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Antonio searched for over a month but still couldn’t find Grace.
He seemed to have turned into a different person ever since
Grace left. He moved into Grace’s bedroom and began to look
after Laney like Grace used to, picking her up and dropping her
off at school, cooking for her, and tutoring her. Everything
seemed perfectly normal on the surface, but Laney knew her
brother wasn’t happy. He had become even colder than before.
Laney deleted Keyla’s contact, though Keyla had been trying to
reach out to her. She began to realize that maybe Keyla just
wasn’t right for her brother.
Antonio had trouble sleeping at night. He carried the wedding
ring Grace had left behind with him all the time, hoping for a
chance to put it back on her finger and tell her how deeply he
loved her.
Grace was at a party with Shane, surrounded by business
giants. She hadn’t expected to run into Antonio here, especially
since they didn’t live in the same city.
“Grace, this is delicious. Try it.”
Just as Grace took a bite of the cake in Shane’s hand, she was
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suddenly pulled into another embrace. She could feel his
heartbeat racing and his body trembling. As soon as Grace
recognized the familiar scent, she pushed him away. Antonio
stared at her with misty eyes, surprised by her reaction. He’d
been searching for so long, and now when he finally stumbled
upon her, she just pushed him away.
“Grace, where have you been? I’ve been looking for you
everywhere.”
His hoarse voice made Grace instinctively take a step back. She
had almost forgotten him. Why would he be looking for her?
They had already broken up.
“Mr. Kaufman, long time no see.”
Grace’s voice was distant yet polite. She returned to Shane,
taking his hand.
“Let me introduce, this is my husband, Shane Larson.”
Antonio’s joy turned to shock. Shane looked so much like the
man in the photo. Could her marriage certificate be real?
“Shane, this is Mr. Antonio Kaufman.”
Shane figured this must be the jerk who had hurt Grace deeply. With a cold smile, Shane wrapped his arm around Grace’s
shoulders and extended his hand to Antonio.
“Mr. Kaufman, nice to meet you. So you know my wife?”
Antonio felt pain in his hand, and he could see hostility on
Shane’s smiling face. Antonio nodded, but his gaze remained
fixed on Grace. She had put on some weight and looked much
healthier than before. He didn’t want to admit it, but it seemed
like Grace was living better without him.
While Shane was talking to someone else, Antonio pulled Grace
aside into a dim corner. He wanted to tell her how much he
missed her and how much he loved her, but those words
somehow got stuck in his throat.
“Mr. Kaufman, if there’s nothing else, I have to leave. My
husband probably missed me already.”
“Grace, could you stop calling him your husband just to provoke
him?”
Grace smiled at Antonio’s begging tone. Why would she provoke
him? They had already broken up.
“Mr. Kaufman, you must have seen that photo. I am married.”
“I know it’s fake. Did you do this to get back at me? Grace, I
looked for you everywhere. I want to apologize. I…”
Antonio looked hurting, but Grace couldn’t care less.
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“I didn’t do this to get back at you. I just wanted to get married.”
She had waited for three years and never heard Antonio say he
loved her. But Shane had only needed one morning to make her
his wife. That was when Grace realized being happy was not
that hard, as long as she found the right man.
“But you already married me.”
“Not for real! Besides, you always wanted to marry Keyla.”
Antonio shook his head, his hands gripping Grace’s shoulders.
How could he make her believe he loved her?
“That was before. Grace, I don’t want to marry her anymore. I
only want you. Please come back to me. I’ll make up for all the
wrongs I did to you. You still love me, don’t you?”
Antonio fumbled nervously, pulling out the ring.
“Look, here’s our wedding ring. I’ve kept it with me. Let me put it
back on your finger. We’ll go back to the way things were, and I’ll
learn to be a good husband.”
Grace sighed and put the ring on her finger. Then, she put her finger upside down, and the ring slipped off and fell to the floor.
Antonio tried to pick it up but then noticed the cold smile on
Grace’s face.
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“Antonio, this ring was never meant for me. I forced myself to
wear it for three years, thinking I could get used to it and make
you fall in love with me. However, when I saw you and Keyla in the hospital, I knew it was time to stop deceiving myself. You should wake up too.“”
The sound of the ring dropping seemed like a curse, freezing Antonio in place. Grace walked away without a backward
glance.
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As soon as Grace entered the hall, Shane pulled her into the
stairwell, pressing her against the wall, his warm breath on her
face. This was the first time she was this close to Shane, and it
felt like all she had to do was look up and their lips would meet.
“Is he the man? What did you two talk about?”
In the dim light, Grace saw his nose was red, and his eyes were
filled with unease. Suddenly, she felt a slight twinge in her heart.
Over the past month, Shane had been nothing but good to her,
never asking about her past. If Antonio hadn’t shown up and
Shane hadn’t had any drinks, he would probably have kept his
feelings bottled up for the rest of his life.
Grace stood on tiptoe, gently touching his lips.
“He told me he regrets it and wants me to forgive him, but I…”
Before Grace could finish, Shane kissed her aggressively. A
moment ago, when he realized Grace wasn’t around, his heart
skipped a beat. He was afraid Grace would divorce him and get back together with that jerk.
Their kiss was awkward but filled with passion. Grace’s hand rested on his back, both a comfort and a sign of deep affection.
