As Henry watched as Rory leaned on his chest, having nightmares just from one little moment of panic, he remembered that he was actually upset after what happened at the toy store.That was why he left after driving Rory home, even though he had agreed to stay for dinner.He wanted Rory to realize her mistake, not to mention that when it came to lying, children would only repeat it once they started with the first.All he wanted was to prevent her from making lying a habit, and he was surprised she was so sensitive to his feelings.Patting her back, he said, "I'm not angry. Don't worry about it."Even so, Rory shook her head. "I'm just so scared, Daddy… I'm scared that you'll leave me.""No," Henry told her warmly. "I told you—I'll always be your daddy."Linda was wiping her tears too. "Rory never lied, and she told me what she did right away when she came back. She feels really guilty, like she had betrayed your trust."She knows you're upset, and she's terrified. I kept telli
Moreover, as long as Henry was around, Linda was the world's best mom to Rory, and Rory would be the happiest child in the world.As Rory got out of bed, Henry got her a jacket from her closet and draped it over her while holding her hand as they went downstairs together.Linda herself took the lift downstairs, while the maid had already laid out the dishes on the table."Please wait at the table, Daddy. I'll get you a drink," Rory said as soon as they arrived downstairs.Linda steered her wheelchair after Rory, calling out, "Be careful. You might get burned."Seeing that Linda was with Rory, Henry stayed at the table and did not try to help Rory, who soon returned and put a glass of warm water in front of him. "Here you go, Daddy.""Good girl." Henry smiled.Rory was always so caring, and he felt like his efforts had not gone to waste even if she did not have his blood.As she smiled sweetly and sat beside Henry, she was relieved to see Henry drink it.When Linda told Rory to
Henry's face dropped as he realized he had been drugged, his chest heaving as he looked up with an icy glare at Linda like he could pulverize her where she sat.How dare she?!However, he could not stop and think about when he actually got drugged, and it was not the time to punish Linda.He had to get out of here before the drug kicked in, and he would punish Linda once he recovered.He quickly got up on his feet at the thought and knocked over the glass of water beside his hand.Seeing the water spill over, Henry remembered that it was the only thing he drank since he came in, and that Rory had gotten it for him."Rory!" His eyes widened in disbelief that Rory helped Linda drug him."What's wrong, Daddy? Are you sick?" Rory looked very nervously, suddenly not worried about her food as she reached out to touch Henry, seeing something was wrong with Henry.She did not know what Linda had given her, but Linda had told her that she must make Henry drink it.Therefore, she did no
Seeing that Henry's expression was cold, Linda retreated slightly while smiling affectionately. "Calm down, Henry. I won't touch you… and don't blame Rory. She doesn't know anything."I just love you too much and want to be with you, and that's why I spiked the drink Rory gave you."I can't live without you, Henry. That's why I had no choice but to drug you."Don't get upset. I wouldn't have done it if I had a choice."Henry never answered, and his only thought was to flee.When he was drugged seven years ago, he could not control himself at all.He would not allow that to happen again, because he and Tina would not get back together if he really did it with Linda now.As soon as the thought occurred to him, his eyes cleared up and he started to leave without hesitation.Linda looked on without stopping him, even telling Rory, "Go to bed."Rory was at once worried and scared, however. "What's happening to Daddy? He looks sick. I'm worried."She got him that drink, and he soon
That was when Henry kicked Linda, launching her away along with her wheelchair before she crashed heavily on the floor.Henry did not even look and punched the door as hard as he could, cutting his knuckles and leaving blood trickling down.Still, his mind cleared considerably, and he dashed toward the glass wall, crashing through it as he fled."Henry!"Linda was definitely not going to let him go just yet and pushed herself up when her eyes widened.Did she just feel something in her legs?-Meanwhile, as Henry left Rose Garden, he kept aggravating his wound to keep himself rational.He did not head to the hospital, instead heading straight to Tina's lodging.She was all he could think about as the drugs kicked in, and he vividly remembered every time he had her.The more he thought, the more his body heated up, and he desired her even more.As he had no more rationality left and only his instincts, the only thought he had left as he reached Tina's door was that he wanted
However, Henry kept nuzzling her neck as if he never noticed the pain and kept her pinned between himself and the sink, holding her waist with a vice-like grip on one hand while restraining both her hands with the other, desiring her carnally right then."I was drugged, and it really hurts… Just let me have you, okay? I'm begging you, Tina."He could not help wanting to be intimate with her but did not force her, as what remained of his sanity wanted her consent, even if he was hurting.His breathing was even more labored now and so hot it could melt a person.Seven years ago, she had accepted him because she could not bear to see him hurt.And now, he hoped that she could do the same.Tina realized just then that something was wrong with Henry and fought back her rage.After that night seven years ago, she knew what Henry was like under influence and left with only his instincts.All her begging fell to deaf ears, and if anything, he got even more violent.But while she had b
Henry paused, leveling his dark gaze at Tina's tearful gaze.His lips twitched inches away from hers, and he eventually rasped, "If I stop, will you give me a second chance?"That was what he wanted the most—what he dreamed of.Even if she could not forgive him immediately, she just had to give him a chance to start over, and he would do all he could to love her and make amends."Never!" Tina yelled right then. "Not on your life!"She yelled before she knew it, spurred by her swelling hatred.Her rationality told her she could afford to lie—to keep him in line, so that he would let her go.However, her rationality had no control as soon as she heard him.And words spoken without hesitation hurt the most, as they reflected one's most earnest thoughts.How could Henry accept the realization that Tina really hated him so much that she refused to even give him another chance?She used to obsess over him so much, but now she refused to let him into her heart at all?Henry closed
However, it did not matter how hard Tina fought—Henry was pushing through, bit by bit.Tina really panicked as he scooped her up in his arms, forcing her to wrap her arms around him."Henry Barnes! Stop!!!" She eventually caved and burst into tears of fear.She really could not bring herself to beg, but her tears gushed even as fear overcame her.Henry's eyes were bloodshot, but sanity returned as he saw Tina's tears, and he paused.A war ensued with him, lasting a few seconds but feeling like centuries.A voice in his head told him to take Tina, so that she was his again and they would have another child that bound them.And then he could have a chance to start over with Tina.However, another voice also repeatedly asked him how he could bear to hurt Tina, when she was already this miserable?It reminded him that she was Orange, the girl he had sworn to protect since he was ten.Sweat started raining as Henry fought himself for self-control, his gaze still fixed on Tina.On
Rory asked, "Daddy? Is that my birthday present?"At the same time, she knew very well that if Henry saw what that straw doll really was, he would be absolutely furious.That was why he must not let him see at any cost.However, Henry was still glowering as he threw the gift aside, taking a step forward and glaring at her menacingly. "Show it to me!""Daddy…"More tears gushed from Rory's eyes, as if Henry terrified her.And yet, she gingerly reached out, tugging on the hem of Henry's shirt, chirping sweetly, "Daddy, you're scaring me. Don't look at me like that."At that moment, she was once again the Rory that Henry was so familiar with.Mature and obedient.Kind and innocent.Guileless and harmless.But Henry could not forget about the Rory he saw just now.And seeing that she kept trying to manipulate him, he lost all patience and pushed her aside, while reaching for the blanket with his other hand."Daddy! Don't look!"Rory cried as she lunged over in a panic to stop
As Henry opened the door, he was left staring in shock as Rory knelt before her own bed, her young, dainty face contorted with sinister malice that did not suit her age.Just seeing that left Henry wondering if this was still the sweet, disciplined Rory whom he knew? He just could not connect that other Rory with the one he was looking at now.As she held a tiny straw doll in one hand and a long needle in the other, cursing Sophie's name while stabbing the needle repeatedly into the straw doll, it was clear that the straw doll was meant to represent Sophie.A fire flared inside Henry's mind—Sophie's death had always been an agony to him, and he owed her plenty and wanted nothing less than to give her a better afterlife.More than that, he yearned for the day that Tina forgave him, and then they could have another child.With that, Sophie could reincarnate and become their daughter once more, so he would have a chance to make amends.When he yearned for those things so much, how
After Henry found out that Tina was the real Orange, watching the footage of Sophie only made him regret even more.He really wanted to go back to seven years ago and beat his past self up violently.Even as he looked tearfully at Sophie—the child of her and Orange's love, so cute and pretty on the screen—he thought she should have grown up pampered as the happiest princess.And yet, he had scorned her even before she was born and treated her with utter insignificance after she was born.Just thinking about how she looked at him, yearning for her fatherly affection, left his heart feeling like it was being stabbed a thousand times over."I'm so sorry, Sophie! Can you come back to me?" he asked, gently brushing his finger against her photo on the gravestone.However, there was no answer to his question, and he felt like he was stabbed again as he kept watching the video alone in the cold winter night.When the video was finished, his tears covered his face.The more Sophie loved
Rory was endlessly confident that she mattered most in her daddy's heart.However, Henry usually arrived very early on her birthdays. When he did not show up by eight, Rory called his number, but no one answered.Still, she was afraid to keep calling and instead texted him.[Daddy, when are you coming?]Once again, there was no answer—he did not pick up as she tried to call later too, and nor did he show up as noon arrived.Even as she felt disheartened, she peered at Linda with the corner of her eye.Linda had gone the extra mile to look pretty, as she had promised to persuade Henry so that they could celebrate her birthday together.She quickly tried to call Henry as there was no sign of him, and they continued to wait all the way to the evening.Meanwhile, Linda had already received the message that Henry had gone to Sophie's grave first thing in the morning and never left since.Furious, she steered her wheelchair and rammed into Rory, knocking her to the floor, all whil
Linda told Rory that Sophie was Henry's real daughter.Because they were connected by blood, if they spent more time with each other and bonded, Rory would become unimportant because she was not really Henry's daughter.There was no way Rory would let Sophie take her daddy away, so she agreed to let Linda make her sick.Then, Linda waited until Henry was on the way to the amusement park before calling him, to make sure Henry would walk out on Sophie.After that, Linda told her that Sophie had stupidly waited for half a day at the amusement park and died.Sophie was really stupid—she knew that Henry did not love her, but she still thought she could steal Henry away from Rory on her birthday!However, because Sophie died, Henry never took her to the amusement park last year for her, even though he had promised to do it every year.Still, seeing that Henry was silent, she promptly played the mature daughter and said, "It's alright, Daddy—I was just asking. It's okay if you just spe
Henry nodded. "Good."After Andy left and Yancy arrived, Rory already changed into fresh clothes, hugging Henry's arm as she sat beside him on the couch, leaning on him with an utterly clingy look.Yancy went over and examined her before concluding, "She's lucky you found her in time and didn't catch a cold. But you have to be more careful—she's still recovering and wouldn't survive an infection."And with those instructions, Yancy left.The rim of her eyes reddened, Rory knew she was in the wrong and apologized, "I'm sorry, Daddy. I should have behaved instead of making you worry. It won't happen again.""As long as you understand. Don't do something like that ever again," Henry rebuked her, but his tone was gentle.Rory nodded repeatedly and threw herself into his arms As Henry still had work to do, he was going to ask Andy to take her home, but she refused. "It's been two weeks, Daddy. I'll stay with you a little longer. I promise to stay in a corner and read my books withou
Rory was crouching at a corner of the office building, her clothes soaked through and her tiny form curled up.She was trembling in the cold as she looked at Henry."Rory!" Henry's eyes widened and he hurried over, catching some of the rain as his bodyguard could not keep up with him.Still, Henry could not care less as he rushed to Rory's side, taking off his suit jacket and wrapping it around Rory, and then scooped her stiff little body up in his arms.As he did, he felt her hands too—they were as cold as ice, leaving his heart tightening.Her large eyes were filled with tears, and she was not behaving like before.After all, whenever Henry picked her up, she would always hug his neck, calling him 'Daddy' sweetly as she leaned her cheeks on his chest.In the winter rain, the chilling winds cut to the bone.Even though Henry had realized that something was wrong with Rory, he did not ask her immediately, but instead strode into the building with her in his arms and took the el
"I need some rest, Rory," he said, his tone a little cool. "I'll drop by later to visit. Just go home and get some rest."It was meant as a warning to Linda as well, to discourage her from using Rory to bridge the distance between them ever again."Daddy…"However, it was the first time Henry was being that cold toward Rory. Before he could reach her, Andy stopped her, "Please, Rory—Mr. Barnes is really feeling ill and needs rest. If you really care, you should listen instead of bothering him further."Rory pursed her lips as she stood at the doorway, her tears welling up in her eyes as she leveled a doleful look at Henry.However, as Henry closed his eyes and she could not get anything from him, she left, looking back every other step.She was very much panicking—was Henry really angry at her this time?And if Henry did not love her, then Linda would not either.What could she do at that point?Nonetheless, she got downstairs and got into a car parked outside.And seeing h
"It doesn't hurt. Really," John teased, seeing the grim look on Tina's face.Annoyed, Tina shot him a glare and pressed on the cotton bud.John gasped, "Oof…"Tina promptly withdrew her hand but still scoffed. "I thought you said it didn't hurt!""My bad!" John promptly apologized—he simply could not be harsh on her.Still, Tina became even gentler then as she worked meticulously.At the same time, Tina's phone kept jingling with text messages, all of which were from Henry, who kept apologizing.However, she only picked up her phone after disinfecting John's face and did not read a single text as she blocked Henry.John then led her to the main bedroom, where the sheets were already changed.He really was attentive as ever.Nonetheless, Tina was really spent. "Goodnight.""Goodnight," John replied and lit some scented candles to help her sleep, while Tina lay under her warm sheets.Outside, the rain was getting heavier.She thought she would stay wide awake after the night