Chapter 402

When Dominic saw Henry, he froze in disbelief. Had he entered the wrong room? What was Henry doing here? How had the boy even gotten in?

Dominic realized this child would always find ways to shock him.

Though this time, the surprise was far from pleasant.

"Why is Mommy hurt?" Henry stood rigid by the bedside, his piercing gaze locked onto his father's face.

He'd noticed the bandages wrapped around Evelyn's forehead immediately. The stark white gauze stood out against her pale skin, evidence of some injury.

Worse still, when he'd called her name, she hadn't responded. She wasn't sleeping - she was unconscious.

Helpless anger churned in his small chest. He couldn't carry her to safety. He couldn't treat her wounds. All he could do was demand answers.

Dominic ignored the question. His cold eyes swept over the small figure. "How did you get here? Who brought you?"

"I came alone!" Henry's voice shook with barely contained fury. "You hurt Mommy! I'll never forgive you!"

A humorless laugh escaped Dominic's lips. "And what exactly do you plan to do? Don't think your childish tricks will work on me every time, Henry. If your last name wasn't Thorne, how long do you think I'd tolerate this behavior?"

Henry's face twisted in disgust. "I don't even want to see you! You're the one who keeps coming after us!"

"Coming after you?" Dominic's voice turned dangerous. "Your mother and I knew each other long before you existed. Our business has nothing to do with you!" The contempt in Henry's expression made his blood boil.

"You heartless monster! Mommy's business is my business!"

"Heartless?" Dominic roared, his control slipping. "You know nothing, you insolent brat! Say that again, I dare you!"

Henry's fear evaporated in the face of his rage. "I may not know everything, but I know you're a cruel, evil man! You're not just heartless - you're sick!"

Dominic's entire body went rigid. A vein pulsed at his temple. "What did you just say?"

"Didn't you say I don't know anything?" Henry's small chin lifted defiantly. "You're the sick one! You're not normal! That's why you keep hurting Mommy! She'll never love you! Lily and I will never love you! Nobody loves you!"

The memory flashed through Henry's mind - last year, when Lily had returned from Dominic's study clutching a dark red box. Inside had been medical reports. Dominic's medical reports.

At first, the terminology had confused him. But Henry had painstakingly researched every word. And what he'd discovered had chilled him to the bone.

The diagnosis was clear: Dominic Blackwood suffered from a severe mental disorder.

Eldermere law stated that those with such conditions couldn't be held accountable for violent acts.

Henry had tried to dig deeper, but Dominic's records were sealed tight. This single secret was all he'd uncovered.

He'd never planned to use it. Not until Dominic hurt his mother again.

Dominic's face darkened as if an old wound had been ripped open. How could a four-year-old speak with such conviction? Who had put these words in his mouth? Michael Sterling? Or Evelyn herself?

Dark memories surged forward, threatening to drown him. His vision tunneled.

The smug look on Henry's face ignited something primal within him. Before he could stop himself, Dominic's hands closed around the boy's slender throat.

Henry gasped, his small hands clawing at the iron grip.

On the bed, Evelyn thrashed in her nightmare. With a strangled cry, she jolted awake - just in time to see her son's small body lifted off the ground by his neck.