Chapter 198
A heavy silence fell between us. Without another word, I turned and walked away.
As if on cue, William, Mark, and Billy emerged from the store, their arms laden with shopping bags. I immediately fixed a bright smile on my face, as if the heated argument with Henry had never happened. Behind me, I could hear Henry’s fists clenching, the knuckles cracking with suppressed rage.
The car pulled up to the countryside villa, a beautiful property with expansive grounds and a picture–perfect view.
Billy immediately began clamoring about wanting to barbecue, with William happily agreeing to help him. I busied myself washing all the food we’d bought and preparing to start the fire.
With everyone occupied, Henry stood awkwardly to the side, clearly feeling out of place in this domestic scene,
“Hey,‘ he finally called out to me. “What should I do?”
I continued my tasks, deliberately ignoring him. Frustrated by my silence, Henry walked over and kicked the barbecue grill lightly, trying to get my attention. I maintained my focus on the vegetables I was washing.
“Sophia!” His voice rose, teeth grinding audibly.
talking to you!”
Seeing how aggravated he was becoming, I finally looked up with a dismissive glance. “Oh, so you do know my name?”
Henry looked genuinely uncomfortable, like a fish out of water in this casual family setting. With a determined expression, he rolled up his sleeves and pulled me aside.
“You’re being too fussy with the washing. Let me do it.”
Before I could protest, he pushed me away from the sink and plunged his hands into the water. I watched in horror as he roughly manhandled the delicate lettuce and herbs, practically destroying them in his clumsy attempt to help.
“Stop! Get away!” I shouted, pushing him aside. “You’re ruining everything!”
With nothing else to do, Henry wandered over to where William was preparing to grill the meat. William immediately waved him off.
“What do you think you’re doing?” the old man grumbled. “I’ve been lying in a hospital bed for ages. I want to grill some meat and move around!”
Henry’s expression fell, clearly stung by being rejected yet again. Just then, Billy called out from where he was mixing sauces.
“Dad! Dad! His little face was smeared with barbecue sauce, his hands too occupied to wipe
Henry perked up instantly, rushing over to his son.
it away.
Finally, something he could help with! He grabbed a napkin and began dabbing at Billy’s face, but in his eagerness, he accidentally swiped too close to Billy’s eye. The spicy sauce transferred from the napkin into Billy’s eye, causing the child to cry out in pain.
I immediately dropped what I was doing and ran to Billy, gently blowing on his eye to ease the burning sensation.
“What’s wrong with you?” William snapped at Henry, his expression deeply disappointed. “Is there anything you can do right?”
Henry’s face fell, the guilt evident in his eyes as he watched me comfort our son. Being rejected by everyone had clearly wounded his pride deeply.
William sighed, thinking to himself that his grandson was hopeless when it came to winning back his wife. No wonder Sophia wanted a divorce! This boy couldn’t even handle the simplest domestic tasks!
After a moment of contemplation, William decided to throw Henry a lifeline.
“Sophia,” he asked casually, “how do young people resolve their arguments these days?”
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Chapter 198
Before I could answer, Billy piped up enthusiastically.
With presents!” he declared with the confidence only a child could muster.
“If one gift doesn’t work, you give two. If two don’t work, you give three. You keep giving until the girl isn’t mad anymore!
William shot Henry a pointed look, internally cursing his grandson’s ignorance.
Even a five–year–old understood women better than Henry did!
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