Chapter 4

Henry hadn't expected Gavin to move in with the child.

As soon as Gavin caught sight of Henry, he had a look of terror and unease on his face.

He recalled all the wild things he had said in front of Henry at the college reunion. "Henry, I'm just staying here for the time being. When Thomas gets used to life here and doesn't need me anymore, I'll leave right away!"

The little boy with him clutched his hand nervously. "Hey, you! Don't you dare chase my dad away! Wherever he goes, I'm going with him!"

Gavin put on an apologetic smile, but Henry gleaned a hint of provocation in his eyes.

Everyone knew that Henry was infertile and wanted a child of his own. Now that Gavin had come over with his illegitimate son, Henry knew for certain that Gavin was trying to break him.

But Charlotte didn't care about his feelings at all. Instead, her doting gaze was trained on Gavin and their child, Thomas. "Since Dad's already here, he won't be driven out. This will be our home from now on."

Looking at the happy family, Henry felt like he was the odd one out. So, he quietly walked away.

Worried that Henry would get mad, Gavin tried to call out to him, but Charlotte said, "He's been fiddling with his nameless designs these days. Just leave him be."

Henry could hear every single word she said.

Back when they had just gotten married, Charlotte didn't treat his work like that.

Charlotte would still willingly be his model. She said his designs had clean, elegant lines that exuded luxury, and that even without the Davidsons' help, he would still become a renowned designer both at home and abroad.

Later on, he gave up on his dreams for the sake of his marriage. He wanted to settle down and become a stay-at-home dad. His career slowly declined and became the "nameless designs" Charlotte spoke of.

Henry hastened his steps, pretending he hadn't heard her.

Meanwhile, Charlotte felt a little upset as she watched him leave.

Henry had been too calm these days. She had said that on purpose to get Henry to refute her. She just wanted him to show that he still cared.

But Henry didn't.

She feared that Henry would leave.

But the next second, she felt like she was overthinking it. Henry loved her so much that he had agreed to remarry her after their divorce. There was no reason for him to leave her again.

So, she brushed it aside and helped Gavin settle down.

Henry only returned in the evening.

He had wanted to stay the night at the studio, but he remembered he had left some designs in the study. Since he was leaving, he decided it would be better to pack everything up ahead of time. That was why he came back.

But when he entered the study, he was startled to see the room in a mess.

Bending over, he picked up a scrap of paper. He realized then that all the designs he had poured his heart into over the years had been torn to shreds.

Gavin's son, Thomas, was right there in the study. He seemed to be on a mission as he pulled out Henry's things and ripped them to shreds.

Henry felt like his mind had turned blank. Then, he heard his heart thumping so loudly that it seemed to leap out of his throat. "What are you doing? Who allowed you to get in here?"

In this house, he had always made his rules crystal clear. No one, not even the household staff, was permitted to enter the study.

The nanny at the entrance apologized profusely. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Fowler. Ms. Davidson said that Mr. Thomas can go anywhere he wants…"

Henry yanked the boy away to assess the damage.

But before he could do anything more, the boy's cries rang throughout the house.

A voice shouted, "What are you doing to my son?"

Gavin had rushed over with a group of bodyguards in tow. Charlotte had assigned them to protect Gavin and their son.

Realizing that his father had come to his aid, Thomas grew confident.

Grabbing a framed photo of Henry and Charlotte, he destroyed it without restraint.

The frame crashed to the floor, sending shards of glass flying. Henry got a cut on his arm, and the pile of designs looked like they would fall at any moment.

Thomas shouted, "You're evil! You're the reason Dad and Mom can't be together! Your things should never be here in the first place!"

Henry wanted to stop him, but he was held fast by the bodyguards.

Henry asked in disbelief, "You're stopping me instead of him?"

A bodyguard said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Fowler. Ms. Davidson said that Mr. Thomas' safety must be our absolute priority. You're a potential risk to him, so…"

Henry was furious. He couldn't believe that Charlotte would go to such lengths to keep Thomas safe from him. But those designs were his life's work!

He tried to struggle, but he was no match for the multiple trained bodyguards.

He could hear his heart breaking into unsalvageable pieces, and his fury seemed to consume him.

When Charlotte came home, Gavin pulled Thomas to his side and pinched him.

The boy's loud cries rang out throughout the house again.

Running up to Charlotte, Gavin showed her Thomas' reddened palms, then at his arms, which were bruised from the pinching. "Charlotte, Henry didn't like Thomas, so he tried to hit him. As Thomas' father, I can't possibly leave him in Henry's care. I think we should leave."