Chapter 28
The living room went dead quiet, quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
Derrick’s head was punched to the side. He pressed his tongue against his cheek. A cut split open at the corner of his mouth, a thin line of blood seeping out.
Still, he straightened up, lowered his dark gaze, and said nothing.
His silence showed his attitude. If Richard wanted to hit him, he’d stand here and take it.
Ever since that day in the hospital–watching Katherine in bed, writhing in pain–Derrick had wanted to punch himself like this. If he hadn’t forced her, she never would’ve been pregnant.
If he could go back in time, he’d never let Katherine suffer like this.
So honestly, he’d been waiting for this punch for quite a long time.
Richard grabbed Derrick by the collar, yanking him close “How dare you do this to her? I’m taking her with me
Without another word, Richard tried to move past Derrick toward the stairs, but Derrick caught his arm. “Can we wait till she wakes up? Derrick’s eyes dropped to Richard’s swollen wrist, and he suggested, “You should get that dealt with first. You don’t wanna scare her, don’t you?”
Richard hadn’t cared about it at all until he heard that last part. Then he turned and sat down on the couch.
Thinking how soundly Katherine was sleeping, he didn’t want to drag her, a pregnant woman, out of bed in the middle of the night. Maeve had already called Ethan earlier, so by now, he had arrived with his toolbox.
After entering the house, Ethan’s gaze flicked to Richard on the couch, then to the bruise on Derrick’s face. He wisely kept his mouth shut.
Just a scrape. Spray this, and you’ll be fine, Ethan told Richard.
Once Richard was taken care of, Ethan took out a small tube of ointment and handed it to Derrick. “Use this. It works with bruises.”
Ethan was sure that even if Derrick left the bruise alone, it would fade soon enough. But Ethan figured he should at least act like he cared about his boss.
Derrick didn’t take it. After telling Ethan to leave it on the table, he went to bed.
Ethan let out a quiet breath, thinking. “The last place I want to hang around right now is here. Who knows if blow up into some epic brawl?”
if the two
guys are gonna
Remembering how Katherine had suffered in the first two years, Ethan couldn’t help but complain, inwardly, Mr. Graham’s long overdue for a beating
“Richard, your room is ready. It’s right next to Kate’s. Get some sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?” Derrick said, showing no sign of what he was feeling.
Derrick’s calm attitude made Richard uneasy. A man took a punch to the face and wasn’t even mad. That was abnormal for Richard. But thinking of his daughter, Richard let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. For Kate’s sake, we’ll talk tomorrow.”
That night, Derrick still slept in Katherine’s room. He waited until Richard was asleep, then slipped inside.
Katherine had no idea what had happened outside the room. She was still in a deep and sound sleep,
Darrick stood by the bed for a while, then reached down and gave her check a gentle squeeze. He muttered, “You’re sleeping like a rock. baby. Hope you won’t freak out when you wake up.”
The hours soon slipped by, and the first light of dawn spilled across the sky
Derrick woke up early, deciding not to go to work.
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Chapter 28
He walked slowly through the garden, checking for loose stones on the path. This was the place where Katherine would walk every day. and he had to make sure nothing would trip her up
When Richard got up, he stood outside Katherine’s half–open door for a moment.
Katherine lie in the bed, he finally relaxed, thinking. That bastard kinda knows his place.
Seeing only K
When Richard came downstairs, Maeve was right there with a cup of coffee. “Mr. Lawson, Mrs. Graham will get up in about thirty minutes. Would you like to have breakfast now or dine with her!”
Maeve didn’t know much about Katherine’s father, but at least he was family to Derrick, so Maeve showed extra politeness to Richard.
“I’ll wait for Kate. Thanks, Richard said, toning down the simmering anger in his voice.
He looked up and spotted Derrick in the garden. Richard stood by the big floor–to–ceiling window and fixed his eyes on Derrick until Derrick turned and started walking toward him.
“Morning., Richard,” said Derrick when he approached Richard.
Overnight, the bruise on Derrick’s face had bloomed darker, spreading blue and purple around the corner of his mouth.
But his eyes were still deep and still, like a lake one could drown in if they weren’t careful.
They stared at each other for a long moment, yet neither of them spoke. In the end, Richard looked away, choosing not to answer.
Katherine came down the stairs yawning, calling toward Maeve. “I’m starving. Maeve. What’s for breakfast?
Ever since her morning sickness ended, the menu changed daily. She looked forward to every meal like it was a surprise gift.
But when she saw the tall figure standing downstairs, she froze. “Dad?”
Three years apart, and Richard had expected their reunion to feel awkward. But the moment Katherine called out “Dad“, something sharp twisted in his chest.
“Hey, my sweetie. Why aren’t you sleeping in a little longer?” Richard asked softly.
It was only 8:30 AM. It was late for an office worker, but early for a pregnant woman.
Katherine was still caught up in the surprise of seeing her father there. Her eyes stung, tears welling up, and she instinctively kept walking down.
“Stop. Derrick barked with a frown, catching the shift in her expression. He started walking toward her right away.
Katherine hadn’t been watching her step, and before Derrick spoke, her food had already slipped. The sudden drop made her tilt forward, her body pitching toward the stairs.
“Kate,” Richard shouted, panic flashing across his face as he ran for her.
But Derrick was faster. Before Katherine could fall, he lunged forward, bracing one arm around her waist, the other gripping her arm. “Easy. Watch out,” said Derrick while guiding her.
One of his feet was on the step below, the other still up high. He was nearly doing the splits. His voice stayed low and steady as he held
her up
Katherine used his support to regain her balance, patting her chest. “Oh my, that scared me.”
Then she looked down, running her hands on her belly, “Baby, it’s fine. Mominy just missed a step. Daddy’s here. Nothing’s gonna happen.”
The baby could already hear voices, so she often chatted with bum, soothing him whenever something startled her.
Derrick straightened up and took Katherine’s hand, guiding her down each step-
away, Richard took in the whole scene–the way Katherine completely trusted Derrick and leaned on him without
Standing not far a hesitation.
From what Richard could see, their relationship looked solid. And if anything, Katherine didn’t se to resent the baby at all. In fact,
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