Chapter 11

Grace felt as if her right ear was bleeding and froze right on the spot. When Carolyn saw how weak and incompetent her daughter was, she couldn't help but feel sorry for herself. She took the file that was placed on the coffee table and handed it over to Grace. "Read it through. It's a backup plan I prepared for you," Carolyn said. Hearing that, Grace opened the file that had the words "prenuptial agreement" printed on it. The agreement stated, "Ms. Grace Mitchell agrees to marry Mr. Oscar Lloyd to be his wife and take care of him for the rest of her life. "Likewise, Mr. Oscar Lloyd promises to guarantee the future of Ms. Grace Mitchell's family, also known as the Mitchell family, and provide them with funds totaling 300 million dollars." Oscar was a 78-year-old veteran entrepreneur from Taseville, and Grace couldn't help but feel as if her mind was tightly strung when she read through the agreement. Soon after, she heard Carolyn speak again, "Mr. Lloyd said he doesn't mind it being your second marriage. So, as long as you get married to him, he'll promise to help our family reach the top again." With hope and anticipation resting in her eyes, Carolyn walked up to Grace and placed her hand on Grace's shoulder. "My dearest daughter, you wouldn't want to disappoint Matthew and me, would you?" At that, Grace's complexion only continued to turn paler and paler. She tightened her grip on the agreement before she said, "Luther and I have yet to divorce completely." But Carolyn wasn't fazed by it and said, "Mr. Lloyd said that the wedding comes first, so it doesn't matter if you register your marriage a little later. It's not as if Luther loves you anyway, so I'll respect your decision to divorce him." Knowing that she couldn't save Grace and Luther's marriage, Carolyn took Matthew's advice to make good use of Grace's value as a woman while she was still young to their advantage. Having heard all of what Carolyn had to say, Grace felt as if she was being suffocated. "Could I ask you a question?" Grace paused for a moment before she continued to ask, "Am I really your daughter?" Carolyn's expression hardened at her words, and the false pretense she had been holding up fell apart as she pointed at Grace. She berated, "Do you think I would've gone out of shape if it weren't to give birth to you? "I fell from grace as a world-renowned dancer because of you! Seriously, you're too disappointing!" Ever since she was young, Grace had never understood why Carolyn never showed her even a single drop of love when everyone else had a mother who loved them unconditionally. She still couldn't understand what the cause of it was until now, but she quickly realized that she shouldn't be begging for others to love her. Grace put the agreement aside and said, "I won't agree to it." Carolyn had never thought Grace would reject the proposal and instantly flared up in anger. "What right do you have to reject me? I was the one who gave you life, so you should just do as I say!" Upon hearing that, Grace looked at her and asked, "So, you'll call it off if I give up my life, right?" At that, Carolyn froze in shock. "What did you just say?" Grace parted her pale and discolored lips as she said, "If I give up on my life, will you let go of your hold on me and stop being my mother?" Carolyn sneered in disbelief, "Fine, then. I'll stop forcing you if you give up your life. But do you really dare to do it?" As if she had long made up her mind, Grace replied, "Give me a month." Carolyn thought that she had gone mad and pushed the agreement back to her. "Just sign it if you're so afraid of dying." After she spoke, Carolyn turned on her heels and walked away. Matthew had been standing by the door, waiting for their conversation to end. He had heard their exchange and asked Carolyn as soon as she came out, "Mom, do you think she'll really commit suicide?" There was a hint of coldness in Carolyn's expression as she replied, "I'll give it to her if she's got the guts to end her life. "Since her nanny was the one who brought her up, I've never been close to her. It wouldn't matter if she died since I've never treated her like my daughter." As they weren't far away, Grace could clearly hear what Carolyn said. At times like this, she hoped that she was truly deaf. She knocked on her ears, which hurt, and curled up by the corner of the walls. Grace felt as if she had lived her whole life as a failure. Not once had she braved herself to live the life she wanted. … Feeling overwhelmed by her stress, Grace sought a place to let it all out, so she went to the bar that night. She sat in the corner as she drank and watched in a daze as the crowd happily danced to the music. All of a sudden, a man with doe eyes and charming features took note of Grace's loneliness and walked up to her. "Are you Grace?" Grace turned to look at him, but she didn't recognize him and randomly asked, "Hey, do you know what I should do to be happy?" The man was confused and asked back, "What do you mean?" Grace began to drink again as she said, "The doctor told me that I'm sick, and I have to cheer up. But… I don't know how I'm supposed to feel happy." When the man, Charles Lowe, heard what she said, he couldn't help but feel his heart sting. Did she not remember him? Besides, what sort of illness did she contract that needed her to be happy? "Miss, you shouldn't be coming to these types of places if you want to be happy. Let me take you home," Charles replied gently. Grace smiled wryly at him and said, "You're such a nice person." Seeing her bitter smile, Charles felt somewhat complicated. Just what had she been through all these years? She seemed to be extremely miserable. Luther was present in the bar as well. Ever since he went over the divorce procedures with Grace, he would wind down every night. It had been a long time since he returned to Websmith Residence. It was late into the night when the crowd began to disperse, and coincidentally, Casey noticed a familiar figure by the corner. She was shocked and exclaimed, "Isn't that Ms. Mitchell?" Luther looked in the direction Casey pointed and saw a man standing in front of Grace. They were all smiles as they chatted away happily. Immediately, Luther's expression darkened by the sight of it. Not only was Grace drinking at the bar, but she had also found a man to accompany her. Luther shouldn't have held her in such high regard. It turned out she was just the same as every other person. Was she even the same person who had sworn to only love Luther all her life? "Luther, do you wanna ask her about it?" Casey questioned. "No need," Luther replied coldly and left in large strides. At the same time, Grace rejected Charles' offer to send her back home. She said, "You don't have to trouble yourself. I can head home by myself." But Charles was worried and followed her from a distance after she went out. Meanwhile, Luther sat in his car and unbuttoned his collar in annoyance. Halfway through the journey, he requested the driver to turn around and coincidentally spotted Grace. Luther then stopped the car and got out before he walked toward Grace. "Grace." His familiar voice seemed to sober her up. She lifted her head and saw Luther walking toward her. It felt as if she was dreaming. "Luther…" Grace called out, but then she quickly corrected herself and said, "Mr. Harrison." Only when Luther closed in on their distance did he realize that Grace had worn a light layer of makeup. After they got married, Grace had never once put any makeup on. He had forgotten that he used to say he hated it when women wore makeup. "Do you know what you look like?" Luther parted his thin lips slightly. Grace then looked at him in a daze as he said, "You look so ugly with makeup on. Who do you think would like someone like you?" In an instant, Grace snapped out of her daze and cleared her mind. She then replied in a slightly hoarse voice, "I know that nobody likes me, and I'm not asking for anyone to like me as well…" For a moment, Luther felt disheartened. "I'll head back first if there's nothing else." Grace continued to walk forward. At first, Luther felt like chasing after her to ask who that man was, but he stopped himself before his question tumbled out of his mouth. It wasn't necessary for him to know anymore. After all, they were going to be divorced.