GraceEthan’s gaze snaps to mine, cold and unflinching as a blade. “ Fine. Go. Do whatever the fuck you want because I am not responsible for you and I sure as fuck won't stop you from getting eaten by any wild animal. ”I stand there for a moment, just glaring at him. Then, it clicks. I don’t expect anything from him, and he doesn’t owe me anything either.I spin around and start walking, my heartbeat quickening with each step forward. My steps are uneven, my body aching from the cold and exhaustion, but I push forward. Each step sends sharp jolts of pain through my legs, my wet clothes pulling at my skin like dead weight.It’s fine. I can do this. I have to.Then I hear it—a low growl, rumbling through the trees like something ancient and hungry. I freeze, every muscle in my body locking up as my breath catches in my throat. My head snaps toward the sound, eyes narrowing to see in the darkness. The wind howls around me, carrying the sound of several animals.I glance back toward
Grace“ That’s unfortunate but it’s also a relief that you were not targeted by any animals. ” Fred takes his seat on the rundown couch and sighs. “ First thing in the morning, I will take you to the nearest road so you can contact your family. That’s where you will get a signal. ”My shoulders droop as my gaze switches between Ethan and Fred. How many hours are left till morning? I want to ask, but I don’t.I just lower my head and stare at the labelless bottle of liquor. I don’t even know what it is…but my body is freezing and I really…“ It’s safe, girl. You can drink a little. ” Fred reads my thoughts and shoots me a warm smile. I watch him for a moment before muttering. “ Fine. Just a little. ”The first sip burns like fire, searing all the way down, but it spreads warmth through my chest. A false warmth, but warmth nonetheless.Then, I am taking more sips unable to stop myself. I am sure I have taken just a few sips, but my head is already beginning to grow heavy. My vision blu
EthanTristin. She keeps calling his name. Even when my lips find their way to her stomach, she whimpers again. “ Tristin. ”I kiss the scar under her belly, and she continues to think it’s him. Leaning back, I stroke the horizontal line with my thumb, noticing the way she arches for more.She almost died giving birth to his son. And now it will be hard for her to bear another child. Did he tell her that?No, he didn’t. The first thing he did was to ask the doctor to keep it a secret from her. He does all that. Hides things, lies, pulls strings from the background…Yet, she keeps calling on him like she can’t get enough. If I had done that, would she have forgiven me as easily as she does for him? No, she would never. So, I will not let her forgive him either. I will make sure she finds out everything he has done to her. She won’t recover from one secret, and the next truth will be ready to unleash. So many lies, so many secrets…so many…fuck ups…Even if she forgives him for a f
EthanI swallow again before marching out of the room. If I stay, I might not be able to hold back.The moment I step out and close the door behind me, Fred steps forth, his curious eyes stealing a glance at the door. My jaw grits. Noticing that, he instantly averts his gaze towards the floor.“ Everything is done, Boss. The bottles were exchanged. ” He informs, his voice low.I nod, walking towards the couch in the distance. Every sign of the drugged liquor has been removed. And the drugs won’t be detected in her blood. She can tell Tristin that she simply took a few sips and then blacked out, and he might believe her. But when he finds no proof, a man like that fucker won’t believe her for long. Once he loses his trust, he will show her his true colors. Faced with the monster she thought was an angel, I wonder how she will react. I tilt my head and regard everything with a curious glint in my eyes. Cracks will appear in her form. Undeniably, everything about her perfect life will
TristinWas it my fault? I keep thinking about it. Maybe it was. If I had kept a better eye on her instead of spending all my time looking for my son, she wouldn’t have been lost now.I just found our son. And before I even got to tell her the news, she was gone.What do I do? Why do I keep failing? I continue to ask myself, blame myself, but I continue to move too. I can’t stop. I have left my son at home with my mother and a fleet of guards who will ensure nothing happens to them now…But nothing puts me at ease.The night stretches on, and I keep pushing through the woods, my boots heavy in the mud, the cold biting into me. I don’t even feel it anymore—the cold, the exhaustion—everything blurs together. The only thing in my mind is Grace. She has to be unharmed—she just has to be, or I don’t know what I will do because, without her, I will feel no need to be a better man. Or maybe I never had to be good. Because it does not suit me. If I was still the same man I was before I
Grace“ A woman…like that came here. But she didn’t come alone. She came with her husband. ” The man blurts suddenly, making me freeze in my spot. Husband?For a moment, everything stops. But I can’t think too much. I have to check. I push open the door to the cabin. Luca is right behind me, pulling the man along with him. The air inside is thick, heavy, and the dim light from a single lamp makes everything look wrong.I don’t think. I just move.I open the door to the only room. And then my heart stops.There she is. Grace.The world around me comes to a stop, and everything inside me turns upside down.She is lying in bed. Bare shoulders exposed to the light, the blanket barely covering her. For a moment, everything feels distant. Is this real, or is it my hyper imagination tricking me again?I don’t understand what I am seeing. My eyes move down, and I see a man’s arm wrapped around her. Holding her. Pulling her close.No one does that. Only I do. She will never—never let anyone
GraceMy head pounds like someone is smashing a drum inside my skull. I groan, my body heavy and sluggish, and that’s when I feel it—a hard yank on my body. Rough. Unforgiving. My eyes flutter open, and the blurry image of Tristin comes into view. I want to call his name, but my throat feels so dry, and my head is about to explode.Tiredly, I blink while trying to reach him. And that’s when I start to make out what he is doing. He is above Ethan, fists flying as Ethan lies on the floor, blood dripping from his nose and lip. My brain can’t catch up with what is happening.“ Tr—Tristin? ” I croak out. My hand instinctively reaches out, grabbing his arm to stop him. “ What—What are you doing? Stop… ”He doesn’t stop. Instead, his arm jerks, shoving me backward like I am nothing. My head slams against the headboard, and a sharp pain shoots through me. Warm liquid trails down my forehead, and when I touch it, my fingers come back red. Blood. I am bleeding.I push myself up, my vision bl
GraceEthan looks at me like I have grown two heads. Then, he shakes his head, his breath coming out heavy. “ If they were drugged, I would have been affected too. I drank the same alcohol you did, Grace. Don’t you remember? ”“No...” My voice falters, my knees threatening to give out beneath me. My mind is racing, trying to piece together fragments that don’t exist. I can remember—I tell myself.But everything is so blank. “ You are lying. Tell me you are lying. Say we didn’t...that we didn’t do anything. Please, Ethan. Just say that this is all your plan, and we… ”Ethan’s jaw tightens. He runs a hand through his hair, his voice rising in frustration. “ I would have told you if I could, but I don’t remember anything! I don’t remember touching you or…or leaving those marks on you. But they are there. So, I must have.”The weight of his words crushes me. My legs give out, and I collapse onto the floor, clutching the sheets to my chest. Tears blur my vision as sobs wrack my body. Th
GraceSeb’s breath grows steady, his body soft and warm against mine as he drifts off to sleep. I hold him close a moment longer, feeling the rise and fall of his tiny chest. A fragile sense of peace settles over us.I rise from the couch slowly, careful not to wake him, and tuck him into bed. His small fist curls into the soft blanket as I smooth it over him. Just as I turn around, my breath catches in my throat.Tristin is leaning against the doorway, one shoulder pressed to the frame, his arms crossed. His eyes find mine with a quiet intensity that sends heat rushing to my cheeks.“ You are back… ” He says, his voice low and husky. I swallow hard and nod. “ I am back. ”The silence between us stretches. My heartbeat quickens, and memories swirl inside my head—his rough hands on my skin, his harsh mouth claiming me, the weight of his body. The air thickens with everything unspoken.Tristin’s gaze flickers, a subtle shift of emotion I can’t name. “ I thought you would stay and see y
Grace“ Mommy, I missed you! ” My son snuggles into my neck.He has been clinging to me since I came back unannounced. Now, I know my baby has one more similarity with his Daddy. He only pretends to be fine when I am away. It makes me reflect back on all the times when I was not there for Seb. Sighing, I kiss the side of his head and pull him in my lap.“ I missed you too, Baby. ” He grins, his cute two front teeth showing, before he wraps his small arms around my neck and hangs there. My heart melts. No matter what I am going through in life…Having my son cling to me can make it all better.“ Did you listen to Grandma? ” I ask, stroking his hair.“ Yes. I did. ” He nods, leaving my neck and sliding down my lap to settle on the couch beside me.I notice the sudden change and look down at his face to see him staring at his hands. An invisible, cold hand grips my heart.“ What’s wrong, Seb? ” I stroke his hair, fixing a few strands that have fallen on his forehead.“ You said…you wi
Grace“ I just saw the way he looked at her when I went to meet him. Doesn’t take a genius to guess what’s going on. I thought I should let you know… as a gesture of…goodwill. ” Ethan’s voice lightens, a playful lilt to it. The audacity he has…It will never fail to baffle me.I turn to face him. “ Tristin is not you, Ethan. Send a million beautiful women his way, and he won’t look at any of them the way you are trying to make me think he does. But you? ”I shift my weight from one leg to another as he watches me with all his attention. He lifts his brows, silently urging me to continue.“ You lose your mind over every woman who says ‘I love you’ to you because you…you are not a man, Ethan. You are an insecure little boy who wants to feel loved. But the truth? You are…so disgusting that no woman can actually love you after knowing the real you ” I snicker, noticing the look in his eyes.Judging from the way his jaw clenches and his hand turns into tight fists…I have hit the mark.“
Grace“ This deal can’t go through, Mr. Renaud. It requires a long stay here and I can’t stay for that long. I have family back home, and I need to return immediately. ” I state my reason, and keep my gaze steady on him. “ I apologize for the sudden notice, but it will be better if you start looking for other companies. ”“ Mrs. Roberto… ” He looks at me, and then at Ethan as if silently asking him what to do.My lips stretch into a smirk. Of course. This is all Ethan’s setup. A trap to get me to stay away from my family and get close to him. He wants to strike me when I am already vulnerable. He thinks I will return to him if I am cornered.But he doesn’t understand. After my whole life turned upside down, Tristin…held it together…and if I lose him too, then I will never love another man. And even if someday I find the courage to move forward, it won’t be with Ethan. There is nothing that can ever happen between us.“ This is not very professional of you, Grace. Backing out after
GraceWhen I wake up in the morning, Tristin is gone. I shoot up in bed, and look around but don’t find him anywhere.A strange fear fills me and claws its way up my throat. Did he leave me here alone?In a hurry, I reach for my phone on the floor but before I can dial his number, my gaze falls on the note placed on the side table.I grab it and stare at the message he has left me. —Fred needs to be taken care of, or it will become a problem. I have to go, but I am leaving Luca behind. Stick close to him, and don’t go anywhere alone. Swallowing the bile rising to my throat, I sit on the edge of the bed and turn the note around. The note is written in such a serious tone. It lacks Tristin’s usual smiley.I place it back on the table and look at the floor. My shoulders droop. He has not really gotten over what he saw. Ethan didn’t sleep with me, but I was in bed with him—Naked, with marks all over me. It won’t be easy for Tristin and I to put that past us. But…I am determined to put
GraceRelief creeps in slowly, but it doesn’t stay. Panic follows, threatening to drown me. I lift my gaze to Tristin’s face, my voice breaking. “ Is—Is that why you came to me? Is that why you slept with me? Because you know…Ethan didn’t…sleep with…me? ”His frown deepens, and I try to slip back on the bed, but he is faster. Tristin rolls to my side and wraps his arms around me. His grip tightens around me, holding me firm. His chest presses against mine, steady and warm, before he rests his forehead against mine. His breath is ragged.Tears blur my vision. I hate how easily they come now. One slips down my cheek before I can stop it. “ You didn’t care…” I whisper, my voice trembling with hurt. “ You didn’t care what this did to me. How it broke me. You only care if Ethan touched what’s yours. You left me alone when I needed you and you didn’t…care… ”Tristin sighs. He brushes a kiss over my damp cheek as if that could make this better. “ I was angry because he touched you. Beca
Grace“ Grace— ”“ Don’t call me that. ” I interrupt and press my forehead against his chest before his glare burns a hole into me. “ Please don’t start calling me that now. I hate it…but it’s true that I have had a very bad experience before, Tristin, and every time a problem arises, or you stop calling me by the nickname…I get scared. I can’t help it. It’s…rooted in my head that I am useless, that I am not worthy of anything good and… ”Before I can continue, Tristin grabs my hair, tilts my head back, and slams his lips over mine. I gasp, my breath whooshing out of my lungs. He doesn’t push his tongue in my mouth, but he presses our lips together so hard that a shudder runs down my spine. “ I love you. ” He pulls back and breathes. “ If I wanted an heiress, I would have married one. If I wanted someone else, I would have married someone else, Little Butterfly. But I married you. Because…you are you. And I love you for who you are. ”“ What is there to love— ”“ If you are going to
Grace“ Pathetic…isn’t it? ” Tristin drawls, his hand caressing my thigh as he continues to move on that easy rhythm, slowly bringing pleasure instead of rushing it. “ Pathetic because you don’t want to hurt me? ” My hand reaches for his face, fingers brushing his cheek.“ Pathetic because…you can say and do things to hurt me but I can’t do the same. ” He grunts, his eyes growing half-lidded with pleasure.I lick my lips, feeling the waves of pleasure hitting me in soothing waves. “ I…never want to hurt you, Tristin. I love you. ”“ And how many times have you really said it in our three years of marriage? ” He rolls his eyes, his pace picking up as we draw near ecstasy—a pleasure tinged with pain. “ it’s always been me. I move around you like a dog who is eager to wag his tail at someone who doesn’t give a damn about him. ”“ Don’t say that. ” I cup his cheek, my brows furrowing. “ I…am sorry. I love you. I can…say it every day. I will—I will make sure to— ”His lips press on mine b
Grace“ Sore? ” He rasps against my ear as I lie curled up on my side, my back facing him.I don’t know how many times we have done it. After he took me from behind, he turned me on my back and had his way with me again. Then, he laid me down flat on my stomach and kept driving in and out until I was begging him to stop.I never knew he had this side to him. He has always been so sweet and gentle and nice, always putting me first whenever we are in bed.“ On a scale of one to ten, how sore are you? ” Tristin asks when I don’t reply.My throat feels scratched after screaming so much and my legs ache as if they are going to fall off any moment. And my insides? I think something is rubbed raw in there, burning and satiated at the same time.I grumble under my breath. “ Hundred. ”“ Good. ” He whispers right away, and his hand grabs my bare hip to pull me back into him.“ Are you not done yet?! ” I scream before I can stop myself, my breaths growing labored again.I feel like crying becau