Crystal was taken aback.
She then smiled faintly and remarked, âHaving a child changes things naturally! We canât be as noisy as before and set a bad example for her.â
As she spoke, her expression was gentle.
Henry had always liked it when she acted this way. It was late at night, and they were alone while their child was asleep next door.
He couldnât help but feel a stir of emotions.
He gazed at her. It was an instinctive look of a man observing a woman.
Crystal sensed the change in his emotions.
She redirected the topic subtly. âYou should talk to Skyler soon. Itâs getting late...â
In other words, she was telling him to come back in the morning to pick their daughter up. Henry raised his arm to glance at the time.
He fixed his gaze on Crystal and realized she didnât really intend for him to stay the night. However, he was quite tempted. In a low voice, he said, âIâm quite tired, and thereâs an important meeting tomorrow morning. Iâll sleep in the guest room so I wonât disturb you.â
Crystal readily agreed.
She brought him to the guest room but didnât follow him in.
After tossing his suit jacket onto the bed, Henry spun on his heels and noticed she hadnât come in. He smirked and asked, âWhatâs the matter? Are you afraid of me?â
Crystal avoided answering him. âIâll get you some toiletries.â
Henry said nothing and merely stared at her.
After Crystal left, he sat at the end of the bed and gently tugged at his tie Frustrated, he reached into his pocket, but instead of finding his cigarettes, his hand brushed against a small, hard box- the gift he had bought for her from Hawen.
She didnât accept 1 Henry held onto the small box, his gaze flickering with uncertain emotions.
When Crystal came in again, Henry was sitting at the end of the bed, smoking.
He had one hand supporting himself on the mattress and the other holding a cigarette. His distinctive features stood out, exuding a strong masculine aura. Seeing Crystal enter, he narrowed his dark eyes. âDo you have a razor?â
Crystal replied gently, âI donât have that here.â
Puffing out smoke, he stretched out his hand. âGive me the toiletries.â
Without doubting him, Crystal handed him the toiletries, but Henry didnât take them. Instead, he delicately clasped her wrist and applied a gentle pull, leading her to tumble onto the bed.
His burning body covered hers.
âHenry!â
Crystal was furious, but she dared not yell out loud as she didnât want to wake Skyler up.
Henry held her restless hand, using one hand to pin it by the edge of the bed and the other to put out the cigarette. Something appeared in his palm.
Crystal lay weakly on the bed, her chestnut hair spread out, her skin fair.
Henry released her hand, but he pressed his body against hers even more firmly, making it hard for her to move.
With somewhat clumsy movements, he helped her put on the pair of earrings.
He wasnât good at it and accidentally poked Crystalâs earlobe, causing her to bite her lip and complained softly, âOw! Henry, do you even know how to do this?â
His gaze turned dark at her words.
If he werenât concerned about her emotions, he wouldâve followed his desires and ravaged her.
Henry gently helped her with the earrings.
After putting them on, he spoke in a husky voice. âDo you remember that time at the hotel? After we were done, you left first, but you dropped one earring by the edge of the bed, which was exactly this style. Crystal, it looks especially beautiful on you!â
Crystal was actually quite speechless.
She couldnât believe he was capable of reminiscing about the past in such a sensual manner!
Henry genuinely missed her.
Despite his impatience, he didnât want to miss tonightâs opportunity.
He was busy, and he usually dared not go too far. Now that she was pinned under him, he still dared not proceed. Lowering his body, Henry nuzzled against her neck and whispered, âCrystal, it has been a while. Did I not manage to win your heart?â
The woman tried to shove him away but failed in doing so.
Gently nibbling on her lower lip, she averted her gaze and expressed, âHenry, Iâm not interested in playing games. I acknowledge that you are great, and we have a history together, not to mention Skyler. However, at this moment, my sole focus is on taking care of Skyler. I genuinely donât want to entertain any other thoughts.â
As she spoke, her eyes welled up with tears. The mole at the corner of her eyes was more visible than usual.
Henry couldnât help but touch that mole continuously until Crystal couldnât handle it anymore. Her voice was feeble as she protested, âHenry...â
He suddenly let out a soft chuckle. âYour voice is melodious!â
It took Crystal three seconds to understand his words. She couldnât stop herself from giving him a kick. âLet me go!â
To her surprise, Henry did as told.
He rolled aside, his jaw tensed. Gulping, he spoke in a hoarse voice. âYou should go to bed!â
Crystal scurried away.
When her fingers touched the door handle, Henry added, âIâve missed you over the years!â
Early in the morning, when little Skyler woke up, there was a limited edition teddy bear placed by her bedside.
Despite having reasons to be joyful, she couldnât find it within herself to feel happiness.
She held onto the teddy bear and hurried to the guest room to find Henry. It was still early. and Henry hadnât woken up yet, but she snuggled into his covers nonetheless.
He opened his eyes and ruffled her chestnut-colored curls.
Skyler pressed her cheek against his chest, staying silent. Henry gently pinched her cheek and asked, âDo you miss me?â
Yet, Skyler didnât say anything.
Henry didnât press her and simply embraced her small head.
Skyler was different from other children as she showed some traits of being on the autism. spectrum. Thus, when she didnât want to talk, he never pushed her. As a father, he felt a deep tenderness and was willing to do everything to make his little Skyler happy.
Alas, sometimes, money couldnât buy happiness.
Crystal specially made quail eggs, hoping to cheer up the little one. She found Skyler hiding under the covers, with only a hint of her chestnut curls showing.
Henry gave her a comforting look.
He had been holding Skyler from seven till almost nine in the morning.
When Jamie called, Crystal answered on Henryâs behalf and asked her to shift the meeting to the afternoon.
After hanging up, Crystal gazed at Henry.
His gaze was dark, too.
Fortunately, at nine in the morning, little Skyler finally emerged from under the covers, holding the teddy bear and insisting on going to school.
Crystal and Henry drove her to the school.
When she arrived, Crystal couldnât bear to part with Skyler, showering her with kisses.
As they returned to the car, they both wore grim expressions.
Henry lit a cigarette and murmured, âThis isnât that serious.â
Crystal leaned back into the seat, feeling helpless.
This was the first time she had seen Skyler acting this way. Previously, Skyler had always been lively and adorable, acting nothing like a sick child.
Tears rolled down her cheeks silently.
Henry put out his cigarette and offered her a napkin. âDonât cry.â
Crystal wiped her tears away, but more tears followed.
She felt guilty wondering how many times had Skyler been isolated in her own world while she was completely unaware, seeking treatment in Sumanthova. Henry was the only one. keeping the little girl company, and she knew nothing about it.
Crystal gently shut her eyes.
Henry didnât disturb her as he knew she needed time to digest the news.
A long while later, when she finally calmed down, he held her hand. âCrystal, this isnât your fault.
That afternoon, Crystal received a call from Henry.
His voice was calm. âCrystal, stop by the mansion.â
Crystal was in the midst of pouring coffee. Her hand trembled, causing the scalding coffee to spill onto the back of her hand, turning it red. Ignoring the pain, she immediately hailed a taxi and headed to Henryâs mansion.
The atmosphere in the mansion was tensed.
The housekeeper was moving cautiously, as Skyler had just returned home and was not in the mood to speak, opting to hide in the closet instead. Moreover, Henry had rushed home from the company to tend to his little girl.
As Crystal arrived, the housekeeper whispered, âMr. Miller and Skyler are upstairs.â
Without wasting another second, Crystal hurried up the stairs.
When she pushed open the door to the childrenâs room, she saw Skyler hiding in the pink wardrobe, clutching the teddy bear in silence.
Henry, dressed in a formal suit, was slightly hunched over inside the small closet. He held at childrenâs storybook in his hand, reading softly to Skyler.
When Crystal came in, he only spared her a brief glance before returning his attention to the storybook which had been read far too many times.
It was a shocking sight to Crystal, as she finally discovered how much Henry had sacrificed over the years.
Their past emotions and grievances didnât matter anymore as she was Skylerâs mother. She couldnât stand by and do nothing when she saw Skyler acting this way.
To ignore the situation would be incredibly selfish.
Approaching thein slowly, Crystal kicked off her shoes and whispered. âThe closet is a bit cramped. Iâll keep her company.â
Henryâs deep gaze focused on her. After a moment, he handed her the storybook and climbed out of the closet himself.
Crystal sat beside Skyler.
She gave the little girl a kiss before beginning to read the storybook.
The moment she parted her lips to speak, her voice began to tremble.
Henry walked outside and stood in the corridor, lighting a cigarette. He took a few deep drags. In truth, he could have managed without summoning Crystal that day, but perhaps having experienced her tenderness, he didnât want to be alone again.
When Crystal appeared earlier, he realized how much he needed her.
It wasnât just about romantic feelings; more importantly, she had become the anchor for all his emotions over these years.
Crystal had given birth to Skyler.
He loved Crystal as much as he loved Skyler.