Chapter 9 Mrs. Harris's face froze. She opened her mouth, but not a single word came out. The silence shattered when Norwell's assistant pushed open the door. "Mr. Harris, we found her-she's with her father." Before the words had even settled, Norwell yanked out his IV and staggered to his feet. His mother rushed to stop him. "What are you doing? You've only just crawled back from death. The doctor said-" "I need to see her." His voice was hoarse, but his gaze burned with terrifying determination. "If I don't see her, I don't know how I'll go on." I thought he would never come for me. He hadn't been there when I was pregnant. He hadn't been there when the internet tore me apart. He hadn't been there when I signed the consent form for the miscarriage, lying cold and alone on the operating table. Now? Now, I no longer needed him. His pleading voice came through the door. "Cynthia, I know I was wrong..." "} The hallway was bitterly cold. Wind howled through the cracks. Norwell's body trembled, his face paler by the hour. His mother followed, crying as she clutched at him. "Son, get up! Begging her is useless. She's not worth degrading yourself like this!" He stood outside my door for a full day and night. When dawn finally broke, the lock clicked, and the door opened. Norwell staggered to his feet, swaying, his voice shaking as he begged, "Sir, please... let me see Cynthia. I was wrong. I wronged her. Please, I beg you..." His parents rushed forward, their fury spilling over as they jabbed their fingers at my father. "How could your family be so heartless? He's already like this, and your daughter has no shred of compassion?" Chapter 9 "She lived off my son for years and couldn't even give him a child. She wasted the best years of his life!" Splash! The basin of water in my father's hands crashed down, drenching them both. His voice thundered, "Shut your dirty mouths!" "You think standing here earns my daughter's forgiveness? Dream on!" "You sneer that she couldn't give you a child-do you even know what she went through for your son?" "She shared a damp basement with him, worked herself to the bone with three jobs just to keep him afloat. That's what destroyed her health!" "She was a top graduate from a prestigious university! She gave up her career, her dignity, her future-for him. She nearly lost her life for him!" "She sacrificed everything, and for what? To be met with your scorn, your contempt?" "Do you know how many times she went to the hospital alone, jabbing herself with hormone injections, enduring failed IVF after failed IVF?" "Do you know how many nights she curled up in pain, convulsing in the bathroom, crying silently so no one would hear?" "And you dare stand here and say she wasted his years? Disgraceful!" My father's finger jabbed at Norwell, his eyes blazing with rage. "It's you who wasted my daughter's life. It's you who didn't deserve her! You came begging to my door back then, swearing you truly loved her, swearing you'd protect her forever.' "What has your family treated her as all these years? A maid? A breeding tool? You never once saw her as a wife, as family! And now you have the gall to call her heartless?" Mrs. Harris's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. She wiped water from her face, trembling. Mr. Harris kept his head bowed, his face dark with shame, silent. Norwell stayed on his knees, unable to utter a word. My father's voice deepened, each syllable carrying the weight of fury and heartbreak. "Cynthia is the only daughter of the Sinclair family-our life's treasure, her mother's and mine. Every wound she has borne, every indignity, I have kept count of them all." Chapter 9 90.00% Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!