Chapter 4

Xavier’s gray eyes widened in an instant, followed by him taking a deep breath.

I knew him well enough to know he was furious. In the past, the sight of it would make me tremble with fear.

However, now that I had decided I no longer loved him, I could hardly be bothered.

“What did you say?”

“Six. Weeks.” I stared directly into his menacing eyes and spoke word-for-word.

“Xavier, I know you’ve been sleeping with your widowed sister-in-law. Both of you are shameless.”

“Shut up!”

He lunged forward and put his hand tightly around my neck as if he wanted to crush my throat right then and there.

What a sick joke! Our first intimate contact only happened because he was so furious that he wanted to kill me.

“You'd better scram and go home, Grace!”

I forced a sarcastic laugh. The lack of oxygen was causing my vision to blur.

“Xavier Whitmore, I want a divorce.”

The veins on his forehead seemed about to burst. His eyes were filled with stark disbelief and rage.

He suddenly released his grip and turned to issue orders to his men.

“Take the Donna home and have her locked in the bedroom on the top floor. No one is to let her out unless I say so.”

“You can’t illegally hold me!” I cried out while two of his men stoically lifted me off my feet.

He looked down at me from above and stated with a cynical smile, “I’m just disciplining my wife.”

With that, I was forced into the car. Meanwhile, he straightened his suit and strutted into the hospital.

Once taken back to the manor, I was locked in the top-floor bedroom.

The windows were nailed shut while guards were assigned to stand outside the door twenty-four seven.

I was furious and smashed everything inside the room. About three hours later, I heard a round of commotion downstairs.

“Hurry up and change the bedding in the bedroom to silk! Miss Alice has never been a good sleeper…

“Also, move all of the Donna’s belongings from the master bedroom to the room on the top floor.”

Then, I heard a familiar and steady round of footsteps followed by a man's voice.

“Take it easy, Alice. You can rest here. This is your home now.”

“Xavier… I'm allergic to pollen…”

“Alright, uproot all the flowers Grace had planted in the garden!”

I slumped to the floor while tears streamed down my face.

They weren't common flowers. They were champagne roses that I had planted, weeded, fertilized, and nurtured for countless days all by myself.

A few years ago, when we were newly married, he whispered in my ear after getting slightly tipsy from the wine after a dinner party, “Grace, the color of your eyes reminds me of champagne roses.”

That was all it took for me to transform the once barren backyard into the flower garden that it was today.

Not just the flowers, I had also meticulously decorated every nook and cranny of the manor over the last five years.

Because this was his home.

I did all that only for him to bring his true love and a bastard child back home. He was so eager to remove all traces of my existence.

He even intended to imprison me here so no one would find out about his affair.

Suddenly, the door was thrown open with a loud thump.

Several housemaids entered with their heads bowed and were timidly avoiding eye contact with me. They piled my belongings haphazardly in a corner of the room.

“Donna…”

Jakob Roth, the old butler, sighed before reluctantly stating, “Don Whitmore gave orders that the master bedroom belongs to Miss Alice. As for your belongings… We’ll leave them here for now.”

“I understand. You may be excused,” I spoke softly.

After they cautiously retreated, I heard Alice's faint voice coming from outside the door.

“Grace, may I come in?”

Even though I did not respond, she opened the door anyway.

She was dressed in a beige cotton dress and eyed me timidly. Her complexion was pale.

“Grace, I’m sorry…” As soon as she started, her eyes began to turn red as if she had been the one suffering a great injustice.

“I was going to surrender to my fate of being a widow for life. I’ve always refused Xavier and never wanted to take anything from you.

“I don’t think I can handle being the Donna of the family, it’s so much pressure. All I wanted was to give birth to the baby in peace, but… I’m sure you know how Xavier can be, he insisted on giving the child a home…”

I stood amidst the clutter and observed her icily before asking stiffly, “If I may ask, Miss Alice, how do you envision the role I play in your family?”

Alice bit her lower lip and blinked daintily before stating, “I was thinking maybe you could be the baby’s godmother…”

I burst out laughing. I found the entire thing comically absurd.

“You want me, the actual wife, to become the godmother of a bastard child?”

She turned deathly pale at this comment. Then, she began to sway and leaned against the doorframe for support.

“I… I didn't mean that. I just wanted to express how much I care about you, Grace…”

After I flipped her off, she wisely took the hint and left.

Then, I heard the sound of the engine of an excavator roaring downstairs.

All the treasured flowers and various plants I had tended to with my bare hands had been uprooted brutally.