Chapter 221 Recovering from Their Joys and Sorrows
In the evening, Grace took off with the kids.
Taylor didn't wanna leave, whereas little Avery, who just met Henry, gave him a kiss. That was his way of expressing immense affection.
Grace got the kids settled, shut the car door, all smooth and quick.
Henry stood there, watching, and suddenly got hit with memories. He remembered when Grace had nervously asked him for a hundred grand. Back then, she seemed like a fragile flower, but now she was a fierce and stunning rose.
The sunset was blazing orange-red.
The silver Rolls-Royce Phantom cruised out of the villa, leaving Henry feeling kinda empty. Grace was gone, and he was already looking forward to seeing her again.
Twenty minutes later, Grace pulled into a standalone villa.
After coming back from Vesper City, she decided to move into this place. With a big family and a nanny, the villa had more space.
Plus, it was closer to Henry.
By the time she parked, it was dark, and the twilight had swallowed the last bit of the sunset.
Grace got the kids out of the car.
Taylor, clutching her doll, suddenly said, "Daddy wants to give me Sherry. I really wanted her, but Daddy lives alone, so I think Sherry should stay with him."
Grace gave her a kiss.
Taylor felt a bit better and stuck close to Grace, softly asking, "Mommy, when can we see Daddy again?"
Grace gently replied, "Whenever you miss Daddy, we can go."
Taylor perked up.
Clara was waiting for them at the door.
Taylor ran into Clara's arms, all happy. Clara patted her lovingly and asked about their time at Henry's. Taylor, without holding back, spilled everything. She even said, "When I grow up, I wanna be a doctor! Then I can give Daddy shots and medicine, and he'll get better."
Clara felt a pang of sadness at Taylor's innocent words but held it together in front of her.
After the kids were asleep that night, Clara talked to Grace, "We can only hope Henry's health gets better. Otherwise, when Taylor grows up, she'll feel guilty."
Grace comforted her, "I'll do my best."
Clara hesitated. She still felt bad for Grace. Henry had been such a jerk in the past, but what could they do? He had made sacrifices for Taylor that would melt any woman's heart.
They then talked about Oliver.
In recent years, Oliver had done really well in business in Vesper City, reaching a level comparable to Brent's. Recently, he had been gradually bringing his business back to Evergreen City.
Clara was still mad. "If it weren't for that Dylan causing trouble, your father wouldn't have passed away so early, and Oliver wouldn't have suffered so much. One day, Dylan will get what's coming to him."
Grace said nothing.
Those past events still weighed heavily on her whenever she thought of them.
Clara patted her hand gently. "Let's not talk about it anymore! Just remember to stay away from Dylan. The most dangerous people are those who know the law but choose to break it!"
Grace nodded. "I got it, Clara."
Clara looked at the kids one more time before quietly leaving the master bedroom.
Grace's master bedroom was a big suite, including a kids' room and a study, making it super convenient to take care of the kids. She wanted to personally care for and teach them, watching them grow up.
Late at night was her private time.
After going through the accounts of Serene Petal Dining, she took a bath and came out, wrapped in a light robe, applying skincare products. Just then, Henry sent a Facebook message: [Are the kids asleep?]
Grace stared at that short message for what felt like forever.
Her eyes softened, and she typed back with her slender fingers: [They just fell asleep.]
Henry shot back another message, keeping it low-key.
They kept texting back and forth.
Later, Grace dozed off. When she woke up in the middle of the night, there were a dozen unread Facebook messages from Henry.
In the quiet of the night, she read them all without replying.
Then she got up to check on the kids.
Grace didn't live with Henry. Their distance was both far and close, but just being in the same city was a rare blessing for them.
They were slowly healing from their ups and downs.
They kept in touch a lot recently. They were like the most chill ex-couple ever, raising their kids together and talking about their growth.
Taylor was six, ready for kindergarten.
Grace said, "Henry, you know a lot of people in Evergreen City. I'll leave Taylor's schooling to you."
Henry agreed and started hunting for a school for Taylor.
But even though they talked a lot about the kids, they didn't dive into personal stuff. Sometimes when Grace called, Anouk would pick up. Grace never showed any jealousy or asked questions, always respecting Henry.
When the kids came over, sometimes the nanny brought them, sometimes Grace did. Grace rarely went upstairs anymore. The servants would bring her some utility bills to handle, stuff Celeste used to do. Grace was cool with helping out when she had the time. She managed the villa pretty well.
But she and Henry always kept their distance, with almost no private chats.
Half a month flew by.
It started raining at night, and the autumn chill quietly crept in.
In the study, Henry sat quietly by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the fine rain outside. The Western clock downstairs slowly struck ten times.
He figured Grace should be free around now.
Henry was always waiting, waiting for her to have a moment to talk to him, even if it was just through a screen.
And he thought it seemed their roles had flipped.
Back when they were married, it was always Grace waiting for him. Now it was his turn to wait for her. Turned out, when he liked her, he was willing to do anything, even lose himself.
There was a knock on the door.
Henry snapped out of his thoughts and said calmly, "Come in!"
Anouk walked into the study, carrying some pills and a glass of water, along with a foot bath. She gently helped Henry take his meds and then naturally knelt down to give him a foot massage.
"Stop it.!" Henry's gaze went back to the window, his tone cold.
Anouk hesitated, then softly said, "Mr. Montague, soaking your feet is good for your circulation."
Henry lost his patience. "I said no."
He turned to look at her.
Henry's eyes said it all. How could someone like him not get what Anouk was thinking? In the past, he didn't call her out because she hadn't crossed the line too much. He just ignored it.
Anouk felt embarrassed.
After a moment, she said softly, "I understand, Mr. Montague. From now on, I'll do as you say."
Henry didn't scold her further, just told her to leave.
Anouk hurried out, but at the door, she suddenly said, "Tomorrow is your check-up day, Mr. Montague. Ms. Windsor called earlier and said she would be at the hospital ahead of time to wait for you."
Henry's previously gloomy mood brightened instantly.
His voice was almost hoarse. "She said she would come?"