296: Chapter 296: A Confession

Chapter 296: A Confession

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"This is a demand from your mother."

That one sentence was enough to shake Henry to the core. 

He was ready to stay silent, or if Dahlia continued pressing him about the matter, he'd lie just so that Dahlia wouldn't hate him for the heinous plan he hatched. 

But that single sentence was enough to rip his conscience in half, forcing him to tell the truth or die full of guilt. 

Dahlia was peeved by Henry's silence, "You know that silence won't help, right? The more you shut your mouth, the more I suspect you to be a lying, heartless bastard."

"If I told you the truth, you would hate me even more," Henry muttered. He reached Dahlia's hand and held it tight. 

He had already lost his beloved brother. The brother who accepted him as his little brother and taught him many things growing up became a capable young man despite his lack of interest in the family company. 

He didn't want to lose the stepmother who nurtured and loved him properly, unlike his biological mother, who hated his existence until he got acknowledged by his father.

Dahlia had a terrible feeling about this.

She sensed that Henry was serious about what he said just now.

That Dahlia would hate him even more once she knew about the truth.

She took a deep breath and replied, "You should tell me everything before I find out terribly. I am your mother, Henry. No matter what you do, I will at least try my best to stay calm."

Dahlia didn't know the severity of Henry's secret, but as long as he didn't plan on killing Katherine or the baby, she would try to forgive him."

Henry stared at his mother for a while, searching for the assurance that he needed to come clean. 

He braced himself and confessed;

"I was depressed when James died in a car crash and was even more heartbroken after knowing that you got thrown into a mental facility," Henry couldn't help but get bitter each time he remembered the pain his loved ones felt. 

"I locked myself in my apartment for a month until Marlon and Penny called me. They told me about James' case and openly admitted to orchestrating James' death. They murdered him just because James was in love with a regular woman. Not the ones they chose."

"I was so angry at them, thinking I might as well grab a gun and shoot them in the head before killing myself. Marlon told me that I will be the next heir, but I'm still unsure whether I'm good enough or not," Henry said. "I was disgusted when they made me their new heir. It feels like hundreds of street rats munching my skin."

"I never want to be an heir because it's James' right. I begin to hate the Grant family and all of the businesses that we have. Because Marlon said that James is a disgrace that will ruin the family's reputation and business prospects."

"So from that moment on, I have one goal in mind," Henry's green eyes flickered with intense hatred. Even Dahlia was taken aback by the amount of hatred Henry bore inside his heart. "I will destroy the Grant family. Once I take control of the family businesses, I will burn them all to ashes alongside myself. I refuse to be associated with the family of a cold psychopath who had no remorse for killing his son."

Dahlia's heart was tight.

She wanted to tell Henry not to do this because she knew nothing good would come from revenge, especially when the revenge was self-destructive like Henry's.

But she also understood his rage, especially against Marlon and Penny, who had no remorse after killing James. 

"Alright, I understand that part," Dahlia said. "I know that you're angry at Marlon and Penny and want to avenge James' death. But that doesn't mean I support what you're doing. It's best to let go, Son. There is nothing good coming out of this."

"I can't let go," Henry refused. "I need that power to avenge James' death and get you out of this place. Mom, you're unjustly thrown into this mental facility with Dad's influence. You need to get out."

Dahlia smiled bitterly, "But I don't want my freedom at the expense of your suffering." 

Henry zipped his mouth after that, knowing fully that Dahlia was right. Her freedom was at the expense of Henry's suffering, and he should let go.

But the fire in his heart burned so brightly and painfully that he had to get his revenge no matter what. 

"I get that you want revenge, but what's the connection between your revenge and Kate?" Dahlia asked. "We both know that she is an innocent woman. She didn't lead James on or have an affair with him."

…

Henry lowered his head. 

He gripped Dahlia's hand, afraid that Dahlia would pull her hand after he told the truth.

If he had a choice, he'd rather fool Dahlia as well. He wanted to fool everyone around him so nobody would know how much of a horrible human he was. 

But there was no going back.

He had to own his mistake. 

Thus, Henry took a deep breath and braced himself, "The night after I knew about what Marlon and Penny did, I went to James' office. I sat there and drank a lot of liquor to drown myself in sorrow."

"I kept apologizing to James for I have taken the position that he had," Henry admitted. "And when I was already half drunk, Kate walked in with a bag of wine. She was as messed up as I was because she just found out about her husband cheating on her sister."

"I know who she is, and my conscience told me to leave the office and avoid her. But I was half drunk, and we are two souls drowning in sorrow," Henry recalled what happened that night. Though the alcohol had blurred his logic, the beautiful sight of Kate's body lingered in his memory permanently. "We talked about our life, and as we kept drinking and drinking, we started feeling the heat."

"So you fucked her that night?" Dahlia shot the most important question. "With no condom?"

Henry shook his head, "No condom. I knocked her up that night."

…

"After realizing what I'd done, I asked Sarah's opinion about this, and she said I should make the best of the situation. You know, typical of her, being so positive," Henry said. "So I—"

…

…

"Henry?" Dahlia called her son. "Tell me everything, Son. Don't make this more difficult for yourself."

"—I got an idea, a cruel one," Henry said. "Marlon hates Kate so much and blames her for James' death even though she's innocent. So I told him I've got her pregnant with my child, and to get the petty revenge he wanted, I will make Kate fall in love with me and take the baby."

"Dad said that he will train the baby, teach it until he becomes an obedient dog, so he wouldn't dare to disobey him again like James did."

The more Henry told his plan, the guiltier he felt. He wanted to shoot himself for even thinking about doing something so heinous to an innocent woman who was so happy with her pregnancy.

"In exchange for the baby, Marlon will finally rewrite his will and put me as the sole inheritor of everything. He said he would step down from the company and put me in charge of everything as well. Because handing out the baby proves that I am dedicated to the family."

…

Henry waited for Dahlia to respond, but she said nothing.

So he lifted his head, staring at Dahlia, who stared at him coldly. His heartbeat raced out of fear that his mother would abandon him.

"M—Mom?"

"You are disgusting," Dahlia said coldly, and that simple sentence was enough to destroy Henry from the inside. "I never know that I've raised a monster all this time. Did I ever do something to you? Did I ever abuse you to the point that you have that sickening thought in your head?"

Henry paled instantly. His eyes were filled with fear, and his body trembled, "M—Mom, my mind was clouded, and I was full of anger at that time. I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Of course you aren't. And apparently, you're also not thinking with your conscience," Dahlia said. "If you release my hand right now, I would've punched you, Henry."

"I—I've abandoned that idea now that I fell in love with Kate," Henry kept trying to save his relationship with his mother. "I'm trying to find a way to appease my father and marry her. I truly want to settle down with Kate!"

"So please, please don't hate me, Mom," Henry begged. His eyes began to pool with tears as he desperately begged for mercy, "I'm sorry for being so cruel. I'm trying to fix everything and save her."

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