GraceI wince, sensing the soreness between my legs. Even with so many injuries, he was relentless and insatiable. We ended up having sex in his bedroom again before he finally called Luca and got his wounds bandaged. I laid there, trying to make sense of things, and he was there, wiping my body with a wet cloth. I didn’t speak, and he didn’t push me into anything. In the end, we found ourselves on the same bed. Now, he is lying beside me, his hand placed so close to mine. My heart is pounding in my chest, refusing to calm down or settle.“ Now, what do we call what happened between us? Is it a one-time thing or what? ” I clench the sheets. “ I want you to stay by my side. You can stay in whatever way you want, Little Butterfly. You can be my girlfriend…or my wife. I don’t…mind. ” His hoarse, tired voice echoes in the silent room.My heart misses a beat. Girlfriend or wife…Both titles scare me.And the fact that Alma was terrified of the same thing happening ticks me off even mo
EthanThe pictures lie on my lap.She kissed Tristin and spent the night at his place. She told me she didn’t want to be with any other man after me. And she lied. “ Where is she now? ” I ask Josh. “ She was last seen at the airport, Boss. ” He reveals, standing beside me.I nod, taking the pictures and dropping them on the side table. My head should be hurting enough to make me sick, but I can not even feel it.It’s because my heart is bleeding.The door to the hospital room opens and Noah, the new man I hired from the professional secretary team at the office, steps inside. “ Mr. Calder. ” He nods respectfully and comes to stand by Josh’s side.Josh looks at him but doesn’t say anything. “ Step out. ” I turn my head towards the ceiling-to-floor window in my hospital room.“ Noah, step out— ” “ I am talking to you, Josh. Get out and close the door on your way. ” I state, narrowing my eyes.“ Uh—Yes, Boss. ” Josh nods and leaves us alone. “ What did you find? ” I keep my gaze
Grace—3 Months Later…It’s not easy leaving your country to settle in some foreign place. That’s what most people say.But I will say that I am having the best time of my life. I go to sleep every night with the plans for the next day in my mind and wake up ready to do my best. This feels different than going to sleep crying or wondering about the people in my life and waking up to think about what scheme I might encounter. I no longer move in the same circle, always finding myself in the same spot. I have left that circle altogether. Although, once in a while, I think about the past, about my loss. But it doesn’t freeze me. I am beginning to accept this new life because I know I will never return to the past again. The change of place has done me good. “ What do you want? ” Celine asks in her all-time chiming voice.“ The usual. ” I shrug, glancing out of the window in the cafe.It’s raining. The weather is starting to become cold. And after a long time, I feel myself just focus
Grace“ I just felt like… ” Tristin trails off and swallows. “ coming to see you. ”I don’t need to ask how he found me. If he wants to, he can find me anywhere. I stay still, staring up into his out-of-focus eyes. He is looking right through me as if thinking about something. My eyes lower to the sleeves of his jacket, getting caught in the drops of water dripping down the edge. I look down at his feet and sigh. “ The rain stopped more than an hour ago. Why are you drenched? ” I frown. Tristin’s gaze follows my eyes and lands on the pool of water around his feet. His shoulders slump, making me blink. This is the first time I have seen him like this—dejected and lost. “ I can ask Luca to come up with a suit and— ”I grab the sleeve of his jacket and pull him inside the apartment. The coldness of his hand seeps into my fingers that brush against his skin.Leaving him standing beside the wall, I close the door and sigh, lowering my gaze to the floor. I thought I wouldn’t see him a
GraceI don’t say anything, just turn my back to him and start brewing tea again. I should only feel some sympathy for him, and his family…But I keep doing more than that.My heart clenches every time that I realize what Tristin must be feeling right now. It hurts more when I think about Alma and Ania. It’s sick to feel anything for Alma…but I can’t help myself. Tristin stays behind me for a few moments. Then, leaves and sits on the couch. I shoot him a side glance, watching his lowered head and his fingers brushing his wet hair. “ The…worst fact in life is that… ” Tristin murmurs in a low voice. “ you can not choose your family. ”My parents’ faces flash before my eyes. He is indeed right. If I could choose, I would have chosen to be born to anyone but them. I would have chosen anyone as my sibling but Lily. “ If that’s not enough…you can’t even change their past or go back to make them choose something else. ” Tristin whispers.I blink and pour the tea into cups before walking
Grace“ The PR is taking down the articles and pulling the video from social media. They will be done soon but I think the damage is already done. ” Tristin sighs, closing his eyes.I look down at his face. I am still trying to understand how his head actually landed in my lap. I scratch my ear and hum. “ How did the video release? From what I know Lily is still…kind of missing? ”“ That wench is not as smart as I thought. She made sure my cousin had a copy of the video in case she went missing. She used it as leverage to keep herself safe all this time. But Carlos didn’t wait for whatever she had in mind. As soon as he gathered enough people to back him at the company, he released the video to weaken my position. ” He grumbles, moving his head to rest in a comfortable position.My hands hang in the air as I blink a few times. “ Uh…Carlos? Your cousin wants to— ”Tristin snorts. “ He wishes. He can bring hell to Earth and he still won’t be able to become the CEO of our business. At m
TristinShe looks at peace when she is asleep. I stare up at her face, filling my heart with the sight of her. I didn’t realize that I was that into her until she left and I had to spend all this time without meeting her or hearing her voice. My hand reaches for her cheek, caressing her skin. She shudders in her sleep, shifting her head on the headrest. My phone vibrates in my pocket, grabbing my attention. Sighing, I sit and pick up Luca’s call.It felt good to place my head in her lap and pretend that the world is not on fire but I must go back to that nightmare now.“ Boss, you were right. That girl didn’t approach Ms. Whitlock by chance. ” Luca reveals. He’s been investigating this new girl who has appeared by Grace’s side, pretending to be her soulmate, best friend. Grace is too innocent to understand that nothing of that sort exists in this world.“ It was him? ” I rise from the couch and walk towards the glass wall in her apartment.The rain has stopped but the temperature
GraceWhen I wake up the next morning, Tristin is already gone. There is no trace of him left in my apartment, other than his lingering cologne.For some reason, it makes me sad. He could have stayed to say goodbye, or at least left a note but there is nothing.I sulk in the shower, in the kitchen as I prepare my coffee, and in the lounge as I flip through different channels. It’s the weekend and I don’t have anything to do. Maybe, I should call Celine and see what she is doing today.I ponder over it for a while before I pick up my phone and open the messaging app. But, my fingers freeze on my screen when I see a new message from an unknown number.—You look beautiful when you sleep, Little Butterfly.An unconscious smile touches my lips. An image is attached under the message.As the picture loads, my eyes narrow into slits. Asshole! I huff. It’s me, in bed, pouting, and my hair all over the place. Does this look beautiful to Tristin? As my fingers move across the keyboard typing
GraceTristin nods, his grip tightening. “ Is it really that painful? ”I smile softly. “ Do you not remember when I gave birth? I was screaming and— ”“ Stop. ” Tristin’s voice turns bitter. He turns his head, his eyes darkening. “ I don’t want to recall that, and I do not want you to go through that again. I would not even dare want more children after seeing you like that. ”I blink at him, caught off guard. Then I try to joke. “ That is because you already have two sons. Why would you want more? ”The words register after I have already said them. Silence falls between us right away—thick and uncomfortable. I regret saying it.Tristin looks at me for a long moment before sighing under his breath. “ That is not why, Little Butterfly. I just do not want to see you in pain ever again. ”I nod, swallowing the lump forming in my throat. We don’t talk after that. The awkwardness still hangs. We grab some sandwiches and coffee before heading back. I convince Mom to eat, and after a few
GraceThe corridor outside the operation theatre is filled with tension. Mom sits stiffly on one of the chairs, her fingers twisting together, while Tristin paces back and forth, his jaw tight. Every few minutes, he runs a hand through his hair and squeezes his eyes shut whenever Ania’s screams echo down the hall. The air is thick, heavy with worry and helplessness.I stand still, my hands clenched at my sides, my stomach twisting into knots. This is really nerve-wracking.The doctors have not said anything good about Ania’s condition. And it has been a long time since she went into labor. I can’t help but feel that the longer it takes, the harder it becomes to control my nerves. The sound of hurried footsteps reaches me, and I snap my head up just in time to see Luca rushing toward us. His eyes are wide, panic written all over his face. He stumbles to a stop in front of me, his chest heaving up and down heavily. “ Where is she? ” His voice breaks as he looks around wildly, search
Grace“ What? ” My heart misses a beat as I listen to her breathless cries from the other side. “ Ania, just hold on. Everything is going to be fine. Where are you right now? ”“ I—I am going to our hospital. ” She hisses, then screams in pain. “ and Luca—Luca is not here. Where is that asshole when I need him?! ” I open my mouth to say something when Ania starts cursing out and wailing as loud as she can. Panic grips my throat as I rush back to the dining room. My heart is pounding too hard in my chest. “ Mom! ” I shout, forgetting everything else, every grievance, every ounce of resentment. Right now, none of that matters.Mom’s head snaps up instantly. “ Grace? Why are you shouting? What’s wrong? ”“ It’s Ania… ” I say, barely stopping to breathe. “ She is in labor and on the way to the hospital. We have to go. Right now. ”For a moment, Mom just sits there, just staring at me. Then she jumps to her feet and gasps. “ My daughter is in labor? ”“ Yes. We need to— ” I start, but
GraceIt was nearly impossible to convince Tristin to adopt Sebas—That…child.But then again, Tristin was right in his own way.I couldn’t even bring myself to call that child by his name because…somehow, he shared the same name as my son, so how was I going to raise him? How was I going to deal with the hatred he had for me, and how was I going to lessen that hatred after pushing his mother away from him? I had a hunch.The adoption would prove to be just a setup for a bigger disaster in the future. What if…Sebastian and Seb turned out to be another Lily and Grace? What if one grew up to be used to snatching everything away from the other? There are too many questions.But there is no answer.I sigh as I watch Mom’s back. She is sitting in the dining room, piling up food in Serena and her son’s plates. The child keeps nodding, but he doesn’t smile—I notice.He is as serious as any adult who is weary of life or nearly done with it. A frown etches between my brows as I rest my si
GraceMy body trembles with the intensity of the rage. I want to say so much more, but he releases a shaky breath, and I pause.“ I feel it too…We are drifting apart. ” His grip on me tightens, his voice dropping. “ But I won’t let you go. I can’t. Not when I have realized…that…my fears are…making us drift apart more than anything else. ”My heart clenches. I swallow the lump in my throat and shake my head. Unconsciously, I grab his wrist and lean into the warmth of his hand. “ What if I really insist on leaving? ” I want to know the answer, to know for sure where we still stand. “ Will you lock me up and keep me like a caged bird forever? Just like…you are doing right now? ”Something crosses Tristin’s eyes—a dark emotion. Then he swallows hard and shakes his head.“ If… if I can’t stop you…” He says, his voice hoarse. “ and you really leave…then I will…spend the rest of my life trying to win you back. I won’t let go, but I won’t try to…put you in a cage. Because you…will hate me fo
GraceTristin hangs up, and silence falls between us. He told Luca to bring the pictures from the office. My stomach twists. What pictures?My mind immediately goes to the ones of him and Serena. The ones Ethan sent me. Pictures meant to…break us apart.No.A cold shudder runs down my spine.Ethan wouldn’t… he wouldn’t send similar pictures to Tristin, right?But what could he possibly take pictures of? I didn’t…My vision darkens for a moment when I think about that night in the cabin. My throat closes up, making it hard for me to breathe.He…wouldn’t have fallen so low, right? I barely get a moment to process that horrifying thought before I feel something shift in the air. I blink, and Tristin is suddenly too close—too near, his cologne wrapping around me like a vice grip.I look up, only to see his hands at the collar of his shirt, unbuttoning it slowly. I blink, watching as he opens the last button and pushes the shirt off his shoulders with ease. My breath hitches in my thro
Grace“ No. It sounds tempting, but we are not doing it. You can not raise that boy, Grace. We can not- - - ”“ Why? ” I snap, cutting him off. “ because you want to raise him with Serena, who is unhinged and bitchy! ”Tristin’s lips press in a thin line. His eyes narrow as if silently reproaching me for saying it aloud.I stand beside the bed, just in my panties, and suck in a slow breath. Instantly, his gaze drops to my chest, and he sighs.“ Why would I want to do that? ” His voice softens.“ Because she is your mistress, and you are lying to me about everything you just told me. ” I fold my arms across my chest, hiding my body from him.We are in the middle of an argument, and his starved, heated look is not helping this. “ I did not lie to you about anything. ” Tristin whispers, then averts his gaze to the wall. “ Just like I told you, I just don’t want you to— ”“ Okay. ” I say, interrupting him. “ Okay? ” Tristin’s brows lift, his eyes still on the wall.“ Yes… ” I shake my he
GraceA deafening silence falls in the room after Tristin tells me the truth.Or maybe it’s another well-crafted lie to soften my heart and make me stay put. I don’t know anymore. But as I stare at his lowered head and tense shoulder…I know that he is suffering. And I never like it when he is having a hard time. Because it makes me forget about everything that concerns me and makes me focus more on how to fix what’s wrong with him.“ One attack after another… ” I whisper, keeping the duvet pulled to my chest. “ First, he drugged me, had a hand in kidnapping our son, brought that Mona to ruin you, then this Serena… Ethan won’t stop Tristin. And for a reason, I have a hunch that Serena and Seb—Sebastian…this child. We need to focus less on them and more on what Ethan is going to do next. ”“ He will try his best to break this news to the world. ” Tristin scoffs, his fingers running through his hair. I press my lips in a thin line as I look towards the locked door. I need to get out
GraceA moment of silence falls between us. It’s suffocating and heavy.“ Because…if I had told you, you would have asked me to accept that boy into the family. ” Tristin answers in a quiet voice. “ What? Why?! That boy—he…he is your child too. Why— ”“ Unlike Mom, I don’t believe Serena to be a saint. She will use that boy to stir up trouble. Besides, if he stays, he will hold the position of the firstborn son in this family. Did I not tell you before, Grace? The Robertos only care about the son who is born first, and not about those who come after. ”I stammer. “ That’s—we can— ”But he cuts me off harshly. “ You and I…can try to balance things, but…once the extended family gets involved, it will be more business than emotions. First, he will take Seb’s name, then everything else that belongs to him. Our son, no matter how little he is…knows he is the future of this family. I am sure Mom has fed this to him with every meal he shared with her before. Now, do you want to tell him wh