as he gazed at his wife. There was a sense of peace between them, knowing they had each other to rely on no matter what happened. However, the thought of her past grievances wouldn’t go unnoticed. As he held his wife, Lennox swore to make those who bullied Adrienne pay for what they’d done.
"I am sorry for everything that you have gone through, Addie. I wish I could have been there for you."
Adrienne shook her head, placing her hand over his chest. "You are here now, Lennox. That’s all that matters."
Lennox took her hand, kissing it gently. "I love you, Addie. I promise to always be here for you, no matter what. You don’t need to keep everything on your own. I’m here now."
Adrienne smiled, her heart full of love for her husband. "Thankfully, I didn’t miss you in this lifeti."
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