Chapter 4

Grace's POV

A wave of utter absurdity washed over me. It turned out that when pain reached its limit, it somehow began to feel almost laughable.

I curled my lips into a mocking smile. "So what, I'm supposed to thank you now for aborting my boyfriend's child?"

Her lips quivered, and she reached for my wrist. That was when I noticed a silver ring on her ring finger. The silver was distinctive, with a muted, grayish-white sheen.

My whole body went rigid. I recognized it in an instant. After Mom died, I had mixed a small amount of her ashes into molten silver and personally forged this simple band.

The first night I gave myself to Lyle, I slipped the ring onto his finger. Back then, he promised me tenderly, "I'll never take it off, Grace. When we get married, I'll put it on your finger and let your aunt see with her own eyes that you've found a home."

But now, it was on Pamela's finger… My whole body began to tremble.

"Where did you get this ring?"

Pamela averted her gaze, yet she was at a loss for words.

That was the second I snapped. Like a madwoman, I lunged at her to rip that ring off her finger.

Pamela was knocked to the floor, letting out a bloodcurdling scream.

Lyle hurried through the door. The moment he saw Pamela slumped against the edge of the bed, with the IV needle already ripped from the back of her hand, he rushed up to her to support her.

When he turned around to look at me, his gaze was ice-cold. "Have you lost your mind, Grace Rochester?"

I didn't look at him. I crouched on the ground, clutching the ring, my whole body trembling. "You can humiliate me, but you can't humiliate Mom!"

Lyle sprang to his feet and glared at me. The very next second, he swatted the ring right out of my palm. The silver band clattered against the tiled floor.

"Enough is enough, Grace! Your mother was tortured to death back then because she was a loose woman! Your mom's dead, your dad has lost his mind, and yes, I feel sorry for you, but the whole world doesn't revolve around you. I don't, and neither does Pamela! Now apologize to her!"

I swallowed the dull ache in my chest, a look of absolute resolve flashing in my eyes. "Not a chance!"

After hearing that, he sneered and pulled out his phone to make a call. Moments later, a caregiver came in.

My eye twitched, and a bad feeling surged in my chest.

Lyle bent down, picked up the ring from the floor, and walked over to the window. "Fine, you don't have to apologize. I just hope you can handle the consequences."

I belatedly realized what he was about to do and charged at him. However, it was already too late.

The caregiver pinned me down, rendering me immobile. Lyle wrenched open the window and hurled my ring out of the hospital window.

"No! Don't do this! Please, Lyle!"

Yet no matter how desperately I cried and pleaded, it was useless.

The caregiver only let me go after I had cried until my voice was hoarse. I remained on my knees, my cheek pressed to the cold tiles, tears and snot slathered all over my face.

Lyle had already escorted Pamela out, not even sparing me another glance. God knew how long passed before I forced my numb body back up.

Using the wall for support, I made my way out of the hospital, one painstaking step at a time. With every step I took, the dull ache in my chest gradually faded.

I didn't go home. There wasn't a single thing in that apartment that was mine. I hailed a cab and told the driver to take me to the airport.

As the city lights blurred and receded outside the window, my tears finally ran dry.

I thought to myself, "May we never cross paths again, Lyle."