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
GraceAs I stroll inside the RB tower, I notice the crowd gathered near the reception but don’t pay much attention.I take the elevator and go to my floor. When the doors ding open, some pair of eyes fall on me. Instantly, the atmosphere on the floor becomes chilling and uncomfortable as the always busy people gossip to each other.I have no doubt it’s about the direct approval of a mere leave from the CEO himself.“ How do you think she is connected to the CEO? ” I hear a Redhead talking in hushed voice to the two girls looming over her.“ How else? She probably slept with him. ”“ She is a looker, I must admit but Mr. Roberto can not take a liking to someone like her. He avoids women like plague. ”The comment piques my interest. Avoids women like plague huh? “ That’s true. I don’t think he is sleeping with her. Maybe it’s one of his personal assistants. ”The hushed gossips follow me until I sit down on my desk in the lonely corner of the floor, right beside Mr. Costello’s office.
GraceEthan’s face reddens. He strolls towards me, seething and blind with rage.All eyes follow him, surprise and curiosity painted across their faces. They must know him. He is the CEO of a rival company.I ignore the curious looks and sit down on my chair. He is here for drama again!How ridiculous! “ What do you want? ” I scoff just as he stops beside me and opens his mouth.His fists clench, a dark look crossing his eyes. But when his eyes fall over my stomach, surprisingly, the anger changes into doubt.A lump forms in my throat as Ethan stiffens and continues to stare at my stomach. “ Are you… ” Ethan’s voice lowers, turning into a whisper. “ Are you feeling better? ” “ After the forced miscarriage, you mean? ” I smile, hatred written over my face.Ethan meets my gaze and swallows. I ignore the way his eyes turn soft and focus on my computer’s screen instead.“ Don’t make a scene in my workplace, or you don’t want to know what I will do next to your precious lover. ” I warn,
Grace“ You said you would give my child to Lily if I was pregnant because I didn’t deserve to be a mother. ” I state, as a matter of fact, not sparing him a glance.I hear his breath hitch and smile wider. He is so good at his ‘hurt’ act. “ Don’t be hurt. You gave the child to Lily, after all. She wanted it gone and you did just that. ” I lean back and continue to stare out. “ Do you think I don’t mourn the loss of our— ”“ Don’t. ” I snap, pulling my wrist out of his palm. “ don’t go there, Ethan. ”To my relief, he goes silent and doesn’t push it. Our journey ends in silence but his eyes remain on me, making it impossible for me to not feel disdain.When the expensive hospital comes into my view, I straighten up. Out of nowhere, Ethan grabs my hand again and places a file in it.I lift my brows and finally direct my gaze to his face. His eyes meet mine, softening once more.“ Take it. ” He whispers. I eye the file and open it without delay. “ Everything you think I snatched fr
Grace“ Maybe I should…take it to the court after all. ” I mumble under my breath, my brows pinched in concentration.My lack of horror towards stabbing Ethan and hurting Lily surprises me. But I still can’t bring myself to regret it.Instead, I regret not doing it sooner.“ Or I should— ”A warm hand around my wrist makes me pause. I look down, to find my hand still holding onto to Tristin’s wrist.My lips purse, my eyes narrowing on my trembling fingers. It’s so stupid that I haven’t stopped trembling.It’s like something inside me is screaming at me to wake up, but I am still lost in an abyss, unable to think about anything else but the damn divorce.The sooner Ethan divorces me, the sooner I can leave this awful world. I can be at peace. I—Tristin pries my fingers off his wrist and turns my hand around to look at my palm. I blink at the deep gash on my hand that is bleeding profusely. The scissors must have hurt me too.After all, it’s not possible to hurt someone else and not g
GraceI couldn’t guess what Tristin really meant by destroying Ethan this time. But in the days to come, I got to know the depth of his words and threats. First, an employee from the Calder Corporation became a whistleblower. He revealed the under-the-table deals that got Calders most of the contracts they bid for. Their stocks plummeted after the news aired. It didn’t stop there. Several people came forth, with accusations of workplace harassment the next day.On the third day, another executive decided to disclose that some of the material used in the construction of the Calder projects was of poor quality, which could become the reason for a building’s collapse under any minor straining condition. I watched new things on the news channel every day. Corruption charges, embezzlement charges, harassment charges, and so much more that I couldn’t even keep up with. Lawsuits after lawsuits, secrets after secrets…everything started drowning Ethan’s name. Whenever the reporters caugh
GraceI thought about telling Tristin but I couldn’t bring myself to approach him. Silently, I slipped out of his mansion and sat inside the car awaiting me. It felt unfamiliar.While we were pretending to be a happily married couple, Ethan never made the effort to bring me to these events. He used to ask me for formality and I always refused because I was not comfortable. That’s it. He never insisted or asked me why I was not comfortable going to these events. He never cared to know that the high society people called me a whore, schemer, or shameless sister. Despite everything I did to save my family’s reputation and Ethan’s special day, I became the villain in everyone’s eyes. Which sister takes her sister’s groom—people used to ask me. And I had no answer to this.Sighing, I got out of the car in front of the building where a famous designer’s boutique was. In the next few hours, I was forced into a sparkly silver dress, that clung to my skin and shimmered under the lights. My
Grace“ Ethan, I need to— ”“ Stay. ” Ethan holds on to my waist, nudging me in the direction of the influential men approaching him.He doesn't let me go, no matter what excuse I present or how I try to pull away from him. In the sea of irrelevant people, I find myself constantly searching for Tristin and when I locate him, I can not look at him for long. The web of search resets, pushing me to continue the same cycle of push and pull again.My heart is beating too fast and my hands are sweating, making me unable to hold still. “ Look at her. Isn’t she Lily’s sister? ” I hear a group of women talking from somewhere behind us.Ethan is engaged in a tense talk with the two expensively dressed men in front of us, while his arm remains around me, keeping me in place.“ Didn’t she recently report her sister for attempted murder? ”“ I bet she was jealous of her and thought Ethan would ditch her for Lily after all. ” Another one sneers.“ Lily is better in every sense. This bitch just pr
Grace“ Wait— ” I hiss quickly, stepping closer to Tristin to squeeze some space for myself. “ Tell Mom to come here and—”Before I can finish, the door slams shut. I let out a scream of frustration just as Tristin’s arm wraps around my waist. A startled gasp escapes me as he lifts me off the floor and carries me to the bed easily. “ Tristin, put me down! ” I thrash against him, but his grip is unyielding.He presses me down onto the mattress and hoves above me, leaving me no room for escape. “ Do not act like I am holding you hostage… ” He mutters, his voice returning to the soft note he has reserved for me. “ We are just having a couple’s fight. ”Is he being serious?!I laugh bitterly. “ This is not a couple’s fight, Tristin. When Mom comes, I am leaving, and you will never see my face again. I will make sure of that. Never! ”His jaw tightens as I smirk. I think I have won. But then, in one swift motion, Tristin flips me onto my stomach and yanks my zipper down. My breath cat
GraceI sit stiffly in the wing chair, my arms crossed across my chest and my glare fixed on Tristin. He stands by the locked door, his back against the wall, looking calm—too calm. He has lost his mind. That is the only explanation for this whole thing. I scoff. He cannot stay here forever. That bitch is in the house, and sooner or later, he will have to leave. I tell myself that is why I am so composed right now—because I want to see how long he can keep this up. But deep down, I know the real reason.When I saw Serena here, a dark thought crept into my mind. Maybe another woman had given him a family. Maybe he did not need me anymore. And that thought nearly shattered my heart into pieces.Before I can dwell on it, my phone rings. I glance down, and a frown etches between my brows.Why didn’t I think about calling someone? I reach for my phone and see Talia’s name shining on the screen. Before I can answer the call, Tristin’s shadow looms over me. Not even giving me the chanc
TristinI watch as Grace pushes against my chest, forcing distance between us. The fire in her eyes is like nothing I have ever seen before—not directed at me. Not like this.Her words echo through my head. ‘ We are done here. I am leaving. And you can't stop me. ’I can’t breathe.She turns away from me and grabs her packed suitcase. I want to say so much more, but no words come out of my mouth.She leaves me standing there and moves toward the door without hesitation. I should let her go. I should step back and give her space. I should fix this in a way that doesn’t involve desperate measures.But right now…This doesn’t feel like something that can be handled by giving her space. She looks like if she leaves, she won’t return and will never talk to me again. Panic surges through me like wildfire. My body moves on its own, faster than my mind can process, and before she can even reach the handle, I slam the door shut.Click.The sound of the lock twisting into place is deafening.
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