Chapter 193 Tonight, They Both Wanted It
Late at night, Grace crashed on the sofa in the bedroom. Outta nowhere, a heavy rainstorm kicked in.
Raindrops pounded the window like a drumline, with lightning and thunder lighting up the room like it was noon.
Grace jolted awake, totally disoriented. She quickly checked on Taylor, who was still out cold.
Right then, Henry walked in.
The bedroom door creaked open, letting in a sliver of light and a whiff of that rainy night smell. Henry shrugged off his damp suit and walked over to Grace, gently grabbing her thin shoulders.
Grace, lost in thought, jumped a bit.
Henry flicked on the light, his voice soft. "Hey, it's me! What's up?"
Under the dim yellow light, Grace just stared at him, not sure how to start.
Her face was unusually soft, and Henry couldn't help but pull her close, pressing her against the vanity and kissing her.
Grace resisted, but the light was too bright, and she didn't wanna wake Taylor, so she kinda went along with it. She was still miles away in her head.
Henry stopped, his lips barely touching hers, whispering, "What's wrong?"
Grace leaned against the vanity, her silk nightgown all messed up by Henry, but she didn't care. She looked into his eyes and softly said, "I ran into someone, it might be your dad!"
Henry's face went stone cold.
He stared at Grace, needing to hear it again. Grace repeated softly, "It should be Neil!"
Henry suddenly let go of her.
After a moment, he got his usual look back and said gently, "I'll go make something to eat. Wanna join me?"
Grace didn't answer; she just fixed her nightgown. When she looked up again, Henry was already gone.
The wind and rain were going nuts outside. The rain soaked the yard, making the flowers and plants glisten in the dim light, looking all sad and lonely.
Henry stood in the kitchen, not bothering with the light. He lit a cigarette in the dark, slowly smoking, trying to process the news about Neil.
Neil was back! After ditching his family for years, what was he back for?
Henry let out a bitter laugh, but he only gave Neil the time it took to smoke that cigarette. He had Taylor now, and bigger things to worry about. No time for someone who didn't matter.
No longer hungry, Henry still prepared two plates of pasta. He returned upstairs and ate in silence with Grace.
After they cleaned up, they killed the lights and lay down on either side of Taylor.
The room was pitch black. Outside, the storm was still going nuts.
Just as Grace was about to drift off, she heard Henry's voice. He said, "I have no father!"
Then, he grabbed her hand. Henry's palm, hot and firm, moved over her body. He knew her body too well, knew exactly how to get her going.
Grace wasn't in her fertile period, but tonight she didn't want to push him away.
Maybe it was the weather, bringing back memories of the good old days of their marriage.
Henry rolled over and pressed against her, gently pulling open her nightgown, his blue eyes locked on hers as he deeply engaged in intercourse.
They'd had sex a few times since getting back together, but it was always kinda routine.
Each time was for Taylor's sake. Henry felt the pressure, and Grace never really enjoyed it. But tonight, they both wanted it.
Henry whispered all sorts of things in her ear, the kind of stuff guys say in bed, and Grace was more into it than usual. She even kissed him. Later, still not satisfied, he picked her up and carried her to the bathroom.
That night, they were completely themselves.
Afterwards, their expressions were kinda intriguing. Henry gently held the back of her neck, kissing her lips with a fervor like he wanted to swallow her whole.
He was a man, and they'd been married for years. How could he not feel that she still had feelings for him, even if it was mostly hate? She just wouldn't admit it.
If Grace really didn't love him, she wouldn't have let him touch her so willingly. But these were things they both silently understood.
When they got back into bed, Grace still lay on Taylor's side. She didn't fall asleep for a long time.
She sensed a shift in their relationship tonight, something she was unwilling to admit. Since Henry didn't bring it up, she wouldn't either. She contemplated leaving in the future; she was no longer the naive girl she once was.
There was too much joy and sorrow between her and Henry. How could a few moments of physical pleasure bring them back together?
Suddenly, her hand was held by Henry.
In the dark, he asked hoarsely, "What are you thinking?"
Grace gently shook her head. "Nothing. It's late, let's sleep."
She tried to pull her hand back, but Henry wouldn't let go. He moved closer, holding both Taylor and her in his arms. His chest was warm, and his embrace was so gentle; these were things Grace had once longed for.
But having them now made her want to cry.
Henry wanted to speak, to ask her to give him another chance. He had said these words a thousand times.
But in the end, Henry didn't say those words. Instead, he told her, "Don't worry! If you wanna leave, I'll let you go! But Grace, I ain't ever getting married again. Besides you, there won't be another woman. Besides Taylor and our second kid, no other children. If you wanna go back to Vesper City, I'll let you. Then I'll come see you and Taylor, or I can bring this kid to live in Vesper City."
Henry was super gentle, but Grace didn't say a word.
Grace's tear-stained face was buried in his chest, the thin bathrobe between them dampening his clothes. She wept silently, her unspoken thoughts filled with a deep-seated hatred towards him, towards his past indifference.
Henry held her, his feelings for Grace were complicated.
They were young when they got married, and when he first had her, she was only in her early twenties, still so young and tender.
All these years, she had only belonged to him!
So, even though Grace was now 29, a mature woman, in Henry's eyes, she was still the same as before, a little girl four years younger than him.
Thinking this way, he was very willing to comfort her.
But he knew very well that such feelings, such tenderness, were fleeting. Because one day, Grace would still leave.
In the early morning, Henry woke up, and Grace and Taylor were still asleep.
Grace had dark circles under her eyes.
Henry didn't wake her up. He kissed her lips, then held Taylor in his arms, quietly watching for a while. In the past, he didn't understand the feeling of being a father, but now just looking at Taylor made him feel very happy.
In his mind, he pondered that their next child should be a son, to carry on the legacy of the Montague Group. That way, in the years to come, Taylor would only need to focus on her happiness.
Henry's heart was filled with the tenderness of a loving father. He kissed Taylor's little face again and again, then quietly got out of bed to wash up and get ready for work.
Half an hour later, he got into the car.
Sawyer noticed Henry was in a good mood and made a joke. Henry smiled faintly.
The shiny black limo slowly drove out of Tranquil Heights, the car gleaming luxuriously in the morning sunlight. But shortly after passing through the ornate gates, Sawyer stopped the car.
He turned to Henry. "Mr. Henry Montague, it's Mr. Neil Montague. Do you wanna see him?"
Henry's face was stone cold. "You mean Neil?"
Sawyer didn't dare make a sound.
Henry rolled down the window and looked outside. Then he saw Neil.
Neil looked older than Henry remembered. He recalled that when Neil left, he was not yet 40, in the prime of his life.
Separated by a car window, father and son met but didn't acknowledge each other.
Neil looked at his son Henry.
Henry was supposed to hold a shareholders' meeting this morning. He was dressed in an expensive tailored suit, looking all sharp and distinguished. There was no trace of his childhood self in him, and his gaze was ice-cold, like he was looking at a stranger.
Neil's hands started to tremble. He wanted to call out Henry's name, but Henry didn't give him the chance.
Henry looked at him coldly, his voice even colder. "Since you chose to leave back then, why come back now? You expecting me to take care of you now?"
He retrieved a white cigarette from his pocket, placing it between his lips without lighting it, his eyes fixed on the ground. After a moment, he removed it. "I remember you have other sons! Lucas, isn't it?"
Neil blurted out, "Lucas is not my son!"
He wanted to explain to Henry that he and Heather were not lovers, and Lucas was not his son. He didn't leave for Heather and Lucas back then.
Henry sneered. He had found out that Neil had taken care of Heather and Lucas for a long time back then and had given them a large sum of money, almost $300 million.
If they weren't lovers, how could he have taken care of them like that?
Henry didn't say these things. He looked at Neil in front of him, gently pressed the button, and raised the car window.
The dark glass blocked their view of each other. The black Rolls-Royce restarted and slowly drove away.
Neil stood quietly in place.
Henry didn't feel good inside. He sat in the back seat, not saying a word, and Sawyer didn't dare make a sound.
The car arrived at the Montague Group building.
Henry should have gotten out of the car; there was a lot of work to do. But at that moment, he didn't want to move. After a while, he took out his phone and dialed Grace's number.
Grace answered his call groggily. Probably not fully awake, her voice was soft. "Henry?"
Henry responded with a hum. He didn't say anything else, just told her to keep sleeping and then hung up. He just wanted to hear her voice.
Grace woke up a bit more. She guessed that Henry had seen Neil. She smiled faintly, then gently stroked Taylor's face. After a while, she also gently stroked her own belly.
She and Henry had been intimate several times this month. She had a feeling she might be pregnant.
That evening, when Henry came back, he was clearly in a bad mood, but he didn't mention Neil.
For a long time after that, it was as if Neil had disappeared from their lives. Henry and Grace focused more on Taylor and the pregnancy.
One day, Grace bought a pregnancy test to check.
She dipped the test strip, and after a while, a faint red line appeared on it.