Chapter 8: His Truth

I was pacing back and forth outside the hospital room, where Henry was admitted for treatment. It was my fault. My fault! I didn't know when I would become a cruel person. I shouldn't have done this thing for my revenge. I felt even more ashamed of myself. I felt like Henry! I didn't want to become a heartless soul like him. I bit into my lower lip as my hands shook uncomfortably. This was the first and last time I hurt someone. I swore to myself that how badly he would treat me, I would never do this again. Never!

I inhaled and checked the time. It had been hours since Henry was admitted to the hospital, but I didn't get any news. I glanced at the door, hoping someone would come out and tell me he is doing okay.

And right at that moment, the door opened and Henry's father stepped out of the room.

"How is he?" I asked quickly, approaching him. "Is he okay?"

"He is doing well," he informed me in his smooth voice. "You don't have to worry about him any longer, sweetie."

If only he could know who had caused this drama.

"Can I meet him?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah, why not…" He gave me his warm smile and gestured to Henry's room.

"Thank you, Mr. Robinson," I said and made my way to the room, but I stopped when he placed his hand on my shoulder. Frowning, I twisted my head to him.

"I would like to speak a few words with you," he said when he caught my confused expression.

"Sure…" I forced a smile and entered the room. I was wondering what he wanted to talk about. Did he find out that I gave soda to his son? Oh, my gosh! What would happen if he found out? I could never meet his eyes ever again. I really liked Mr. Robinson. He was like a father to me, and I couldn't see myself as wicked in his eyes.

I pushed his thoughts away when my eyes settled on my husband, who was lying in bed peacefully. I went closer to him and noticed his well-structured face, his neat and sharp eyebrows furrowed and his mouth slightly parted. He looked cute. Why couldn't he always be like that? Why did he have to be a jerk?

I had never seen his genuine smile and was wondering how long it would take him to smile, or possibly he would never smile.

I sat down in the chair next to his bed. "I'm sorry," I mumbled, feeling guilty for doing this to him. "I thought it would…" I chewed the corner of my lip. I didn't know what to say. "You know what, it was your fault. You've made me do this vicious thing."

God, Alice! What are you talking about? Have you lost your mind? Yeah, I've lost my mind since the day I married him. I eyed his face again, drawn in by his sharp jaw, and his thin red lips. God, he looked desirably beautiful. I slowly lifted my hand and brought it to his face, but I froze when his eyes flew open. I swallowed and withdrew my hand, feeling my cheeks heated.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he gritted out once he recognized me. He tore the IV away from his arm and sat back.

"Hey, don't remove it…" I said.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" He clenched his jaw, glaring at me angrily.

"I've come here to check on you…" I mumbled, lowering my gaze.

"To check on me whether I'm dead or alive?" He sneered.

"Why do you always think less of me?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

He shot out his hand, grabbed my hand, and yanked me into him. My heartbeat sped up when my breasts pressed against his firm chest.

"You know what all women are the same, fucking manipulative, fucking greedy, and fucking selfish bitches. They don't love anyone other than shitty money. They will never think twice before spreading their gorgeous legs as wide as they could for money." He glared at me with pure hatred. "You the fucking one of them!"

I swallowed the vengeful words he was hissing like a snake. My hand was itching to slap him right on his face and let him know every woman was not like his knowledge.

"First, I'm not that kind of woman. You've made your mind you would always look down on me. Second, I don't have the slightest interest in your so-called money. Let me make clear to you the one thing, I wasn't the one who was dying to marry you, but you were the one who had forced me into this marriage. Only the reason I'm with you is that of my parents. If it was not about them, I would never see your face ever again!" I said quietly. "How could you know what love is? You don't even know what it feels like to be loved. You hardly respect your father let alone respect women."

Tightening his grip, he pressed me against his chest and left no gap between us. I could feel his heartbeat and he might be listening to my wild heart.

"You better think before opening your filthy mouth." He pressed his lips against my ear, making my heart skip a beat. "Because you don't know what things your lips can do. Probably capable of sucking my cock."

I breathed sharply and tried to break myself free from his grasp. "Let me go…!" I swallowed and found him smirking as he was gazing at my lips.

Shit! I felt my nipples puckered, rubbing against the thin fabrics of his hospital clothes.

"Henry, let me go. You're hurting me." I gritted out.

He removed his hand from my forearm and immediately gripped my hair, pressing his nose against mine. "Hurting you is my favorite thing nowadays, sweetheart."

I raised my tearful eyes at him, gritted my teeth. "How long?" I breathed. "How long will you hurt me, Henry? I'll leave you forever once your girlfriend recovers. I'll never see your face ever again. I'll stay out of your life," I choked. I didn't know why I was saying this but it seemed like my words were affecting him.

I felt his fast breath hitting my face as something very dark and deep flickered in his eyes. He pressed me further into him, leaving nothing to breathe. "You. Will. Never. Leave. Me!" He said threateningly. "Never!" He let me free from him and allowed me to breathe. "Get the fuck out of here."

*****

I was sitting next to Henry's bed. He was constantly running his fingers through his hair, looking exasperated. I had noticed his one habit: whenever he was tense or frustrated, he constantly ran his fingers through his hair. On the other side, Henry's father was sitting on the couch, checking on some paperwork. I didn't know what he was reading.

There was dead silence in the room except for flutters of papers. It was making me uncomfortable. I didn't know what Mr. Robinson wanted to talk about. Why did Henry look uncomfortable? Is there something going to reveal? An untold truth? I was curious.

I jerked my head to the door when someone knocked on it softly.

"Come in, Mr. Andersen," Daniel, Henry's father, said. The next second, a man in a black suit stepped inside with a briefcase. Judging by his look, he looked like an attorney. Attorney! But why?

"Hello, Mr. Daniel Robinson. Nice to see you," he said and shook Daniel's hand.

"Nice to see you too, Mr. Anderson," Daniel said with a polite smile.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Robinson," he said, nodding at us. I felt a blush crept across my face when I heard my new name. "I hope you're feeling well."

"I'm feeling perfectly well as you can see," Henry said with a tight smile.

"We better start the process. The sooner the better," Anderson suggested.

"Yeah, sure. Please have a seat," Daniel said and gestured to the couch.

After a while, Mr. Robinson stood up and glanced between me and Henry. He nodded something to the attorney before letting out, "today I'm going to announce something very important." He grabbed papers, glancing at them. "My special gifts for you two." He looked at me, holding my eyes. "Alice dear, today I want to confess to you something regarding your marriage. I put a condition that if Henry marries within the next few weeks, then I would transfer my entire wealth in his name, but if he is unable to meet my expectations, I will transfer the entire capital to the orphanage," he said and my eyes widened in surprise.

I glanced at Henry and found his eyes on mine. Now I realized why he had married me. He wanted his father's so-called property in his name.

"I was a former owner of this brand but now this is yours," he continued, "Congratulations both of you for owning a new brand of the fashion house. Henry has already owned his own fashion brand KELVIN and from now on he also owns a half share of this brand. And you…" He turned to me. "You own half of my brand." I blinked at his statement and couldn't believe my ears. His half brand in my name? I didn't want his single penny because it was not a real marriage. It was fake! Gosh, no, I couldn't accept that.

"No. I don't want this, Mr. Robinson," I said as politely as I could. "I can't accept this."

"Why not, dear? This is not a great deal, it's just a gift. You're my son's wife and my daughter."

My heart warmed at his gesture, but I couldn't accept this.

"I-I…" I didn't understand what to say.

Before I could say anything else, Henry cut me off. "Alice, this is just a gift. Why are you acting so innocent?" he said, almost snapping. Acting innocent? He was speaking like this is the reason I had married him. Asshole! He grasped my hand, bending me down. "Stop your shitty drama!" He hissed in my ear.

"Okay, that's the final decision," Daniel said. "Now, I need your signatures."

First, Anderson narrated the terms and conditions and then asked for our signatures. My hand shook as I scribbled my name on the papers and owned a 50% share of Daniel's brand. It was unbelievable! After a while, when everything was clear, Anderson handed us the papers and kept a few copies. He gathered his things and left us with a polite smile. I glanced at Henry, whose jaw was clenching harder. Obviously, he was surprised by his father's decision.

"Alice, I need to talk to you," Daniel said, and caught my attention. I looked at him and nodded. We walked out of the room and went to the patio.

"Tomorrow I'll leave Australia for a few days and Henry doesn't want me to." He smiled faintly. "He'll never let me travel alone. But unfortunately, this trip is too important to miss. So, now it's your responsibility to take care of him."

Take care of that devil? Instead, I needed his help to escape from his son.

"I'll try my best, Mr. Robinson." I forced a smile.

"I'll call Joseph, he'll drop you back to the hotel room and tomorrow you'll be shifting to your new house."

After a few minutes, Joseph picked me up, and I slid into the car, feeling better after a long twenty-four hours. We didn't speak for a few seconds, but I broke the silence. "Joseph, can I ask you something?"

"Yes, of course," he said without waiting for a second.

"Um… Henry's behavior has always been like that, or he is mentally ill?" He laughed at my words as if I had cracked some sort of joke.

"You're brave, aren't you? You know no one has ever dared to say such a thing about him."

I rolled my eyes. "How would they? He keeps scaring people with his flaring nostrils."

He broke into a chuckle. "You know you're kinda entertaining."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "I said nothing but the truth."

After a moment, "Yes, nobody has seen the real Henry or maybe they will never be able to see him." He glanced at me through the rearview mirror and continued, "The first time I met him, he was five and his nose was always running. He was so adorable back then. He used to call me Josh instead of Joseph. In those days he was like a bird who wanted to fly higher and higher, but now, he is like an ocean who is drowning in its depths."