Hey Lovelies, So my 1 day rest became 2 days. That's why you get a big chapter for waiting :) Hope you like it.
GraceI stare at him for a moment, then avert my gaze to the city view. The lights are still twinkling and everything seems so bright under the dark night but the beauty I saw in this view before is gone.Maybe, it was not even about the view.When Tristin was here, even the simple arrangement of the table seemed out of the ordinary.“ He gave you these pictures. ” Ethan speaks up when I don’t say anything for a long time.I glance at the pictures he has placed on the table and they are the same that Tristin showed me.“ How did you get your hands on— ”“ They are fake. ” Ethan says, his voice dropping.A cold shiver runs along my spine and I stop myself from shuddering in front of Ethan. “ Some convincing poses, right? ” Ethan runs his forefinger down his face on one of the pictures. I look up, and meet his gaze. “ what’s the point of it, Ethan? ” “ Do you not get it or are you pretending to be dumb? ” His eyes darken, and he pushes the pictures towards me.But I don’t take them.
Grace“ Leave me alone! I don’t want to see you. You are not my brother! ” I halt in my way when I hear Ania screaming from the other side of the door. “ Ania, I am still your— ”“ You are a liar! You knew what Mom did. You knew everything and you didn’t—you didn’t tell me. You all must be laughing behind my back, waiting for the perfect moment to ruin my life. ” She yells, before something heavy drops on the floor.I flinch, shooting Luca a side glance. He doesn’t say anything, but I know he also thinks it’s a terrible time for me to go in.With a heavy heart, I walk away from the door and take a seat on the bench in the corner of the corridor. I shouldn’t have come here. I should have waited for him at home.But…I still can’t bring myself to move, to just go away. Because it feels like my head will explode if I don’t see him soon or if I am not close enough to reach out to him.Luca stays outside the hospital room, his expression stiff while I stare at him. Occasional noises soun
Tristin“ I heard you met Ethan earlier. ” I say as she stops beside the car and turns to face me. Her eyes widen, and lower to my chest, a nervous look flashing across her face. I clench my jaw, mask the anger behind a hurt look, and keep my eyes on her. After witnessing her almost jumping down from that building, I have been doing my best to remain composed in front of her. One tick—one wrong move from me, and she might start climbing the railings again. She doesn’t say anything to me and slips inside the car, taking her spot in the passenger seat. I glance at Luca who is standing beside another black car, watching me. He nods in my direction and knocks on the window of the car, instructing the two men inside about what needs to be done. I will have to come back after I send her home, but the guards must remain outside the penthouse and ensure that Ethan doesn’t catch her off guard again.After I am satisfied with the arrangement, I slide beside her and start the engine. “ I—
GraceFor a week, Tristin didn’t come back. I didn’t contact him either.It felt like…he was too afraid to meet me instead of the other way around. And I? I didn’t know what to think or feel. Like an idiot, I looked forward to his return every day but he didn’t come and I had to stay inside the penthouse, staring at the city view, wondering what else I should do in life. Ethan didn’t cheat on me. But like I told him, it was not only about sleeping with Lily.He was always choosing her, putting her first, and thinking about her instead of me. Then why does it matter if he slept with her or not?Now, I was not even mad.I just felt disappointed in Tristin.I would have dwelled on my disappointment even more if I hadn’t received a surprising call this morning. My heart almost pumped out of my chest when I heard what she had to say to me.I would have expected anything…But I would have never expected Alma to actually ask me to come over, to the Roberto Villa. I thought about refusing
Grace“ Tristin. ” Alma releases me right away and turns to the man behind me.I swallow, and grip the hem of my dress, unable to do the same as Alma. “ I told you to leave her alone. ” His voice becomes low and cold. My stomach flips, as I lower my gaze to the floor. How hard is it to do things the right way? He can…come to me and tell me that he is sorry instead of giving explanations. “ I was not— ”“ Mom, this is enough. I don’t want you to— ”I turn around. He pauses. Our eyes meet, and a shudder runs down my back.A week. How can I miss someone in a week? I was away from him for three months before. Whole three months with no word, no meetings and I survived.Because I didn’t know what it was like to truly receive his affection back then.And now when I know what he has to offer…I keep wanting more. I have become greedy for his attention. “ Alma didn’t say anything to me. I am fine. ” I whisper, averting my gaze to the flowers.The greenhouse is beautiful, no doubt. But it
TristinI shouldn’t have. Yet, I couldn’t help but come to her room in the middle of the night. But, she was not here. So, I waited. I sat on the chair in the corner and stared at her perfectly made bed as I tried to come up with something I should say to her.‘ I fell in love with you. ’ She said to me, and I couldn’t hear anything more.I could only stare at her, watch her mouth move, her eyes sparkle under the sunlight. I knew I loved her too, and she was important to me.But I didn’t realize how important she was until she uttered those words. After hearing her tell me that she was falling in love with me, the guilt grew, threatening to swallow me as a whole.I gave her a week to come to a decision, and she never once reached me. But now, I can not wait. I want to tell her that I am sorry, that I didn’t mean to stay silent when she said she loved me. It was just that…My mind went numb.It felt like I was in a dream, and I didn’t want to speak up. I was scared she would disapp
GraceI feel like I am burning, literally boiling in a pot. I huff, trying to shift but the arms around my body pull me back to the warmth, refusing to let me go.Annoyed, my sleepy eyes snap open and land on the familiar face. A scream almost spills out of my mouth, but I press my lips together at the last moment and go silent.Tristin is staring at me. His eyes are droopy and look dead but he is watching me from so close. My gaze runs along his exhausted face, his disheveled hair, and the redness in his eyes.What’s…happening? I wonder as I slowly start to recall waiting for him last night. I sat on his bed and fell asleep but he didn’t come back.Now, he is here, holding onto me like I am going to disappear if he lets go.A frown etches between my brows, anger bubbling to the surface. “ Did you not sleep? ”Okay. That’s not what I was trying to say. I wanted to ask why he was suffocating me.“ No. ” Tristin finally blinks, before his eyes close. Curious and a little worried, I l
GraceI don’t realize when I fall asleep beside him again.The next time I wake up, the sunlight burns my back, and Tristin’s warmth consumes me once more.I blink, slowly recalling what he said before he fell asleep. My eyes fall on his peaceful, resting face. Tristin’s breathing is steady, his chest rising and falling gently against me.For a moment, I just lie there, savoring the sensation of being held so closely, so protectively. But then I remember that we are not completely fine yet. My heart skips a beat, and I begin to pull away. But just as I do, Tristin stirs, his arms tightening around me as if sensing my desire to run away. His eyes flutter open, and he gazes at me with a sleepy, soft smile. “ Good morning, Little Butterfly. ” He murmurs, his voice husky with sleep.I bite my lip, feeling a mix of emotions—happiness, embarrassment, and an overwhelming need to be away before the reality of our situation catches up to us.“ It’s noon by now, I am sure. ” I whisper back, m