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Grace endured the abdominal pain as she returned home, took
some pills, and fell into a drowsy sleep. By evening, some
knocks on the door woke her up.
“Do you even care what time it is? Why aren’t you making
dinner? Do you want to starve me?”
Laney barged in. Grace glanced outside, and it was already dark.
Normally, she would have had dinner ready by now. In the past
three years, she had never let Laney eat takeout, not even when
she was sick. But today, for some reason, she had no desire to
cook for Laney anymore.
“Go eat out. I’m not feeling well.”
She tossed Laney 30 dollars and turned to drink some water.
Antonio hadn’t come home, probably still with Keyla. Lately, he
rarely ate at home, yet Grace still cooked dinner for three every day, just in case he might come back to a warm meal. Sadly, her
efforts never earned her even a shred of his affection.
“I’m sick of your cooking anyway. If my brother didn’t stop me from eating out, I’d be getting takeout every day.”
Laney shot her a glare before slamming the door on her way
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out. Grace shook her head. See, she had done so much for
Laney, but Laney wasn’t grateful at all. The siblings truly were
cut from the same cloth. She wrapped her arms around herself
and stood by the window for a long time, not noticing Antonio
had come home.
“Grace, where’s Laney?”
Startled, Grace quickly wiped away the dried tears from her face.
“She went out to eat. I’m not feeling well, so I’m heading to bed.”
Grace didn’t want to talk to Antonio, though she had so many
questions. Did he ever love her even for a moment in these
three years? Even just a little? Was he really going to marry
Keyla? Did he not see everything she had done for him? She didn’t ask any of these questions, for she knew she might not like the answers she would get. That would only make her feel
more humiliated.
Antonio, however, stopped her.
“How many times do I have to tell you not to let her eat outside food? Are you really sick, or are you just throwing a tantrum?
“I don’t think I need to explain anything to you, but you can’t do
this to Laney.
“She’s a senior at high school and needs healthy food. How
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could you let her eat the junk food out there?”
Grace stared at Antonio, stupefied.
This was the longest conversation they’d had in three years, yet
every word out of his mouth was blame. He didn’t sound like a
husband speaking to his wife, but more like an employer
reprimanding his maid.
For the first time, Grace cried in front of him. She had been so
good at dealing with his coldness with a smile, but now, she
didn’t want to pretend anymore. She could feel sad. She could
be jealous and angry. She could get sick and exhausted. Why
would Antonio always take everything she did for granted?
Couldn’t he see how much she had endured and how deeply she
loved him? Or did he think she simply deserved this?
“Antonio, I said I’m not feeling well. I’m sick. Is that not
allowed?”
Tears streamed down her face, and Grace stared at Antonio,
hoping to see some guilt on his face. But there was none.
“Grace, if you don’t want this anymore, just say it. We’re not -”
“We’re not legally married anyway, so you can kick me out
whenever you want, right?”
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Those words seemed to have hit a nerve, and Antonio’s face
flushed. Grace waited for him to break up with her, but he just wiped away her tears with his hand.
“What nonsense are you talking about? What do you want to
eat? I’ll make it for you.”
Grace let out a bitter laugh. What was he doing? Did he want to
keep both women, one taking care of his daily needs and one
enjoying his love?
But Grace didn’t want that. No matter how much she loved him,
she still had her dignity. She couldn’t accept the filth in their
relationship, nor could she tolerate his deception.
For the first time, Grace acted on her anger. She locked the door
and started packing her things. Despite Antonio’s wealth, he had
rarely ever bought her anything. He did give her a wedding ring,
but that was something that Keyla had rejected. Grace had to
buy everything for herself. So, naturally, she was taking it all with
her.
Antonio didn’t come in to bother her. They had always slept in
separate rooms anyway, and for once, Grace was glad for the
silence. She didn’t have much stuff, and she had one more day
to settle things at school. By the day after tomorrow, Shane
would come to pick her up.
