chapter 5

Half an hour later, the hospital room door swung open.

A weary, dust-streaked figure strode toward me, carrying a cold, biting presence.

It was Dad.

In just two years, the black hair at his temples had turned white.

Seeing my pale face and the three small cribs with my children sleeping peacefully, the man who commanded the business world instantly reddened around the eyes, tears streaming down his face.

"My Winona…"

He sat on the edge of the bed, holding my hand, his voice trembling.

I couldn't hold back any longer and threw myself into his arms, crying.

"Dad, I was wrong… I shouldn't have been so stubborn…"

Dad held me, patting my back gently, just like when I was a child.

"No, it's my fault," he said.

I was stunned.

He sighed, his eyes filled with deep regret.

"I shouldn't have been so focused on securing my place in politics that I neglected your feelings. Winona, my daughter, your happiness should always come first."

He looked at Marsh, but the words were meant for me.

"This young man from the Wade family… I spent five years observing his character.

"I thought bringing him to you was giving you the best choice, but I never expected… it would drive you away."

A shiver ran through me.

My heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, both aching and heavy.

So that was it.

I had always thought it was just a deal Dad arranged for me on a whim, for his own gain.

I never imagined that behind it all, he had spent five years of effort, paving the path to my happiness.

And I had destroyed it with my own hands.

"Mr. Ford, Winona is still very weak. She shouldn't be emotionally agitated," Marsh said at the right moment, breaking the heavy atmosphere.

Dad immediately came back to himself, wiping his eyes, and his gaze shifted to the three small cribs.

The sharpness and guilt in his eyes melted instantly, replaced by endless tenderness.

"So these are my grandchildren?"

He approached carefully, bending down and even softening his breathing.

"So adorable…"

He reached out with his rough fingers and gently touched Jasper's cheek.

But in the next second, he straightened up, and the warmth in his eyes was replaced by a layer of icy resolve.

"Some debts need to be settled."

My chest tightened, knowing exactly who he meant.

"Dad."

I clenched the sheets and stared at him. "Bring Robin to me."

Dad snapped his head around, his eyes flashing with shock and bitter disappointment. "At a time like this, you still care about that bastard?"

He thought I still loved him.

I shook my head, my eyes ice-cold.

"Care? I wish he were dead. I will cut him out of my life in front of him," I said, each word trembling with rage.

Hearing my words, a subtle gleam flashed in Marsh's eyes.

Soon after, Robin appeared at the hospital room door, pushed forward by two black-clad bodyguards.

His clothes were disheveled, his expression panicked and utterly defeated.

With a thud, he was forced to his knees in front of my hospital bed, pressed down hard by the bodyguards.

But when he looked up and saw it was me in the bed, the fear in his eyes was instantly replaced by a familiar, self-assured confidence.

Robin shoved the bodyguards aside, scrambled to his feet, and pointed at me. "This is my wife, the only daughter of the Ford family, the richest family in Lynchester! How dare you touch me?"

He scanned the room, then glared at the bodyguards as if issuing a threat. "I'm the son-in-law of the Ford family. If you treat me like this, you'll lose your jobs!"

Ridiculous.

I looked at his ugly, twisted face and spoke coldly, "Robin, do you have any shame?"

He froze at my question.

I tugged at the corner of my mouth, each word dripping with accusation.

"When you threw my children into the water one by one, did it never cross your mind that I'm your wife, and those three are your own flesh and blood?"