Chapter 4
With Kate and Talia laid to rest, Grace found a glimmer of
closure.
But when she got home and saw workers taking down framed pictures in the living room–Talia’s drawings, the last things she had left–her anger flared.
She stormed forward, eyes blazing. “What are you doing? Who told you to do this?”
Yesenia came downstairs in her pajamas, rubbing her sleepy eyes. “Grace, I want to hang my paintings in the living room. Antonio already agreed.”
The noise brought Antonio down. “Grace, Yesenia’s a pro. She says these drawings are too amateurish. Let’s not keep them. When Talia comes back, Yesenia will teach her.”
Grace’s chest heaved with anger. “You think you can just toss them? These are my Talia’s last keepsakes! She’s never coming back!”
“Time and again, you test my patience. Burn every last one. Yesenia will teach Talia herself so she doesn’t pick up your bad habits,” he shouted, flaring up.
Grace broke down completely. She lunged for the drawings, but the bodyguards held her back.
The workers smashed the frames and threw Talia’s drawings into the roaring fireplace.
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“No!” Grace screamed in desperation, but it was all in vain.
Yesenia smirked, patting Antonio’s back. “Cool down. I’ll teach Talia properly.”
As the flames licked the edges of the drawings, Grace finally broke free.
Ignoring the fire, she reached in and snatched a half–burned drawing.
Antonio’s face showed panic. “Stop her!” he yelled, but no one could hold back a mother driven by desperation.
Grace’s eyes were fixed on the drawing. Though the image was barely visible, she could make out Talia smiling, holding three flowers.
Talia’s voice echoed in Grace’s mind, “One for Nana, one for Mom, and one for Dad.”
Antonio’s figure in the drawing was reduced to ashes.
“My sweet, innocent angel, she loved her family so much. What did she do wrong? Why did they take her from me?” Grace thought.
Then she couldn’t take it anymore and collapsed.
In her dreams, Grace vaguely heard Yesenia’s voice. “Antonio, I should leave. Grace is making a scene, and I’m not feeling well. I don’t want to make this harder for you.”
Antonio’s voice was cold. “I’ll handle her. She needs to know my limit. You’ve got nowhere else to go. Stay here.”
“Antonio, you’ve always been the best to me,” she cooed.
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Grace struggled in her dreams, but it was hopeless. She fell into endless darkness.
When she woke up, it was the next day. She had over 30 missed calls from the funeral services company handling Kate and Talia’s arrangements.
Grace got a bad feeling.
She answered the call, and Mack Younger, the manager, sounded anxious. “Mrs. Kaufman, you finally picked up. Mr. Kaufman wants to level Soulwell Hill to plant lilies for Ms. Terry.”
Grace was stunned and jumped to her feet, racing over.
She kept praying on the way, “No, no, no! Their photos are still on the tombstones!”
When she got there, bulldozers were ready to start.
Grace ran up, her eyes red. “Kate and Talia’s ashes are here! If you want to level this hill, you’ll have to go through me!”
Antonio saw her and his face darkened.
“Stop causing drama. Yesenia said you’ve been sending Talia to boarding school. Go get her back. When the flowers bloom, bring Talia here to draw. And bring your grandma too. Will that make you happy?”
Grace’s lips trembled, and her mind spun. “They’re dead. How many times do I have to say it? They’re dead!”
But her desperate cries didn’t faze her cold–hearted husband.
Yesenia stepped up, pretending to catch her. “Grace, don’t
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stress. I’ll look after Talia.”
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Her pretty face was twisted with a nasty smirk, like she was saying, “Look, you lost Kate and Talia, but your husband is always with me.”
Grace, furious, shoved her away. “Fuck off, bitch!”
Yesenia stumbled and put on a show of falling to the ground. “Grace, I was just trying to be nice. Why?” she sobbed, tears streaming down her face.
Antonio lost it, glaring at Grace.
He waved for the bodyguards to act. “Hold her back, don’t let her mess with our work.”
Chapter 5
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Chapter 5
