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
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“ He came out of nowhere and saved you? ” Now that he says it aloud, it sounds so weird. Even Ethan’s reasoning regarding that matter is making my head spin. “ Yes. ” I nod, the guilt tightening like a noose around my neck. “ I…ran out of the cabin while…they were busy fighting among themselves. A kidnapper chased me, and I ended up falling from a low cliff into the lake. ”“ And Ethan saved you again? ” He says before I can finish what I was trying to tell him.The noose tightens. I nod again. “ he did. ”“ What happened then? ” Luca asks calmly.I continue, knowing that Tristin might not listen to me, but if I can convince Luca to believe me, Tristin will listen to him. He trusts Luca, after all.“ I had no phone on me. And I was freezing. We were wandering in the woods when we came across the cabin and that old man. He offered to let us stay until the morning because there were dangerous animals in the woods at night. I didn’t want to stay—I swear…I didn’t. But…I had no opt
Grace“ It’s better if he doesn’t show up in front of Boss for a while. ” That’s what Luca said when I tried to take Ethan with me.Ethan agreed with what Luca was saying. I was desperate, but even in that desperation, I had realized what would happen if I asked Ethan to explain things to Tristin while he was still reeling with the shock of seeing what he did.That’s why, without saying anything, I followed Luca. Tristin was long gone, and the journey back home left me feeling numb.Now, as I sit in the backseat of the car and stare at my home, I feel foreign in my body. Tears have dried, and my mind has grown eerily silent. How much can someone cry anyway?What is the use of crying, to begin with?There are some things in your life that you can fix and some mistakes that can be amended. But then there are things, these mistakes that don’t get fixed or can’t be made right. “ Doctor Smith is waiting inside. He will take a look at you. ” Luca says from his spot in the passenger seat.
GraceEthan looks at me like I have grown two heads. Then, he shakes his head, his breath coming out heavy. “ If they were drugged, I would have been affected too. I drank the same alcohol you did, Grace. Don’t you remember? ”“No...” My voice falters, my knees threatening to give out beneath me. My mind is racing, trying to piece together fragments that don’t exist. I can remember—I tell myself.But everything is so blank. “ You are lying. Tell me you are lying. Say we didn’t...that we didn’t do anything. Please, Ethan. Just say that this is all your plan, and we… ”Ethan’s jaw tightens. He runs a hand through his hair, his voice rising in frustration. “ I would have told you if I could, but I don’t remember anything! I don’t remember touching you or…or leaving those marks on you. But they are there. So, I must have.”The weight of his words crushes me. My legs give out, and I collapse onto the floor, clutching the sheets to my chest. Tears blur my vision as sobs wrack my body. Th
GraceMy head pounds like someone is smashing a drum inside my skull. I groan, my body heavy and sluggish, and that’s when I feel it—a hard yank on my body. Rough. Unforgiving. My eyes flutter open, and the blurry image of Tristin comes into view. I want to call his name, but my throat feels so dry, and my head is about to explode.Tiredly, I blink while trying to reach him. And that’s when I start to make out what he is doing. He is above Ethan, fists flying as Ethan lies on the floor, blood dripping from his nose and lip. My brain can’t catch up with what is happening.“ Tr—Tristin? ” I croak out. My hand instinctively reaches out, grabbing his arm to stop him. “ What—What are you doing? Stop… ”He doesn’t stop. Instead, his arm jerks, shoving me backward like I am nothing. My head slams against the headboard, and a sharp pain shoots through me. Warm liquid trails down my forehead, and when I touch it, my fingers come back red. Blood. I am bleeding.I push myself up, my vision bl
Grace“ A woman…like that came here. But she didn’t come alone. She came with her husband. ” The man blurts suddenly, making me freeze in my spot. Husband?For a moment, everything stops. But I can’t think too much. I have to check. I push open the door to the cabin. Luca is right behind me, pulling the man along with him. The air inside is thick, heavy, and the dim light from a single lamp makes everything look wrong.I don’t think. I just move.I open the door to the only room. And then my heart stops.There she is. Grace.The world around me comes to a stop, and everything inside me turns upside down.She is lying in bed. Bare shoulders exposed to the light, the blanket barely covering her. For a moment, everything feels distant. Is this real, or is it my hyper imagination tricking me again?I don’t understand what I am seeing. My eyes move down, and I see a man’s arm wrapped around her. Holding her. Pulling her close.No one does that. Only I do. She will never—never let anyone
TristinWas it my fault? I keep thinking about it. Maybe it was. If I had kept a better eye on her instead of spending all my time looking for my son, she wouldn’t have been lost now.I just found our son. And before I even got to tell her the news, she was gone.What do I do? Why do I keep failing? I continue to ask myself, blame myself, but I continue to move too. I can’t stop. I have left my son at home with my mother and a fleet of guards who will ensure nothing happens to them now…But nothing puts me at ease.The night stretches on, and I keep pushing through the woods, my boots heavy in the mud, the cold biting into me. I don’t even feel it anymore—the cold, the exhaustion—everything blurs together. The only thing in my mind is Grace. She has to be unharmed—she just has to be, or I don’t know what I will do because, without her, I will feel no need to be a better man. Or maybe I never had to be good. Because it does not suit me. If I was still the same man I was before I
EthanI swallow again before marching out of the room. If I stay, I might not be able to hold back.The moment I step out and close the door behind me, Fred steps forth, his curious eyes stealing a glance at the door. My jaw grits. Noticing that, he instantly averts his gaze towards the floor.“ Everything is done, Boss. The bottles were exchanged. ” He informs, his voice low.I nod, walking towards the couch in the distance. Every sign of the drugged liquor has been removed. And the drugs won’t be detected in her blood. She can tell Tristin that she simply took a few sips and then blacked out, and he might believe her. But when he finds no proof, a man like that fucker won’t believe her for long. Once he loses his trust, he will show her his true colors. Faced with the monster she thought was an angel, I wonder how she will react. I tilt my head and regard everything with a curious glint in my eyes. Cracks will appear in her form. Undeniably, everything about her perfect life will
EthanTristin. She keeps calling his name. Even when my lips find their way to her stomach, she whimpers again. “ Tristin. ”I kiss the scar under her belly, and she continues to think it’s him. Leaning back, I stroke the horizontal line with my thumb, noticing the way she arches for more.She almost died giving birth to his son. And now it will be hard for her to bear another child. Did he tell her that?No, he didn’t. The first thing he did was to ask the doctor to keep it a secret from her. He does all that. Hides things, lies, pulls strings from the background…Yet, she keeps calling on him like she can’t get enough. If I had done that, would she have forgiven me as easily as she does for him? No, she would never. So, I will not let her forgive him either. I will make sure she finds out everything he has done to her. She won’t recover from one secret, and the next truth will be ready to unleash. So many lies, so many secrets…so many…fuck ups…Even if she forgives him for a f