Grace
“ Who is he and what is he doing here? ” Ethan stalks towards me and grabs my arm harshly.
Forcefully, he sits me up in the bed and gives me a violent jolt. “ Is he the father of the bastard that you miscarried? ”
“ What?... ” My heart hardens.
“ You were planning on dumping that child on me, right? But you are a fool to think that I will believe you are carrying my child after the whole world saw what kind of a woman you are! ” He laughs humorlessly. “ It’s good that the bastard died! ”
Slap!
I slap him across his face. His eyes show confusion before anger takes over.
“ How dare— ”
“ Call my child that one more time and I will murder you, Ethan Calder! I will trample all over you and show you what happens when you mess with my Baby! ” I scream, pointing my trembling finger in his face.
I want to hurt him so badly. My hands itch by my side as he glares down at me, the confusion lingering in his eyes.
“ You— ”
“ Shut up! ” I shriek, hitting his chest with my fists. “ Shut your stupid mouth, Ethan! You are a fool, an idiot who believed that bitch Lily and killed your child. You idiot! ”
He grabs my hands and pushes them on my side forcefully. “ what did you say? ”
I glare back, equally hateful as him. “ You know what! You deserve her! A heartless man like you deserves a cunning bitch like her! You two suit each other. I hope she sucks you dry and leaves you to die on the road. ”
“ Don’t you dare insult Lily! She is your sister. How can you be so disrespectful towards her? ” Ethan looks conflicted, his voice betraying the shock.
He must have not expected me to talk back like this. I know he was waiting for me to cry and beg him to believe that the baby was his.
How ironic!
All my devotion went to hell after he saw a few manipulated pictures. But I don’t even find it surprising anymore.
What’s surprising is that...I am done. I don’t feel anything now that I look at him but a memory keeps revolving in my head.
He pushed me. He caused the miscarriage. He left me to die.
I whisper through my gritted jaw. “ Sister? ”
“ Grace—”
“ She is nothing to me anymore. And you, Ethan Calder, are nothing! Congratulations, you did it! I hate you. I hate you with every fiber of my being. Bring me the divorce agreement right now so I can free myself from scum like you. ” I jerk my hands out of his cold hands and push at his chest.
“ You will sign the divorce? ” His eyes twitch. “ is this a trick to get me to change my mind? ”
I can’t help but laugh. He wanted the divorce before, but now, instead of running to get it, he is asking me if I am joking? What an idiot!
“ You killed your child, Ethan. ” I whisper, pain erupting in my heart all over again. “ Your child, do you get it, stupid man? After what you did, do you think I want anything to do with you? ”
“ What happened was unfortunate, Gracie. But don’t blame Ethan anymore, please. It was my fault. ” Lily rushes inside the room and grabs Ethan’s arm. “ besides, you slept with so many men...how can we be sure that it was Ethan’s child? ”
“ Yes, it’s your fault. So go cry somewhere else. Get your filthy face out of my sight! ” I yell, earning a shocked look from her.
She must not have expected this either. But she should know. This time, they did it. Now, the Gracie they knew has died with my child that they murdered.
I can’t stand her repulsive face. Instinctively, I pick up the vase on the side table and throw it in her direction.
Unsurprisingly, Ethan steps in front of her. The vase hits his back and shatters. He winces. Now, he knows what it feels like to get hit by a vase.
“ How dare you, Grace?! Have you lost your mind? ” Ethan roars, losing his usual calm.
“ Lost my mind? ” I laugh humorlessly. “ Let me show you what losing one’s mind is like! ”
I push the duvet away and jump from the bed. I can’t care less about the pain. I am going to show them what’s it like to mock a broken mother.
They think they can proudly show their faces around after cheating behind my back, killing my child, and ruining my life? They are living in a daydream and now, it’s time to wake them.
I pick up the tray from the side table and throw it in their direction. Lily screams and runs around wildly while Ethan spreads his arms in front of her to protect her.
“ Grace! ”
“ What a hero you are! When your baby was dying, where were you?! ” I shriek, getting my hands on other things.
I only see red. I throw one thing after another to them. Ethan shouts, Lily cries but I can not stop. I want to ruin them. I need something to stop this pain in my heart, this sense of loss that seems to cling to my entire being.
Ethan grits his teeth and stalks towards me angrily. His hand grips my jaw like he did yesterday and almost broke it.
Instead of taking it like he expected, I smack him again. His face turns to the side, confusion turning to full-blown horror.
“ You think I am mad? ” I laugh cruelly. “ let me show you clearly, Ethan. ”
His arms try to refrain me but my hate knows no bounds. I scratch his face, his neck. Hit him everywhere I can reach.
“ What are you doing to the patient? ” A doctor runs in, trying to break us free.
The nurses have to follow in too to hold me back as I kick and punch the scumbag.
“ Calm down, Miss or we will have to sedate you. ” The doctor warns.
I settle down and glare at their horrified faces. “ Now, you know what being mad looks like. But don’t be surprised just yet. After today, you will get a complete introduction. Every time you appear with your ugly faces in front of me, I will reach out to tear you apart! ”
Lily trembles, and clings to Ethan’s side. He looks like he has been to war. His face is bloody, just like his neck and hands.
Their pain satisfies me but I know it can’t bring my baby back. Nothing can make it happen. My hands shiver by my side as I think about the reality. Tears began to pool in my eyes again.
“ What an exciting scene. ” A throaty voice comments from the background.
I forgot about Tristin. I free myself from the nurse and inhale a deep breath to calm myself.
“ Mr. Roberto— ”
“ Tristin. ” Lily gasps, her face a mask of terror.
“ You haven’t changed one bit, Lily. ” Tristin’s voice is pure ice.
“ You...What are you... ” Lily’s gaze switches between me and him.
“ Do you know him? ” Ethan frowns.
“ He...He is just someone I know. ” Lily gulps.
“ Now you refuse to recognize me. I feel sad, sister-in-law. ” Tristin hums, shocking the hell out of me.
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Ethan“ Sister in law?” A frown marks my forehead.“ Ethan...” Suddenly, Lily gasps.I look to my right to find her body going limp. Before she can hit the floor, I grab her waist and hold her up.“ Lily? ” I pat her pale cheek.These bastards have done it. They made this poor girl faint because of heartache.“ Doctor, check on her! ” I shout.The doctors and nurses standing beside Grace rush in our direction.“ Shift the patient to a room.” The doctor issues the order.“ If something happens to her, I will not let you rest Grace. You should know I won’t let you go anymore! ” I hiss at the girl who is supposed to be my wife.“ Oh? ” She snorts. “ Well, I hope she doesn’t die yet. I want her to suffer until her miserable end. ”I can’t believe my ears. Her words are poisonous.All this while, she sweet talked and continued to smile like a fool. I thought she was easy-going and caring but it turns out...She was simply a snake in hiding.Now, she is showing her true colours.“ I will deal
Grace The sudden kiss startles me. But I regain my senses quickly and bite his lips, hard. Ethan groans and pulls away. “ What the— ”My knee hits his crotch. Instantly, his hold loosens around me as he cups his treasure and bends down.Taking this chance, I grab my bag from the bed and hurry towards the door.“ You— ”“ Don’t take me lightly, Ethan Calder. ” I seethe, and pause in the doorway.His face turns red with pain. A little part of my heart still aches when I see him like this. But I tuck it away.I won’t fall for him again. Not in this life!With the back of my hand, I wipe my lips that taste like him. “ Don’t disgust me with your touch. You are filthy, Ethan. A terrible man. ”“ You—You will pay. ” He hisses through his teeth.Before he can straighten up again, I rush out of the hospital room. I know the kind of crazy Ethan Calder can be. The city is scared of the man who is the King of the Calder Empire. Being alone with him, after he has disregarded everything is dang
GraceHe presses the handkerchief harder into my lips, making me wince. I didn’t notice it before—Ethan seems to have bitten me just like I did to him.“ Let me guess, she did something to your brother. Now you want to get back at her. So do you want to hurt me too? Because you think it will hurt my family? ” A smile filled with pain plays on my lips.“ If I wanted to hurt you, you would be long gone, Grace. ” There is a certainity in Tristin’s voice that scares me. It’s like he can actually make me disappear.Only powerful men like Ethan who know their worth and their power talk like this. So arrogant and full of themselves. “ Who are you? ” I whisper, finally taking the handkerchief from him so I can tend to my wounds.“ That’s not what you should ask, Little Butterfly. ” Tristin drawls, leaning away coldly.I frown at the sudden nickname.“ Look at this. ” He takes out a brown envelope from his side and throws it in my lap.I cast him a skeptical look before opening the envelope.
GraceAfter an hour, the car comes to a stop in front of a tall tower. I stare at the envelope in my hand, completely unconcerned about Tristin’s unwavering gaze on me. “ I own the penthouse. You can stay as long as you want. ” He says, his voice deep and low.“ I still don’t understand it…What do you truly want? ” I whisper, keeping my gaze on the envelope.“ I told you. I want you to work for me. ” Tristin repeats.“ What would you achieve by having me work for you? I am inexperienced, and not much of a help in anything. ” I sigh, meeting his eyes and finding myself holding my breath.“ At age 17, you won the international contest for the best building design. Later, Ethan used your design and earned millions. Surprisingly, your sister took the credit for it in his company. ” He straightens his cuffs, taking his eyes off me. A noose tightens around my throat as I stare at him. Lily asked me to give her that winning design because she wanted to impress Ethan. As her sister, I didn
GraceDread washes over me in waves. Instinctively, my body goes limp in his arms while I try to wrap my mind around how he got in.“ You pretended to be all innocent and loyal to me all this time. Yet, you were sleeping with every man you could get your hands on, right?! ” His dangerous voice hisses. “ You…You are trespassing. ” I swallow and start struggling again. “ Security will be coming up anytime and— ”He laughs, cutting me off mockingly. “Security? What fucking security, Dear Wife? They are all gone. ”My blood cools in my veins as I process his taunt. I know this tone, this cruel streak of behavior. “ What—What did you do, Ethan? ”“ Did you think he could keep me from reaching you? ” Ethan’s arm tightens around my waist.I groan, pain erupting in my lower belly. The wounds are still raw. It hurts. But he doesn’t care. “ And why must you reach me?! Haven’t you taken enough? Do you have to hurt me more? ” My voice becomes moist as I struggle to keep the tears at bay.All I
GraceI blink my eyes open. A familiar white ceiling comes into view. Everything feels like a nightmare. I never left this bedroom. Lily never came back. I never met Tristin.And Ethan didn’t betray me. It was a nightmare and I am awake now.“ Madam. How are you feeling? ” The voice breaks my trance. My heart shatters too. I direct my gaze towards Serena who is standing on my side, staring down at me worriedly. “ Why am I here? ” I ask in a hoarse voice.“ Sir brought you back. You were bleeding and unconscious so he called a doctor and had her look after you. ” She informs me politely.I grit my jaw. So, Ethan had his way in the end. He kidnapped me without a care in the world.“ You are fine, Madam. It’s not unusual to bleed— ”“ Why? ” I murmur, moving my gaze to the ceiling again.“ I didn’t get your question, Madam? ”“ Why did you tell Ethan that I took morning-after pills? You know I never did that. ” I whisper. Silence meets me as an answer. I clench my fists, my body b
EthanWhat if…What if the child was mine? My body stiffens. I stand in front of the wall-sized window in my office, glaring at the gardener tending to the flowers. Those flowers, the red roses, are Grace’s favorite flowers. I hate the fragrance of roses. But for her, I didn’t mind filling my garden with them. Yet, she cheated on me. Betrayed me. Lied to me. But what if…The child is mine? My throat constricts. Grace’s cold stare flashes before my eyes. These days, she looks like a feral fox instead of the cute kitten from before.How dare she act like that after what she did to me? She has no shame, no sense of remorse for her actions. Then how can I believe for a moment that the tears she sheds and the way she says that the baby in her womb was mine are not lies too? The housekeeper did report that she took pills every morning religiously.But I don’t fucking understand why.She stole me from Lily. Got me involved with her. I was happy with her.Then why did she keep cheatin
Grace As expected, the door is opened again after an hour. It almost comes off its hinges due to the force behind the push.“ Grace Whitlock! ” Mom fumes, strolling inside.Like an angry bull, she makes a beeline for me and grabs my hair. I stand up calmly and let her drag me forth.“ What do you want from us? From your sister?! Why won’t you let us breathe in relief?! ” She shrieks in my face, her eyes spitting fire.“ What did I do this time, Mom? ” I whisper in a composed voice.“ You?! ” Her face turns red. “ You are asking me what you did wrong?! ”“ Honey, leave her. ” Dad is quick to come inside and grab her shoulders. “ Don’t stress over an abomination like her. Your health is worth more than her. ”“ Leave me, James. I am going to kill this girl today! ” Mom jerks free and grips my hair harder.“ Mom, you are hurting me. ” I wince.“ You are here to take your sister’s man again? How can you be my daughter? How is that possible?! ” She screams, shaking me by my hair.“ He is
GraceI don’t wait for her response. I slip out of the room, the trembling refusing to stop as I make my way to Sebastian’s room. My bare feet are soundless against the cold floor, the hallway stretched longer than usual in the dark. My head spins, my stomach curling into knots.I am not going to treat him like a child anymore. I need to know why he would try to kill my son. I push open the door, my breath catching in my throat. I prepared for every scenario. I thought he would be panicking or trying to hide—something a normal child would do after doing something wrong. But he…Sebastian is in bed, sleeping soundly.I freeze there for a moment, a frown etching between my brows. I walk closer to him and loom over his sleeping figure.He is sleeping as if he never got up from this bed. I glance towards the side tables and start checking them for the knife. I came in just five minutes. He couldn’t have gone and hidden the knife somewhere in such a short time.After looking inside the
GraceMy body moves before my mind catches up.I grab Sebastian’s wrist mid-air, my fingers squeezing around his skin as the knife nearly comes down. A gasp erupts from my mouth and I shove him back. The knife drops from his hand, and lands on the floor with the loud cling noise. My motherly instincts kick in. My other arm wraps around my son’s shoulders and I pull his face into my chest.Seb startles awake with a soft gasp. “ Mommy? ”Everything inside me goes on high alert. My heart slams against my ribs as I stare ahead, my breath hitched in my throat. Sebastian…He bends down, reaching for the fallen knife. The moment his fingers curl around the handle again, my stomach twists violently.Is this…a five-year-old child?“Sebastian… ” My voice is nothing more than a whisper, barely escaping my lips.I don’t understand. My breathing speeds up as I tighten my hold over my son’s head, and prepare to get up and push Sebastian away.But…He turns away from me and walks toward the door.
Grace“ Why did you need to return so fast? You should have stayed there for some days, Ania. ” I sigh as I sit beside Ania on the bed and watch Sebastian cooing at his new, little sister.“ I couldn’t stay a moment more in that depressing, shitty place. It reminds me of the foolish mistakes I made in the past. I think I can recover at home better. ” She grumbles, glancing in the direction of the cradle. I swallow the rest of the words when she mentions the past. Back then, she was constantly trying to hurt herself and often ended up in the hospital. Now, she has gotten out of that phase, and she is doing so much in life. I look in her direction, noticing how pale her face is before sighing softly.If staying at home helps her recover faster, then so be it. I will look after her.Silence falls in her bedroom as we watch Sebastian playing with the new baby. It feels like a rare moment of calm has befallen when a storm is still raging.If only I could stay here, and continue to watch
EthanThe satisfaction a person feels after watching the last piece fit into an impossible puzzle is unparalleled.That’s exactly what I feel right now. A deep-rooted satisfaction that is more intoxicating than any drug in this world.“ Theodore took Serena. It seems he will keep her locked up and torture her for a while. She won’t be returning anytime soon. ” I hear the report calmly, my gaze drawn towards the almost complete puzzle of her face.The last piece is still in my hand. And I have been holding back from fitting it in. But now, I can. I lean in and place the piece in the puzzle, completing the picture of her perfect face. In that picture, she is smiling so brightly at me that it makes me want to bring her to my side faster. “ Won’t that cause a setback in our plan, Boss? ” My assistant asks.I just shake my head. I know Grace must have told Tristin to simply send Serena away after adopting the boy and signing an NDA. But Tristin didn’t listen to her. He didn’t let Serena
TristinI didn’t even need to convince her. It felt like she was waiting for me to bring this up in front of her. After she signs the documents, a wide smile spreads across her lips. “ I was thinking…Tristin— ”“ Don’t call my name. ” I stare at her face calmly.Her smile wavers and she shudders before she continues. “ I was thinking Mr. Roberto…I can stay in the annex because it feels strange to live in the same house as Mrs. Roberto. This way I can stay close to Sebastian and I won’t be in Mrs. Roberto’s way either. ”I tilt my head to the right and study the fake nervousness painting her face. She thinks…after everything she did, and after she just signed the documents, I will still keep her around.Then again, I did tell her that after adopting Sebastian, I would let her stay. But I never mentioned… the place where I am planning on letting her stay.As if on cue, the door opens and Adler steps inside. Three other bodyguards follow him in, and instantly come to stand behind the c
GraceI take a seat on the wingchair in the corner and watch the boy’s back. He has been standing in front of the window for a whole five minutes now.He is desperately trying to ignore me, but his curled hands and tense body give him away. Children…shouldn’t have to try so hard to hide their emotions. But, for some reason, he is trying to exercise extreme control over his nerves.“ I heard you refused to eat. You broke the bowl of soup I sent to you. ” I break the silence.I have no idea how I am supposed to communicate with a child who acts nothing like a child. If I talk to him in a baby voice and attempt to treat him like a baby, it feels like he will get more offended.“ And you have been trying to bully Sebastian. ” I add, my shoulders tensing.He scoffs. “ Sebastian is my name. ”I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. “ You both share the same name. You are Sebastian and he is Sebastian. ”“ No. Sebastian is my name. It can…just be my name. ” He says, without turning to fa
GraceSilence falls between us. The steam lifts from the soup and hides his deep eyes for a moment.I take that time to pick up the tray so I can go to my son. “ Seb must be hungry. I need to— ”“ I gave him chocolates. He is sleeping now. ” Tristin interrupts, making me pause.“ You gave him chocolates for breakfast? ” My eyes narrow on him.He rubs the tips of his right ear and looks away. I want to tell him that Seb needs nutrients rich diet at all times because he was born weak, but I give up when I recall what happened earlier.I put the tray down and stand there, just watching the steaming soup. The silence between us stretches, and neither of us looks at each other.Then, as if sensing that it has been too long, Tristin breaks it first. “ I can bear anything as long as you and Seb stay happy and oblivious to how ugly things can get. This is not a sacrifice. This is my duty. ”“ If we use that logic, then isn’t it my duty to ensure that you don’t lose your sleep over your decisi
GraceAfter I am done cooking the soup, I have Ivan pack some for Ania and pour the rest into three bowls. One for Tristin, one for Seb…and the last one is for that devil spawn. No matter how horrified I am after learning what that kid did, I can’t really let him go hungry. “ Take this to that boy. ” I tell Mary.“ To…that woman’s son? ” She asks innocently, her wide eyes blinking.I look up at her, ready to snap and ask her who else she thinks I am referring to. Then, I realize how inappropriate it is to call a child ‘that boy’ instead of his name.But whenever I call him by his name, it becomes even worse. People ask who I am referring to. Frustrated, I nudge the tray towards Mary. “ Just take it. Don’t stand still here. ”“ Yes, Ma’am. ” She blurts, picks up the tray, and runs away before I can get more angry.I put my hands on the kitchen counter and lean down, my breaths coming out heavy and uneven. The detective has already replied with a small message.[Consider it done in t
GraceIn the past few days, something always comes up. And Tristin can never seem to make it. In my heart, I did wait for something to go wrong. I even worried that Tristin might not make it in time and my son will forever start believing that his father didn’t care about him.But, to my utter relief, Tristin came half an hour later. He asked me what was wrong, but I couldn’t say a word. I just stepped out of the bedroom and asked Tristin to go in and talk to Seb.He did that without asking any questions or trying to stall time. It was clear to me. I had been more absent than I thought, and now, my son had a stronger bond with his father than he ever did with me. But it didn’t faze me when I saw Tristin kneel in front of our son, only to have the latter jump into his arms. Instead, I felt relieved. At least, Tristin has always made up for whatever I was lacking. To think that I was going to take Seb and leave without telling Tristin…That thought just makes me shudder now. And it