Chapter 5

Looking at Thomas' injuries and how pitiful he looked as he cried, Charlotte was instantly filled with rage.

The bodyguards had Henry under control. According to her orders, if Henry hadn't hurt the child, the bodyguards wouldn't have treated him like that.

"Henry, why would you do this?" Charlotte questioned as she met Henry's lifeless gaze.

Feeling a sharp pain in her heart, Charlotte softened her tone and asked again, "The boy has injuries all over his body. Why did you do this?"

Henry had seen what Gavin did to Thomas just now.

He didn't hurt the boy at all, but Gavin was pushing the blame on him.

Henry answered, "You should ask Gavin. He was the one who did it."

Gavin shook his head frantically.

Realizing that Henry wasn't going to admit to his mistakes, Charlotte grew even angrier. "Are you saying that Gavin framed you? If you're going to tell lies to shift the blame, at least make them believable! You're infertile, so I asked Gavin to leave the child with you and have you raise him. So, why are you doing this?"

Henry thought, "She's bringing up my infertility again… Did she forget that I only turned out like this because I was protecting her?"

He looked up at her, then at the mess strewn across the floor. He was the victim here, but Charlotte believed Gavin and showed unreserved favoritism toward Gavin's son.

Charlotte demanded, "Apologize right now!"

"I did not do it!" No matter the cost, Henry refused to give in.

He recalled an instance when he was accused of stealing while they were overseas on their honeymoon. No one but Charlotte believed him, and she had stood in front of him to shield him. "He said he didn't do it, and that's the end of it!"

There was no evidence back then, but even when the whole world seemed to be against them, Charlotte had spoken with striking conviction despite her small stature.

But now, there was solid evidence right in front of her, but she didn't believe him.

Henry asked, "Charlotte, do you really believe that I'd hurt a child? Or are you mad because you couldn't protect his identity, and that's why you're taking it out on me?"

Charlotte's eyes widened, and for a moment, she seemed furious, like she had been exposed.

"Apologize!" she demanded again.

Henry remained indifferent.

The bodyguards pinned Henry to the floor.

Henry's knees crashed onto the glass shards on the floor, the pain turning his vision black.

After the apology, Charlotte came over and helped Henry treat his wounds.

Her movements were gentle, and she was extra serious as she cleaned his wounds.

However, there was no emotion in Henry's eyes.

Charlotte said, "I only punished you to set an example for Thomas. You're going to be his father by name. If you don't admit to your wrongdoings, he'll learn to do the same."

Henry didn't say a word. He stared out the window, refusing to acknowledge her throughout the process.

Sighing, Charlotte took Henry's hands. "What happened with Gavin back then was an accident. The child will not affect your status in our marriage. But for Thomas' sake, I'd still like to have Gavin around. Gavin and Thomas can have the master bedroom, so Henry, you can move to the second bedroom…"

Henry slowly turned around and looked her in the eye. She was serious about the negotiation, but Henry only found it absurd. "Charlotte, you can make arrangements all you want, but Thomas will always be a filthy illegitimate child, and Gavin will always be a shameful homewrecker. They will never be anything more than that!"

Charlotte mercilessly slapped Henry across the face. "Henry! When are you going to get over this? I've already made Thomas your son. Isn't that enough?"

Henry put a hand on his cheek and stayed silent. He clenched his fist, then relaxed again.

After Charlotte left in anger, Henry heard Thomas talking to her in his innocent voice, asking that they all share a bed at night. Charlotte agreed.

Henry's things were all cleared from the master bedroom and sent to the second bedroom instead.

Meanwhile, Henry crouched in the study, collecting the pieces of his torn drafts.

Gavin suddenly showed up next to him. "Henry, did you know? You've actually recovered a long time ago. Do you know why all the IVF attempts failed after your remarriage?

"Well, that's because Charlotte never wanted to have your child. She wants mine. She refused to get an abortion back then, and she tricked you into going on a business trip overseas just so that she could give birth behind your back. It was all her idea. As for your fertility treatment, well, it was just to torture you."

Henry watched as Gavin walked away, thinking, "No wonder… It all makes sense now. For the past few years, the doctor has always looked at me like he wants to tell me something. So, that's why…"

He thought he was already numb to the pain, but to his surprise, it still hurt a lot.

He didn't move into the second bedroom.

In the early hours of the morning, before the sun came up, he got into a cab and headed to the airport.

Before the plane took off, he gathered the evidence of Charlotte's cheating and information about her lover and illegitimate child, sending them all to her rivals. Then, he snapped his SIM card cleanly in two.

He thought, "I'm finally free. Charlotte, may we never meet again."