หวงรักในเงาแค้น

"A plane bound for Pamore experienced a tragic crash upon landing at 12:30 am Eklora time.

"The death toll has increased to 136 people, and up until now, there have been only three fortunate survivors."

The real-time news updates about the plane crash on TV pulled Grace Lewis back to her senses.

She was one of the survivors.

She now lay on the hospital bed with injuries all over her body and her legs bandaged.

"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later," came the automatic response from Grace's phone.

Ever since the plane crash, her nominal husband, Benjamin Hawkins, hadn't picked up any of her calls.

The plane crash had shaken the whole nation. It was impossible for him to be unaware of it.

The crash site had been scattered with corpses. The fear of having nearly died still haunted her, overwhelming her to the extent that she couldn't breathe.

Yet, at times like this, when she needed care the most, she had yet to hear a word from the man she had been married to for three years.

A wave of disappointment washed over her.

After a long time, her phone finally rang. Grace snapped out of her thoughts and glanced at her phone.

However, the moment she saw who it was, her eyes gradually dimmed.

"Hello?" She picked it up, her voice hoarse.

Elizabeth Astor's concerned voice came through from the other end of the line. "Gracie, you scared me to death! Are you okay? Is Benjamin with you now?"

Elizabeth was Benjamin's grandmother. She was the only person in the Hawkins family who cared about Grace.

"He ..."

Elizabeth instantly understood the situation upon sensing Grace's hesitation.

"You're both his secretary and his wife. You went abroad on his behalf for work. And now that something has happened, he's gone missing?

"Just wait and see. I'm definitely not going to let him off the hook!"

She added, "Which hospital are you at? I'll get the butler to pick you up right away!"

The call ended soon after Grace told Elizabeth her location.

Grace lowered her head and quietly removed the needle for the IV drip. Enduring the pain, she got out of bed.

"What are you doing? Your leg injuries haven't recovered yet. You need to rest," said the nurse, who had come in for rounds.

"Get me two crutches. I need to get discharged." Grace's eyes were resolute.

Compared to the hospital, Hawkins Manor was a more suitable place for her to recuperate.

On top of that, she needed to tend to work matters too. Grace worked as the president's secretary at Hawkins Group.

She had gone on a trip to Darai as the company's representative. She had been responsible for the layout planning and personnel arrangements for a medical exhibition.

She needed to make a report on that and submit it to the company as soon as possible.

More importantly, she wanted to know what Benjamin was doing and where the hell he was.

The nurse couldn't convince Grace. In the end, she gave in and brought two crutches for her.

Grace left the ward without hesitation and hobbled toward the payment counter.

Right then, she caught sight of a familiar car outside the floor-to-ceiling window. It was followed by several luxurious cars.

They were from the Hawkins Group.

Several people got out of the cars and surrounded the man wearing a black suit.

He was carrying a woman in his arms.

It was obvious that she was someone he cherished a lot. Even her legs were wrapped in his black coat.

The man hurriedly headed over to the hospital lobby, completely oblivious to Grace's presence.

Grace stood rooted to the same spot, watching him carry the woman into a specialist clinic from a distance.

It had been three years since she had married him. But she would never have guessed that he had such an affectionate side.

Who in the world was that woman?

It didn't matter who she was. Grace was utterly distraught. A sharp burst of pain spread through her heart. It hurt so much that she could barely breathe.

After a while, a few nurses walked down the corridor, whispering to themselves as they walked by Grace.

"Oh, my God! Isn't that Benjamin Hawkins, the heir of the Hawkins Group? The one who is always featured on the financial news?

"He is so handsome! I can't believe we actually bumped into him here. He's actually accompanying his girlfriend for her prenatal checkup."

"Prenatal checkup? Are you sure?"

"Yeah! The report even states that she's 12 weeks pregnant. She bled today due to some complications with her pregnancy. That's why Mr. Hawkins brought her over."

12 weeks.

That was two months ago.