As the rain outside the window grew heavier, Anathea helped Xander put aside the tools they used for his art project.
Xander stared at the raindrops that seemingly grew denser outside the window. “What a downpour, huh, Mom? Do you think the angels are crying in heaven?”
“Maybe,” Anathea replied with a smile. Children tended to have rich imaginations.
“Mrs. Sinclair, dinner’s ready,” Jenny said, entering the room.
Anathea nodded and left for the dining room with Xander.
Suddenly, bright lightning split the sky, and the deafening boom of thunder cracked through the air. Xander nearly leaped out of his skin. He clung to Anathea’s leg. “Mom, I’m scared…”
“Don’t be scared. It’s just thunder,” Anathea comforted him gently as she cast a sidelong glance at the rain outside. It was as if a hole had been ripped open in the sky, and all the water in the clouds came pouring down, veiling the city in gray sheets of rain.
“Why isn’t Mr. Sinclair home yet? It’s getting late,” Cyrus remarked worriedly, clasping his hands as he looked out the window from time to time. “Could something have happened to him?”
Anathea’s gaze flickered at this, but she quietly took her place at the table and slowly dug into the dinner Bella had made.
For some reason, even though Bella made stew, Gregory’s tasted better. The thought made Anathea pause her stirring.
“What’s wrong, Mrs. Sinclair? Is the stew not to your liking?” Bella asked nervously.
“It’s nothing,” Anathea reassured Bella, her lips curling as she continued eating her dinner. She couldn’t stomach more than a small owl of stew. Unable to help herself, she cut another look at the door, seemingly absentminded.
The next second, Cyrus‘ panicked cry sounded from the door. “Heavens, Mr. Sinclair! Why are you soaked? And why is there blood on your arm?”
Anathea stiffened, her gaze snapping in the direction of Cyrus‘ voice, only to find Gregory’s towering figure at the door.
But Gregory, who had always looked so composed and intimidating when maneuvering through the commercial battlefield, was now ashen–faced. His gaze was hollow, and his eyes were bloodshot. Water droplets trailed him as he walked. He had come
home in the rain.
“What’s wrong, Dad?” Xander asked in concern. It was his first time seeing Gregory in such a state.
Gregory said nothing and only dragged his heavy feet up the stairs. The blood on his arm spiraled down his hand and dripped on the floor, leaving tiny, crimson puddles in its wake.
Shocked to see Gregory like this, Bella and Jenny exchanged a helpless look. They were both at a loss.
Anathea watched Gregory’s forlorn figure disappear around the staircase landing and pursed her lips. In the end, she had Jenny bring Xander to his room to read a book after dinner while she went upstairs.
Gregory hadn’t gone to the master bedroom. Instead, he’d entered the guest bedroom.
Anathea followed the trail of bloody droplets on the floor and stopped before the guest bedroom door. She peered into the room through the gap.
The room was dark, the occasional–flash of lightning the only source of illumination.
Gregory was slumped on the floor with his legs stretched out before him, his back leaning against the edge of the bed as his arms hung limply at his sides. The blood soaked through the rug, and his wet shirt clung to his frame. He looked like he would collapse from taking a breath.
Anathea couldn’t help the indescribable einotions surfacing within her.
1/2
Chapter 407
+25 BONUS
She’d never seen Gregory like this. All these years, he’d always seed cold and distant, utterly untouchable to her. He might have been a little unhinged lately, but he was still domineering and stubborn.
But now, he looked sad, almost devastated.
He didn’t even look like this when his friends got into an accident all those years ago.
Anathea reckoned Gregory was too lost in his own emotions to care about anything else at this point. She could very well leave the house right now, and no one would stop her. She’d seen the bodyguards outside the house leaving in a hurry, as if to handle
an emergency.
She should have spun on her heels and left instead of standing here and witnessing Gregory’s sorrow. It was starting to affect her too.
Anathea’s fists clenched at her sides. She turned to leave, but she had only taken a step when her feet halted like they had a will
of their own.
A torn feeling seized Anathea as she recalled his recent kindness toward her and how he’d hired the best doctor in Castenea to
treat Adam.
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Chapter 408
