Chapter 4. Not Yours Anymore

Grace had just arrived.

After a full day of shopping, Clara dragged her straight to the bar in the heart of San Francisco—because tonight belonged to Grace. Tonight was her freedom, her bachelorette party that Clara had been hyping up for weeks.

Grace didn’t expect to see William there. Or his circle of friends, laughing and chatting like they owned the place.

And of course, the moment they realized she was here, the mocking started again. Exactly the same as it had been three years ago.

She recognized Riley and the other young heirs seated in the main VIP area upstairs. They were all part of William’s world. Riley had once been her friend. Back when William and Camila were the golden couple, everyone loved Camila—even Riley called her “Mrs. Donovan” before William proposed.

For three years, Grace tried to fit in, but never really did.

To them, she was just a placeholder. Someone you sit next to by chance.

They had slapped labels on her. “Replacement.” “Ugly duckling.” “Country girl who doesn’t belong.”

Because if he didn’t love you, his friends wouldn’t bother respecting you either.

Clara, however, couldn’t let it go. Her face stiffened. Her shoulders rose. Her arm raised like a fighter stepping onto a ring.

“I swear, those assholes are gonna choke on their words!” she snapped.

Grace grabbed her friend’s arm. “Calm down, Clara. It doesn’t matter anymore. Our marriage is over. I don’t regret it.”

Clara’s glare softened, but Grace’s calm expression convinced her to let it go—at least for now.

Then everything shifted. Slowly, heads in the bar turned toward Grace. Whispers started. Voices grew louder. Some people spoke up.

“Who is she?”

“She’s gorgeous.”

“Like a goddess.”

Clara smiled. “See? They just noticed her tonight. Let’s celebrate your freedom, Grace. Forget those idiots.”

Clara led her to a different part of the open VIP area near the stage. She raised her hand with a dramatic flair.

“Bring all the escorts over here!”

A moment later, a group of men in sleek suits showed up. Polished smiles, practiced charm, their purpose to make anyone feel like the center of the universe—for one night.

Upstairs, the young heirs were still chuckling… until they noticed the cold gaze aimed at them.

The laughter died down. They froze.

William just watched. His eyes were cold. It was unspoken menace, but you could feel it hanging in the air. Riley caught it instantly.

William had never shown he cared about Grace. But she’d spent three years by his side, caring for him, loving him without expecting anything in return.

He might not love her. But he sure as hell wouldn’t let anyone disrespect her, not tonight.

William and his friends walked down the stairs and stopped at the bottom step to survey the scene. Something about this woman was unsettling him. She’d captured everyone’s attention.

“Who is she?”

“She’s insanely beautiful.”

“Is she from a fairy tale?”

Riley leaned in, wide-eyed. “Man, she really looks like a goddess.”

The others glanced around, bewildered.

“San Francisco even has girls that pretty?”

“Why haven’t we seen her before?”

Riley tapped William’s arm, half-whispering. “Dude, you gotta see this. She’s something else.”

William’s face darkened even more. He already knew it was Grace.

He recognized her from across the floor, even with her new look—no giant glasses hiding her face, no shy aura, none of that old-submissive vibe.

She wasn’t the same girl he knew.

Her skin glowed like porcelain. Her frame was slender and graceful. Her long black hair fluttered over her shoulders, complementing subtle makeup that enhanced her features.

She didn’t have to do anything. She just stood there—and she shined.

William stared for two seconds. Then three. Time seemed to stop. Something stirred inside him—something that made his heart race.

Riley laughed quietly, teasing. “What do you think, man? She’s goddess-level.”

Another heir scoffed. “That’s not William’s type. He’s into sweet, soft girls. Not someone icy and hard to approach.”

Riley shook his head. “Look at her. She’s as beautiful as Camila. Maybe more.”

And for the first time that night… William didn’t disagree.

Grace wore a short Chanel dress—elegant, high-end, completely different from her old modest style. For the first time, she showed off her long legs. Perfectly shaped. Not too thin, not too curvy. The kind of figure that made anyone stop and stare.

Then, a group of men entered the lounge where Grace and Clara were seated. Tall, handsome, sharply dressed. They looked like they walked straight out of a luxury cologne ad. Without saying a word, they lined up in front of Grace, waiting for her signal.

Clara gave her a wicked grin. “Come on, Grace. Pick your favorites. We’re celebrating your freedom tonight.”

Grace looked each one up and down, then raised her hand confidently. “You. You too. And you. And the four of you, stay with us.”

Riley blinked. His eyebrows shot up. “Eight? You’re really going with all of them?”

One of the heirs laughed, eyes still fixed on Grace. “Why bother paying escorts? If she asked us, we wouldn’t say no either!”

Laughter echoed around them. But not from William.

Ding.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, still stone-faced.

“Dear SVIP customer, your card ending in 0975 has been charged $120,000 at Bar Lumière for the rental of eight male escorts.”

His hand froze. Fingers tightened around the phone. He read the message again.

$120,000.

Eight escorts.

Charged on his card.

Slowly, he lifted his eyes across the room and locked on her.

Grace.

No longer the quiet woman who clung to his shadow. No longer his wife. The woman across from him now—he didn’t recognize her anymore.

Grace and Clara were already lounging comfortably. Around them, the escorts were doing their thing. One refilled Grace’s wine, offering it with a sly smile.

“Babe, how about we kick off a little drinking game?”

Clara clapped, loving the idea. “Perfect! Let’s go, Grace!”

Grace laughed and raised her glass. But before she could take a sip, one of the men drank it for her, flirting as he did.

Another guy protested.

“Hey, why just him? We wanna play too!”

They crowded closer, circling the two women like Grace was the queen of her own court. But Grace stayed calm, her smile cool and unbothered.

Across the room, William’s jaw clenched. His glare darkened.

Then, without a word, he stood.

Riley frowned. “Will? Where are you going?”

No response. William’s stride was steady, determined, as he descended the stairs. His eyes locked on one person.

Grace was still laughing when a strong, cold hand grabbed her wrist.

In a flash, she was lifted effortlessly—like she weighed nothing to him.

Her eyes widened as she looked up. “William?! Let me go!”

William didn’t say a word. Not one. He pulled her through the crowd and out of the area.

Clara jumped to her feet.

“William! What the hell?! Let her go!”

Riley and the others stood too, frozen in disbelief. “Wait, did she just call her Grace?”

“You mean... that goddess is Grace?”

“No way. That’s... that’s impossible.”

They stared at the door William had just dragged her through.

Riley’s drink slipped from his hand. "He never even cared about her before. Now he’s acting like she belongs to him.”

Meanwhile, William didn’t loosen his grip. He dragged Grace down the back hallway of the bar. His hand was burning hot. Grace struggled to keep up, stumbling behind him.

“Let go of me, William!”

Still no answer. When they reached the cold wall at the end of the hallway, he suddenly stopped and shoved her lightly against it. His chest was heaving. His shoulders rigid.

Grace could feel the chill of the wall behind her. Before she could move, he stepped in.

His frame hovered over her, stealing the air between them. His face was just inches from hers. His breath was warm on her cheek.

His eyes—dark and unreadable—held more than just anger. There was something else. Hurt. Rage. Confusion. All tangled together.

He whispered, voice low and rough, “You really think you can pull this off like I was never part of your life?”