Chapter 6

Henry had been furious but froze at the question. He reacted to it reflexively. "Impossible!"

He could never have fallen for Tessa. It was easier to punish her and play tricks on her if he got into a relationship with her.

Henry loved only Serene. She was his fiancée.

He must have been playing the role of Tessa's wonderful boyfriend for too long, which was why he felt the need to protect her. That had to be it.

Henry kept repeating this to himself while wiping away any feelings he harbored for Tessa.

Everyone resumed their sniggering and jeering.

"I knew it. You'd never fall for anyone who's from the working class."

"Your engagement party with Serene is coming soon. There won't be much time left for us to punish her. I'm going to miss this."

The voices got further and further away until there was only silence left. A tear fell down Tessa's cheek as she lay in bed.

When Henry entered the ward and saw the empty look in her eyes, his heart thumped with fear. His hand trembled as he caressed her cheek. There was pain hidden deep inside his eyes.

"It's not that I didn't want to speak up for you, Tessa. You know I can go against my boss' daughter's wishes. That's why I…"

The first words he spoke were still lies.

Tessa pursed her lips. She felt nothing inside. They had been together for two years. Tessa did not believe that Henry was unaware of what kind of person she really was.

When she was bullied and humiliated by Serene, Henry stood and watched without saying a word. When she was beaten up by the crowd, he stood at the side and watched.

Tessa knew that the man who had once protected her two years ago no longer existed.

"How do you feel now? Does it hurt anywhere?"

The doctor walked in right after he asked the questions. He looked grim as he held the medical report in his hand.

"Tessa Shoreman, the results indicate that you—"

"I know my condition well, doctor. Please don't say anything more." Tessa quickly interrupted the doctor.

The doctor looked at the two people in the ward and sighed before leaving.

Henry suddenly felt panicked. "What's wrong with you? Are you sick, Tessa?"

He did not realize that his voice was trembling.

Tessa's lips tightened. "I'm fine. I just have low blood sugar and some physical wounds. Nothing serious."

Henry knew about her low blood sugar, so he sighed with relief when he heard that it was just that. He looked at Tessa lying in bed. Her face was pale and covered with scratches. He spoke up with great difficulty.

"Tessa, I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you today, and you got hurt. I wanted to pull you out of the crowd, but there were too many people. It wasn't easy for me to squeeze into the crowd to get you out."

He looked in another direction while he spoke. He was afraid to look into her emotionless eyes.

It did not matter if he knew about her thesis being reported. It did not change the fact that he had chosen to take Serene's side today.

Tessa suppressed the sharp pain in her heart. She pulled the blanket over her head. "I understand. You should go. Don't let your work get affected."

Henry felt guilty when he saw how Tessa was still thinking of him when she was so weak. He stood where he was and looked at her for a long time. In the end, he placed his warm palm on the blanket where her head was hidden underneath.

"I promise you'll never get hurt again, Tessa."

What a touching declaration. Unfortunately, it was a lie.

After settling the issue of her data being faked, Tessa managed to get her graduation certificate and arrange her studies overseas without a hitch.

Despite the doctor advising her to stay a few more days in the hospital, Tessa insisted on being discharged.

When she returned to her rental home, everything looked exactly as when she left. Henry had not been home for the past few days.

A notification appeared on her cell. It was a piece of news. Tessa clicked in to read it.

"Shocking news! The Jennings and Chords have announced their marriage alliance. The engagement party will be held in seven days."

Tessa held her breath.

Henry must have been busy preparing for his engagement.

She remembered hearing that her punishment would end when Henry and Serene got engaged, which was seven days later.

Tessa tapped on a ticketing app to check her plane tickets. Only six more days until she left. She would leave before their so-called punishment would end.

She sighed gently. She got up to pack up every matching item in the house—brushing cups, towels, keychains… Henry and she would not be needing those any longer. After packing everything into a box, she took it downstairs to be thrown.

She did not expect to see Henry at the door. He looked at the box filled with the various items they had picked out together and took a sharp breath. His voice trembled slightly. "Why are you throwing them away?"