Chapter 13

But Grace proved that those with impaired hearing could also play the piano, dance, and sing just like any other normal person. This particular news came to Charles like a beam of hope, giving him strength and encouraging him to get back up on his own two feet. Grace listened to Charles listing out her countless achievements. She had almost forgotten what she was like back then. Later, when Charles dropped her off, Grace smiled and said, "Thank you. I've almost forgotten what I was like back then." That day, Charles ate with her again. Throughout the entire day, he was considerate and never once asked her about what happened after she got married. The days continued until there were only ten days left till 15th May. Grace looked at the dates and remembered that she had to complete the divorce procedures on that date. Suddenly, she thought of what she had promised Carolyn and went to the cemetery early in the morning. Grace walked toward Maxim's tombstone and looked at the photo on it. Maxim looked so kind and warm in it. Grace could feel the hoarseness in her throat as she said, "Dad, I miss you so much." The wind brushed past her cheeks gently, and she started to feel her nose tingle as she fought back her tears. "Dad, you'd be angry if I went over to see you, right?" Then, she reached out to pick up the leaves that were resting on the tombstone and tossed them aside. "I know I should be stronger, but… I'm sorry…" She stood in front of the tombstone for a very long time before she left. Afterward, she bought an urn and went to the photo studio to take a black-and-white photo under the strange looks of the employee. When all of that was done, she went back, and her eyes drifted toward the scenery outside the window dazedly. At this time, her phone rang, and it was Teresa who was calling. "Grace, how are you doing?" Teresa asked. Upon hearing Teresa's gentle voice, Grace forced a laugh and said, "I'm doing pretty well." At that, Teresa let out a sigh of relief and started to nag at her, "Who allowed you to secretly give me some money? I'm not going to use it and will save it for you instead. If you want to start your own business in the future or anything, you can use it…" All these years, Grace had frequently given Teresa some money. But Teresa lived in the countryside, and she didn't need to spend much, so she had been saving it all along. As Grace listened to Teresa's nagging, she couldn't help the tears streaming down her face. "Teresa, could you come and take me home, just like you did when I was a kid?" Grace asked. Teresa was a little confused. Then, Grace said again, "On the 15th, I want you to take me back to our home on that day." Teresa didn't know why Grace wanted to wait till it was the 15th, but she still agreed. "Alright, I'll come and take you home on the 15th." Recently, the hospital had been sending messages to Grace to ask her to come for follow-up check-ups, but Grace had politely declined them all. Since she would be leaving soon, she didn't want to waste any more money on her treatment. Grace looked at her bank account. There were a couple hundred thousand dollars left, and she planned to leave it all to Teresa for her retirement after she was gone. It had been raining a lot in Taseville these days, and Charles had been visiting her frequently. He often noticed that she'd stare out into the horizon dazedly while on the balcony, and he realized that her hearing had weakened. Most of the time, she wouldn't hear him if he was knocking on her door. Sometimes, while they were talking, she would be staring at his lips to read what he was saying. "Grace, I heard that there'll be a fireworks show by the riverside in two days. Do you want to take a look?" Charles asked. Grace was in a daze yet again. She only snapped back into reality after a long while. "Sure." There was a custom in Taseville, where there would be a fireworks show by the riverside every Saturday. It was a beautiful sight to see. Everyone said that couples who witnessed those fireworks together would be together forever. After Grace married Luther, she asked Luther to watch it with her. In the end, she was coldly rejected by him. Compared to the folks in the countryside, they had far more chances of watching the fireworks together, but they never once did it. … On Saturday, Charles and Grace headed to watch the fireworks at 8:00 pm sharp. There was a loud bang each time the fireworks shot into the sky, and they burst into a fleeting beauty for all to spectate. Grace tilted her head to look at the sky, her eyes welling up with tears. "Thank you, Charles. I feel really happy today." Right by her side, Charles stared at the frail and skinny Grace. Though there was a smile across her lips, he felt as if she was not truly happy. "You're welcome. I'm going to be in Taseville this year, so for the Saturdays to come, we can always watch the fireworks together," Charles said. But Grace didn't reply to him because she knew she wouldn't be able to make it. Half an hour later, the show ended. Grace declined Charles' offer to send her back. She wanted to walk back along the riverside. There were a lot of people today, and through the crowd, Grace seemed to have spotted Luther. But she realized that she was mistaken when he got closer to her. Ever since they separated, Grace was always mistaking others for Luther. When she reached the intersection, she waited for the traffic light to turn green. At that moment, the big screen on the opposite road was playing entertainment news, with Casey as the interviewee. The reporter asked, "Casey, you said that you returned to chase after your first love. May I know if your wish has come true?" Facing the camera, Casey said, "I watched the fireworks with him in Taseville at 8:00 pm today." Casey didn't answer the interviewer's question directly, but this answer of hers sounded as if she was announcing her relationship. As Grace walked across the crosswalk, the TV station played a song for Casey titled "The Love of My Life". The love of my life… All her life, Grace's love had been Luther alone. But how did she come to like him? Grace began to reminisce. It seemed to be when she had returned to the Mitchell family alone ten years ago. At that time, she had coincidentally met Luther, who was wearing a white button-up. It also seemed to be when Luther had helped her out like an angel when she was bullied in school. But it seemed to also be the time when Luther's parents and Maxim had joked about how they would marry her to Luther… There were way too many scenarios she could recall, but until today, Grace still didn't know why she started liking Luther. … On the other hand, Luther wasn't watching the news. He would usually scroll through his phone once he was done with work, but his gaze darkened when he saw that he had not received a single message from Grace. After he switched it off, he threw his phone aside. At that moment, Jamie knocked on the door and entered. "Mr. Harrison, I've looked it up. That man's name is Charles, and he seems to be Grace's childhood sweetheart." Whether it was Luther's personal perception or the media's reports, Grace's childhood sweetheart had always been Luther. But now, Jamie was telling him that Grace's sweetheart was someone she met in the countryside instead. It meant that Grace met him before she met Luther. At that, Luther suddenly thought of the man with doe eyes and frowned. "Mr. Harrison, Mr. Kent is waiting for you outside," Jamie said. When Luther heard what he said, he instructed, "Tell him that I'm busy today." Jamie was surprised. These days, as soon as Luther clocked off work, he would hang out with Elijah and his other wealthy friends. Why did he have a change of mind all of a sudden? Luther took the executive elevator and headed straight to the underground car park. Afterward, he drove to the motel Grace was staying at. But only after he arrived did he notice that Grace had already checked out. As such, he whipped out his phone and looked through his contacts in frustration. Just as he was about to call Grace, Casey's call came through. "What's up?" Luther answered the call. "Luther, I heard from Carolyn that Grace will be getting married soon." Upon hearing that, Luther's eyes narrowed darkly.