Chapter 65: True Heart Cannot Be Returned
"I'm fine, it doesn't hurt that much anymore. Actually, it doesn't really matter whether I come to the hospital or not."
As I spoke, I looked at Maria and Arabella walking ahead of us.
I deliberately slowed down and whispered to Knox, "Actually, don't take what my mom said to heart. She's just worried about me. I know you and Natasha are close, and I'm okay with you two staying in touch in the future."
Knox looked at me with a complicated expression. "Helena, is that really what you think?"
I nodded. "No matter how much Natasha and I argue, we're still cousins by blood. What kind of deep hatred can there be between relatives?"
"Besides, look at the situation back then. Uncle John left with Serenity, leaving Natasha all alone. She's actually quite pitiful. And with what happened to Aunt Willow today, Natasha must be feeling terrible."
"Helena, you're really too kind," Knox said, moved.
I shook my head. "It's not that I'm kind, I'm just trying to put myself in Natasha's shoes. So if you see her, please comfort her for me."
Knox squeezed my hand tighter and nodded. "I will."
After getting home and saying goodbye to Knox and Arabella, Maria and I walked into the house to find Henry already back.
The moment he saw us, Henry quickly stood up and walked over. "Helena, are you okay?"
"She's injured, what do you think!"
Maria redirected her anger about Natasha toward Henry.
Henry's expression froze when he heard this. He walked up to me. "What happened?"
"I'm fine, Dad, don't worry."
"How can you be fine? Let your father see. You're just too kind."
Maria unhappily rolled up my sleeve, revealing a large bruise.
Seeing the injury, Henry gasped in disbelief. "Did Natasha do all this?"
"Who else but her? Natasha is really vicious. I've already made it clear that she's not welcome in our home anymore. Honey, you need to think carefully about this—is Helena more important or is an outsider more important?"
"Maria, what are you saying? Of course, Helena is more important," Henry quickly replied.
Hearing Henry's words, Maria snorted coldly. "At least you have some conscience. Since you said that, Natasha is not allowed to set foot in our home anymore."
Henry smiled bitterly at this. "Maria, Natasha is my niece after all. Doing this makes us seem too petty."
"What do you mean we're being petty? So Helena suffered all this for nothing!"
Maria immediately became dissatisfied with Henry. "I knew you'd only take John's family's side. But I'm telling you, if you still care about Helena and me at all, you'll do as I say. Otherwise, the two of us will leave, and you can just give this whole house to John's family."
"In the end, Helena and I are the outsiders, and you're all family, right?"
"Maria, I didn't say that. You're getting worked up again."
Henry quickly gave me a look, signaling me to calm Maria down.
I wasn't just trying to drive a wedge between Natasha and Knox by hurting myself—I also wanted Henry to see Natasha's true nature. But clearly, even this had no effect on Henry.
Seeing Henry still blindly trusting John's family as always, I felt disappointed.
But I had to keep my composure. Henry was influenced by Rosalind, and this mindset couldn't be changed overnight. I couldn't lose my composure—I had to take it step by step.
"Mom, don't be angry. I'm hungry and want to eat."
"You're hungry? How could I forget about that? The food at the party wasn't good, and you worked so hard. You must be starving."
Maria turned to the butler, Peter. "Quick, serve dinner."
"Yes, Mrs. Lockwood, just a moment," Peter said, heading to the kitchen. Soon, the prepared food was brought to the table.
After dinner, Henry's phone suddenly rang. Rosalind's voice came from the other end.
After hanging up, Henry's expression darkened. "Mom has heard about this and wants us to go to The Lockwood Villa right now. Let's go."
"Fine, let's go. This is a good chance to let Mom and John see that their spoiled Natasha can't even tolerate her own cousin!"
Maria stood up angrily and walked out.
Henry sighed, raised his hand, and pointed at Maria's back. "Helena, please help me calm your mom down later. Natasha was wrong this time, but for the sake of you being cousins, can you forgive her?"
I deliberately asked, "Dad, do you think I should forgive her? This time I only got some minor injuries, but what if next time Natasha comes at me with a knife?"
Henry quickly explained, "How could that happen? Natasha is just spoiled, but she's not vicious at heart. She wouldn't do something like that."
"I used to think the same as you, Dad, but today I realized how wrong I was."
I looked down at the injury on my arm. "Sometimes sincerity can't win back so-called sincerity."
With that, I quickly followed Maria.
Henry stood there for a long time before following us.
Throughout the drive, Henry tried to make light conversation, but unfortunately, both Maria and I kept straight faces and didn't respond to any of his attempts.
Soon, we arrived at The Lockwood Villa. Henry quickly got out to open the car door for us, but Maria beat him to it, opening the door and pulling me toward the house.
"Come on, let's go find someone to judge this fairly."
I glanced at Henry, who stood there awkwardly shaking his head.
Then, with a smile on his face, he caught up. "Wait for me, you two."
Maria snorted proudly but wouldn't slow down.
Once inside, we found John's whole family there, including the injured Serenity.
She had white gauze wrapped around her forehead, wore a light-colored shirt and simple jeans, and hugged her thin frame with both arms, looking particularly pitiful.
Willow's eyes were red and swollen—she'd clearly been crying a lot.
Natasha, in a red dress, sat next to Willow, staring hard at Serenity.
When we arrived, Rosalind glanced at Henry and angrily slammed her teacup on the table.
"Something this serious happened, and you all kept it from me. Henry, do you still consider me your mother?"
Seeing Rosalind angry, Henry quickly walked to her side. "Mom, don't be angry. It's my fault."
"Of course it's your fault—you shouldn't have hidden it from me along with John. When I'm not home, is this how you manage the family?"
With Rosalind's words, Henry looked even more uneasy.
This was John's family's problem, yet Rosalind was putting the blame on Henry. Her approach immediately sparked anger in my heart.
I was about to stand up and speak for Henry when Maria pressed me back down.
I looked up at Maria in confusion, but she gently shook her head. I instantly understood what Maria meant—she was deliberately letting Henry suffer.
Understanding this, I settled back into my seat.