GraceHe wraps his arms around my knees and looks up at me, hoping for me to pick him up. He was gone for so long.I reach out with shaking hands and pick him up. He presses his face into my neck before I hear him sobbing against me. My knees give out from under me, making me drop in the middle of the lounge. His cries grow louder.I pat his back weakly, my eyes burning but no tears welling in them. He continues to cry for a long time—or maybe it feels like that for me because my arms have gone numb.“ Seb, don’t cry. Be a good boy. Don’t make your Mommy worry about you anymore. ” Mom steps closer and caresses the back of Seb’s head.He pulls his head out of my neck and stares at me with his wet, round eyes. It’s like someone has gripped my heart, refusing to let it go.“ Are you…worrying, Mommy? ” He murmurs, grabbing my cheeks in his small hands.I shake my head, like a robot who has no feelings but only knows how to respond. “ I am fine, Mommy. See. ” He shakes my cheeks as if tr
Grace“ There are no traces of drugs in your system. ” Doctor Yvonne Smith, who is a woman in her 30s, sighs as she hands me the results.They have done everything as fast as possible, but now the results have come out opposite of what I was expecting.I stare at the report, and another suspicion starts growing. What if Ethan has bribed these people, and I am being an idiot for believing this?“ And about the other thing, we can’t really be sure, Mrs. Roberto. You were taking a shower for so long, and there are no clear signs of penetration. It can be because you had gentle consensual intercourse, or it can be because you didn’t have any intercourse at all. There is no way to tell. ” She continues in her professional voice that’s tinged with a hint of sympathy. I stare at the paper in my hands, going over every line several times as if searching for something that will confirm my doubts and not go completely against it instead.When Mom and the servants found me in the bathroom, I fe
GraceIt’s fine to see Tristin’s face, but what are those intense emotions?Ethan has moved on. Or that’s what he desperately wants me to believe. So why did he have that look in his eyes?I throw away the blankets and get out of bed. As I am passing by the mirror beside the door, I pause and look into it.There are scratches all over my neck—injuries I have caused myself. I brush my fingers against a long line before smiling at myself.A few weeks ago, when I cut my finger while trying to make apple pie, Tristin made a terrible fuss over it. He had stayed home for the whole day to look after a small cut—something I have found so extra on his part.But now that I am covered in scratches, he won’t come. I swallow as my gaze drifts higher to the bandage on my forehead. He knows…what Ethan has done to me. There is no way I can ever…sleep with Ethan in my right mind or anyone who is not Tristin, for a matter of fact.And yet, Tristin didn’t…give me the benefit of the doubt. Not even once
Grace“ I don’t know what you are talking about, Mrs. Roberto. ” Luca says, bringing my attention back to him.“ Do you expect me to believe Tristin has abandoned his old ways completely just to appease me? Or do you think I am blind and deaf? Or maybe…do you think I don’t know about the people you and Tristin tortured in the past few days just to find Sebastian? ” I scoff, my eyes beginning to burn.Luca’s brows lift as he stares at me. I can see the wheels turning in his head.“ I will have to ask Boss before I— ”“ Make sure to tell him that I will go alone if he tries to come in my way. If he can’t even pretend to trust me a little, then he might as well not try to act as my husband again. He can stay with that secretary he likes these days. ” I snap, get to my feet again, and start walking away from him. “ when you are done with your usual thing, get that old man. I expect him here in a few hours. ”“ Boss is not with any secretary. He is cleaning up the mess you created, Mrs. Ro
GraceThe flashes of cameras explode around me. I sit still, my hands folded neatly in my lap, my back straight against the chair, though every muscle in my body feels stiff. The reporters fidget in their seats, their murmurs rising in volume as they hurl questions at me.“ Mrs. Roberto, what are you about to address today? ”“ Do you condone your husband’s alleged actions against Mrs. Alfonso? ”“As a woman, how do you feel about these accusations? ”Their words are sharp, but their eyes and the flashes of cameras are sharper. They have no idea how heavy the weight of this moment is. I glance at the clock on the wall, waiting patiently for what’s to come. I don’t particularly feel anything about this whole mess. I just feel…cold, numb. “You will know everything in due time… ” I reply, my voice steady. “ But first, let me set the record straight. Mona Alfonso’s initial altercation was not with Tristin Roberto. It was with me. She had a discord with me. ”The room falls silent for a
GraceHer face drains of color. She opens her mouth to protest, but no words come out. The air seems to freeze around us as her eyes flicker to the door. Oh. She is waiting for someone. “ This is absurd! ” She whispers, her voice cracking with desperation.“ How is this absurd? ” I ask, my eyes going round. “ I am curious because you and I fought before and then you suddenly started accusing my husband of abusing you the next day. I am sure everyone who is seeing you is equally curious right now. ”“ I have never had any discord with you. Why are you lying, Mrs. Roberto. ” She sniffles, her voice lowering, but hidden to everyone, I can see the smug gleam in her eyes. “ Think again, Mona… ” I urge. Then, I let the silence stretch out, watching her squirm under the pressure. “ I have never had any discord with you, Mrs. Roberto. Please stop— ”“ Let’s jog your memory a little. ” My smile widens. I gesture toward the screen to my right, and a video begins to play. “ The cameras in C
GraceMona’s face pales, her hands trembling as she stands frozen. She knows what’s coming.Daniel’s voice grows colder. “ She doesn’t just hurt men like me. She traps them. She uses them. She tells them what to do, and when they refuse, she accuses them of things they never did. She ruins their reputations. She ruins their lives. And now, she is trying to do it to Tristin Roberto. ”The cameras continue to flash, capturing every moment, every word.“ You are lying. Daniel, why are you doing this to me? ” Mona tries to grab attention but fail when the reporters keep their focus on her husband instead. Daniel continues, his face grim. “ I overheard her talking on the phone not long ago. She told someone that she went to Tristin Roberto, tried to force herself on him. When he refused her advances, she hurt herself. Hit herself, several times. And then she threatened him—if he didn’t make his wife give up the CBA project, she would destroy him. And now, she is accusing him, all because
GraceThe moment I see Tristin staring at me, I freeze. Everything else blurs out—the noise, the cameras, the people. It’s just him, looking at me like I am some stranger, and I can’t stand it. His eyes are cold, detached, like he has already decided I am not worth it.I feel something break inside me. That damn wall I have spent hours building to keep myself sane? Gone. Just like that. Just with one cold look from him, I start asking myself questions again, and I start recalling everything AGAIN.He is not asking me anything. He is not blaming me, fighting with me, or trying to hate me. Is this a normal reaction?Is this how husbands are supposed to react? Are they just supposed to decide their wife has become a stranger overnight?Even now, when I am standing here with my life falling apart and Ethan’s fingerprints all over it, Tristin doesn’t bother. Instead, he just looks at me like I am the one who has failed him.It’s pathetic how much that hurts.My throat tightens, but I sw
GraceI pick up the phone and press it against my ear. For some moments, silence sounds from the other side.I remain still, my muscles still, and my breath lodged in my throat. I can recognize him even if he doesn’t say anything to me, and just continues to breathe into the speaker.“ Tristin. ” I whisper, running a hand through my hair.He remains silent. I close my eyes, and release a heavy breath, my body shuddering. The moment of silence takes me back to the last time I talked to him before going to meet Ethan.When I had asked him to trust me, he had told me he would always do that.Just when he had begun to wonder what I was being emotional about, I told him what I had planned to do.‘I want to give Ethan what he wants. ’ That’s what I had said. ‘If he has me close, he won’t hurt others. He will…stop controlling our one son to hurt another. He will back off as long as I am with him. And while I am at it, you can find out who is working with Ethan, and I can find out how he is
GraceEthan’s Grandmother has always been a symbol of terror in the family. Despite her old age, the silver hair, the sunken eyes, she exudes a kind of aura that makes one squirm. She was the spitting image of her own son, who had died years ago—Ethan’s father. The man who had the reputation of a devil back when he was alive. I shake my head, breaking myself out of my thoughts. So, she is here. That must mean she is already mentally torturing her grandson.My lips twitch. What a weakness to have your own grandmother breathing down your neck and threatening your position with every word she speaks.As expected, when she stares at me a little longer, her eyes turn cold. She has never liked me. That’s why Ethan had sent her away when we got married. But he was still powerful back then. Now, after being sent to jail, and ruining the Calder Corp, I am not sure he can still call himself the powerful leader he once was.“ You lied to me. ” She hisses and moves past me to go confront Ethan
Grace“ You killed my sister. ” I state as a matter of fact, and feel a chill down my spine at the lack of any emotions towards the truth.“ You wanted her gone. ” He blinks, his face becoming a mask of calmness again.I swallow the bitter taste in my mouth and shake my head. “ that doesn’t change the truth. You murdered— ”“ Your so-called husband is not better than me. He is even worse. He had planned on killing your whole family from the start, and he would have done it if I hadn’t. I did you a favor by keeping your beloved’s hands clean of your family’s blood back then. ” His voice rises, frustrating etching into his features in the form of a deep frown.My breath catches in my throat. “ but he didn’t do it. ”Ethan’s frown turns into a cold smirk. He taps the table with his forefinger, falling silent for a moment.At that moment, a wave of coldness washes down my back, leaving me shuddering. Why the change of emotions all of a sudden? “ You know….and I know…it was never about Li
GraceMy phone keeps ringing. The familiar names on the screen just send a pang in my chest.Mom.Ania. Luca. Mary.Everyone has called. But Tristin has not. He must know everything by now and he won’t call me. He will never accept what I have done to deal with the mess Ethan was creating.Sighing, I turn the phone on silent and look out the window. Years ago, when I was still married to Ethan and under the illusion that he was falling for me, he had planted roses in the garden behind our house. When we fell apart, and Lily came back, he just ripped everything out and threw it away like it meant nothing.But now, the flowers are back. The garden looks so eerily similar to how it looked years ago that it gives me the ick. Even the things in the room—the decorations, the clothes…everything. It’s in the same place where I used to keep it. It’s like I have stepped back into the nightmare I barely escaped. The door to the room opens, and the familiar footsteps grow closer. I don’t t
GraceI groan, the pain in my arm registering before a strong headache. I try to move, but it’s like all my energy has drained, leaving me weak and helpless.Slowly, I take in a shuddering breath and look around. The room is too familiar. It makes me want to throw up, just so I can get the strong disgust out of my system.“ Did I faint? ” I murmur, glancing to my right. As expected, Ethan is sitting on a chair beside my bed, staring at me closely. I lift my brows, trying to judge his emotions from the look he is giving me but failing.Something is strange in his gaze.“ The doctor said you barely avoided the artery. You could have died… ” Ethan whispers, his gaze unfocused. A frown settles between my brows. I look down at my bandaged wrist before shrugging.I was not aiming to die, but…He should believe…I can go through it if he continues to push me around. This is good for special effects.“ Do you believe how ready I am now? ” My eyes narrow as I smile at his dazed face.Ethan pu
GraceI knew talking to him would be like talking to a wall. He will not be moved, and won’t understand what I am trying to say. He will just want me to do what he wants.“ My son has a father. He doesn’t need another. ” I murmur, then lean back on the couch. “ Then we have nothing to talk about. ” Ethan smiles, as relaxed as ever.He doesn’t feel an ounce of guilt over what he is doing. Instead, it’s like he feels proud that I am beginning to crumble under the pressure.Is this what…he calls love? I think it’s more of an obsession. I am the woman he once had, and he can’t bear that I am with someone else now. That’s all this is about. An obsession to get back someone that belonged to him before.“ I want you to stop now. ” I tell him, my head more clear than before. “ That wouldn’t happen unless— ”“ I want you to stop, Ethan. It’s enough. I don’t want to fight with you anymore. ” I clench my hands into fists and release a slow breath. “ You want me to go with you. Let’s go. I wil
GraceWhen you want to truly defeat someone who knows you better than you know yourself…You need to do something you would never usually do.And that’s what I am doing. I walk through the corridor of the VIP club, slowly approaching the private room I booked. Unlike my expectations, I don’t feel an ounce of fear. My heartbeat doesn’t escalate. My hands don’t shake. And my back never hunches. It’s like I have abandoned all emotions, and chosen to become a robot. As I reach the black double doors, I pause beside them. In the wall-length mirror, I stare at my reflection.I am wearing a plain black dress—something someone would wear to a funeral. It has a V-neck and reaches below my knees. It’s simple enough to not make him think that I was eager to meet him.I nod at myself and flip my hair to my back before entering the private room. Instantly, the familiar scent of an expensive cologne hits me.The control I had over my nerves slips, leaving me standing in the doorway for a few mome
GraceAs soon as Tristin and I enter our room, he grabs my arm and turns me around to face him. I continue to stare down, at his rapidly heaving chest. A sudden chill runs down my spine as the scene from last night flashes before my eyes. Ethan…can even harm my son to the point of no return. He had him kidnapped, and now he can even have him…No…“ What is happening inside that head? ” Tristin cups my cheek, and pulls my face up. “ why did you suddenly apologize? Why did you— ”“ Do you believe what I told you? ” I interrupt him, my voice barely a whisper.Tristin’s blue eyes peer into mine as if searching for something. I wait for him to hesitate, to avoid my gaze or give me any indication that he also believes I was dreaming last night, or worse, trying to implicate a child. But he just sighs and rests his forehead against mine.“ I told you from the very first day. That child was raised by a snake. He can never…come out all pure after spending so much time with someone like his mo
GraceThe maids look for the knife everywhere they can, but after hours of search, they return…empty-handed. I sit by the window, just watching the sun rise in the distance as Mom questions the maids. After receiving the answer she wanted, she turns to me smugly.“ What do you have to say about it now? ” She asks, and I have nothing to say.I can only think in silence. My doubt has been confirmed. Someone in this house is helping that child do this. Was it Serena who planted this mole or was it Ethan? I couldn’t tell for sure before, but now, that doubt is cleared too.It has to be Ethan. Because Serena is gone as Tristin told me. And so, she can’t give any more orders, can she? So…Ethan Calder is still pulling the strings.He planted someone in our house, and she helped that boy get to my son’s room, without getting into the video of any CCTV camera installed in the corridors. Even the knife Sebastian used disappeared as if it never existed.The only person who ever saw that boy