Too Late to Love Her: When She Divorced, He Fell Apart-Chapter 162: You Can Come to Me Anytime

Chapter 162: Chapter 162: You Can Come to Me Anytime
Shawn Sykes’s face was filled with disgust.
"Daddy!"
The little girl was still wearing her hospital gown. Even after being pushed away, she didn’t cry or make a fuss and instead attempted to hug Shawn’s leg again.
"In mommy’s photo, I’ve seen daddy!"
A flash of malice crossed Shawn’s eyes. He directly stepped back two steps, letting the little girl fall to the ground.
Claire Hale frowned, about to step forward, but another slim figure rushed ahead of her, embracing the little girl in her arms.
Crystal Warren saw from a distance as her precious daughter was pushed away by Shawn, and it felt like a deep hole was dug in her heart, causing her immense pain.
She had only been away for a short while, and something like this happened to her daughter.
Crystal glared at Shawn angrily, cursing, "Do you have no shame? Bullying even a small child!"
Shawn let out a cold laugh, "Can’t even keep an eye on your child, acts like a beast, wagging its tail at every person it sees."
Crystal was trembling with anger, raising her hand to slap Shawn.
"Still want to hit me?" Shawn easily caught her wrist, mocking, "You gave birth to a bastard, going around claiming fathers. Aren’t you planning on suing? I’m waiting."
Crystal bit her lip, tasting blood in her mouth but unable to hold back her tears.
"Don’t cry, mommy."
The little girl in her arms reached out, clumsily and carefully wiping Crystal’s tears.
Her big round eyes suddenly glared at Shawn, "Ugly monster, you’re not my daddy! My daddy can’t be a big idiot!"
"Ha, the little brat dares to scold me?!"
Shawn flung Crystal aside, raising his hand to actually strike the girl.
Crystal quickly dodged, but since she was holding Cherie and was emotionally unsteady, she lost her balance and fell to the side.
She hurriedly protected Cherie’s head, only to be caught in a soft embrace the next second.
Crystal looked up, meeting Claire Hale’s concerned gaze.
Claire Hale: "Are you alright?"
Crystal shook her head gratefully, then fiercely looked at Shawn, "I must have been blind to be deceived by a heartless person like you! Shawn, if you dare insult Cherie today, I won’t let it rest! Aren’t you waiting for a lawsuit? Fine, see you in court!"
Perhaps startled by her sudden outburst, Shawn was momentarily speechless.
"Mr. Shawn, you just wait for the court summons." Claire Hale shielded Crystal behind her, "Oh, by the way, I asked you last time, should it be sent to your office or your wife’s place, you haven’t replied to me yet."
Shawn recovered, curling his lips into a sinister smile, "You dare provoke me?"
Claire Hale also smiled, "I wouldn’t dare. But considering your esteemed status, if this gets out, I wonder if your wife would understand that you sold your body for your career."
"Claire Hale!"
Shawn spat out her name venomously and suddenly reached out, forcefully gripping her slender neck.
Claire Hale’s throat tightened, unable to make a sound.
Crystal was also taken aback, fearing Shawn would harm Claire Hale. She was about to run for help when a tall, broad figure swiftly passed by her.
The next second, Shawn’s wrist was gripped tightly.
Shawn’s strength drained, and he immediately released Claire Hale. She took a breath and looked up, seeing Tristan Lockwood’s cold gaze fixed on Shawn.
"Mr. Little Lockwood."
Shawn never expected Tristan Lockwood to get involved in such matters.
However, as he watched, Tristan pulled Claire Hale over, protectively placing her behind him. Shawn’s heart immediately sank as if a thousand-pound weight was attached, continually plummeting.
"You and Lawyer Hale..."
Before he could finish, Tristan Lockwood’s icy stare silenced him.
Clearly, this gentleman had no intention of listening to him at all.
Tristan Lockwood glanced down, noting Claire Hale’s reddened skin from being strangled, his eyes darkening as he coldly said to Shawn, "You are no longer needed for the development zone project."
Shawn’s face turned white instantly.
"Mr. Little Lockwood, please let me explain."
"Explain it to Sean Lockwood tomorrow yourself."
Tristan Lockwood didn’t give him a chance to speak further, turning and pulling Claire Hale away with him.
Once they had walked far enough with Crystal and her daughter, Shawn’s expression, as if the sky had fallen, vanished immediately, replaced by a disdainful sneer.
Claire Hale was pulled by Tristan Lockwood all the way to the third-floor surgery.
Along the way, she tried to shake off his hand, but Tristan Lockwood seemed to have used some clever technique. The grip wasn’t strong, but she just couldn’t break free.
Crystal, sensing a subtle, indescribable tension between them, wisely took Cherie elsewhere to find a doctor to check for any injuries.
Tristan Lockwood led Claire Hale into his office.
He closed the door, fetched some disinfectant from the medical kit, and began silently applying it to her wounds.
The cool touch of the alcohol-soaked cotton swab on her skin made Claire Hale gasp.
When Shawn had grabbed her earlier, she hadn’t paid much attention, but now the application of the medicine brought out the pain.
Tristan Lockwood remained silent, sitting in front of her with a lowered head, intensely focused on treating her wounds.
Claire Hale stayed motionless, her back straight yet somewhat rigid, trying her best to avoid his presence and proximity.
Only after he finished applying the medicine did his furrowed brows relax. He stood up, maintaining a little distance, and said, "If Shawn bothers you again, feel free to come to me."
He paused momentarily, then added, "No matter what time or situation."
Just as he finished speaking, a nurse came over, saying a patient needed him.
He didn’t delay but glanced back at Claire Hale as he left.
When he returned to his office after tending to the patient, Claire Hale was already gone.
With some spare time, he glanced at his WeChat messages from "Stanley Sawyer" and noticed the message Claire Hale had sent in the afternoon.
He replied: [Are you very busy lately? Because of that child support case?]
Using Stanley Sawyer’s identity to chat with Claire Hale, he wasn’t sure if it was due to the barrier of the phone or because they’d never met; all the usual tension dissipated. Their conversation felt like a chat between congenial online friends.
On her end, Claire Hale’s status remained showing as typing, seemingly struggling with something.
Tristan Lockwood waited patiently.
By the time he removed his white coat after work and got into his car, Claire Hale’s message had arrived.
He held the steering wheel with his left hand and glanced at his phone with his right:
[Have you ever disliked someone you used to really like?]
Tristan Lockwood’s eyelid twitched, asking: [How much do you dislike them?]
Claire Hale: [I never want to see him in this life; just seeing him irritates me.]
Tristan Lockwood: "..."
He stared at her words for a long time, feeling suffocated in his chest, longing to drive to her place and pull her onto the bed to question her intensely.
Yet, despite his anger, seeing the words "really like" from earlier in the message, his fury unintentionally subsided, and he replied: [If you dislike them, it means you still like them. When you truly don’t like someone, you won’t have any emotional reaction to them.]