Chapter 401 I Will Never Let This Man Disturb My Heart Again!
Harper's first instinct was to say no.
But seeing Francis looking like a ghost, she bit her tongue and asked, "Did you hit up Victor?"
Dude looked like he couldn't even handle a tricycle.
Francis blinked, then smirked and said, "Yeah."
Harper glared at his smug face and snapped, "Don't get cocky. I'm just worried if you croak on my doorstep, I'll be the one in trouble."
Francis wiped the grin off his face and nodded.
"Wait here," Harper said, heading inside to grab some clothes.
Agnes came out after her bath, all smiles when she saw Francis still hanging around.
She wriggled out of Zoey's grip and ran to Francis, pouting, "Daddy, can you tuck me in?"
"Agnes, he has to..." Harper started.
But before she could finish, Francis had already scooped Agnes up.
He looked at Harper and asked softly, "Can I stay with her a bit longer?"
Harper hesitated, not wanting to let Agnes down, and nodded.
Agnes clapped her hands and said, "Thanks, Mommy. Daddy, come to my room."
They went into the room, and Agnes brought over a mountain of picture books for Francis to read.
Francis sat on the bed, opened a book, and started reading.
Agnes was thrilled, her eyes fluttering shut even as she tried to stay awake.
Francis's heart melted at her cuteness, and he read with a smile plastered on his face.
Agnes must've cried herself out today. She tried to stay awake, but her eyelids got heavy, and she was out like a light.
Half-asleep, she mumbled, "Daddy, love you."
Francis felt like his heart was swimming in honey. He couldn't describe the sweetness and joy.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead, a natural, loving gesture.
Harper opened the door and saw this.
It was a sweet scene, but it made her heart ache.
Was she being selfish? Only thinking about her own feelings and not Agnes's?
Her actions seemed like punishing Agnes for the adults' mistakes.
Her one-sided decision had robbed Agnes of what she deserved.
Maybe she shouldn't keep them apart.
Even if they weren't together, she was still the mom, and Francis was still the dad.
No matter their relationship, Agnes deserved to feel the full love of her parents.
Harper's mind was a mess, and she didn't notice Francis had come out.
Their eyes met as the door opened.
Francis, a whole head taller, made Harper look even smaller and more delicate.
He gently closed the door, his Adam's apple bobbing, and said, "Agnes is asleep."
"Mm," Harper replied, at a loss for words.
"Does Agnes have any issues?" Francis asked.
Harper was taken aback, "How do you know?"
Francis frowned, "She trembles in her sleep."
Harper was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Agnes had it when she was little. The doctor said it might be from me being scared during pregnancy, but it got better after treatment abroad."
The doctor's words made Francis's heart ache.
How did Harper manage to give birth to Agnes in such a dangerous situation?
Francis couldn't bear to think about it. Whenever he did, his chest felt tight, like he couldn't breathe. He felt he deserved to die for not protecting them.
If he could do it all over again, he'd protect them with his life.
Francis's eyes were determined. There was no "if."
He was staying by their side, no matter what.
The look in Francis's eyes threw Harper off. She snapped out of it and hurried downstairs, feeling all kinds of flustered.
Francis watched her go, a hint of loneliness crossing his handsome face.
Outside, Victor still hadn't shown up.
Harper stood by the door, getting more and more antsy. "Why don't you call Victor again?" she suggested.
Francis, looking all calm and collected, said, "It's not safe to call while driving. He'll be here soon."
Harper was about to argue when Francis added, "Wesley knows a good shrink. I'll take you to see them. If you think they're good, we can take Agnes together, cool?"
Harper was taken aback but didn't shoot down the idea.
Agnes would get all withdrawn during her episodes, even if they were rare. If they could fix that, it’d be awesome.
And she trusted Wesley. If he recommended a doc, they had to be solid.
Harper nodded, "Okay, we'll go see them another day."
Francis suddenly smiled, the warm light making his face look even more charming. "Yeah, we."
Harper was still trying to figure out what he meant by "we" when it hit her. Her face went red hot. She didn't want to talk to him anymore. "You wait here by yourself..."
Before she could finish, Francis suddenly pulled her into a tight hug.
Harper's eyes went wide, and she snapped, "Hey, what are you doing?"
Francis didn't say a word, just buried his head in her neck, warm breath tickling her skin.
Harper struggled, "Francis, let go!"
"Harper," he whispered softly into her neck.
Harper froze, then heard him say hoarsely, "Thank you."
She was completely thrown off! Why was he thanking her out of the blue?
Francis held her, and she felt something wet on her neck—his tears, burning her heart.
Harper felt like she was in a daze, unable to believe it.
Was Francis crying again?
Even if it was just one tear, the contrast and unreality of it left her extremely surprised!
This high and mighty man had shed tears in front of her again and again.
After a while, Francis choked up and said, "Thank you for giving birth to Agnes."
Harper's body couldn't help but tremble.
She didn't know why this simple thank you made her heart ache and swell, her eyes also turning red.
Time seemed to jump back to the moment when they fell into the river.
Harper's only thought was, 'Baby, no matter what, Mommy will be with you.'
So she would say Agnes was her life because Agnes was indeed the child she gave birth to with her life.
With the past memory flooding into her mind, Harper's heart started to ache again.
This pain made it impossible for her to face Francis any longer.
Harper, almost without any hesitation, pushed him away hard.
In Francis's stunned gaze, she slammed the door shut with a loud bang!
The red door shut Francis out, just like the door to her heart.
Harper leaned against the door weakly for a long time.
Her gaze slowly turned from pain to determination, and she told herself she would never let Francis disturb her heart again!
Outside the door.
Francis looked like a walking corpse, motionless for a long time.
Victor approached, called out twice, but Francis didn't respond.
Victor looked at the tightly closed door, then at Francis's pale face, sighed, and advised, "Mr. Getty, let's go back to the hospital."
Late at night, everything was silent.
Molly had been busy all day and was ready to go back to her place after leaving the company.
When she reached her red Maserati, a black luxury sports car behind her suddenly turned on its headlights, blinding her.
She squinted, and the car had already pulled up next to the Maserati.
The window rolled down, revealing Robert's chiseled, handsome face.
His voice was low and cold, "Get in."
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