Chapter 7
Over the next couple of days, Grace would casually drop a few emotional hints near the teddy bear.
At times, she would run off, covering her mouth. Then, she would return with a faint trace of blood at the corner of her lips.
Meanwhile, she received daily updates from Elena. No wonder Zane had been nowhere to be seen lately. It turned out that he’d been with Elena the whole time.
They had been enjoying escape rooms, skydiving, and clubbing. These were the exhilarating pursuits of their youth.
She was only three years older than Zane. By all rights, she should have been a carefree socialite. Yet, she couldn’t match Zane, the favored son of the Jensen family.
Grayson Harper, her own scumbag father, revealed his true selfish nature once Serena was gone. He wasted no time bringing his mistress, Kate Barrett, and her children into their home.
If not for the influence of the Langford family, he wouldn’t have just sent her abroad. He would’ve kicked her out of the Harper family altogether.
Callum valued sons over daughters. To survive in her cold, unloving family, she had to hide her soft side.
With no one to love her, she learned to love herself. She rose through challenges with grit and skill. She worked hard to show Callum that she was as capable as Austin Harper, Kate’s useless son.
Even when her boyfriend of three years cheated on her, she didn’t have the luxury of falling apart. She didn’t have time to waste on him.
In the end, Elena finally couldn’t sit still any longer and called her directly. The moment Grace saw the number, she already knew what this was about.
She deliberately cradled a potted plant in her arms, positioned herself right in front of the teddy bear, and turned on the speakerphone. She answered the call while trimming the flowers.
Elena exclaimed arrogantly, “Old woman, you’ve got some nerve. Do you honestly believe that feigning ignorance will maintain peace? You haven’t even slept with him, have you?”
Grace held the flower stems in her hands, a single tear sliding down her cheek. She replied with quiet sorrow, “Do you really love him?”
There was a pause on the other end. It was clearly not the reaction she’d expected.
Then her voice returned, a little less confident. “Of course I do. We’ve known each other for a year. I flew all the way from Jadewood to see him.
“You’ve seen the photos and videos, haven’t you? You’re just not right for each other. He and I are the same kind of people.”
“I know. I’ve been diagnosed with a terminal illness. I don’t have much time left. If you truly love him, please take good care of him for me, will you?”
There was silence. The once arrogant woman, who had been chewing gum, now appeared completely taken aback. “What… What illness?”
“Late-stage stomach cancer. I won’t make it past this month.”
“I’m sorry. I… I didn’t know.”
“It’s alright. He doesn’t know either. Can I trust you to keep this between us?”
The two of them chatted for a while. With just a few lies, Grace had Elena adding her on WhatsApp like they were long-lost friends. Elena believed every single word she said.
A few minutes later, Grace saw a new post from the contact she had saved as “Little Idiot”.
Little Idiot: “I’m such a terrible person!”
Grace was pleased that she had fooled another person. She could already picture Elena lying awake at night, regretting her actions and slapping herself in frustration.
She set down her phone and finished trimming the last stem, gazing at the petals with a sorrowful expression. “It’s a shame I’ll never see such a beautiful flower again.”
That same day, Zane came back early. It seemed Elena’s conscience had kicked in. She must’ve realized she didn’t stand a chance and wanted Zane to spend more time with Grace.
Grace wiped away the tear at the corner of her eye. “You’re back.”
No matter how slow Zane was, he finally felt something was wrong. “Grace, why are you crying again?”
Grace wiped her tears. “I just suddenly thought of my mom.”
He knew Serena had passed away when she was young, and his heart ached for her. He pulled her into an embrace. “Don’t cry, you still have me.”
He didn’t change his clothes and still wore the same outfit, which had a lingering perfume smell that made Grace feel nauseous. She pushed him away.
With a tender gaze, she looked up at him. “Zane, didn’t you always want to travel with me? How about we go to Pimore tomorrow? I’ve always wanted to see it. It’s the place closest to the sky.”
He frowned. “Tomorrow? I need to go back to Jadewood for something.”
“Do you have something important? I’ve taken time off just for this. Can’t you come with me?” Her voice was so soft, almost pleading.
Zane ruffled her hair. “Hmm, there’s a family matter I need to attend to. But don’t worry, I’ll be back in two days at the latest. Stay home and wait for me. I promise, when I get back, I’ll take you anywhere. Pimore, or wherever you dream of.”
“Okay.”
The man who claimed to love her was secretly seeing others for excitement and even went to Jadewood for a blind date. She wondered what the past three years meant to him.
Thankfully, she was never a naive woman. Rather than wallowing in sorrow, she would turn her pain into power and make him pay for what he’d done.
She had been unusually well-behaved these past couple of days, so much so that it unsettled Zane. While washing up in the bathroom, he suddenly noticed blood-stained tissues in the trash.
Panic surged in his chest. Yet, he recalled her mentioning her period a few days ago and dismissed his irrational thoughts.
That night, he couldn’t sleep. He kept tossing and turning, haunted by dreams of Grace silently crying. It wasn’t until the next morning, just before he left, that he finally felt a sense of relief upon seeing her still fast asleep.
Standing by the bed, Zane gently murmured, “Grace, I’ll be back soon.”
No one answered. He turned and walked away.
What he didn’t know was that the moment he left, Grace got up. After washing up, she quietly pulled her suitcase to the door. She paused for a final glance at the home that had held three years of memories with him.
Setting aside the mess and betrayal, he had still given her three years of stability and happiness. Even if it was all a lie, she had laughed because of him. She had even once dreamed of a future together.
Standing by the doorway, she whispered, “Goodbye, Zane.”
She quietly closed the door of the townhouse behind her. Alex was already waiting outside, and together, they headed for the airport.
Grace put on her sunglasses, painted her lips a bold crimson, and walked tall in her heels. She looked fierce and fearless.
“Everything arranged?” she asked coolly.
“Don’t worry, Ms. Harper. By the time Zane comes looking, it’ll be like you never existed.”
“Good. I’ll give you a raise once we’re back in Jadewood.”
“Thank you, Ms. Harper.”
Just as Zane was about to board his flight at the airport, a call came through from an unknown number. “Hello, are you Grace Harper’s family?”
Zane couldn’t shake a sense of unease all morning. His heart skipped a beat as he quickly answered, “Yes, I am.”
“It’s like this. Ms. Harper is in the late stages of cancer. The doctor strongly recommends that she not give up on treatment…”
Zane nearly dropped his phone. He roared, “What did you say? What happened to her?”
Heads turned as everyone around him stared. He didn’t care. As soon as the caller finished speaking, Zane’s face went deathly pale.
After the call, Zane’s fingers felt icy as he held Cole’s wrist, trembling and stammering, “Uncle Cole, I have an emergency. I need to go.”
Cole stood tall, his chiseled features darkening with a flicker of displeasure. He reminded him firmly, “You’re supposed to meet the third daughter of the Harper family today. This is very important. We’re discussing a marriage alliance.”
“I know. But right now, something more important has come up. Uncle Cole, please. Help me explain to the Harper family.”
After speaking, he ran out without looking back, stumbling in his panic.
As soon as Grace arrived at the airport, she saw Zane bolting outside in terror, his face pale with fear. In his frantic rush, he even tripped and fell.
Alex couldn’t help but say, “Mr. Jensen actually cares about you. Ms. Harper, do you really have to be this heartless?”
Grace shot him a glare. “Why didn’t you say he cared about me when he was sleeping with other women every night?”
Alex quickly shut his mouth.
“This is wrong. I’m not some kind of garbage disposal. Let’s go.”
She had left him enough of a surprise to chew on. With that, she yanked out her SIM card and tossed it into the trash without a second thought. She was going to rid herself of everything from Norelia.
Zane couldn’t get through to her on the phone. Hence, he rushed to the company, only to find out she had resigned from her position as CEO.
Surely, she must be at home. Then, he sped all the way back.
The moment he burst through the door, he called out her name. “Grace!”
The living room was empty. It was even cleaner and tidier than usual.
Zane sprinted to the master bedroom. The bed was perfectly made, not a wrinkle in sight. On the nightstand sat the ring he had once given her and the property certificate.
With trembling hands, he pulled out the MRI scans and the biopsy report buried underneath. Upon seeing the diagnosis of a stage four malignant tumor, tears streamed down his face, splattering onto the images.
He dropped to his knees, like a wounded beast, fists pounding against his own head in anguish. “How could this happen? What have I done? Grace, I’m so sorry… Grace, where are you? Grace… Grace, please pick up. Please! I was wrong. Please… come back, okay?”
