Chapter 19
The last time Laney saw Antonio so sad was when their mother passed away. She didn’t understand. Since her brother didn’t love Grace, wouldn’t it be for the better that Grace was gone? Antonio had once thought the same, but only now did he realize that Grace’s departure hurt him more than being rejected by Keyla ever had.
‘Antonio, now that she’s gone, you can marry Keyla. This is good news. Why are you so sad?”
Laney tried to pull Antonio to his feet, but he shook her hand off with force.
“Laney, how could you say that? If it weren’t for her, Mom wouldn’t have lived another six months, and you wouldn’t have been taken care of so well!”
Laney found it unfair. Her brother had always been distant to Grace. He didn’t get to act like he was heartbroken or blame her.
“You’re the one to talk, Antonio. If you weren’t trying to get back together with Keyla, would Grace have left?”
Antonio looked guilty and lost. Yes, it was all his fault. If he hadn’t broken her heart, Grace wouldn’t have left despite loving him so deeply.
‘Antonio, Grace has gotten married to someone else.”
Laney ran into her room and grabbed her phone, showing Antonio the photo Grace had sent her. Antonio’s eyes turned red as he looked at the familiar face. Though only half of Grace’s face was visible, her eyes were unmistakable.
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“Laney, where did you get this photo?”
Laney clutched her phone so hard that her knuckles turned white. Although her brother spoiled her, she was afraid of him, just like every kid would be afraid of their parents.
“She sent it to me today.” she replied, trying to stay calm.
Antonio immediately snatched the phone. Laney tried to grab it back, but his fierce glare made her retreat. She reassured herself that her brother loved her so much that he wouldn’t hurt her even if he found out she was the reason that Grace had left.
Antonio checked the chat history between Laney and Grace. Starting from three days ago. Laney had been sending Grace pictures from Keyla’s Instagram posts.
“You probably haven’t followed Keyla on Instagram, right? Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to forward all of her posts to you.”
“Grace, only a woman like Keyla deserves to be my sister–in–law. You’re only good enough to be our maid.”
Those words were harsh.
In the photos, Keyla was posing in their wedding house, dining at an upscale restaurant with Antonio, or standing beside him in the spotlight.
Antonio looked up in confusion. So, had Grace found out everything? He went to Keyla’s Instagram but couldn’t see any of the posts Laney had forwarded. It meant Keyla had posted those things for Laney to see only, just so Laney would pass everything on to Grace.
Outraged, Antonio slapped Laney across the face hard and pinned her against the wall.
“Laney, explain to me. What are all these?” he roared.
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Laney was so frightened that she shut her eyes to avoid his gaze. She didn’t dare say it hurt, tears pouring down her face. Antonio had never laid a hand on her before. Yet, for Grace, he just slapped her.
“Yes, I told her everything. I hate how she controls me, and I know your don’t love her! She doesn’t belong here!”
Antonio raised his hand with the intention to slap her again, but he slammed the wall instead. His hand was bleeding, but Antonio didn’t feel any pain. He walked out of the bedroom in a daze and collapsed onto the couch.
Laney hurried to fetch the first aid kit to treat his wound. Antonio seemed unaware of the pain. When Laney finished, she sat next to him and cried. Only then did he look up at her.
“Laney, we both owe Grace an apology.”
Laney didn’t respond. just silently gazing at him.
“When Mom was sick. she wanted to see me get married, but Keyla rejected me. It was Grace who said she would marry me and take care of Mom.
“I never gave her my commitment, not even a marriage certificate, but she still took care of you for three years, putting up
Even Mom couldn’t tolerate your tantrums With your bad temper.
voice at you?”
but did Grace ever raise her
Laney’s tears flowed faster. She had always thought that Grace was taking advantage of them, but now she realized that it was Grace who had been taking care of her all along.
Antonio didn’t say anything else. A single tear fell onto Laney’s hand, and Laney looked up in surprise. Her brother, who had only cried at their mother’s funeral, was now shedding tears for Grace.
Laney silently returned to her room. On the wall was the countdown to her SAT test, with words of encouragement from Grace. The desk was filled with study materials Grace had collected for her. And the plant was something Grace had given her to help her relax her eyes. Her backpack, stationery, clothes, and shoes were all bought by Grace. How had she never noticed how much of Grace was around her? The person she had hated the most had done so much for her.
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Antonio examined Grace’s photo, refusing to believe that she was married to someone else. He told himself she must have doctored the image to make him stop looking for her. He had to find her and apologize.
Keyla had learned about Grace’s departure from Laney yesterday. With Grace out of the way, she believed she could finally be with Antonio. Early in the morning, she came to see him.
“Antonio, why did you leave in such a rush yesterday? I called you, but you didn’t answer.”
Laney had told Antonio yesterday that it was Keyla who had followed her on Instagram first. Keyla claimed that she and Antonio had once been a couple, but Grace had broken them up. Laney had always disliked Grace, and hearing how Grace had ruined her brother’s happiness only fueled that hatred. So, she had decided to help Keyla get rid of Grace and reunite her brother with Keyla. However, everything Keyla had said turned out to be a lie.
Antonio studied Keyla carefully. In his memories, she had always been pure and kind, not the kind of
Son who would hurt others. But he also knew Laney wasn’t a liar. Everything he’d learned yesterday told him that Keyla might not be who he thought she was.
“Now that Grace is gone, you must be happy, right?”
Keyla’s smile froze on her face. Why would Antonio say that? She feigned hurt, her eyes misty.
“Antonio, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that I have something to do with Grace’s leaving?”
Antonio twirled the pen in his hand, eyes fixed on Keyla. All the fond memories of their past came crashing down.
“Keyla, you know what you did.”
Keyla became nervous, realizing that Laney might have said something to him. But she had never given Laney any specific instructions. All she did. was give Laney a few hints, and Laney did everything all on her own.
“Antonio. are you in love with Grace?”
The pen slipped from Antonio’s hand and fell to the floor. the room falling into a heavy silence. Antonio looked up and finally understood why he felt such pain. Yes, he had probably fallen in love with Grace without realizing it.
Keyla figured out the answer from his reaction and felt her anger boil. She had thought that once Grace was out of the picture, she would be able to be with Antonio. But Antonio was in love with Grace. How could that be? He had promised to marry her.
“Antonio, your feelings for Grace are nothing more than just gratitude. Didn’t we agree to get married after the company anniversary? We can go to the city hall now…”
“Keyla. I won’t marry you. I’m sorry.”
Without waiting for her response, Antonio rushed out the door. All he wanted was to find Grace, apologize, and tell her how foolish he had been to not realize his feelings for her.
Antonio buckled his seatbelt and started the car, but then, he turned off the engine in frustration. The city was so large, and he had no idea where Grace could be. Maybe she wasn’t even in the city anymore.
He started the car again. He needed to find Grace right away, not to
