After all, Linda was really worried that Rory might die."I told Jimmy Jones," Henry admitted."Why?!" Linda cried out in disbelief. "We agreed not to tell Tina, didn't we?! Why did you tell her?! What is Rory going to do, now that Jimmy is refusing to donate to her?! Do we just watch her die?!""I won't let anything happen to Rory," Henry replied quietly. "Don't worry—I've sent my people on a nationwide search for a suitable donor. Rory is going to be fine."However, Henry's promise did not calm Linda down at all.But no matter how upset she was with his decision, she did not dare to let it show and fought back the frustration burning within her."I trust you, Henry," she sobbed, sounding helpless as if she was completely reliant on him.Henry then offered a few more words of comfort and told Linda not to tell Rory—she was seven and knew enough about death now, and he was worried that it would worsen her condition."Don't worry. I'll keep it a secret," Linda replied.Once Hen
Henry sped all the way to the hospital and arrived outside the emergency room to find Linda covered in tears in her wheelchair.Her tears gushed even more when she saw him and called out to him helplessly, "Henry…"Henry went up to her, his expression worried. "She was fine this afternoon, wasn't she? Why is she suddenly in critical condition?""I-I don't know… She was just fine before she slept… then, she suddenly had a fever and a low heart rate… I quickly called the doctor, and he said she's in critical condition and asked me to sign the notice…"I didn't… I… I'm afraid Rory will die… I….""Rory's going to be fine."Seeing that Linda was spouting nonsense, Henry patted her back to calm her down, but his eyes were worried even as he stared at the doors of the emergency room.He was really worried that Rory would die too.He did not want to lose Rory too after losing Sophie.And Linda seized the moment to sneak into his arms…-There was no telling how long had passed when
"I didn't want to worry you, but I really wanted you to visit."Mommy told me not to catch a cold, but I sneaked out because you never came."I'm sorry, Daddy. I know you're busy and can't visit all the time, but I just…"Rory trailed off, barely catching her breath.Just watching that left Henry's heart bleeding and unable to scold her at all. "It's my fault I shouldn't have left the hospital—I'll try to stay with you as much as I can from now on, okay?"Rory shook her head. "It's alright, Daddy. I know you're busy—but just visit when you have time, okay?"In contrast to her capricious nature when she was five and always bugging Henry to keep her company, Rory appeared even more mature now.Henry smiled and nodded. "Okay. Just be good, Rory—close your eyes and sleep. Leave the rest to Daddy, okay?"Rory nodded, leveling a worshipful gaze at Henry with her clear, innocent gaze, having complete faith in him as he said, "I believe you, Daddy. You're my hero—you'll save me, right?
Tina and Jimmy were just leaving the hospital when a figure steered her wheelchair toward them, grabbing Tina's hand as everyone watched, crying and begging, "Please, Tina, I'm begging you—you have to help Rory!"She's dying, and she'll be dead without your friend's kidney!"She's only seven! She's just a child—please, take pity on her! Don't be so cold-blooded and stop your friend from donating his kidney! A feud between adults shouldn't hurt the kids! Rory is innocent!"Linda was smart—she actually mentioned that they had a feud.And for most people, whenever they thought of a feud between two women, they would immediately presume it was a love triangle—that the women were after the same man.That was why Linda would take the moral high ground and coerce Tina into relenting through emotional blackmail.Still, Jimmy himself pried Linda's fingers off even before Tina spoke. "Don't touch Tina with your filthy hands, and quit your slander! I'm the one who's refusing to donate my ow
Linda did not think that Tina could completely ignore the mob's outrage, even turning the tables on her!If Linda refused to bow, that meant she did not love her daughter.Even if that was a fact, she could not let it show in front of the public!Her jaw clenching so hard she could crush her own teeth, Linda had no choice but to slide off her wheelchair with considerable difficulty, breathing, "I'm begging you, Tina."The same thing had happened two years ago, but the roles were reversed—Linda had been on her feet, while Tina had been prostrating herself and begging.Tina would never forget the day Linda threatened her with Sophie's ashes, and how it ripped her heart apart because she really thought it was Sophie.She had not hesitated to kowtow until her head bled as Linda demanded, but Linda scattered Sophie's ashes anyway.Her heart was left in pieces then.Even if she later found out that the ashes were not Sophie, her heartache and the way Linda humiliated her was never fo
Thud!Thud!Linda only bowed just three times, but she was at once dizzy and bleeding from her forehead."Linda!" Henry cried as he rushed to her side.Just as he dropped to a couch, she promptly dropped limply into his arms, blood flowing freely down her head as she rasped, "Henry… Calm down, I'm alright."Her face was covered in blood and tears—it was a gruesome sight."For Rory's sake, I won't just bow—I'm willing to die for her if I have to." Even so, she tugged feebly on Henry's arm, while continuing to prove how deeply she loved Rory as she turned to Tina. "Can you let Jimmy save Rory now? I've already bowed as you demanded…"Henry's face dropped at those words.Glowering, he gently reached down to pick up Linda from the floor, but she refused and stayed on her knees, tears covering her face as she cried, "Haven't I bowed enough? I can keep going, as long as you promise to save Rory!"Linda was ready to keep bowing as she finished, but Henry caught her, stopping her fr
But as Rory really grew on Henry, he could see that she really thought of him as her father, and he treated her as his daughter in turn.Nonetheless, Jimmy snorted. "What does Rory Cook have to do with me? Who do you think she is? Why should I sacrifice my dreams to save her? You want me to donate my kidney to her? Not in this lifetime!" And with that, he took Tina's hand and turned to leave.As Linda saw that Henry was not stopping them, she promptly tugged on him. "Are you just going to let him go?! What about Rory?!""No." He shook his head. "Jimmy is competing by the end of the month. Stop obsessing over him—I'll get Rory another donor."Jimmy's words just reminded Henry about the tournament, and that Jimmy was not representing himself but the whole nation.Rory's life mattered, but saving her should not come at such a cost.Linda's lips twitched, as she really wanted to argue.So what if Jimmy had to give up on the tournament?It was not like he was going to win gold—eve
Jimmy had already been transferred to a ward when Tina arrived at the hospital he was in.She ran into his teammate on the way there, who was going out for a smoke in the fire escape stairs, and paused when he saw Tina.Tina was gasping as she ran all the way there and asked him gingerly, "Is Jimmy alright?"Why a traffic accident, and at this time?She did not dare to think how devastated Jimmy would be after he had worked so hard for years but still could not accomplish his dream."He's safe, but one of his wrists is thoroughly hurt," the teammate said somberly. "And the doctor is saying that it's disabled."He was like a brother to Jimmy and knew better than anyone how hard Jimmy had worked to get gold.But now, Jimmy could not even compete with his wrist disabled.Tina staggered backward at the news, the rim of her eyes reddened as tears soon covered her face.It took her a long while to stop crying and wipe the tears off her face, compose herself, and head inside.The do
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
Tina was not about to let Linda win, as she knew that Linda just wanted to piss her off.She remained impassive as she watched Linda and waited until Linda smiled smugly to slap her repeatedly until her lips bled."Mess with me again, and there'll be another beating waiting."With that, she flung Linda on the ground and drove off.Even as she drove, she had to tell herself she must not get upset because of Henry.But she could not help thinking about the video she had watched—how gentle Henry was with Rory, and there was no faking that loving gaze.And that intimacy with Rory was what Sophie had wanted the most in life.Even if Henry now knew that Linda was not Orange, he still treasured Rory.Tina did not care how Henry felt about Linda, but she could not ignore how Henry felt about Rory.Everything Rory had was rightfully Sophie's.Driving back to the hospital, Tina took a moment to compose herself, fighting back her grief, and only alighted when she looked normal.Just as
Mrs. Smith was naturally indignant—Linda had only suffered a couple of days of online backlash for what she had done to Jimmy, barely a sliver of what she had put Jimmy and Tina through!However, Tina pulled her phone from her grasp. "Mom, your concern right now is to get better. Don't worry about it—just rest."Since she could not enjoy more of Linda's suffering, Mrs. Smith quickly fell asleep, since she was not interested in celebrity gossip.And once she did, Tina's eyes turned cool.She knew she could not count on Henry and felt indignation for Jimmy and her mother, seeing how quickly he had spared Linda.The sight of him kneeling before Mrs. Smith was all the more laughable now.Still, she did not bother herself with Henry and thought of Zach Foster instead.After Zach scapegoated himself for Linda, there was no way he could have brought the evidence with him into jail.And John had already bought the house Zach retained after he was freed the first time, having sent his p
And the instant Henry nodded, Linda, who sat in a corner and kept her head down, looked utterly gleeful.Rory was really useful!Did Tina think she had won?Tina's daughter was dead, and it was Linda's daughter who had taken her place!Even if Tina was now more important to Henry, it was not over between her and Henry as long as her daughter pulled her weight."Thanks, Daddy! I love you!" And hearing that Henry was giving in, she finally stopped crying and gave him a peck on the cheek.Her cheeks were still covered in tears, but Henry did not avoid her despite his clean freak tendencies."Oh, Rory!" Linda pretended to stop her, quickly pulling out a tissue and seizing the moment to initiate physical contact with Henry.However, she had not even reached Henry when he turned away, pulling out some wet wipes nearby to clear Rory's tears from his face.As he did, he shot Linda a cool look.He never said outright that he was rejecting her, but his body language and the look in h
The floor was a complete mess, with a janitor and the care worker cleaning it up together.As soon as Rory saw Henry, she promptly spread her arms, calling out miserably and raspily, "Daddy…"Henry strode up, the pain in his eyes clear as he saw the bruises on her face and hands—even the braids he tied for her this morning were now a lopsided mess."What happened?" Henry sat by Rory's bed and held her, his large hand gently patting her back to comfort her while turning sharply toward Rory's care worker.Before Rory's care worker could speak, Linda heard him and hastily picked up a jacket as she came out, sniffling, "I'm sorry, Henry—I brought this upon Rory. It's all my fault for not protecting Rory… I didn't think that they'd follow me to Rory's room."She really was in worse shape than Rory too, what with her hair disheveled, egg yolk and scraps of food still clinging disgustingly on her hair, and the scratch marks visible all over her face, neck, and hands.Her clothes were to
Linda thought that Henry would distance himself from Rory as well after she was exposed and was surprised that Rory placed much higher in Henry's heart than she imagined.Even if he despised her now, he could not bear to see Rory hurt at all.She still had a chance!With that in mind, she sent away Rory's care worker—since Henry hired that woman, she might rat her out.And once the care worker was gone, Linda turned to level a tender gaze at Rory, who cringed as if by instinct.She yearned for her mother's tenderness but was also afraid of it.After all, different degrees of hurt would come whenever her mother gave her that look.Nonetheless, Linda gave Rory a peck on the cheek as she whispered into her ear, instructing her with the most gentle tone.When she finished, she asked, "Do you remember everything I said?""Yes, Mommy," Rory replied, nodding tamely.Like she always did, she repeated everything Linda said, word for word.Linda gave Rory another peck on the cheek as
Rory leveled a clingy smile at Henry and was sweet toward him because her mother might get upset if he left."Okay." Henry nodded. Rory's cheeks were very pale as she just had her surgery, and he had trouble saying no to her when she was in that condition.He was disappointed in Linda, but he earnestly liked Rory and did not want to involve children in a feud between adults.As such, even if he meant to destroy Linda, he told the care worker and every medical staff on the floor to keep Rory in the dark.With that in mind, he sat down beside Rory and picked up her storybook, going along even though she had asked him to read the longest story in it.It was a picture of bliss as he read the story in his dulcet tone, while Rory continued to stare at him worshipfully.Still, it all came to a stop when Linda showed up.She had used up most of her money and could not hire help to clear her name. Hence, worried that there would be another lynch mob incident like at the mall, she kept
However, the security guards were not really going all out to stop the mob either, and Linda was still hit by the flying projectiles as she was escorted away.As she was trending, when photos of her miserable state were uploaded online, she immediately reached top ten, as if it was only natural.And Mrs. Smith had been monitoring the online trends over the past couple days.Even if Linda was not brought to justice, she still more or less felt some satisfaction out of seeing countless netizens condemning Linda.As such, she also quickly saw that video of Linda being subject to everyone's contempt as soon as she was released as there was no evidence against her.Even if she did not feel completely relieved, just seeing Linda in that sorry state eased the frustration straining her heart.She watched it repeatedly too, muttering under breath as she did, "Guess you finally behaved like a human being."As long as Henry stopped taking Linda's side, her dear Tina would not suffer more g
Seeing that the cabbie gave up without a fight, Linda shot him a look of disdain and spat, "Loser!"Peasants would always be peasants—he did not even have the balls to retort!However, the cabbie simply watched her despite her glare of disdain without reacting and kept driving steadily.Linda snorted audibly in turn, rearing her chin while looking outside the window.She finally got slight relief from the frustration of being locked up for forty-eight hours, after all.Nonetheless, the commercial district where she was at was bustling with activity since it was the weekend.The cabbie also made sure to stop where there were most people. Once Linda alighted after paying and steered her wheelchair out of the car, the cabbie suddenly yelled at the crowd, "Look, everyone! It's Linda Cook!"His call was like a clap of thunder, and the crowd was at once restless.She was already slightly famous online because of her relationship with Henry over the last two years.Her fame only sk