Mr. Warner, Your Wife is Running Away Again!-Chapter 164: Her Sacrifice

It was probably because it was Christmas Eve, the streets were still bustling at this hour.

If it weren’t for her foot pain, Audrey Sutton might have thought of a way to trick Shane into getting out for a stroll.

"When you were studying abroad, were holidays like this very lively?" Audrey broke the silence in the car and asked him.

Shane glanced at her, then looked ahead at the road and said, "When studying abroad, winter break already starts around this time."

"Oh, right."

"And I rarely celebrated holidays."

Audrey sensed there was a story behind it and tentatively asked, "Why? Don’t you like them?"

He said, "There’s nothing worth celebrating when you’re alone."

His tone was relaxed, but it stirred a feeling of pity in Audrey’s heart.

In the six months since they got married, he indeed hadn’t had much contact with the Warner family.

His parents seemed to forget about their son’s marriage after appearing on the day of the proposal.

The few times they met were all before Grandpa Warner passed, and even then, they all ended unhappily.

He had a great relationship with his brother, so after his brother’s incident, he must have gradually gotten used to being lonely, right?

That’s why when he said something so heartrending, he could speak about it lightly as if he was detached.

"Stop at the intersection ahead," Audrey suddenly said, looking outside the car window.

"What’s up?" Shane asked softly while already slowing down and gently pulling over to the side.

Audrey opened the car door and got out, limping a few steps before stopping in front of a street vendor.

Sitting in the car, Shane was puzzled, wondering what she was up to.

He was hesitating whether to follow her when he saw her turning back.

Audrey stood by the car and knocked on the window. Shane rolled it down, and she leaned in and asked him, "Do you have any change?"

"How much?" Shane asked while already reaching into his coat pocket for his wallet.

Audrey showed two fingers, "Twenty."

He didn’t ask what for and directly handed her the wallet.

Audrey honestly just took out twenty dollars and handed the wallet back to Shane, then limped off again.

When she returned, she had two small square paper boxes in her arms, wrapped with ribbon. They looked like small gifts.

"What did you buy?"

Audrey just smiled without answering, returned to her seat, closed the car door, and handed one of the boxes to him, saying, "This is for you."

Shane reached out to take the box. It wasn’t big, and it felt heavier than expected: "What’s inside?"

"An apple."

"An apple?"

"Yeah, it’s Christmas Eve. People in the country give apples as a token of peace and safety."

Shane chuckled, "You believe in that?"

Audrey replied, "I know there’s no such tradition abroad, but it’s just to add to the holiday atmosphere. Merry Christmas Eve!"

Looking at her smile, Shane felt like something soft and warm filled his heart. This feeling often occurred since being with her.

Shane started the car and drove towards home. Audrey gently patted the snowflakes off her parka hood’s fur as she said, "That old lady back there said she didn’t understand online payments, only takes cash, and I didn’t have any on me, so I asked you."

Shane hadn’t been concerned about why she asked for money, finding it perfectly natural.

He just asked, "Weren’t there several other stalls selling the same thing? Why’d you choose that old lady’s?"

Audrey pursed her lips, took a deep breath, her eyes dimmed, and said, "She reminded me a bit of my grandma. I miss her."

"Are you going back home for the New Year holiday?"

Audrey answered with a question, "Do you have any plans?"

Shane shook his head, "I’ll follow your arrangements."

"My grandparents come here to celebrate New Year every year. How does your family usually celebrate? How about we spend New Year’s Eve at your place and the first day at mine?"

The car stopped at a red light. Shane turned to her with a smile, not saying a word.

Audrey was taken aback, thinking she might have said something wrong, asking him, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

He chuckled, "When Grandpa was alive, he could gather everyone. Now it’s all dispersed. This year, I’ll go to your place for New Year’s Eve dinner."

"Oh...why are you smiling?" Smiles were common on people’s face, but for Shane, who was known for his poker face, it was rare. So seeing him smile, Audrey felt a bit uneased.

"It’s nothing." But the smile in his eyes deepened, and as the green light appeared after the countdown, the car moved forward.

His smile was because he noticed her quiet efforts.

She had married him for less than half a year and was always the little princess pampered at home. She must want to joyfully gather with her family during the New Year.

She was also aware of his family situation; the fake cordiality was everywhere. Whenever she went to the Warner home, she was restrained, and he noticed it all.

But she still proactively suggested spending New Year with him, which might seem like just a dinner plan, but he knew she gave up a lot for this decision.

However, he had already decided to spend this New Year with her. After all, before being with her, he never cared much for these holidays.

To him, it wasn’t about where you celebrate, but who you celebrate with.

There was a long silence in the car. She seemed still pondering over the matter, feeling it was inappropriate to just take him to her family for New Year. She then said, "How about inviting your uncle and aunt over to my place for dinner too?"

Shane only said, "Let’s see when the time comes."

Audrey thought, no parent would want their child to not spend the New Year with them. With Shane being their only child now, if she whisked him away and ignored them, it would seem quite heartless.

After returning home, Audrey soaked her feet and sat at the desk to draw.

She didn’t used to be so driven, thinking it was enough to do what she loved, drawing stories she liked.

But now she wanted to achieve something in her field because she didn’t want to hear anymore that "Audrey Sutton would be unworthy of Shane without the Sutton family’s background."

"Cough, cough—" came the sound of Shane from outside the door, followed by footsteps heading downstairs.

Audrey’s thoughts paused instantly. She glanced at the paper box on the desk, untied the ribbon, and followed downstairs with an apple in hand.

"Cough, cough—" She heard Shane’s cough again as she went down; it sounded hoarse and uncomfortable.

"Are you catching a cold?"

Shane was making tea when he saw Audrey come down, and he cleared his throat, covering his mouth with his hand, and asked her, "Why did you come downstairs?"

Audrey had already thought of an excuse, waving the apple in her hand, saying, "Got a bit hungry, wanted to peel an apple."

Shane teased, "Always eating. Are you really still growing if I said you’re growing up?"