Lydia stumbled a bit, almost losing her balance.

When she turned around and saw who it was, her face changed.

"Henry? What are you doing here?"

Henry's expression darkened as he stared at the direction she'd just looked, where Clara stood, and asked coldly, "What were you looking at?"

"I was just..." Lydia started, about to mention Clara, but the second the thought of their connection crossed her mind, her chest tightened painfully.

Instinctively, she didn't want him to know Clara was there, so she quickly changed tack.

"I wasn't looking at anything."

Henry's expression stiffened. His voice dropped lower, like ice spreading under her skin.

"Lydia. Do you think I'm blind?"

She blinked. "What's that supposed to mean...?"

He took a step closer, his eyes sharp, searching hers.

"You think I didn't see it? You standing there like you were waiting for someone-then suddenly pretending nothing happened?"

Lydia's breath caught in her throat.

Henry's voice dipped lower, more dangerous now. "You've been acting strange for days. And now you're sneaking around, meeting people behind my back?"

"I wasn't sneaking-"

"You're lying again."

He said nothing for a moment, just looked at her with that unreadable expression that always made her chest tighten.

Then his voice came, calm and final. "Get in the car."

She hesitated.

"Now."

Lydia followed, heart pounding.

The drive back to the estate was silent. When they arrived, Henry stepped out of the car and walked ahead without a glance. At the door, he stopped just long enough to speak.

"You're not leaving this house," he said. "Not unless I say so."

Then he left her standing there, frozen.

Bitterness pooled in her chest. He never trusted her-only his own version of the story.

She'd been so scared in that elevator. But all he saw was something to accuse.

Upstairs, she closed the door to her room with a soft click. Then she crossed to the shelf and opened a cardboard box.

Inside were rows of oddly shaped little robots -all handmade by her over the years as she taught herself how to build them. They were the only things that still brought her a little peace.

If Henry wouldn't let her out, then fine-she wouldn't go.

Honestly, Lydia didn't feel like dealing with people anyway. Compared to making small talk, she'd rather hole up and tinker with her little robot buddies.

Right now, she was working on a chubby little bot-that was the one she'd be using to compete in a couple of days.

Just thinking about the weekend's robotics competition made the corners of her mouth lift slightly.

Martha had already helped her sign up on the sly. And luckily, Henry was supposed to be out that day-perfect chance for her to sneak out with the bot and join the competition without getting caught.

The weekend came.

Lydia got up early, made sure the coast was clear, then tiptoed out with her robot in tow.

Outside the competition venue-

Clara spotted Henry stepping out of the car and quickly rushed over, trying to latch onto his arm with a bright smile.

But Henry gave her a cold glance, making her freeze mid-action. Awkwardly, she forced a laugh.

"You're here, Henry!"

"Yeah." Henry's tone was as flat as ever. His eyes shifted to Charles walking up behind. "Professor Spencer."

Charles gave him a nod and smiled, "Let's head in. This year's competition's drawing quite the crowd, thanks to your backing, Mr. Lawson."

Henry replied coolly, "Quality matters more than numbers."

"Exactly!" Charles nodded thoughtfully. "Our country started late in R&D; we've lost so much talent over the years. Only recently have things started picking up. Hopefully we'll see some real promise this time."

After exchanging a few words, they began making their way inside-just as a taxi pulled up at the front entrance.

Out stepped a figure.

Henry caught her in his peripheral vision, and his face darkened on the spot.

Lydia?

He didn't even think-just strode toward her with long steps.

Clara also noticed Lydia, her expression changing instantly.

Why is she here?!

Panic kicked in as her eyes darted to Charles.

And sure enough, Charles was staring at Lydia, a thoughtful look settling on his face.

He was just trying to place where he'd seen her before, but in Clara's eyes, that gaze meant something else entirely.

Her heart started pounding.

In the meantime, Henry had already reached Lydia.

And the second Lydia saw him, all the color drained from her face.

Just as she was about to turn and leave, Henry grabbed her wrist, his face clouded over. "Who said you could walk out that door? You found me here-are you stalking me now?"

His sharp tone drained the color from Lydia's face. She scrambled to explain before he took things the wrong way again.

"I'm not stalking you," she gestured anxiously. "I came here for the science competition."

She held up the small robot in her hands. "See? This is my entry."

Henry shot a dismissive glance at it and sneered, "This old junk pile?"

Without warning, he swatted it to the ground.

The robot slammed to the floor, shattering into pieces.

"No!"

Lydia dropped to her knees, frantically gathering the broken parts.

But Henry yanked her back up, his expression growing darker, irritated. "You really think I'm that gullible? You better start talking-what are you pulling here?"

The sting of his words hit hard.

He doesn't believe her... at all.

Tears welled in her eyes. She bit her lip, glanced at him through the blur, then wrenched herself free.

"Henry, I hate you!"

With her busted robot in her arms, she turned and ran.

Henry's face darkened.

She's really getting bolder by the day.

...

Lydia ran and ran, only stopping when her legs gave out. She collapsed by the roadside, clutching the broken robot, tears streaming down.

This competition... she'd waited years for this. Three whole years.

Now it was gone. All of it-gone.

The harder she tried not to cry, the more her tears fell. She thought Henry would at least... understand her, even if he didn't support her.

But his reaction just now felt like he crushed her trust along with the robot.

"Miss Abbott?"

A gentle voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

Lydia looked up through blurry eyes and saw Michael standing right in front of her.

"So it really is you," he smiled.

For a second, he thought he'd gotten it wrong. But the way she looked eating candy that last time-it stuck with him. So he took the chance to ask. And yeah, it was her.

Seeing her like this, so upset, tugged at something in him. He walked closer.

"You okay?" he asked. "Need help with anything?"

The doctor...

Lydia felt a little let down. For a moment there, she thought maybe Henry had followed her.

What a joke.

Especially since she thought she'd just seen Clara nearby.

If Clara's around, there's no way Henry would spare a second thought for someone like her.

Michael's voice at least warmed her heart a little. She lifted her hands and gestured.

"My robot broke," she signed. "I can't compete anymore."She hadn't expected him to understand her at all. But to her surprise, after watching her hand signs, Michael paused briefly, then pointed at the broken robot in his arms and asked, "You mean this one?"

Lydia was stunned for a second. He could read sign language?

She nodded instinctively and replied,

-Yes, that's the one.

Michael gave a small smile. "Mind if I take a look?"

-Sure.

Sniffling, Lydia passed him the damaged robot, her eyes still red.

He turned it over in his hands, examining it for a moment before suddenly grinning. "Hang on a second."

Before she could respond, he walked off into a nearby mall with the robot.

By the time Lydia realized and chased after him, he had already disappeared inside.

She froze, feeling a wave of disappointment crash over her.

Seriously?

Not only was her carefully-built robot trashed, making it impossible to compete-now someone had straight-up taken off with it?

The more she thought, the worse she felt. Tears streamed down uncontrollably.

Just then, Michael reappeared.

Lydia stared at him, wide-eyed.

Seeing her still crying, Michael chuckled softly. "Okay, okay, no more tears. Your robot's fine-look, I fixed it."

-Huh?

Lydia took the robot from him, still in disbelief. It was actually repaired.

-How did you do that?!

The joy in her eyes was obvious, followed quickly by guilt.

So... he had just gone to fix it for her. And she'd thought the worst of him.

Michael said, "It wasn't really broken, just missing a part. I found someone inside who had the piece and helped put it in place. That's all."

Looking over it carefully, Lydia saw he was right, and quickly thanked him with a bright smile.

-Dr. Shaw, thank you so, so much!

He waved it off with a grin. "No need to thank me. Honestly, you could've figured it out yourself. You were just too stressed to notice."

-Still, I really appreciate it.

Michael just shook his head, amused. "Well, now that it's fixed, you can make it to the competition. Go on, don't be late."

Startled, Lydia checked the time.

-Alright. Dr. Shaw, I'm heading out. I owe you a meal for this!

She was about to leave when Michael gently caught her wrist.

Confused, Lydia turned back. He smiled and said, "If you just run over now, the competition's probably over. Come on, I'll give you a ride."

Lydia hesitated, bit her lip, then gave a small nod.

...

At the competition venue, things were already wrapping up.

The judges had made their final decisions, and someone came over to report to Charles and Henry.

Charles let out a quiet sigh, "I really thought we'd find some promising talent this time... but no. There's still a long way to go."

Henry didn't react much-his tone was calm. "Well, if that's the case, go ahead and make the announcement."

The person nodded and walked off.

On stage, the host got the cue, looked down at the audience and said, "And now, the winner of this year's competition is-"

Before he could finish, a sudden commotion came from the entrance.

Henry frowned and glanced over, instantly spotting Lydia.

He shot up from his seat right away.

"Henry?" Clara looked over at him in surprise, then followed his gaze-and her expression instantly darkened. "Why is she here again?!"

What the hell were those security guys doing? They couldn't even keep a girl like Lydia out!?

Fuming, her chest lightly heaving, she was just about to call someone over to drag Lydia out when Lydia had already stepped onto the stage.

The host froze for a second, not stopping her at all, just standing there as Lydia calmly placed her robot down.

Lydia quickly scanned the audience, then lightly tapped a command. The robot's voice rang out, saying exactly what she wanted to say.

"Wait a sec! The contest isn't over yet-I haven't had my turn!"

Her eyes were filled with determination. Some staff started hurrying over, but Lydia didn't flinch. She kept her focus and continued manipulating the robot.

"My robot can analyze substances in the human body. For example..."

The robot turned to face Charles, following her prompt.

"I can tell exactly what you ate yesterday, and list out every ingredient, down to the meds you took."

Then, right on cue, the robot began listing everything Charles had eaten the day before, including the medications and their chemical components-down to the last detail.

For a moment, everyone turned to look at Charles.

And then-total silence.

A beat later, a crisp round of applause broke out.

Charles stood up, clapping as he looked at Lydia. "Brilliant! Your analysis is spot on, and the idea is fascinating! I'll admit, I thought this year's contest was gonna be another disappointment. But Miss Abbott, you proved me wrong. I officially declare Lydia the winner of this year's science competition!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Henry, who was about to walk up and pull Lydia off the stage earlier, paused, stunned.

So she actually managed to create something this impressive?

Thinking back to how he just tossed that thing aside not long ago, he felt a twinge of regret.

Lydia stood there, dazed by the thunderous applause.

It took her a moment to process everything. Her mouth opened just a bit, and then-tears started falling without her even realizing.

"Did I... actually do it? I really did it! Ten whole years of hard work, all finally paying off. So this is what recognition feels like-it's amazing." She thought to herself.

Lydia was so happy she almost jumped up in excitement.

This was her moment. Just hers.

Charles walked up to the stage and personally handed her the award.At that moment, Charles finally realized that Lydia was the same girl he'd seen at the hospital the day before.

Looking at this kind-hearted and talented young woman, he couldn't help but grow more fond of her with every passing second.

He sighed sincerely, "Kid, you're amazing. Your parents must've been so proud of you."

Lydia's eyes welled up at the mention of her late parents.

-Thank you.

Even though he probably didn't get what she was truly feeling, Lydia still wanted to express her gratitude.

As Charles kept singing Lydia's praises, Clara's face darkened with jealousy and panic started creeping up on her.

What was going on with her dad? He literally just met this girl!

Could he be... recognizing her?!

No way. She had to put a stop to this before things spiraled.

If he somehow found out that Lydia was actually his biological daughter...

Then what happened all those years ago at the orphanage would come out. No more secrets.

Feeling the urgency rise, Clara rushed onto the stage and clung to Charles's arm, whining, "Daddy, okay, the competition's over and it's super crowded here. You're not feeling well, remember? Let's go home."

Charles gave Lydia a few more encouraging words and followed Clara offstage.

As they walked away, Clara shot Lydia a glare sharper than a knife.

That wretched girl. She just wouldn't stay gone.

Clara had actually thought Lydia died in that accident years back.

But no-Lydia had not only survived, she even ended up becoming part of Henry's family.

Clara had already felt uneasy when she ran into Lydia at the Lawsons'.

Who would've thought someone who had vanished for over a decade would suddenly pop up there?

Back then, she didn't dare believe her eyes.

But after seeing Lydia's reaction to that necklace at the hospital yesterday, Clara was sure of it. Lydia was that "Seven" from the orphanage. She hadn't been mistaken.

Good thing Henry clearly wasn't fond of Lydia ever since that car accident.

So Clara figured she still had the upper hand, enough to act all high and mighty in front of her.

But now her dad had only met Lydia once and already thought so highly of her...

No way. She couldn't let this girl stay.

That thought alone made Clara's eyes grow darker, her heart full of brewing malice.

Lydia, meanwhile, found Clara's hostility puzzling, though she didn't dwell on it.

What really caught her off guard was Charles, someone who felt so warm and sincere, was actually Clara's dad?

Somehow, watching the two of them leave, Lydia felt a weird emptiness settle in her chest.

She couldn't explain it, but when she looked at Charles, there was this strange sense of familiarity... almost like home.

And she had no idea why.