A storm brewed in Henry's eyes as he stared at John and Tina's interlocked fingers, but John ignored him and turned toward Tina, saying mildly, "It's late. Let's go home."He had deliberately put it that way instead of saying that he was taking Tina's home, leaving Henry glowering even harder, his jealousy barely repressed."Who said you can leave?" he growled.With just a look, his bodyguards strode in Tina and John's way.Tina leveled an icy smile of contempt at Henry in turn. "Who do you think you are, Henry Barnes? Do I need your permission to leave?"Just watching Tina's smugness left Linda's chest heaving.She promptly put on a look of grief, tugging on Henry while sobbing, "Henry, take me to the hospital. I need a checkup—it hurts!"She was clutching her stomach, and with her already pale lips, she really looked like she had sustained internal injuries.Henry's face dropped—if Tina really did inflict internal bleeding…As he could not stay, he promptly picked Linda up f
The rim of Linda's eyes reddened at Henry's words."Henry, I know that I hurt Sophie, but I've lost my legs. And you know how the last two years have been for me, don't you?"But Tina just won't let it rest. It's not like I can't understand that she couldn't get over Sophie's death."I was really happy when I realized that she wasn't dead. I went looking for her to apologize again—I mean, it's been two years, and I hoped she could get over it and start over. But I didn't think…"Did you know how she hurt me in that room? She almost killed me!"I might already be dead if you hadn't made it in time!"And when you look at her, did you see any guilt? She was so pompous about it too! And if I let it slide this time, who knows what she would do to me the next time."Can you really bear to see Tina hurt me like this, over and over again?"Linda's tears poured, and she was dead sure that with these words, Henry would play along and comfort her.After all, he would definitely not hesit
Linda calmed down after returning to her room and taking a bath.She had lost tonight, but only because she had misjudged Tina's condition.But she would be holding a grudge, and there was plenty of time. There was no way she would let Tina off easy.She lay in bed, sending a selfie of herself in her sleeping gown and texting Henry goodnight.Soon after, her phone rang. She promptly answered, thinking it was Henry."Hen—"Before she could even say his name, Tina was snickering in contempt. "I thought you said you'd make me pay?"The rage that Linda had worked hard to repress flared right then. "You bitch! You did it on purpose!"At that moment, Linda finally realized that Tina was setting a trap for her all along, holding back even though she was beating her."So what if I did? What can you do about it?" Tina retorted calmly and provokingly.Beep, beep…She hung up as soon as she was finished, leaving Linda's chest heaving.Two years ago, she always got to provoke Tina wi
Mrs. Smith's heart could not help aching as she remembered how her daughter was when they met again a year later.Worried that she would remind Tina of the pain, she fought her heartache and said, "His name was Henry, but we all called him Ice. He was much colder than that boy over there."He always had a long face and didn't talk to anyone or let anyone get too near him."The boy had kept everyone at arm's reach and always lashed out, after all.As for Tina, she presumed that it was just another person with the same name and kept listening attentively to Mrs. Smith's story. "But with a little sun like you, even colder ice would melt."When he didn't eat, you would keep bringing food that you like to him."No matter how he snapped at you and threw it away, you never took it to heart and would always go to him enthusiastically."My heart ached for you, so I told you to stop going to him."But you told me that Ice must have been hurting, that he was crying."Ice actually never s
"Ice frowned, but he finished the sweet potato."It was only at that moment that I finally understood that he was a good child, and he only lashed out due to the terrible circumstances he found himself in."As Mrs. Smith finished, even Tina could not help smiling as she imagined the scene—she must have really loved Ice, though she had no idea where he was now.They had returned to the ward, where the doctor came in during his rounds, and Mrs. Smith's story was interrupted.After the doctor examined Mrs. Smith, Tina stayed and watched her eat before leaving.She had an appointment with Helen Moore for minor adjustments to the jewelry set she wore on her birthday, and it was a pleasant meeting.After they had lunch together, Tina headed home to finish her draft.But when she was done, she got a text saying that Henry was interfering in Zach's release.She frowned, not expecting that.John had told her that Zach was sentenced for life because he and Henry worked together to prolo
Tina would never go to Henry's house, so she drove straight to his office to see him.It was not her first time going to her company in the five years she was with Henry—the first time she did, she needed medical fees for Sophie.She had called him, and he hung up as soon as she mentioned money.But with bills waiting, she had no choice but to look for him at the office.Rain was pouring that day, and the front desk receptionist stopped her, saying that she did not get to see Henry without an appointment.She had called Henry repeatedly, but no one answered.She sent him a text: [I'm downstairs. I need twenty thousand urgently.]But there was no reply, so she returned to the front desk receptionist and tried to tell her who she was—and after much thought, she said she was Henry's girlfriend.The front desk receptionist laughed. "Girlfriend? Everyone here knows that Ms. Cook is Mr. Barnes' girlfriend. You really can flatter yourself, don't you?"However, Tina was worried about
Henry then told Andy, "Tell Orange Tower to send it here.""Yes, Mr. Barnes," Andy replied and hurried downstairs to personally escort Tina to Henry's office.Before Tina spoke, Henry kept working as he said, "Twenty minutes."Tina scowled but sat on the couch.Twenty minutes later, Andy knocked on the door, then entered with the takeout from Orange Tower and put it on the dining table before leaving.Henry put down his pen, stood up, and told Tina, "Let's talk over some food.""Don't waste my time, Henry Barnes," Tina snapped.Henry said nothing and sat by the dining table, clearly not going to talk unless she ate.Tina went over and sat opposite Henry."Try this," Henry said, passing her a fish cutlet.Tina actually noticed as soon as she reached the table that everything was her favorite—Henry actually made an effort.In those five years, having him eat with her and Sophie was but a pipe dream.But now, she smirked as she met Henry gaze, finding his behavior utterly laug
And when it came to Tina's accusations, all Henry did was take Linda's side."I'll never let him free. He's going to hurt you again," Henry insisted."Why are you talking like you're not the one who hurt me the most?" Tina retorted icily.Henry was left scowling. "What do you want me to do?""Don't meddle with Zach's release," Tina replied, willing to take Henry's so-called amends instead of staying agitated and demanding his and Linda's death like she did two years ago.Seeing that he was silent, Tina snorted, her voice even cooler in contempt. "You want to make amends, no? But you can't even agree to something so simple?"Henry looked at her quietly.Her expression was very calm, and she was not going against him for the heck of it—she really wanted Zach to be released.But why?"Fine," he agreed, since she was determined.Satisfied, Tina turned to leave when her phone rang.As soon as she saw that it was from the hospital, she promptly answered.Mrs. Smith's care worker
John did not hide his selfish nature when he was around Tina.In the end, he was really not that confident in himself—not after Tina had been in love with Henry for so many years, and John himself knew all too well how difficult it was to get over a person after loving them for so long.Still, Tina knew what John was getting at. "I'll never forgive Henry Barnes for the rest of my life, nor return to his side."There is no question that Linda was the one who murdered Sophie. But without Henry's involvement, she would never have had the chance."What she did was horrible, but he's just as unforgivable."That was why she loathed Linda as much as Henry.And the way she saw it, Sophie's death would always stand between her and Henry—there was no chance for her to turn back to him in this life.Seeing the determined expression on her face, John understood that the chief reason that Tina hated Henry so much was because of Sophie's death, and she refused to forgive him.But what if Sop
As Henry turned toward Tina, he could imagine how much despair she would have suffered that night, having to wipe blood off Sophie's gravestone.And she had loved Sophie so much that she bought that specific plot of land for Sophie's final resting place, just so that Sophie could be reborn into a better family in her next life!"Tina, can you check on the stew?" John came up with an excuse for Tina to leave, as there were more things that he did not want Tina to remember.Tina nodded quietly and entered the apartment without another look at Henry, while John shut the door as he watched.Then, turning toward Henry again, John asked, "Now, let's talk about Linda's legs. Did you know why Tina pushed her?"Henry could not even answer at that point.Just the two things mentioned earlier was more than what he could take—his heart was almost in pieces and bleeding for Sophie, and for Tina even more so.And yet, John continued, "It was all Linda. She found that Tina was severely depress
Henry's eyes widened—that was the day… Sophie was buried?!What the hell was he doing?!He felt a chill creeping up from his toes and wobbled backward until his back hit the wall.He never thought about that, because he did not know Linda had every intention to murder Sophie.And now that John laid bare the truth before him, he remembered what he did.Rory had won third place in some jogging event at her kindergarten, and she harmonized perfectly with Linda at Rose Garden.While Rory was coaxing Henry sweetly to celebrate it for her with a grand party, Linda appeared disapproving that he was spoiling Rory, but then offhandedly mentioned they should do it on the weekend.And on the day of the party, Linda had deliberately called Tina to invite her to the party, even asking Tina to bring Sophie along since Henry had not seen Sophie for a while.At the time, Henry was completely skeptical of Sophie's death and missed Sophie since it had really been a while since he saw her.He wa
As Henry dropped to his knees, his blood freezing up, he realized had really been harboring Sophie's murderer all along.Remorse and regret struck him everywhere all at once.He looked up at Tina, wanting very much to tell her that he did not know.If he had known that Linda had taken the kidney meant for Sophie maliciously, he would not have protected Linda even if he was still under the impression that Linda was Orange.But he also realized that it was not as if he did not have the chance to find out.It was all because of his suspicion toward Tina that he denied her any chance to speak up.Or perhaps she had already given up on him at that point.Tears were welling up in Tina's eyes as she realized what Henry meant to say.Time seemed to turn back to the day when Sophie died, and she was once again mourning Sophie.It had been over two years, but she could never get a good night's sleep at the notion that Sophie was not avenged and therefore could not rest in peace."I've
Henry did try to force Zach to give up the alleged evidence he had against Linda and even put him through pain that only professionals could endure, let alone a normal person.But since Zach did not give up, he simply presumed that Tina bore a grudge and framed Linda, all because Linda had stolen the kidney meant for Sophie, allowing Rory to survive while Sophie died.If the truth was what Tina had claimed, however—that Rory was not even a match for the kidney transplant meant for Sophie—then that could only mean that Linda had meant to murder Sophie in the first place.Everything she said—that she loved Rory too much and did not want to lose her, and that she felt guilty from picking her own child out of selfishness… Those were all lies!On the other hand, tears were welling up in Tina's eyes as she felt as she was brought back to that day."Linda never meant to let Sophie live from the start. And she didn't just steal the kidney meant for Sophie—when Sophie's condition turned te
Tina glared icily at Henry as she snapped, "What's the point of kneeling here?! You don't even get to apologize as long as you have yet to avenge Sophie!"Henry's burly figure clearly cringed from Tina's words.His lips parted but he had no idea what to say, because he had a hand in Sophie's death too.If he had not told Eric Sandler to prioritize Rory if there was a donor match, Linda would not have been able to steal the kidney meant for Sophie, and Sophie would be alive.Even if he did not know, he was still the reason Linda succeeded, and that made him the chief culprit of Sophie's death."Tina…" He tried to speak despite the difficulty, only to stop.However, Tina knew what he was going to say, seeing the look on his face, and was absolutely seething as she stared daggers at him. "Are you going to tell me that Linda has already suffered for it?! That she's lost her legs and now a hand—""No…."Tina's outburst certainly reminded him of the dastardly things he said to defend
The instant Tina tapped on the notification, she found Henry kneeling outside her door, motionless.She swiped through her phone and saw that most notifications were from Henry, with the first of many being sent at three in the morning.That meant Henry had driven straight to her place after leaving Rose Garden and knelt outside her door for almost four hours.But Tina remained unaffected.Remembering the video John had sent earlier, she had a hunch that Henry was outside after he became aware of Rory's true nature.She soon tapped out of the notifications and kept chatting with John since she found herself in a good mood first thing in the morning.When John said he had yet to have breakfast, Tina could read between the lines and did not play dumb, telling him that she would cook extra portions for him when he came over.John replied: [Already on my way.]Tina could not resist a smile. [Drive safe. See you soon.]After putting down her phone, she went about her daily routine—
It was an especially long night, and every passing second was especially gruelling as Henry stayed on his knees outside Tina's door, like his heart was being stabbed.-When Tina woke up, she noticed that John had just texted her a minute ago.[Are you up?]Tina smiled ever so faintly as she replied: [Mornin'.][There's a video you should watch.][Okay.]While waiting for the video to be sent to her phone, she noticed many notifications from her alarm system.It was the first time this had happened since she moved in, and she was about to tap on it when John's file was downloaded.Tina tapped on the video first and immediately recognized that it was taken outside Rsoe Garden when she tapped on it.A familiar car was outside Linda's villa—it was Henry's.Tina's gaze cooled as she looked on.Yesterday was Sophie's death anniversary and also Rory's birthday.And given how much Henry doted on Rory, it was not hard to see that he went to the Rose Garden after visiting Sophie's
As Henry's car soon disappeared in the night, Rory was left behind and too exhausted to give chase.She lay sprawled on the ground, watching as Henry left her, and her body's warmth slowly faded.Her gaze was endlessly horrified and helpless.Was he really going to leave her?-After leaving Rose Garden, Henry drove straight to Tina's apartment, having paid a hefty sum to buy the adjacent units to hers after finding out that she had moved there.He drove into the car park but stayed downstairs.The apartment complex was very quiet as it was three in the morning, but his heart could not quiet down at all.After all, he had been horrified since the moment he exposed Rory's two-faced nature.It was so obvious, but he just did not see it!He really was too overjoyed from the reunion when Linda showed up, passing herself off as Orange.The delight of the lost and found was just too much, and he cared even more for Linda when she told him that Mama Orange was dead, and how much su