Mr. Warner, Your Wife is Running Away Again!-Chapter 277: The Miner and the Gem

The next day, Audrey Sutton woke up startled from a dream.

As she woke, she immediately saw Shane Warner’s face and realized she was still in his arms.

The fear left by the nightmare slowly faded away.

The curtains had a slight gap, revealing the brightening sky outside.

They planned to head out for a photoshoot at nine, but Audrey wasn’t anxious to check the time. She quietly rested her head on Shane’s arm, staring at the unlit crystal chandelier overhead.

She didn’t get up or wake him.

Yet Shane woke up within a few minutes, maybe he sensed something or his biological clock had kicked in.

Audrey looked up at him and smiled.

Being met with such a deep gaze and beautiful smile upon waking, Shane was truly taken aback.

With her smile, it seemed the whole day could be blissful.

"I dreamed of you," she said.

Perhaps because she spoke first thing in the morning, her voice was a bit hoarse.

Shane looked down at her and softly asked, "What did you dream about me?"

She dreamed he was taking her to get a divorce.

Recalling unpleasant scenes from the dream, Audrey’s eyes flickered a bit, but she said, "I dreamed you bought a lot of flowers and proposed to me in the bustling street on one knee, saying you would marry no one else in this life but me."

Shane chuckled and teased, "You were indeed dreaming."

She laughed first, but the smile was strained and faded quickly. Her eyes grew moist as she looked at him and said, "If someday I don’t like you anymore... will you be sad?"

The question stunned Shane. He gently stroked the hair at her temple, asking instead, "Will you?"

She wasn’t sure if he was asking whether she’d stop liking him or feel sad, Audrey shook her head dreamily, "I don’t know."

Shane could sense that her question wasn’t an indication that she’d had a change of heart. It was more like she wanted to know his inner thoughts.

She was afraid of something.

"Want to hear a story?" he said.

Audrey looked up at him curiously, "Hmm?"

Shane spoke gently, "Once there was a little miner who heard a priceless gem was hidden in the mountains. She dug tirelessly, but after excavating half a mountain without finding the gem, she got tired and gave up, not knowing that maybe one more shovel would have uncovered the gem."

Audrey snorted softly, criticizing, "That’s such an old story."

"A good story is worth telling no matter how old it is."

Audrey pursed her lips, naturally understanding the meaning behind his words.

She used his metaphor to say, "But digging half a mountain is really exhausting, and the gem doesn’t know."

"But who knows if just one more shovel wouldn’t uncover the gem? Half a mountain is dug out, is the rest that much harder?"

Audrey murmured, "Why am I the only one digging? I want to be the gem! Just lying there doing nothing in the dirt, not being uncovered and blaming the miner for not trying hard enough!"

"I’m telling you a story, why are you personalizing it?"

Audrey snorted, throwing off the covers, sitting up in bed, and picking up the rabbit plushie that had fallen to the floor some time.

The metaphor in the story was clearly understood.

Even though she felt a bit aggrieved that she’d already dug so much yet the gem couldn’t just shift a little closer to the surface, with the gem personally telling her "dig a bit more to find me," it made her eager to pick up the shovel again.

Today’s breakfast was made together by the two of them, and they finished it slowly. The car Nolan Hawke sent to pick them up could be heard outside.

Shane was in the mood to accompany Audrey on an outing, and he also wanted to admire her as a model.

He paid some attention to the response from yesterday’s batch of photos online.

He thought his wife’s debut would be completely fine, seeing the compliments for Audrey, Shane couldn’t help but beam with pride.

The shoot location was a secluded woodland, not exactly desolate, just less trafficked.

The creek gently babbled through the mountainous scenery.

The desired style was that of a mysterious woodland fairy, serene and beautiful.

In online terms — a rustic vibe.

The attire was simple, just a white spaghetti strap long dress.

Shane felt it was quite similar to a slip dress she had at home.

The difference was the dress had a more open neckline and a quite bare back.

Although it didn’t seem too revealing, Shane felt uncomfortable that Audrey wasn’t tightly covered in front of others, feeling like his belonging was being trespassed.

However, the woods were full of mosquitoes, so to wrap up the shoot quickly, Shane didn’t express any opinions.

For the shooting effect, Audrey sat barefoot by the creek, her ankles submerged, creating an ethereal sense of detachment from the mortal world.

So mysterious one couldn’t help but want to explore.

"Ah—" During the shoot, Audrey suddenly screamed, swiftly withdrawing her foot from the water and stumbling backward.

Shane reached her side faster than the staff nearby, "What happened?"

Audrey pointed to the water, still shaken, "There’s a snake!"

The staff nearby looked in the direction she pointed and indeed found a snake in the water, though it was just a small one no longer than a finger.

Swimming along the current.

Nolan came over for a look and reassured, "No worries, it’s a harmless twin-banded water snake."

For people who fear snakes, it’s not about whether they’re poisonous, but the sight of them makes their skin crawl.

Shane already felt there were too many unsafe elements in the woods. Seeing Audrey scared by the snake, he said to Nolan, "The shoot’s about done, right?"

Though courteous, his tone carried a hint of displeasure.

The bearded man was the lead photographer today. At first, he thought Audrey fit the theme he intended to shoot.

Since Audrey’s artistic shots went viral on X yesterday, the bearded man wanted to use the opportunity for a bit of fame for himself.

Thinking he had finally arranged for Audrey to come out, the team had traveled so far, how could they just settle for a few shots?

But everyone knew if it was just Audrey today, maybe the shoot could progress more smoothly as she’d be more willing to cooperate.

Yet Shane was different. Even those not familiar with him knew Shane’s temperament—impatient, not easy-going.