Chapter 7 Never
Grace didn’t want to go, but her trembling legs betrayed her.
Perhaps she would still hold onto the last shred of hope unless she saw it
with her own eyes.
Having adjusted to the bright lights in the hall, she felt a bit.
uncomfortable because of the sudden dimness.
Maybe it was because the storage room was secluded enough; Roxie’s moans were particularly unrestrained.
m
Grace leaned against the wall, peering through the crack of the door and looking at the man and the woman inside, both naked from the waist
down.
Roxie wrapped her arms around Antonio’s neck tightly, pressed him against her breasts, and locked eyes with Grace outside the door, her face flushed. Raising the silver bracelet she was wearing, she said coquettishly, provoking Grace, “Prof. Kaufman, please, slow down…”
Antonio could no longer think straight due to lust. “You came onto me. Didn’t I teach you? You gotta be responsible for your actions.”
Grace
had no idea how she left. She stumbled away, not even noticing when her heel broke.
Then a man in a cap and mask rushed out from across the street, stabbing a knife into her lower abdomen.
***
Grace was awakened by Sophia’s crying.
1200
11
She opened her eyes weakly and looked around the hospital room. Then she saw Antonio by the bedside, looking disheveled with a stubbled chin..
He was still wearing the suit from the banquet; she didn’t know how long he had been sitting here.
Seeing that she was awake, he called for the doctor and the carer while feeding her soup carefully.
“Honey, I’m so sorry. Some business partners wanted to discuss a project with me that night: From now on, I’ll never leave your side at such events, OK?
“The attacker is in custody. I’ll make sure anyone who dares to hurt you pays.”
His eyes were bloodshot since he had been staying up all night, and he looked so pitiful. It was hard to connect him with that high and all–mighty Mr. Kaufman who ruled the business world.
Hearing this, Sophia said, trying to help him, “Grace, ever since you went into a coma, Mr. Kaulinan has been by your side. If you hadn’t woken up, he might have topped himself soon.
But when Grace looked at Antonio’s face, she only felt disgusted; he was such a big hypocrite.
She said with a tone of despair, her voice hoarse.
“When I was organizing my jewelry yesterday, I couldn’t find the silver bracelet Grandma left me anywhere.”
He immediately said, holding her hand, “It’s an old piece, so I sent it to an expert in restoring antiques.
“I’ll get it back in a couple of days.”
Chapter 7 Never
Grace sneered deep down.
She had loved him for more than twenty years; at this very moment, it was all gone.
She thought, “Antonio, you know exactly how important that bracelet was to me, yet you still gave it to Roxie.”
She buried herself under the blanket and said no more.
Antonio figured she was shaken, so he stayed by her side quietly. Occasionally, he would pat her back and whisper softly like coaxing a child to sleep.
“Honey, get better soon, OK? The Ferris wheel is almost finished. I’m waiting for you to unwrap the gift together with me. I’m so looking forward to knowing what you’ve got for me.
“I’ll go get the bracelet myself. I swear, nothing like this will ever happen again. Forgive me for this once, OK? Honey? Honey? Are you asleep?”
Grace, under the blanket, was already in tears.
She thought, “Too late. Antonio, I don’t wanna be with you anymore.”
Soon, she heard him reprimand someone.
“Why are you here? She’s been through enough because of you!”
Then came a coquettish voice apologizing, though she didn’t sound apologetic at all. “I had no idea this would happen. I’m sorry, OK?”
Antonio didn’t say anything harsh as he thought of Grace, who was in
bed.
Meanwhile, Roxie put the fruit on the bedside table, feigning care, and undid a few buttons, revealing a glimpse of lace from her uniform.
12:07
Chapter 7 Never
11
“Antonio, you must be exhausted from staying at the hospital these days, right? I’ve got a reward for you.”
Antonio wanted to say something but didn’t eventually. He sighed, hist voice husky, “You feisty little minx. Go wait for me in the car.”
Roxie hooked her fingers around his belt. “Why bother? I’m hospitalized, too. My room is just downstairs.”
The sound of the door closing rang out, and Sophia gawked at the couple kissing each other passionately in the elevator in great disbelief.
Sophia then went straight to Grace’s room, only to see Grace sitting. calmly and numbly on the bed, peeling an apple.
“You saw it, didn’t you?”
Sophia said, choking back a sob, “What a despicable pair!”
Grace put the knife down and suddenly asked, “What department is downstairs?”
Puzzled, Sophia answered, “The OB–GYN Department. Why?”
The OB–GYN Department.
The apple fell from Grace’s hand, and those words were so shocking that she couldn’t sleep all night.
Antonio didn’t come back to the room; he said he had to deal with work piled up at the company.
Meanwhile, Roxie kept bombarding her with messages.
“My back and waist are so sore. But Antonio and I have tried a new spot to have sex and new positions. Can you hear us from upstairs?”
101
12001
Chapter 7 Never
“We did it all night. He didn’t restrain himself at all. Well, I guess he’s not to blame. After all, I love him so much and indulge him. He even said the silver bracelet looks great on me.”
And the last message she sent was, “Drop that attitude of being holier- than–thou, Grace. Ignoring my texts won’t change any facts, OK? You come from a better family than mine. So what? You know what? The second I saw you at View Village, I knew I’d replace you one day. I’ll be Mrs. Kaufman.”
After steeling herself, Grace set down her phone and went to Roxie’s
room.
But Roxie wasn’t alone; Kelly was there as well, with her car pressed against Roxie’s belly.
As tears streamed down Grace’s cheeks, she heard their conversation.
“This is awesome, Roxie! When you give birth, I’ll be an aunt.”
However, Roxie looked sad. “After my baby comes to this world, it’ll suffer. It’ll be labeled a bastard without a dad for life.”
Kelly said, “That’s so not true. Chill. The second you give birth, I’ll talk to Antonio and have him divorce Grace. She can’t have kids, and she wanna make everyone else the same as her? She puts on airs all day. Mom, Dad, and I are so sick of her already.”
Only then did Roxie smile. She said, “Thanks, Kelly. I’m saying this for me and my baby.”
Kelly rolled her eyes at Roxie playfully. “Gee. Give me a break. But, speaking of which, why did you keep it from Antonio?
“At the auction, I put on an act and pulled your hair. I’m so glad your baby is fine, or I’d feel guilty for the rest of my life.”
Chapter 7 Never
The duo was chatting happily, yet Grace outside the room felt a chill down her spine.
Before marrying Antonio, she told the Kaufman family that female celebrities had short–lived prime, and she had a low tolerance for pain, so she might not be able to bear Antonio’s baby soon.
Back then, Howard and Rena grabbed her hands and assured her lovingly that it was OK. They wanted her to be their daughter–in–law, and it didn’t matter if she couldn’t have kids. Also, Kelly linked arms with her, saying that all she needed to do was to stay pretty.
Later on, her career took off. When she wanted to surprise Antonio with a baby, for some reason, she couldn’t get pregnant no matter what.
Kelly especially flew back to the country to comfort her.
Grace felt utterly disheartened and cold. She couldn’t listen anymore, and it took her a long time before finally exhaled and turned to leave.
She walked slowly but still tripped over nothing. More and more started to ooze out from her sutured abdomen until she was carried away on a
stretcher.
Antonio mobilized the entire blood bank in Edgecoast and even donated his own blood against the doctor’s advice till his face was pale. Finally, Grace’s life was saved.
He hugged her almost the second she opened her eyes.
“Honey, if you hadn’t woken up soon, I would have killed myself.”
His entire chest was trembling, and he gripped her shoulders so tightly that his fingers turned pale.
With a pale face, she stared at him calmly. “Really?”
12000
Chapter 7 N
“For sure!” he said without hesitation.
She closed her eyes. “I’m hungry. I want the donuts from Sun Street. Can you fetch some for me?”
He grabbed his car keys and headed for the door right away.
Before he left, he pecked her cheek. “Honey, wait for me.”
Looking at his retreating figure, Grace muttered under her breath, “But I won’t. Never.”
Fifteen minutes later, Sophia entered the room with a group of people.
Holding Grace’s hand, she said, “Grace, it’s all done. No one will know you’re gone. We’ve already got you a new identity abroad. All that scumbag is gonna get is a handful of ashes.”
Grace nodded and left her phone and “suicide note” on the bedside table.
“Give him these, too.”
He should have a taste of the heart–wrenching moments she had been through.
As for whether he would really kill himself for her? Well, she didn’t give a damn at all.
After settling everything, Grace left the hospital via a special passage and then headed to the airport.
Sitting on the plane, as she watched Edgecoast getting farther and farther below, she finally felt that she was alive again.
Meanwhile, Antonio had just bought the donuts when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest followed by a suffocating sensation.
1200
Chapter 7 Never
He parked the car as fast as he could and then saw Roxie, who had been waiting for him in the underground parking lot.
“Dr. Kaufman, I’m not feeling well. Can you give me a check–up?”
Her hospital gown had been altered by her to accentuate her figure. Seeing this, Antonio stopped in his tracks.
Kelly, who was supposed to bring the donuts to Grace, was quite displeased. She tossed the donuts into the trash and smoked in the stairwell.
An hour later, Antonio, who had enjoyed himself, pushed the door to the stairwell and saw her.
They were indeed cut from the same cloth, which explained why they cooperated so perfectly.
“Since you’ve been smoking, don’t go to Grace’s room. She can’t handle the smell.” Antonio glanced at Kelly.
Kelly rolled her eyes. “She’s so pretentious.
“Antonio, perhaps you should be more temperate. Roxie is pregnant.
OK?”
“What did you say?” Antonio was dumbfounded.
“I…” Kelly was startled by his reaction. “I said, Roxie is pregnant. You don’t know?”
“Impossible. Grace doesn’t wanna have kids, so I had a vasectomy.
“How on earth could Roxie get pregnant?”
Kelly swallowed, the cigarette between her fingers falling to the ground.
