Chapter 165 Grace Struggles to Survive, Henry Knows Nothing
After Grace bailed, Henry started dealing with some serious insomnia.
He couldn't stop dreaming about her, about all the good times they had. He clung to those memories like a lifeline, just to feel a bit better.
He didn't go see her.
Doc said Grace was playing nice with the treatment. She was reading, writing, chilling in that fancy villa, and getting better.
Henry figured, if she was getting better, that was cool.
Taylor was a mess, crying her eyes out 'cause she missed her mom.
Henry took care of her at night and dragged her to the office during the day.
Celeste helped out with the kid.
She'd hold Taylor, trying to calm her down, feeding her milk, and whispering, "Taylor needs her mom! She's gonna cry herself sick."
Celeste got choked up, "Henry, bring Grace back to take care of the kid!"
Celeste and Henry went way back to school days. She rarely called him by his name, but now she was begging. She couldn't stand seeing Taylor suffer or Grace being all alone. Grace had to be missing Taylor too; what mom wouldn't?
Henry didn't budge. He said softly, "She's in treatment and can't take care of the kid. When she's better, I'll let her."
Celeste thought he was being a jerk.
She looked down and said coldly, "That's just an excuse! You're pissed at her! Pissed she ignored you, pissed she didn't appreciate you, pissed that other women are all over you, but she doesn't care! Henry, you're just mad 'cause you can't have her!"
"Celeste! Watch your mouth," Henry snapped.
Celeste kept soothing Taylor, her voice icy. "I know my place! I can't argue with the great Mr. Montague."
Henry couldn't do anything about Celeste's sass. Taylor was closest to Celeste now.
By noon, Taylor was out cold.
Henry looked at her little face, so much like Grace's, feeling all sorts of things. He kissed her gently, closed the door to the rest room, and crashed on the office sofa.
He was so wiped out that he fell asleep, and a pair of hands gently hugged him.
Henry's blue eyes cracked open, and in his daze, he saw Grace. She shyly called his name, "Henry."
Henry's throat tightened. "You're back?"
Grace nodded, looking all pure and beautiful, her eyes full of admiration.
Henry pulled her close, couldn't help but touch her slender waist. Their pose was pretty steamy, like those wild nights.
He whispered sweet nothings in her ear.
He said he missed her, thought of her every night, wanted to make love to her, that he ached with longing, and asked if she could.
The girl in his arms, all pure and shy, said, "Mr. Montague, I'd love to."
'Mr. Montague? Grace wouldn't call me that!'
Henry snapped awake. He saw Sierra, looking all innocent, nestled in his arms, eyes full of admiration, expecting more.
Henry shoved Sierra away, his blue eyes blazing, his tone icy. "Who let you in?"
Sierra hit the carpet, feeling super humiliated, tears streaming down her face. "Mr. Montague, why are you holding back? Didn't you send her away? I'm willing to give myself to you, I'll do anything, even if it means having no status!"
She slowly started unbuttoning her coat.
Henry squinted. "Then you really are cheap! And what right do you have to talk about her? What right do you have to compare yourself to her? Just 'cause we were alone in the car for a bit?"
Sierra's face went pale. She hadn't expected Henry to humiliate her like that.
Henry pulled out a cigarette, lit it up, took a drag, and slowly blew out the smoke, his voice low and gravelly. "I think you got it twisted. I ain't interested in you at all."
Sierra was beyond embarrassed.
Henry told her to scram, and if she didn't, security would toss her out. With tears in her eyes, Sierra said, "I know, you still love Mrs. Montague."
Henry wasn't about to discuss his thing with Grace with Sierra. He called Celeste in to get Sierra out and told her to handle it.
Even as she left, Sierra couldn't wrap her head around why Henry shut her down. She couldn't get why he didn't want her. She was Elodie's cousin, and she looked like Grace, right?
At the elevator, Celeste hit the button.
Celeste said, stone-faced, "Ms. Williams, messing with a guy like Mr. Montague is like playing with fire! If he really wanted you, he'd have a reason! Do you have killer looks? No, you're way below Mrs. Montague. Got talent? Nope, you're still like a clueless little bunny, needing Mr. Montague's help with everything! If he really wanted you, he'd have kept you on the side. Think about it, has Mr. Montague ever come looking for you?"
Sierra's face went white. "I won't be someone's side piece!"
Celeste sneered, "Then you're really clueless! A guy like Mr. Montague, even if he remarries, it'd be to someone like Esme! And you, you're just a distraction in his life, a tool to get back at Mrs. Montague!"
Sierra was totally stunned.
The door closed gently, and Henry felt empty inside. He lay on the sofa for a long time, murmuring Grace's name.
Turns out, even if he let go, Grace could still rip his heart out.
Grace had been gone for half a month, and Henry thought he should go see her, even if it was just from a distance.
Late at night, Henry drove to the sanatorium.
The building, with about 20 years of history, stood tall, blocking the outside world's prying eyes. No internet, no phone, but all other living necessities were there. It was super quiet, perfect for recovery.
Henry's car stopped outside. The snow was thick, covering the car's undercarriage.
Henry got out and stepped into the snow, about 8 inches deep. The snow quickly melted, soaking his suit pants, feeling cold and uncomfortable.
But he didn't notice. By the moonlight, he looked faintly at the second floor of the villa.
Grace was inside, separated from him by a wall.
He wanted to go in and see her, but then he thought it was better not to. What would it change if they met? They had decided to let go, to free each other.
Henry stayed for a long time before driving away.
The black Range Rover drove farther and farther away. In the rearview mirror, Henry saw the moonlight shining on the castle-like house, cold and ghostly.
Henry didn't know that Grace was curled up out of cold in a corner on the second floor of the villa.
There was no heating, no on-duty doctor, not even hot water.
Grace hugged herself tightly to fend off the cold. Her thin arms were covered with needle marks. The doctor injected her with sedatives daily to prevent emotional instability, as instructed by Aurora.
Henry knew nothing of this. He thought Grace was well taken care of, receiving treatment, but Grace was struggling to survive.
Grace shivered from the cold. She couldn't get a bowl of hot soup or hot bath water. She endured every day, desperately holding on to stay alive.
For Taylor, she had to stay alive.
Grace kept calling Taylor's name. Only by doing this could she avoid wild thoughts and prevent crazy ideas from surfacing. She was waiting, waiting for Henry to remember her.
Outside the window, the moon set in the west.
Grace never saw Henry, never saw him remember her. She thought she had probably been forgotten by him.
But she wasn't ready to die just like that! She believed that when spring came, the flowers would bloom again.