Chapter 5

But when he first met that girl, their relationship was the closest.

When she fell down, he was the one who carried her to the hospital.

When she was bullied, he was the first to rush to the scene and stand up for her.

Even when she got her first period, he was the one who went to buy necessities late at night.

She saw him as her support, and as she grew up, he became her whole world. He actually liked her dependence on him. When did things start to go wrong? Henry suddenly felt lost.

Charlotte's sobbing brought his thoughts back to reality.

Yes, she was the one who changed first.

After she grew up, she was spoiled by her family until she became uncontrollable. Her personality became increasingly willful, domineering and controlling. She wouldn't let him associate with any girls and would throw tantrums over nothing.

So he grew increasingly annoyed and distant from her, even insisting on sending her to study in Silverbrook Haven despite her tearful protests. He did this only hoping she would grow up and become sensible.

Once she fixed her bad temper, he would go get her. With so many years of feelings between them, how could he truly let go and leave her adrift alone in a strange place?

But now it seemed she hadn't improved at all. She even dared to continue acting willfully at such an important occasion. She was really something - she had barely arrived and already thrown the Crawfords into chaos.

Henry pulled Charlotte into his arms. "Go fix your makeup first, let the makeup artist redo it. I'll come find you after I handle this. The engagement ceremony will start on time, don't worry." Only after wiping away Charlotte's tears did Henry turn to leave.

Charlotte stood there, watching Henry's retreating figure. For some reason, she felt uneasy.

Emily was right earlier. Everyone knew he was cold towards her, yet he slapped his own cousin over a few words about her. Did he really hate her? Or was she still special to him?

Henry walked to the front gate. He didn't see her, only her pink BMW parked there. And standing by the car was her best friend.

Henry's steps suddenly halted, his heart seemed to be pulled down by something. That's when he remembered - before leaving Verdancliff, she had already given this car to her friend.

Seeing him, she immediately walked over. Henry saw she was holding a gift. Her expression was cold as she got straight to the point, "She asked me to bring gifts for you and Charlotte."

But Henry didn't reach out to take it. She frowned, "There's one more thing."

"Speak."

"She left in such a hurry, never got a chance to see you. I've tried contacting you many times but couldn't get through. So I never had the chance to get this back from you."

"Remember that ring she gave you on your birthday? It was a family heirloom from her grandmother."

Eleanor Mitchell said with an unfriendly expression, "Sarah told me this ring was meant for her future husband. It's not appropriate for you to still have it. Could you give it to me? I'll return it to Sarah when I see her in Silverbrook Haven."

Henry suddenly looked down at the understated ring on his ring finger. This morning while changing clothes, he had inexplicably put on this ring. It didn't really match his suit, but he hadn't taken it off. Yet now, looking at this ring, it only felt jarring.