Just like that, Terence and Natasha sat on the balcony all night, chatting the hours away.
Although the truth reignited the pain in Terence's heart, he felt much more at ease compared to the past decade of ignorance and confusion.
At the very least, he found out what his son had been through over the years and the reason he was harmed.
To him, that was enough.
Gazing into the distance, Natasha continued talking about Theodore, her gaze filled with admiration for him. “I used to not understand what Dad was doing. All I knew was that his work was shrouded in mystery. But now, I've figured it out. He was still a man of integrity. When he discovered that the organization he had joined was involved in heinous acts, he wanted to leave... Even though he got himself killed in the end, I still believe that he died with no regrets.”
Terence gradually calmed his emotions, too. After a long while, he averted his gaze to Natasha and said in a raspy voice, “Who says he won't regret it?”
Slightly stunned, Natasha lifted her gaze to look at him.
“He regrets it!” enunciated Terence. “He regrets not being there to watch you grow up, and he regrets not being able to see you get married and have children!”
Natasha was momentarily taken aback.
As if finding comfort in those words, she gazed at him, her lips pursed wordlessly.
At this point, Terence continued, “Otherwise, why would he choose to return in the end? If he realized he made the wrong choice, he could've just looked for another place to join. Why would he insist on returning to live in seclusion?”
Speaking of that, Natasha froze a little.
Terence glanced at her with a cool gaze.
In fact, he had felt something was off since that time. Nonetheless, as a father, he was still overjoyed that his son was back. All that filled him was joy, so much so that he even thought they could live happily together as a family from then on. Little did he expect that things would take a turn later on...
His gaze was filled with both regret and relief.
Natasha, conversely, gazed at him dazedly, almost as if a part of her had been healed...
At this moment, the horizon gradually began to lighten, revealing a hint of brightness.
Looking at her, Terence took a deep breath. “All right, it's getting late. You should return to your room and get some rest. I'm going to rest as well!”
As he spoke, he pressed his hands on his knees to get up. However, he had barely moved when he stumbled, almost falling over.
Fortunately, Natasha was quick to catch him in time. She stared at his leg and asked, “Grandpa, what's wrong? Your leg—”
“Don't worry. It's just some minor ailments that come with age!” Terence explained, his hands bracing his thighs, taking a moment before slowly standing up. “All right, go back and get some rest.” With that, he staggered toward his room.
Natasha sat on the bench on the balcony, her gaze fixed in the direction of Terence. It was only at that point a sudden realization dawned upon her—her grandfather had truly aged.
Before she even realized, and while she thought there was still plenty of time ahead, Terence was already up in the years...
His hair had turned white, his silhouette was hunched over, and he was walking with a faltering gait. Natasha's eyes welled up with tears at that sight.
As the saying goes, for everything you gain, you lose something else.
It was only at this point that she realized that she had missed all those times when she could have kept Terence company and taken care of him.
Thinking of that, she lowered her gaze.
After a moment of sorrow, she gathered her gaze and stared into the distance.
Dad, I've finally cleared up things regarding you. From now on, I'm going to devote more time to Grandpa...
...
The following morning, when Spencer went to the restaurant for breakfast, he spotted Natasha eating.
Narrowing his gaze slightly, he walked over and sat down before her.
“So early?” asked Spencer.
Natasha, who was leisurely enjoying her breakfast, lifted her gaze upon hearing his words. “You're early, too.”
“I'm used to it. It's been like this for years for me, but not for you!” Spencer said.
“I'll get used to it soon!” responded Natasha.
Hearing that, Spencer swept his gaze across her, sizing her up. Somehow, he sensed that she was a little different from usual, yet he could not quite pinpoint what the difference was.
Well, it was only normal that humans tend to change after experiencing some things.
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