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
Grace“ Get your hands off my wife! ” Ethan roars, gripping my arm again.I break out of the trance and step away from Tristin, to get almost pulled back to Ethan’s side. His grip is harsh, meant to hurt my arm and leave bruises. I try to break free, but he doesn’t let go.“ Mrs. Calder… ” One of the old policemen steps forth, his brows furrowed. “ did you call to report a kidnapping? Are you held here against your will? ”“ Kidnapped? ” Ethan huffs. “ She is my wife. ”“ If you are not keeping me by force, you won’t mind me leaving right? ” I shoot him a cold glance over my shoulder.His eyes drip with an animosity that is directed solely at me. I grit my jaw, holding his gaze.Hate me as much as you want. It still won’t be enough to match my hatred for you, Ethan.It feels like a stand-off between us. The people seem to disappear in the background as we glare each other down.I understand why I hate him. But why is he angry over a misunderstanding? He should be happy that I am gett
Grace" Mrs. Calder, choose wisely. Don’t make mistakes. ” Josh follows after me.I halt and shoot him a glance over my shoulder. His eyes are hard on me, but when his gaze meets someone else’s eyes behind me, he swallows and takes a cautious step back.Instantly, I whip around to find Tristin staring at him coldly. The lust for violence behind his eyes is well-masked but it still sends shivers down my back.“ Let’s leave. ” I whisper, drawing Tristin’s attention back to me.He nods curtly and turns around. His hand closes around my wrist again, silently tugging me along.Frowning, I keep my eyes on his hand. I should probably tell him that I can walk on my own. I can walk even if my legs are trembling, even if my hands are turning cold and my heart is sinking.I was a fool to think Ethan was fighting to keep me. For a second there, when I found him clinging to me desperately, I thought…maybe, I am mistaken about some things. Maybe, just maybe, Lily brainwashed him. And Tristin is
Grace “ Your home? What do you mean by your home, Mr. Roberto? ” My mouth dries.“ My home means my home. The place where I live? ” He replies, with his eyes closed.My jaw drops. Is he serious? Or is he being sarcastic? For a few moments, I stare at him, completely confused and stunned out of my mind.“ I don’t understand. ” I whisper, folding my arms across my chest.“ You will be safer in my house than anywhere in the world. Ethan can’t come for you there like he came barging into the penthouse. ” He states as a matter of fact.A lump forms in my throat. The memory of finding Ethan in the room flashes across my mind again. It was terrible, to know that I couldn’t fight him and he just took me with him so easily.Closing my mouth, I turn away from Tristin and rest my forehead against the cold window. My fingers clench as I find myself at the crossroads again.How can I trust a stranger? What if he does something to me now that he knows no one will come to save me? How can I be i
GraceHis house is more luxurious than I anticipated. It’s like a castle straight out of a fairytale, painted blue and white. As the car pulls into the driveway, a man dressed in a black butler’s suit opens my side of the door. I peek up at the old man before stepping out of the car. My heart beats furiously inside my chest, protesting against these sudden changes in my life.“ Come on, Little Butterfly. ” Tristin urges, walking up the stairs like he owns the place. Which he does, I mean. Ignoring the strange feeling in my stomach, I follow him inside the white main door. My jaw hangs low just as I step in. Being a child of a wealthy family myself, I am never surprised about the extravagance of places but his house is something else.Every corner, the crystal chandelier that hangs in the middle of the sitting area, the white and blue themed walls, and the carefully designed interior—everything oozes power and money.“ Tristin Darling, you are late. You missed our dinner. ” A warm
GraceThe whole night, I twist and turn in the bed, finding it hard to fall asleep under the new roof. When I shut my eyes, nightmares plague my sleep. Ethan is chasing me in all those dreams. I do my best to get away, but no matter where I turn, he is right there, so close, his arms almost closing around my body to cage me again. When he grabs me, he pushes me away. The car hits me, and blood splatters on the road. I wake up with a startled cry, my chest heaving up and down rapidly. My wide, panicked eyes take in the room before landing on the woman standing in the doorway.Instantly, I gasp and push my sweat-stricken hair away from my forehead. “ Alma. Did I disturb you? ”She has a strange look on her face. I gulp, clasping my trembling fingers together to stop the motion.“ I came to call you for breakfast. ” She whispers, a forced smile playing on her lips.She could have sent any servant in the mansion. But she came herself and saw me in such an embarrassing state.“ Are you
GraceOn my way back, I can’t help but feel like the ground is too soft beneath my feet. It feels like I am floating away, completely detached from the surroundings. My mind…keeps sending me back in time. This fear in my heart is the same as when I came home from college and tiptoed around Mom and Dad to avoid their wrath. This fear is the same as when I tried to hide my drawings, my projects, and my dreams so Lily couldn’t take them away from me.This fear is the same as when I avoided looking at Ethan to hide my crush on him.Because I knew…All those things will bring me pain.And I was scared to bear the pain alone. I didn’t want my heart to bleed only for the lack of comfort to make it worse. I knew…If I fall once, I will never get back up again. I have been like this.But now, all those things that I feared have already happened.I smile mockingly. Even last night, I feared Alma would get to know the truth about me and hate me and it didn’t even take one day for her to fin