GraceI feel a little uneasy.What will Alma think when she finds out, I held a funeral for Lily and spent a whole day by her grave? I don’t need to explain everything to Alma or anyone. But something in me just doesn’t want Alma to be sad. I don’t want her to think that I don’t care what Lily did to the Roberto family. “ You are back. ” The moment we step inside the mansion and get close to the lounge, Alma’s voice stops me.I grimace, imagining the look on her face. She is definitely going to be disappointed. I should have told her before doing all this.“ Alma. ” I turn around to find her walking towards us. “ Did you take care of everything? ” She turns to Tristin and asks.“ I did, Mom. ” He nods in reply and rubs his shoulder.My gaze is drawn to Tristin’s shoulder. He must be tired. I can tell he didn’t sleep well last night, and from the morning, he was dealing with my issues.I sigh, feeling a little guilty over making him tired.“ How are you feeling now, Grace? ” Alma tu
Grace“ Good. ” Ania nods and straightens up. “ so my condition is… ”The silence stretches, and anticipation builds, making me hold my breath. “ I want to marry. ” Ania finally blurts. “ What? ” Tristin huffs. “ Marry who? ” Alma narrows her eyes.I scoop another spoon of fried rice and munch on it as I watch the interesting scene. Ania is moving at the speed of a train. What is she going to hit, I wonder?“ I want to marry… ” Ania grins and points her finger to our left. All eyes follow her finger, landing on the figure standing in that direction. I choke on the rice in my mouth before hurriedly swallowing it.Oh…wow.“ Luca?! ” Alma is the first to scream. “ You want to marry him? ”“ Yes. ” Ania says without hesitation.“ How long has this been going on? ” Tristin’s voice lowers.“ Since a long time. ” Ania giggles.I give her a thumbs up in my mind. Real smooth. “ What is my sister saying? ” Tristin asks Luca, who is standing there, confused and unsure of what is going on.
Grace~Six Months Later…A lot can happen in six months.Your life can change for the worse.But you can also turn your life around, make it so much better that the past stops to matter.Something like that has happened for me.I have finally managed to turn my life around.I am finally doing what I always wanted. I am studying for my Master's at a University near the Roberto mansion. I am living with the Roberto family, and Tristin can sneak into my room any time he wants.He says that is the only interesting activity in his boring life. And I can’t agree more.He works like a robot but still comes back home to sleep in the same bed as me. He clings to me like a lost puppy and makes me feel like I am someone precious with his words and his actions.“ I don’t want her to move away. ” Tristin mumbles, coming to stand beside me and breaking me out of the trance.I watch the perfect couple dancing in the middle of the dancing floor and sigh. It feels so…heart-touching to see Ania wearing
Grace“ How happy? ” Tristin asks as we both stare at the moon’s reflection in the lake.My loose, wavy hair sways with the cold breeze, and my heart swells with peace.“ I don’t know. I just know…I can feel the happiness deep in my heart, and it’s not a kind of happiness that’s fleeting. It’s a kind that will settle into my bones and become a part of me. Whenever I remember these moments, I will always smile, Tristin. ” I whisper, my eyes beginning to burn with the intensity of emotions.“ Do you remember what you said to me? ” Tristin grins, turning to face me.I take my eyes off the beautiful view and look at him, my heart fluttering at the sight. “ What? ”“ You said I should ask you when you are really happy, and you will say yes. ” Tristin smiles, the gesture reaching his eyes and brightening them like two stars in the dark night.My breath catches in my throat. Instinctively, I take a step back from him, my heartbeat escalating until it’s all I can hear drumming in my ears.“ S
Hi Lovelies, Many questions remained at the end of Grace and Tristin's story. How did Ethan kill Lily? Will Ethan stay in prison forever or return for Grace sometime in the future again? How will Grace and Tristin keep supporting each other in the future? To answer all those questions, I am writing a sequel for this story, "Haunting Love: Chased by my Ex-Husband." :) You can read the chapters in this same book right under this Author's note. Updates will be regular from tomorrow, so don't miss out on what's happening next! :) Synopsis: Just when Grace thinks she is finally free from the clutches of Ethan Calder, the man who tormented her in the best years of her life, he returns. But what is this? He claims he didn't kill Grace's sister and is a changed man now. But Grace has changed, too. She loves her husband, Tristin, and their three-year-old baby Sebastian. With her family by her side and her new business venture being successful, Grace has no time to focus on how much Ethan
EthanThey say love is relief. I don’t believe that now. When you love someone, you burn in a fire that keeps licking at your skin, peeling off another layer of you every moment of your life.You burn…and burn…until you have burned to ashes. Then, you rise to burn again.That’s what love is. It’s painful. It’s patient. It’s the name of enduring in silence.Three years…I have done all of it for three long years, and I have waited silently for the woman I love to take pity on me. If she only pities me…it will be better than the ‘nothing’ she thinks she feels for me.But as I stare at the pictures scattered across the desk once more, I slowly lose hope for that pity. She is happy. With someone she only came to love. With a small child that belongs to them. With her new family.And I have never seen her this happy before.“ You made a good decision. Sacrificing your whole life for a woman and staying in jail wouldn’t have melted that evil witch’s heart. ” My grandmother sneers and tak
Grace“ We got it! ” Talia screams at the top of her lungs.I pick up my head and look at her, jumping up and down in excitement. “ we got it. We got it! I can’t believe we did it. ”Her blonde ponytail swings back and forth violently and her green eyes are filled with endless glee.“ Did what? ” My heartbeat escalates.She runs towards me like a child and grabs my hand. “ Come with me! ”Before I can even think, she pulls me to my feet and runs back to her desk. She pushes me down onto her seat and turns the desktop towards me.I glance at her wide grin before looking at the screen. My body turns stiff as the words on the email she received register in my head.“ They gave us the contract. We will be planning CBA’s new mall. All of it, Grace! ” Talia leans down and screams in my ear.Shock makes my jaw hang low. I reread the email and try to understand how this happened.“ Why are you not jumping in excitement like me? You worked for this for so long, and now we got the contract! ” S
GraceMy words tumble out, barely coherent. “ I—I got it. They sent us the confirmation email. We got the project! ”His grin widens, and without giving me the time to process his expressions, he wraps his arms around me and lifts me off the ground with ease.I let out a startled laugh, feeling weightless, the whole world spinning around me. For a second, it’s just us and this moment.I can only feel true happiness when he is around. “ I knew you would get it. ” Tristin murmurs, holding me tight, his voice rich with a pride that makes my eyes sting. I hide my face in his shoulder, letting myself feel everything, knowing I don’t have to hold back with him.“ I was so scared. ” I admit softly, the words sounding hesitant as I say them. “ But I did it. I really did. ”He lowers me gently, his hands still on my waist. He looks at me, his eyes full of love and something that makes my heart beat faster. “ I never doubted you, Mrs. Roberto. Not for a second. ”And just like that, every fea
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