It was still a very long drop downward—if Linda had fallen, she would either be dead or crippled.Horrified, Linda screamed at the top of her lungs, "Help! Help! Someone help me!!!"She did not want to die, but there was no answer even after she screamed herself hoarse.She had picked this quiet place so that she could maintain her innocence after Tina killed herself—rarely anyone would come during daytime, let alone the night.As Linda screamed, she only drained herself further, and her hands rapidly lost strength.Despite her extreme terror, she tried to steady herself, but she eventually lost her grip in fatigue and started falling again."No!!!" Linda screamed in despair, her lower back landing heavily on a slope, and she passed out in pain as she rolled down.Then, her lower back slammed into a large tree, and she finally stopped.Early next morning, a couple jogging along the mountain path found her.She lay there motionless, her clothes in pieces and her body covered in
She could not walk?! And had to stay in a wheelchair?!Linda certainly could not take it and pressed the buzzer repeatedly while yelling maniacally right then, "Doctor!!! Where's the doctor?!"When the doctor soon arrived, Linda grabbed his arm and bellowed at his face, "What did you do?! Why aren't my legs moving?!"Seeing that she was hysterical, the doctor spoke mildly to comfort her, "Please calm down, ma'am."He had been a doctor for over a decade and often had patients who had met with accidents like Linda.When they woke up, they would always have a hard time accepting that they were crippled and could not control themselves.However, Linda did not listen or calm down, even seizing the doctor by the collar and snarling viciously, "Calm down?! How can I calm down?! I can't feel anything in my legs! Nothing!"And you're telling me to calm down! No, I won't! Fix this right now! You hear me?! Now! If you don't, you're going to be fired!"Linda's threat left the doctor frowni
However, the nurse had no choice but to repress her annoyance to bring Linda's phone over.Linda immediately called Henry once she took it, but no one answered the first time or the second.When she tried a third time and her call was answered, she immediately cried before the person on the other end spoke, "Henry…"Before she could continue her act, however, she heard Andy's voice. "Ms. Cook."Pausing, Linda then demanded, "Where's Henry? Pass him the phone—tell him it's very important.""He can't answer right now," Andy replied wearily."Why not? What's he doing?" Linda pressed. "Tell him that I was visiting Sophie last night but accidentally fell off a cliff. I'm at the hospital right now, and I hurt my spinal cord—it's very serious."Hearing that it was serious, Andy did not try to stall as he knew how important Linda was to Henry.Her getting hurt was no small matter."Which hospital are you in? I'll send someone over—""I want Henry! Pass him the phone!" she snapped.I
As John walked up to Tina and she saw him, she said, "I killed Linda Cook and Henry Barnes."John pursed his lips with a pained look—he had no idea what really happened but scooped her up in his arms.She had clearly been pushing herself and soon dozed off in his arms while he took her to his home.The Levine family doctor came too, cleaning Tina's head wound and confirming that she was not hurt elsewhere.John kept watching over her after that, until she opened her eyes again at noon the next day.She stared blankly at the unfamiliar surroundings for a moment before slowly turning and finding herself staring into John's worried gaze."You're awake." He smiled. "Are you hurting in any way?"Tina never answered, instead asking, "Are Linda and Henry dead?"Right now, that was what she cared about the most."Henry is still in ICU, while Linda is paraplegic after injuring her spinal cord."Tina was not delighted at all by that outcome, even feeling a suffocating sensation in her
However, before Linda could press the dial button, a hand snatched her phone away."What are you doing, Mr. Cox?!" Linda glared at him furiously. "Give it back!""Ms. Cook, you mustn't call the cops," Andy told her calmly. "Mr. Barnes had made it very clear before he passed out that this isn't Ms. Smith's fault, and no harm must come to her."Linda gaped and retorted before she knew it, "Impossible! Henry would never say that!"How could he defend Tina after she had just stabbed him?!Andy did not argue, however, instead whipping out his phone and playing a video."Don't call the cops. It's not her fault. "Listen here. It doesn't matter if I die—no harm comes to Tina. And don't tell anyone."While Henry was rushed to surgery, Andy had retrieved the security footage, saving only Henry's instructions and deleting everything else, including the moment Tina stabbed Henry.Linda's hands clenched over her lap on her wheelchair as she stared at the video that was a retort against he
Andy naturally could not stop Roger from calling the cops.But even as he grimaced anxiously and wondered what he should do, he noticed Henry opening his eyes in the ICU ward from the corner of his eye.Andy's eyes lit up—Henry was awake!Emboldened right then, he snatched Roger's phone away before his call was answered, hanging up.Roger was naturally furious, but before he could snap at Andy, Linda glowered and snapped at Andy first as she was waiting for Roger to call the cops. "Mr. Cox! What do you think you're doing?!" she bellowed."Mr. Barnes is up," Andy replied shortly.Everyone turned toward Henry right then."Henry!" Linda was immediately rushing to Henry, pressing herself against the glass while looking at him tearfully.She was naturally pleased to see him wake up but still could not help groaning why he could not simply wake up a little later.And since Henry was up, Roger was too distracted to call the cops as the doctor soon arrived.Once Henry was examined
Though Linda was basically telling Henry to have Tina arrested, Henry said, "I owe her and Sophie."He had indirectly killed Sophie—he deserved to be stabbed by Tina, so why would he blame her?Though Linda knew this was not the time, she really did not want to let Tina get away with it."I know you feel very guilty toward Sophie and Tina," she pressed. "But whatever happens, Tina doesn't get to stab you—"Henry suddenly scowled and cut her short. "Linda! Even if you did it for Rory's sake and couldn't have known that Sophie's condition would worsen, you had still stolen the kidney meant for Sophie, and that's a fact!"That's why Sophie died! So both you and I are murderers, even if we didn't do it with our own hands!"Linda was scoffing inwardly at Henry's words but did not let it show on her face as she kept sobbing, "I know I've wronged Sophie and Tina—I never forgot. But I still care too much about you."But even as her tears covered her cheeks, Henry did not try to comfort
It was only then that Henry noticed Linda on a wheelchair and quickly asked, "What did the doctors say?""That I'm wheelchair bound," Linda replied, her voice cracking.She was really terrified even if she knew Henry would definitely get her the best doctors—what if they failed to treat her? Was she really bound to a wheelchair for the rest of her life? "No. I'll make sure that you're fine," Henry said, offering her a gentle assurance.He said that as long as he was around, he would protect her so that she would not suffer again."I believe you, Henry. You definitely wouldn't let anything happen to me." Linda smiled, Henry's tenderness warming her heart after it fell to rock-bottom.As she grasped Henry's hand, he did not withdraw his hand, so she sobbed, "I get it, Henry. I can't make amends to Sophie with her gone."But from now on, I'll fast from time to time so that she'll be happy in her next life."I'll also continue to do charity so that good karma will reach her—anythi
Henry stubbornly pressed, "Answer me. Did you say yes?"Tina was tired from punching and kicking and was left panting with her back against the door.There was the faint scent of blood in the air, as she ruptured the scalpel wounds she had left on him before.But Henry did not care and kept asking, "Answer me, Tina.""Yes!" Tina snapped icily. "Listen close and listen well—we're never getting back together, because I'll go out with anyone but you! Now get out of my house!"She really did not want to entertain his nutcase tendencies, but he was clearly not going to give up.And she was already exhausted from hitting him.But even if she was unsure that she would end up with John, she was dead sure that she would not get back together with Henry, not when he had indirectly murdered Sophie!And her cold glare left Henry's heart breaking, as it did everytime she looked at him that way after he found out he was Orange.How could his Orange look at him like that?"No, you can't get
Tina was clearly in a bad mood because Henry showed up at the graveyard.Understanding as ever, John never asked her again when he took her home.However, she did not get out of his car right away and stared at John as if she had plenty to say.She knew that he was good to her, but she did not have the courage to love again after how tragically things ended with Henry.It really was once bitten twice shy, what with all the sacrifices she made."Don't worry about it. I was just too impatient—I'll wait as long as you need," John told her.He had already waited for so long anyway."John…" Tina sighed—the nicer he was to her, the more it hurt her.John shook his head and undid her seatbelt. "Just get some rest. Don't worry about it."Tina gave in and got out, and he went upstairs with her, watching her shut the door before leaving.Inside, Tina's mind was a mess as she leaned against the door.She never thought of starting a relationship over the last two years, and she was unsu
Sophie did not need such fatherly love given out of charity!However, Henry did not take offense with Tina's cool attitude and put the gifts he brought in front of Sophie's grave. "I bought these for Sophie.""She doesn't need them," Tina snapped as she threw everything Henry brought away. "Give it off to your dear Rory—don't disgust Sophie."Henry pursed his lips as everything he picked was strewn all over the place.He knew that Tina despised Rory and did his best to avoid being seen with Rory but ran into Tina tonight anyway.And John was firmly on Tina's side. "You don't have to worry about Sophie, Mr. Barnes—I'll buy anything she likes.""Don't bother. Sophie's my daughter." Henry scowled, as John was ready to be Sophie's stepfather."So you're aware of that fact?" John scoffed, barely hiding his sarcasm. "Anyone who didn't know better would think that Rory is really your daughter!"He certainly found out how much Sophie had suffered because of Rory after what happened at
Once she saw how much the assistant was bringing, Rory's eyes lit up as she rushed over, exclaiming in delight, "Are these all for me, Daddy? I love them! Thank you! You're the best!"She was really happy.Just as she thought, she held first place in Henry's heart—she had not even picked anything, and he had already picked so many expensive, pretty gifts.She could already imagine the envious looks on her classmates' faces when she showed them.That was when Henry said, "These are for Sophie. Pick anything else—anything you like."He had already told Rory before they entered the toy shop—she could pick whatever she liked, and he would buy it for her, but whatever he picked was for Sophie.He really had no idea what else he could do for Sophie aside from this.Over the last two years, he bought a ton of stuff—some were kept in the villa, while the others were taken to Sophie's grave.He owed Sophie so much in life that he had even less idea what he could do to make things right
However, Rory had no idea what she should say to stop Henry from checking the cameras and could not respond in any other way aside from panic."Yes, Mr. Barnes…" The store owner recognized Henry since it was not his first time there and called for an assistant to get the security footage.However, the assistant appeared exasperated when she was told which area it was.Glancing at the owner and noticing Henry's menacing glare, she braced herself as she said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Barnes… Those cameras were broken two days ago."While Henry frowned at those words, John did not expect such an outcome either. But without the security footage, more words were pointless, so he merely shot Rory a cool glare before taking Tina's hand and strode out.Henry glared at their linked hands, the air turning cold around him as the assistant and the owner stood nearby in quiet fearful silence.On the other hand, Rory was clearly relieved when told that there was no footage—she almost had a heart at
Staying patient, Henry said, "I had that princess gown tailor made for Sophie back then, but Rory mistakenly thought it was meant for her and wore it. The one I brought to Maple Park was a different one—I had the tailor make another, and it wasn't the one Rory had worn."He explained all that, hoping to set the record straight, though his tone soon changed. "Rory's just a child, Tina. No matter how upset you are, you shouldn't lay a finger on her."John's visage turned cold. "Before you accuse Tina, why don't you ask Rory what she said that Tina had to go that far?"Henry turned toward Tina right then—was it not because of the doll?Tina had already despised Rory because of Sophie's gown, and he understood that Tina would not like Rory because of Linda.But John was saying that there was a different story?Henry looked downward at Rory and asked, "What did you say?"As Rory knew Henry had always believed that she was an honest child, Rory leveled him a look of grief. "I didn't s
Rory glowered.Tina dared to hit her?! She would show Tina!Just like whenever Sophie had upset her when she was still alive, Rory always had a way to make Henry hate Sophie even more!With that in mind, she burst into tears. "Argh!!! Daddy…"She was so loud that Henry heard her all the way at the cashier, and his face dropped as he turned toward her call.Still, his eyes lit up when she saw Tina.However, he soon saw John standing so close beside Tina that their shoulders were touching, and his eyes narrowed coldly, his stomach squirming uneasily.That was not the proper social distance between men and women, but Tina was clearly not uncomfortable.That could only mean that she could accept John being so close.And Henry strode toward them before he knew it, ready to split them up."Daddy…"Once he was near enough, Rory turned and threw herself into his arms, as she was the first to notice his arrival.As she wrapped her arms around his waist, she looked up to show him her
Tina's expression darkened upon seeing Rory, whom she despised so much. "Give it back!" she snapped coolly, holding out her hand.Rory promptly hid the doll behind herself, her eyes gleeful as she giggled, "Why should I? You didn't pay for it. I'll get Daddy to pay for it right now! You know that my daddy will always give me anything I want. Who do you think you are, trying to take my stuff?"She even imitated Linda's mannerisms just to upset Tina, putting emphasis on 'my daddy' just to rub it into her face.It was something she had always prided herself with.So what if Sophie had Henry's blood? She would always be more important to Henry than Sophie.Sophie would never win against her!That was when John just bought the drinks and saw Rory snatching the doll from Tina outside the toy shop, even spouting those nonsensical words.He strode up, growling darkly, "Didn't your mother teach you about 'first come, first served'? Give it back!"He really would not have argued with a
And seeing how sad Tina was, John felt doubt—should he really tell Tina that he had seen a girl that really resembled Sophie abroad?Even if he was just driving past the young girl, he was very sure that the girl's face was identical with Sophie's from photos two years ago, albeit with a larger face and without that silly sweet smile she used to have.She was in another car, but her gaze was colder than what one would expect of a child around seven.After that encounter, John sent everyone he had to look but failed to find the girl again.But he found nothing, so John thought it inappropriate to tell Tina recklessly.With hope came disappointment, and with disappointment came more pain.He could just keep looking on his own and then tell Tina later.And caught in her own misery, Tina never noticed the twitch in John's eyes.Even after the movie was over and she calmed down, her eyes were still red.John held her hand and led her outside, and he noticed that her hands were cold