Chapter 8

Teresa's voice came from the doorway. "Grace, are you awake? I made your favorite strawberry jam toast. Get up and eat while it's still warm." Her words slowly brought Grace back to reality. After she left the Harrison residence, she went to the hospital for a check-up and planned to visit Teresa one last time. Grace rubbed her head, feeling a bit panicked. Why was her memory getting so bad? Just as she was about to get up, she suddenly noticed a large bloodstain on the floral bedsheets where she had slept. She touched her right ear, feeling something sticky. When she looked at her hand, it was covered in blood. Her hearing aid was soaked in it. Grace's heart raced. She quickly wiped her ear with a tissue and hurriedly pulled the sheets off the bed. When Teresa noticed Grace hadn't come down, she found her on the balcony washing the bed linens. "What happened?" she asked. "I got my period and accidentally stained the bed," Grace explained with a smile. After washing up, she joined Teresa for breakfast, savoring the brief moment of peace. Teresa's voice alternated between moments of clarity and muffled sounds. Grace was terrified. She feared that one day, she might not hear Teresa's voice again. She also feared that Teresa would be heartbroken if she found out. After spending half the day there, Grace secretly left some of her savings in the nightstand drawer before saying goodbye to Teresa. Teresa walked her to the bus station, waving her goodbye reluctantly. It was only after Grace was out of sight that Teresa turned to head back home. On the way back, thoughts of Grace's frail, gaunt figure weighed heavily on Teresa's mind. Unable to shake her concern, she called the internal line of Harrison Group. Luther's secretary, Joanne Bailey, picked up the call. Upon hearing that Teresa was calling for Luther, she passed the message on. Today marked the third day since Grace had left. It was also the first time Luther had received a call about her. Luther sat in his office chair, feeling exceptionally delighted. Just as he had expected, Grace didn't even last three days. Teresa's weary voice came through the phone. "Mr. Harrison, I used to be Grace's nanny. I beg you, please show some mercy and stop hurting her. She's not as strong as she seems. When she was born, Mrs. Mitchell rejected her because of her hearing loss and left her in my care." She went on, "The family only brought her back to the Mitchell family when she was old enough for school. Aside from Mr. Mitchell Senior, everyone else treated her like a maid. "So many times, she'd secretly call me, crying that she didn't want to be Ms. Mitchell anymore—that she just wanted to come back and be with me. "Mr. Mitchell Senior and you are the two people she cherishes most in Taseville. I beg you, please treat her kindly. She has lived such a humble life since she was a child." Luther listened to Teresa's choked voice on the other end of the line, and a sudden wave of heaviness pressed down on him. She tried using money to humiliate him yesterday, and since that did not work, she was trying to play the victim? His voice was ice-cold when he replied, "What does Grace's life have to do with me? Everything she's going through is her own fault!" With that, he hung up abruptly. Teresa had only ever heard Grace talk about how wonderful Luther was. Now, she realized he wasn't good at all. He wasn't the right man for Grace. ... As Grace was on the bus heading back to the city, her phone suddenly buzzed. She glanced at the screen and saw a message from Luther, "Didn't you say you wanted a divorce? I'll meet you tomorrow at 10:00 am." Grace stared at the message, lost in thought. After a long moment, she replied with a simple, "Okay." That single word stung Luther when he read it. "Good," he muttered to himself. "Let's see how long you can keep this act up." He lost all interest in work after that and called some friends to go drinking. At the club, Casey showed up too. "No one's leaving sober tonight," she declared. Elijah, who was sitting next to Luther, couldn't help but ask about Grace, "How's the deaf woman doing today?" Luther raised an eyebrow. "Don't mention her again. We're finalizing the divorce tomorrow." Hearing that, Casey poured him a drink. "Luther, here's to celebrating your fresh start." The others followed suit and raised their glasses. The Millionaire Club was buzzing that night. Elijah had covered the entire tab for the night, and as they stepped outside, he said privately to Casey, "I can tell Luther still has feelings for you. You deserve to be happy." Casey smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Elijah. Without you, I wouldn't have met him." Casey had only met Luther because Elijah sponsored her. This gave her a chance to visit the Mitchell residence to show her gratitude, where Luther was also present. Four years ago, Luther's mother, Elsa, and Elijah were in a car accident while riding together. Grace happened to be at the scene and saved both Elijah and Elsa. Casey later discovered this and found a way to take credit for Grace's life-saving act. This was why Elijah had always been so kind to Casey. What started as a debt of gratitude grew into friendship and even love. It was also why Luther chose Casey as his girlfriend despite having many women pursuing him. Neither Casey nor Grace knew the full story. Grace had always believed that Luther chose Casey out of love and that Elijah liked Casey for her charm. She had no idea that both men were driven by the life-saving debt they thought they owed to Casey. "Why are you being so formal with me? Aren't we friends?" Elijah said, his eyes betraying his true feelings for her. Casey pretended not to notice his feelings. That night, Luther had drunk quite a bit. Casey offered to take him home. Luther usually stayed at a hotel, his office, or his private villa, but he remembered Grace saying that Websmith Residence was their home. "No, it's not convenient," Luther said. They were about to get divorced, and Grace might come back. Casey was disappointed by the refusal. "Why not? You're getting divorced, so what's the problem? Are you afraid she'll find out about us?" Luther narrowed his eyes at her words. "You're overthinking it." Luther still made sure to arrange a car to take Casey home. On the drive back, he kept checking his phone, hoping to see a message from Grace. Yet, nothing came. When he arrived at Websmith Residence, the villa was dark and empty. His mood worsened as he stepped inside and flipped on the lights. There was no sign of Grace. The house was just as it was before she left. The clothes Luther had left by the washing machine were still there. Unlike usual, they hadn't been washed and hung up. Annoyed, Luther tossed the clothes straight into the trash. The alcohol began to hit him harder. As he collapsed onto the couch, he slipped into a fitful sleep. In his dream, Grace was covered in blood. Smiling at him, she said, "Luther, I don't love you anymore." Luther jolted awake at dawn. Rubbing his temples, he got up, freshened himself, and dressed in a sharp suit. Then, he headed for the city hall.