Chapter Twenty-seven

"And why are we having this conversation now?" Hailey muttered in a helpless tone.

"Because the earlier you concede, the better."

She pried his hands away and breathed out an exasperated sigh. "Kendrick, I'm not a child. And I've listened to each of the doctor's words, I don't want any of your lectures. Leave me alone, okay? I know what I'm doing." Her voice came out soft and she looked tired, her eyes begging him to stop.

Without waiting for his answer, she turned back and strolled away. And Kendrick's eyes lingered on her back until she disappeared behind a door at the end of the hallway.

He unclenched his fisted hand and rubbed the back of his nape. Then he turned around and made his way to the study, where he met her grandfather waiting for him with another round of chess game.

The day slowly went by and he didn't get a glimpse of her. He had only heard her loud chatters from a distance with the servants, when the old man led him outside for a walk.

Hailey's grandfather was