You're Out, Daddy novel (Natasha and Kenneth)

Thalia gaped at him in disbelief. "Do you even know what you're saying, Spencer? It has nothing to do with me, you said? How could it possibly have nothing to do with me? You did it for my sake. Logically speaking, it's impossible for me to stay out of it!"

Spencer lowered his gaze, his face still devoid of emotion. "I once said I would protect and take care of you forever. That was my promise to you. I'm merely fulfilling my vow. You really don't need to make so many excuses for yourself."

Thalia was promptly stunned.

It's fine even if he'd said that he did it to keep me alive. But why did he say such a thing now?

She looked at him with her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "What do you mean by that, Spencer?"

"It means exactly what you think it does," Spencer replied.

Thalia stared at him blankly, her eyes carrying a hint of contempt and mockery. "Are you saying everything you've done for me is because of a promise you made when we were young? Is your treatment of me just out of a sense of duty and commitment?" Thalia asked, enunciating each word.

Pursing his lips, Spencer remained silent.

Thalia suddenly laughed, her voice laced with derision and self-deprecation. "I thought you had feelings for me. But it now seems that I was reading too much into things."

Spencer's hands that hung by the sides of his body clenched into fists.

After waiting for a moment without any rebuttal from him, Thalia knew that she had indeed been deriding herself.

"It looks like I've forced you into all of this. Don't worry, for I won't do so anymore. And you don't need to fulfill any d*mn responsibilities or obligations because of a promise you made when we were young, Spencer. I don't need it. Our relationship was nothing more than a chance encounter between strangers anyway. If I hadn't pestered you, we wouldn't have been acquainted for so long... From now on, let's pretend none of this ever happened. I won't bother you again!" With that, Thalia took one last look at him before turning around and walking away.

When Thalia stepped out, Denise was standing right at the door. She did not arrive all that early and had only heard the latter part of the argument.

At the sight of her coming out, Denise frowned. "Thalia."

However, Thalia did not say a word, leaving with brisk steps.

Following that, Denise shifted her gaze to Spencer. He stood rooted to the spot, clenching his hands at his sides so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

Denise looked at him. "You've truly hurt Thalia, Spencer." After saying that, she likewise whirled around and sprinted in the direction where Thalia left.

Only when everyone had left did Spencer gradually unclench his fists.

His palms were all marred by the indents of his nails digging into the flesh.

By the time Denise raced out, Thalia was already nowhere to be found.

She darted her eyes around, but nothing was in sight.

At that precise moment, Benjamin happened to come out of the house. Seeing that she was seemingly searching for something in the yard, he walked over. "What are you looking for, Denise?" Hearing his voice, Denise turned around. "Quick, come help me, Ben."

"What's wrong?"

With a sigh, Denise said, "I don't even know where to begin. All I know is that Spencer and Thalia just had a fight. Thalia stormed out, and I can't find her anywhere now."

At her words, Benjamin's brows furrowed. "They fought again?"

"Yeah!"

"It's okay. All couples fight. It's perfectly normal," Benjamin assured.

"But it's serious this time," Denise countered. "From what Thalia implied, it feels like they're never going to associate with each other again."

Benjamin adopted an air of sagacity and began, "When couples fight, it often seems like they're breaking up for real. But when have they ever truly done so? It's surprising that you, an actress, can't even tell. Let me tell you this-the more intense they fight, the less likely they are to break up. On the contrary, it's those who say nothing at all who are really heartbroken and want to end things."

Listening to his words, Denise combined them with everything she had seen in television series and concluded, "That truly seems to be the case."

"It's precisely the case."

"But Thalia looked really upset."

"She has weathered many storms in life, but when it comes to relationships, she lacks experience. A few more trials would do her good."

"But-"

"Trust me. Everything will be fine," Benjamin said.

After a moment of thought, Denise nodded. "All right, then."

"At this moment, she must be sulking somewhere in secret. Once she's done venting, she'll come to grips with things!" Benjamin analyzed confidently. But then, he suddenly turned to Denise. "Who's to blame for the fight?"

Denise's brows furrowed. "I'm not entirely sure about the specifics. By the time I arrived, they were already arguing fiercely. From what I gathered, it seemed to be Spencer who was at fault. It appeared that he had no feelings for Thalia."

"No feelings for her?" Benjamin narrowed his eyes. "That's impossible."

"Thalia asked him outright, but Spencer didn't deny it, so Thalia just took it for the truth," Denise said.

Benjamin thought for a moment. Then, he could not help but click his tongue, saying, "How arrogant of Spencer to act as he pleases just because he's somewhat good-looking. He has no feelings for her, huh? No one would believe that. When Thalia got off the helicopter covered in blood, he was frantic and wouldn't even allow anyone to touch her. What was that if not love?"

Upon reflection, Denise suddenly exclaimed with an enlightened expression. "That's right! How could I have forgotten about that?"

"Even though I'm not sure why Spencer said what he did, I'm absolutely certain that he likes Thalia. There must be something he's afraid to admit... Well, whatever it is, it doesn't matter. The day will come wher Thalia grows tired of playing this game with him, and that's when Spencer will have something to worry about."

Hearing that, Denise nodded in agreement. "Exactly."

As she spoke, she looked at Benjamin. "Who would have thought you're the silent but wise type, Ben!"

With a proud quirk of his eyebrow, Benjamin gazed at her and said, "I didn't expect you, an expert in idol dramas, to be so clueless about such a matter."

"I..." Denise wanted to argue, but she abruptly paused. "That's because I've got something on my mind."

"What's on your mind?" Benjamin asked. "Speak up. I'll help you with it."

Right then, Denise looked up at him. "Ben, don't you think Nat is..." She struggled to find an appropriate adjective but to no avail, even after a long time had passed. In the end, she could only say awkwardly, "Don't you think she's acting very strangely?"

Speaking of that, the smile on Benjamin's face faded slightly. "You noticed it too?"

Denise nodded.

"It's not just Nat, but also Daddy and Tony," Benjamin said with his eyes fixed on her.

Upon hearing that, Denise nodded in agreement. "Yes, you're right. It feels like they're keeping some secret from us."

Benjamin fell deep in thought. He initially thought that it was only his impression, but since Denise had said the same then, it was clearly not just his figment of imagination.

"I'm not worried about them keeping some secret from us. What concerns me is that Nat has suddenly lost so much weight. There must be a problem. It's definitely not as simple as her being on a diet," Benjamin murmured, his gaze growing increasingly indecipherable.