Tristin“ Ms. Whitlock was given a potent Aphrodisiac. It is harmful to her body and brain. It’s good that I was called on time, Mr. Roberto. ” The doctor reveals, removing his thick glasses and turning to face me.Instantly, my eyes are drawn to the girl sleeping on the bed, now naked under the sheets. “ How is she now? ” I question.“ She will be fine after resting tonight. ” He sighs, collecting his things.He had given her an injection, possibly some antidote and Grace had fallen asleep right away. “ But if she wakes up in the night, please give me a call again, Mr. Roberto. ” He says.“ Stay in the next room. You are not going anywhere tonight. ” I announce, directing my neutral gaze at him.The doctor stiffens, his eyes darting towards Luca who is behind me. “ O—Of course, Mr. Roberto, I will stay as long as you need me. ”“ Good. Don’t fall asleep. ” I tell him before moving past him and going to stand beside Grace. “ Let’s go, Doctor. I will show you where you are staying. ”
GraceI am back on that road, my nails clawing at the hard surface as I watch Ethan carrying Lily away. In my blurred, and bloodied view, I see her smirk at me smugly. They don’t stop for me and don’t care if I die. Or maybe, they want me gone so they can enjoy their life together. They had already taken my inheritance, my talent, my future…and now they want my life too.But why must they hurt my Baby too? I don’t even know if it’s a girl or a boy. I don’t even know what my Baby looks like yet. How can you take it away from me? As I bleed out, and slowly lose consciousness, I feel the warm hands on my shoulder—a savior’s touch.I gasp, sitting up on the bed. My eyes blink wide open as I look around the room. Cold air brushes against my naked skin, making me hyperaware of my state.Horrified, I look down at my bare chest, as the blanket slips away. Color drains from my face, the last night’s memories flashing before my eyes. I pull the blanket up right away, hiding every inch of my
Ethan“ The papers were delivered again, Boss. ” Josh informs as he places the papers on the desk in front of me.I take my eyes off the important contract I am supposed to sign to glance at the divorce agreement she sent. She has demanded I return her grandmother’s inheritance that she gifted me and refused to get any alimony from my assets. It is fucking clear. She wants me to return everything she thinks I took from her. I have no fucking problem with that. But if she wants everything of hers back, she should return my three wasted years.All this fucking time, she pretended to be in love and took advantage of my heart, my power, and my status. She should return all of that before asking anything from me.Anger threatens to burst out of my veins, but I can’t deny the lurking panic behind my eyes. It feels like she is desperate to cut ties with me, and I can not let that happen.Even if we remain sworn enemies, we must stay together. Even if we hate each other, we must not stop fee
Grace “ Yes, officer. ” I nod at the detective who is watching me keenly. “ Ms. Whitlock, you are saying that your sister and husband pushed you in front of a car, and tried to take your life and this resulted in your miscarriage? ” He asks, his old face neutral and professional. My breath hitches when I hear this aloud once more. “ I have proof. ” I whisper, handing the pen drive to him. “ I believe the viral confession was seen by every person in this country already. ” He offers me a small smile as he takes the drive from me. “ but it can’t be called concrete evidence, Ms. Whitlock. Your sister can always claim she was under the influence of alcohol or threatened and there is no mention of your husband being on her side either. ” My shoulders stiffen. “ So you mean to say that… ” “ It’s the Calder and Whitlock family we are talking about, Ms. Whitlock. Surely you understand they can bring in the best lawyers and get out instantly. Knowing that, do you still want to file the
Grace“ Disappearing on my second day of work won’t leave a good impression, right?” I nibble on my lower lip.Earlier, after talking to Ethan on the phone, I lost my mind and rushed to report him and Lily. I didn’t even inform Mr. Costello that I will be taking a day off.I don’t doubt he will have my head on a spike later for it.“ Your leave was approved by the CEO, Ms. Whitlock. Don’t worry. ” Luca answers instead of Tristin who is busy with his never ending documents.I steal a glance at his focused face and sigh. “ That only makes things worse.” Sulking, I slump into my seat and let out another exaggerated sigh. “ Luca, Ms. Whitlock is hungry. ” Tristin says, his tone busy and detached.“ Who said—”“ On it, Boss.” Luca interrupts.I press my lips in a thin line and fold my arms over my chest. It’s clear that no one is listening to me so there is no point in talking.After a while, I am stepping out of the car in front of a familiar expensive restaurant. Tristin str
Grace“ Come home with me, Grace. Come home and I will make it up to you.” He whispers, his eyes holding the longing, and plead.For a second there, my heart stops beating. My eyes search his gaze, now gentle, and focused solely on me.Didn’t I always want this? For Ethan to push Lily aside and reach me for once? I think.Then, I burst out laughing. “ Have you gone deaf on top of dumb, Ethan? Did you hear what I said, and do you hear yourself now? Come home? What home? ”“ Grace—” He takes another step closer.“ Leave me.” I whisper, interrupting him. “ and sign the papers, Ethan. I want nothing to do with you. Besides, you already got what you wanted from me, right? You took my grandma’s inheritance and got control over the Whitlock Corp. Now you are unstoppable.”“ No!” Ethan, grip tightens on my arm. “ I don’t want anything from you! Just come home, okay? I will return it to you. I will give you anything. I will forget you cheated on me and let you—”“ Are you serious right
GraceSilence ensues on our way back to Tristin’s home. I steal occasional glances his way to find his jaw clenched and his eyes glaring out the window.What Lily said is obviously a lie and it ticked him off. Before, I heard that she had killed Sebastian Roberto too.But...if she has murdered Tristin’s brother and Tristin is powerful enough to make her pay...Why is he not doing anything to her?What is he waiting for?“ Stop staring at me. ” Tristin mumbles.I flinch, realizing that I forgot to take my eyes off him this time.Awkwardly, I look out the window and watch the Roberto mansion getting closer. I thought what happened today will leave me shaken up again, but somehow, I am faring better than I expected.Once Lily is in, Ethan will do everything to get her out. But with Tristin’s influence, it won’t be easy.Sighing, I step out of the car once it stops in the driveway. Tristin moves past me, striding straight for the door without looking back.My eyes narrow. It fe
GraceThe next morning, I come out of my room, wearing another one of a grey pencil skirt and a white blouse sent by Alma. But, it fits me well now, instead of being painfully tight.Lost in my own thoughts, I walk down the stairs only to see Alma standing at the end of them, staring up at me. “ Grace. ” Alma calls me out and nods. “ I heard about your sister on the news. ”My body freezes on the second last stair as I look at her. Her eyes are soft, but there is a lingering wariness in them, which became a part of them after she realized that I am Grace Whitlock.“ I— ”“ I didn’t know they had done something like this to you before. Is that why you are staying with us? ” She interrupts me as if she can’t bother to hear what I have to say to her.My cheeks heat up. “ Uh—Yes, Alma. But as I said, it’s only temporary and— ”“ I don’t mind, Grace. This house is big enough for us to not cross paths even if we stay under the same roof. ” She cuts me again.I press my lips in a thin line a
GraceI finish packing Sebastian’s things and glance at the bed, my chest tightening when I see him curled up. He fell asleep when he saw me packing for too long. His tiny fingers clutch the edge of the blanket, his breathing soft and even. He looks so peaceful. For a moment, my heart wavers. He loves his Daddy so much. How will he live away from him? I walk towards him and press a gentle kiss to his forehead, lingering for a second longer than intended.If we stay, my son will get more hurt when he realizes he has a brother who shares the same name with him.I straighten up and call the nanny over. She comes rushing and stands by my side. “ Stay with him… ” I say, my voice quieter than usual. “ Don’t leave him alone until I come back. ”She nods, and I force myself to walk away.When I reach my room, I head straight to the walk-in closet and pull out my suitcases. This time, I pack my own things. My fingers move automatically, folding clothes and stuffing them into the bag. I fe
Grace“ Whose child is that? ” I question.An eerie silence falls in the space. Looks are exchanged. Heavy breaths are released.The question must be too hard to answer even if it is so clear. I look into the child’s blue eyes and don’t look away. He stays rigid on his spot, never wavering, even under my penetrating gaze. “ What is your name? ” I find myself asking when the silence stretches for too long.A frown forms between the child’s brows, and he replies without hesitation. “ Sebastian. ”My breath hitches, my chest tightening as if the air has thickened around me. My fingers tremble slightly at my sides, and I curl them into fists to stop the shaking.Sebastian. My son’s name. A dizzying wave of nausea rolls over me, tightening its grip on my lungs. I can barely breathe.I swallow hard, my throat dry, and my heart pounding in my chest.“ Sebastian… ” I whisper, the name foreign on my tongue even though I have said it a thousand times before.The boy tilts his head slightly,
GraceTristin underestimates my understanding of him.I know when he is lying. And when he said that ‘no’, he was clearly, desperately trying to make me believe that there is nothing he is hiding from me. But everything I wanted to know was written right on his face.The question is…Will I ask him that question again? No. I gave him a chance. He didn’t take it.Now, I need to find out everything in my own way. As he tells me that we will go home together and that he just has one meeting to attend, I nod and tell him that I will wait for him.After he leaves, I take out my phone and see the contact information Talia has sent to me—the private detective.Her Aunt has already told the detective about me. So, I click a picture of Serena from the photographs and sent it to him with her name.A message appears on the screen, asking me about what kind of information I seek.I stare at the screen for a moment. What do I want to know? Her connection with Ethan or why Tristin looks so uncomfo
Tristin“ Leave, Luca. Do what I said. I want them gone. Tonight. ” I tell Luca while keeping my eyes on her.“ Yes, Boss. ” Luca hurries out and moves past her.Grace walks inside once he has left and closes the door behind her. I straighten up, my gaze flickering to her fingers that are turning white around the envelope she is gripping too tight.“ What is this? ” Grace’s voice stays low as she comes to stand on the spot where Luca sat moments ago.“ What? ” I blink calmly.Her hands shake as she rips the envelope open and takes out some pictures. Before I can open my mouth, she throws the pictures towards me.They fly across the space and hit my chest before dropping on the desk. Instinctively, my hands clench into fists, and my jaw grits. She is rightfully angry—I reason with myself. But a voice inside me keeps whispering…I have seen her in a more compromising position. But I have not reacted this way. I look down at the pictures. Just like I thought…That bitch kneeled between
TristinHe must have sent her something by now. I rotate the phone in my hand, watching the blank screen. Luca sits on the other side of the desk, watching me closely.“ Boss, you should have explained everything to her. ” He suggests.I lean back and drop the phone on the desk. I have been waiting for her to call me and ask if I have slept with Serena.But Grace has not done that. Now I think she will come here personally, to confront me. In about an hour or so. Luca is right. I should have explained everything to her. But what do I tell? Do I say…Oh Grace, you know what? We have a new family now and you can just accept them. Or maybe she will readily accept everything even if I do not want to.I am…a selfish bastard, and the only people I care about in this world are my mother, sister, my wife, son, and my friend sitting from across me.The rest of the people…They can burn for all I care.It has always been this way.That’s why…I don’t know how to handle this sudden slap in th
GraceA woman should never ignore her intuitions.When something feels wrong…She should believe that something is wrong instead of trying to find reasons to prove that nothing is wrong.Because when you try so hard to prove nothing is wrong, and it turns out to be a mistake, it hurts more.I stare at the three pictures on my desk. In the first one, Serena is kneeling between Tristin’s legs, holding onto his knees In the second, she is hugging him from behind.In the third, she is on her toes, her hands over his coat, and her lips so close to his. Why did he smell like her so thoroughly? It was because she was all over him. It was because…he was doing things he shouldn’t have done with her. I grip the edge of the desk, my fingers digging into the wood, the unease in my chest tightening with every second I spend staring at those pictures. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be looking at these images, shouldn’t be letting my mind spiral like this.But I can’t help it. Every inch of
GraceIf he had just said yes to my questions and told me nothing happened…I wouldn’t ask him any other question.I would have believed him wholeheartedly.But he dodged. Became desperate to make me believe I was the only one he loved. And promised to get rid of the woman who was trying to come between us.The seed of doubt is planted in my head. I can’t shake it off no matter how hard I try.But all that comes out of my mouth is a simple. “ Okay. ”“ Okay? ” Tristin whispers, his eyes peering into my dull ones, trying to search for something.“ Yes. Okay. I trust you. ” I nod, feeling my heart drown. “ It’s… ” Tristin trails off, unable to say whatever it is that is on his mind.I press my hands to his chest and try to push him away. “ It’s okay. Just come down with me. Seb is waiting for you. ”Tristin takes a step back and releases me. I turn to open the door but freeze when his hand covers mine.“ You know I can never…hurt you. Not—Not deliberately. ” He sighs, his nose brushing
Grace“ Nonsense? ” I can’t help but feel the coldness leaking into my tone. “ Is this some kind of…nonsense to you? ”“ What else is it? ” Tristin steps closer, towering over me. “ you are talking about nonsense first thing in the morning? What made you think we are going our separate ways or similar shit? ”I suppress a gasp as his body presses against mine. “ what made me think this? ”I search his eyes, trying to understand what is happening here. But I find nothing but anger there. Why is he…angry when I should be the one fuming? Slowly, I look down at his heavily heaving chest. My heartbeat speeds up as the last night’s memories flash before my eyes again.“ You…came home…drunk… ” I whisper, my voice lowering even more.“ So what? Every man— ”“ You smelled like her. ” I utter, cutting him off.Tristin’s fingers twitch against my cheek before he slides a hand to my nape and pulls my head back. Our eyes meet, and he leans down, resting his forehead against mine.The anger cool
GraceTristin gets up from the bed and walks away. His steps are hurried, his body tense. The door opens and closes before I can even process what just happened.For a moment, I stay frozen, unable to breathe, unable to think, unable to come to terms with everything that’s going wrong in our lives.But then, my son calls out to me again. “ Mommy. ”Instantly, I turn to the other side, pull Seb closer and pat his back. His small fingers curl around my wrist, his hand shaking a little. “ Mommy? ” His voice is tinged with the remnants of sleep. “ Why are you and…Daddy angry? ”My heart clenches.“ He is not angry, baby… ” I whisper, kissing the top of his head. “ Daddy just has something important to do so he had to leave right now. But he will be back soon. When you wake up, he will be right here. ”Seb hums, snuggling against me. Within moments, his breath evens out, and he drifts back into sleep. I lie there, staring at the ceiling, my heart crushed under its own weight. I feel this