No Such Thing As A Hollywood Ending

chapter 45

Lucy stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the soft ivory veil that trailed from her hair, her belly now prominently showing the life growing inside her. The anticipation of the wedding filled the air with excitement and a nervous energy, but there was also an undercurrent of tension between her and Henry. Their wedding was only a week away, and though it was supposed to be a time of joy, Lucy couldn't help but feel like there was something unresolved between them.

She glanced over at Henry, who was buttoning up his shirt in the reflection. He looked distant, preoccupied, and she knew the recent court hearing had weighed heavily on him.

"How did everything go in court yesterday?" Lucy asked, her voice tentative as she broke the silence. "I'm really sorry I couldn't be there. I hate that they wouldn't allow me to come." Her fingers fidgeted with her veil as she spoke, her guilt seeping into her words even though she knew it wasn't her fault.

Henry gave a small shrug, still facing the mirror, his expression unreadable. "It's fine, really," he said. "Amelia got house arrest for eight years, with supervised visits for the baby. I'm actually... happy about it."

Lucy frowned, turning to look at him fully. "Happy?" she repeated, confusion and disbelief clear in her voice. "How could you be happy about that? Henry, she raped you. Amelia practically got a slap on the wrist for what she did to you."

Henry tensed at her words, and his hands stilled on his shirt buttons. He turned to face her, a flicker of frustration flashing across his face. "You think I don't know that?" he snapped, his voice sharper than he intended. "You think I'm not furious about what she did?"

Lucy's heart sank at the anger in his tone, but she didn't back down. "Then why aren't you more upset about the sentence? She hurt you, Henry. She should've been punished more."

Henry let out a bitter laugh, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "You think I'm not upset? You think I haven't been angry this entire time? Every time I think about what Amelia did, I feel like I could explode. I don't know how I'm ever supposed to forgive her, Lucy. I don't even know if I can."

He took a step closer to her, his eyes dark with emotion. "But this isn't about Amelia getting off easy. This is about the baby. Our child and Amelia's child. I'm happy about the court's decision because it means we won't have to lie to her kid about why they can't see their real mom. I don't want that kid growing up thinking their mom just abandoned them. And I don't want to be the person responsible for taking away the chance for that child to have some kind of relationship with her."

Lucy's breath caught in her throat. She hadn't thought about it that way. To her, Amelia's crime was unforgivable, but Henry had been thinking beyond just his own pain. He was thinking about the child who would grow up in the shadow of what Amelia had done, and how that child deserved a chance to know their mother—even if that mother had hurt him.

Henry's voice softened, but his frustration was still evident. "I'm happy for the baby's sake, Lucy. Not because I think Amelia got off the hook. I'm still angry, and I don't know when that anger will go away. But I want to do what's right for the kid, not just what feels right for me."

Lucy bit her lip, her own frustration ebbing as she tried to process everything Henry was saying. She hadn't considered how complicated this situation was for him, how deeply conflicted he must have felt. Her protective instincts for Henry had blinded her to the bigger picture.

"I'm sorry," Lucy said quietly. "I didn't mean to assume you weren't hurting. I just... I hate seeing you in pain, and I want to protect you."

Henry softened at her words, his expression relaxing as he stepped forward and gently took her hands in his. "I know," he murmured. "But I'm trying to do the best I can, for all of us."

Lucy nodded, squeezing his hands. "I understand now. It's just hard for me to accept that someone who hurt you like that won't be going to prison. But... I trust you. I trust that you know what's best."

They stood in silence for a moment, the weight of their shared emotions lingering in the air. Then, Lucy broke into a small, tentative smile.

"One week until the wedding," she said softly, her thumb brushing over his knuckles. "We can figure this all out together."