Chapter 204 Grace Was Pregnant!
The next afternoon, Grace decided to arrive at Tranquil Heights at three.
She figured Henry wouldn't be around, but as soon as she pulled up, there were his usual rides—a black Bentley and a Rolls-Royce Phantom—chilling in the driveway.
"Henry's home?" Grace muttered, stepping out of her car, eyes glued to the two luxury cars.
A servant spotted her and rushed over, all flustered. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Montague!"
Grace gave a faint smile. "From now on, call me Ms. Windsor!"
She then asked, "Is Henry home?"
The servant stuttered.
Grace didn't dwell on it and headed straight into the villa. Just as she was about to go upstairs, she ran into someone—Esme.
Grace's face went pale.
Esme saw her and stayed cool as a cucumber.
With a tone that was gentle but had a hint of ownership, Esme said, "Your and Taylor's stuff is packed and in the upstairs living room. I'll take you to get it! But keep it down; Henry's been swamped with a project and hasn't slept much. He's catching up on some Z's."
After that, Esme smiled sweetly, looking every bit the woman in love.
Esme didn't try to embarrass Grace, but Grace felt humiliated anyway. In front of Esme, she felt totally exposed, like she had nowhere to hide. She had to muster all her strength to keep her cool and maintain her dignity.
Grace softly said okay, her voice trembling a bit.
Esme glanced at her and then led the way upstairs, acting like the lady of the house.
Following behind, Grace felt her heart shatter with every step. She finally let go of the last bit of affection she had for Henry, leaving only humiliation.
Yeah, humiliation!
Grace followed Esme to the living room on the second floor. The bedroom door was half-open, and the lights were off, making it hard to see inside.
Two suitcases stood upright, packed with Grace and Taylor's stuff.
Esme frowned. "They look pretty heavy."
She walked to the door and called downstairs, "Mira, get a couple of people up here to help Ms. Windsor with her luggage."
A voice responded from downstairs.
When Esme came back, she smiled slightly at Grace. "You don't mind, do you? I mean, about me and Henry. He waited for you for quite a while, but you know how guys are—they can't stand being alone! I get what happened between you two recently, and I don't blame you."
Esme's casual attitude thoroughly humiliated Grace. No matter how chill she tried to be, she couldn't help but feel resentment and hatred toward Henry for putting her in such a tough spot.
But Grace didn't argue. She just followed the two servants out of the living room. As she was leaving, she suddenly turned around and looked at Esme, saying gracefully, "Esme, thank you!"
Esme wanted to respond gracefully, but the words got stuck in her throat, and she felt an indescribable sadness. She couldn't tell if it was for Grace or for Henry.
As the living room door closed, Esme gently closed her eyes.
She thought that door was the one Grace had closed on Henry in her heart. From now on, Grace wouldn't think about Henry anymore. No woman could accept such humiliation, especially not Grace, who had been deeply hurt by Henry.
Esme stood there for a long time without moving.
The sound of a wheelchair moving came from the bedroom. After a while, Henry appeared at the bedroom door, leaning on the wheelchair. He could barely sit up straight, his body still limp, and his right arm completely immobile.
Henry's tone was indifferent. "That project will be handed over to you."
Esme couldn't feel any joy from snagging a multi-billion-dollar deal by playing along with Henry. She looked at him, her voice tight. "I don't get why you had to treat her like that. She was already planning to leave Evergreen City. Why humiliate her?"
Henry's voice got even softer. "To make her hate me."
He stared at Esme and asked quietly, "In my current state, should I give her hope and let her keep thinking about me? Prolonged pain is worse than short-term pain. This outcome is better for everyone."
Esme scoffed, "Better for everyone? Do you even know what she's thinking? She's wondering why you treated her so well a few days ago and then suddenly slept with another woman. She'll think of a million things. Henry, have you thought about if you recover one day and want her back, she might never come back and might already be with someone else?"
Henry was silent for a moment, then said with no expression, "I'm willing to accept that."
Using his left hand, he struggled to push the wheelchair back into the bedroom.
Esme stared at Henry's back, tears filling her eyes. She had completely lost. She never imagined that Henry could go to such lengths for his family. Now she believed he truly loved Grace.
Yet he was also willing to hurt her!
Henry dismissed Esme and leaned alone in his wheelchair, quietly watching downstairs. He could see Grace's car slowly leaving. He could see her sitting inside, seemingly crying.
He thought that not only was he crippled, but he was also mentally twisted.
Henry knew that his actions were partly to drive Grace away and partly due to deep-seated insecurity. He feared Grace seeing him in this state, so he pushed her away, far away.
"We will never meet again." Henry tilted his head slightly, chewing on those words, and then he laughed, laughing through his tears.
Two days later, Celeste came from the company.
She read important documents to Henry one by one and had him sign them.
Henry listened for a while before waving his hand, his gaze shifting to the floor-to-ceiling window.
Celeste also put down the documents. After thinking for a moment, she softly said, "Grace is gone! She went to Vesper City."
Henry's face was pale, and he stayed silent, just quietly looking at the sky outside. After a long time, he asked Celeste, "Celeste, when do you think she'll come back? Is she planning never to return?"
Celeste didn't know. She only knew that Grace had left decisively. She even...
Celeste hesitated for a long time before placing a sheet of paper next to Henry. She said softly, "This is the report from another hospital she visited yesterday. After getting the results, she booked a flight to Vesper City."
After speaking, Celeste left.
Henry was stunned for a moment before picking up the paper. The ultrasound report had a small note at the bottom.
[After examination, the patient is confirmed to be 5 weeks pregnant.]
Grace was pregnant!
Henry's fingers trembled uncontrollably, unable to hold the thin paper.
The paper fell onto the carpet, and he tried to pick it up, but his balance shifted, causing him to fall to the floor along with the wheelchair.
Henry ignored his own mess and dragged his broken body, struggling to reach the paper.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move his body an inch. His feet kicked at the carpet, and over time, he wore a hole in that small patch of carpet.
After a long while, Henry lay on the floor, slowly accepting the reality.