Chapter 145 Their Brief Tender Moment Before Seraphina's Passing
Early in the morning, Henry's phone rang.
He sat up, turned on the lamp, and looked at Grace, who was also awake. He answered softly, "Mom, what's up?"
Aurora was on the other end.
Her voice was calm. "Henry, Seraphina isn't going to make it. Bring Grace; it's time to say goodbye."
Henry paused for a moment, then replied hoarsely, "We'll be right there."
In less than five minutes, they were dressed and on their way.
Raindrops hit the Rolls-Royce, sliding down like tears.
Henry drove slowly because Grace was pregnant.
They didn't talk.
Grace stared out at the rainy night, knowing this was her last night with Seraphina.
At the next red light, Henry stopped the car.
He wanted to smoke but put the pack back. He gently held Grace's fingertips.
She didn't pull away. Seraphina loved her, and like Henry, her heart was heavy.
They held hands quietly for about half a minute.
When the light turned green, Henry let go and focused on driving. He didn't hold her hand again. Grace knew that moment of tenderness was just a lapse.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the Montague Manor.
Seraphina was on her deathbed.
Henry and Grace stayed by her side, but Seraphina couldn't recognize anyone.
She lay there, staring at the ceiling, barely breathing. "The day Neil left, it was raining like this. If I had been home, I wouldn't have let him leave. How could he abandon his wife and child, how could he abandon Henry? Neil, I've thought about you my whole life, I've hated you my whole life!"
Grace's lips trembled, and she couldn't hold back her sobs.
Henry held Seraphina's hand, half-kneeling by the bed.
He knew Seraphina was about to go.
After a while, Seraphina's mind cleared a bit. She called Grace over, touched her belly with trembling hands, and her eyes filled with tears. She wanted to see Henry's child, but she was dying.
Grace leaned close and whispered, "It's a girl. Henry named her Taylor."
A faint smile appeared on Seraphina's face. "Taylor is a good name, a good name."
She repeated it dozens of times. When she could no longer speak, her life entered its final countdown. In her last moments, she called out Neil's name over and over, just like when she called him home for dinner.
Seraphina was dying. Where was Neil? Did anyone see Neil? She held on to her last breath, just to see Neil, to see her child. But Neil didn't come back. Where was he?
Henry tilted his head, restraining himself, then gently held Seraphina's hand. He whispered, "I'm Neil, I'm back."
"Neil, you're back!" Seraphina tilted her head, trying to see if it was real. She saw the familiar features of Neil, the child she had raised.
She had no strength left. Her chest barely moved with weak breaths, and she could no longer call out his name. She just looked at Neil.
Seraphina's lips were peaceful because Neil had come back. 'Neil, do you know you're going to be a grandfather? In two months, a child will be born, and the Montague family will have a new member. Neil, how happy you will be to see this!' she thought silently.
The night grew deeper. In her final moments, Seraphina was reluctant to leave because Neil had come back.
Henry held her hand and softly told the others, "I want to be alone with Grandma. You all go to sleep."
After everyone left, Henry stayed in the large bedroom, accompanying Seraphina in her final moments. He gently combed her grey hair and sang her a song. He remembered that when he was a child, Seraphina had sung it to him, saying that Neil had grown up listening to this song too.
At five in the morning, Seraphina passed away peacefully.
The Montague family's servants began to cry, and everyone started preparing for the funeral.
Henry slowly went upstairs and gently pushed open the bedroom door. Grace was already awake from the servants' cries. She shed tears, knowing that Seraphina had died.
Henry quietly looked at Grace's swollen belly and said softly, "Wait until Grandma is taken away, then you can go over."
He then began to change clothes. The clothes had been prepared long ago, probably in anticipation of this day.
Henry stood by the bed, slowly taking off his white shirt and putting on a dark gray shirt and pants, with a pure black tie. As he tied the tie, his face showed no expression, but there was a faint glimmer of tears in his eyes.
Only at this moment could he allow himself a brief lapse into sadness.
When daylight came, there would be guests to receive, and all the affairs of the Montague Manor would need his attention. Aurora didn't want to bother, and Grace was pregnant and not suitable for handling funeral arrangements.
Seraphina's funeral was grand and solemn.
After three days, Henry had lost a lot of weight.
Lucas came specifically to pay his last respects to Seraphina. Henry's face was solemn, but he didn't say much or try to stop him.
Aurora, on the other hand, cried unusually hard and privately cursed Henry for allowing Lucas to come to the house to pay his last respects to Seraphina.
Henry said softly, "If Neil doesn't care about you, why should you remember him for life?"
Aurora's lips trembled, and she couldn't say a word for a long time.
When the guests had all left, Henry returned to the bedroom late at night.
He lay down beside Grace and softly told her, "Lucas came by. Grace, after the baby is born, will you choose to be with him?"
Grace didn't answer, and Henry didn't ask again.
Henry didn't hold or touch Grace. With Seraphina's passing, they didn't draw closer for comfort. Instead, they became even more distant, losing another layer of the thin warmth that had once connected them.
Grace and Henry became colder towards each other, like the approaching winter, cold to the touch.