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Chapter 125
MonipuoIT A LUVe RepoI!!
Blood dripped steadily from Henry’s hand onto the polished floor. The knife wound looked deep, and without thinking, I rushed to the bathroom for the first aid kit. Billy still clung to my leg, his small body trembling.
“Billy, sweetheart,” I said gently, go to your room and lock the door. I need to help your father with his injury.”
My son nodded, his eyes wide with fear as he retreated to his bedroom. Once he was safely inside, I returned to Henry, who stood staring at his bleeding hand with an oddly detached expression.
“Sit down,” I instructed, guiding him to the edge of the bed. “Let me see how bad it is.”
As I carefully cleaned the wound, I couldn’t help noticing Henry watching me intently. His eyes tracked my every movement, studying my face with unoqual focus. The cut was deep but clean–it would need stitches later, but for now, proper bandaging would suffice.
‘You shouldn’t have done that,” I murmured, applying antiseptic to the wound. “It was dangerous?
I felt his gaze intensify at my words. The concern in my voice was unmistakable, and I suddenly realized I had softened toward Henry. My lips pressed into s tight line as I focused on the bandaging, deliberately cooling my expression.
Henry noticed the change immediately. The warmth that had briefly appeared in his eyes vanished, replaced by his usual guarded look. For a moment–just a fleeting second–I thought he might reach for me with his uninjured hand, might say something to bridge the growing chasm between us. Instead, he remained silent, his jaw tightening as I finished wrapping the bandage.
“That should hold for now,” I said, packing away the first aid supplies, adding, “But you’ll need to see a doctor for stitches.”
Henry flexed his hand experimentally, wincing slightly. “Thank you.”
The formality in his voice stung me. I stood, eager to escape the suddenly suffocating bedroom. “I’m going to check on Billy.”
As I turned to leave, Henry called out to one of his security guards passing in the hallway. “How is Grace doing?”
The guard looked uncomfortable. “She’s refusing punishment, sir. She says she’ll contact Mrs. Harding–your mother–to intervene on her behalf.”
Henry’s expression darkened. “Make sure she doesn’t contact anyone. Keep her in the west wing study until I deal with her.”
“Yes, sir,” the guard nodded, hurrying away.
I spent the next few hours with Billy, reading him stories until his eyelids grew heavy. Even after he fell asleep, I remained perched on the edge of his be watching his peaceful face and wondering how our family had become so broken.
Night had fallen when I heard the commotion downstairs–Catherine’s voice rising in anger as she demanded to see her son. Despite my efforts to stay uninvolved, curiosity pulled me toward the staircase.
From my position at the top of the stairs, I could see Henry seated in the living room, his bandaged hands resting on his lap. Catherine stormed in, her normally perfect appearance now slightly disheveled.
“Henry! What is this about?” she demanded. “Grace is your sister! Your only sister! How could you lock her away in that horrible reflection room? What could she possibly have done to deserve this?”
Henry’s soft laughter caught me off guard. It wasn’t amused–it was bitter, almost incredulous. Slowly, he raised his band
mother.
inds, displaying them to
‘Your precious daughter tried to stab me with a kitchen knife,” he stated calmly.
Catherine waved dismissively. “She was just playing around! You know how dramatic she can be.”
“Playing around?” Henry echoed, his voice dangerously soft. ‘She’s twenty–four years old, mother. Not a child throwing a tantrum.”
As Henry’s expression grew increasingly dark, I saw Catherine’s confidence falter slightly. She unconsciously took a small step backward.
Chapter 125
“Grace didn’t just threaten me, Henry continued, his voice growing colder. “the held a bude
then threatened a five–year–old child.”
Catherine’s face paled, but the quickly recovered. ‘I’m sure there’s been some misunderstanding. Sophia must have goned beet That wonten in ginen- she’s been creating divisions in this family since she arrived!
I carefully observed Henry’s reaction, expecting him to agree with his mother. To my surprise, he shook his head, disappointment endent in the eye
“There’s security footage,” he stated flatly. “If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to watch it.”
Catherine seemed to deflate, collapsing onto the nearest chair. After a moment’s silence, she stood again, cursing under her breath before rocking off to fed Richard, presumably to plead Grace’s case to him.
Catherine hadn’t expected her husband to support Henry’s decision, insisting that Grace needed strict discipline to prevent her from doing something rem more outrageous. Catherine had obviously hoped for comfort from her husband, but received only criticism instead.
Richard told her she had failed to properly raise their daughter.
As the night deepened, I passed by the west wing on my way to check on Billy and noticed Henry entering the study where Grace was confined Curing made me pause.
From inside came the voices of Catherine and Grace, their words growing increasingly vicious as they criticized me. The insults they burled made my therin burn with anger and humiliation, each word more vile than the last.
Suddenly, the door crashed open under Henry’s forceful kick. The voices inside fell silent immediately.
“Mother,” Henry’s voice was unnaturally quiet. “What are you doing here?”
In the stunned silence, Catherine was the first to recover. “Sophia isn’t even family, Henry. She’s an outsider. Is she really worth treating your sister this way? Her voice took on a mournful tone. “Or have you changed? Forgotten your mother now that you have a wife? Would you sacrifice your sister for Sophia?
I couldn’t see Henry’s face, but I could imagine his expression from Catherine’s flinching reaction. The white bandages wrapped around his hands stood out starkly in the dim light, spots of red bleeding through the layers.
‘Let me ask you a question,” Henry said, his voice controlled but tight with anger. “If it had been Sophia holding a knife to Grace’s throat, would you the same excuses?”
make
Catherine opened her mouth, then closed it. After a moment, her face contorted with rage. “If that woman ever dared threaten Grace, I would kill her myself!”
The naked hatred in her voice made me shiver.
Henry stared at his mother for a long moment, then slowly shook his head.
‘So it’s fine for Grace to threaten Sophia with a knife, but if Sophia held a knife to Grace, you’d kill her? Don’t you see how completely unreasonable you’re being?”
Catherine lowered her head in silence, and Henry’s eyes couldn’t hide his disappointment.
“And from the moment you heard I was injured until now, you haven’t asked me once if I’m alright.”
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