Chapter 1

"Grace, we're getting a divorce as you wish." They were in the intensive care unit at the hospital. Adrian Donovan handed a signed divorce agreement to Grace Lawson. "We're married?" Grace Lawson stared at the names and dates on the divorce papers. Adrian was a well-known figure in Regalton. He had both outstanding character and top grades. At just 18, he took over the entire Donovan family, becoming the youngest business titan in history. So, six years later, she actually married the man of her dreams? This couldn't be real! Grace gave her cheek a pinch. Ow, that hurt! She was still in shock when a little girl with a cute bun came up to Grace and gently tugged on her sleeve. "I promise I'll behave, even if they need to take my blood again. Mommy, can you please not divorce Daddy? Don't leave me and my brother behind." The five-year-old girl was tiny and frail, and her pale arms were covered in bruises and needle marks. Grace's mind froze again. Mommy? So that meant in six years, she not only ended up marrying Adrian, but also gave birth to his daughter? She recalled going to a school reunion, then getting chased by a serial killer on her way home. She was wounded and blacked out. When she woke up, she had somehow jumped six years into the future. She married her dream man and even became a mother. This was just too incredible! "Sweetheart, who hurt you?" Grace asked softly, holding the little girl's hand. She might have been just 18 and had no idea how to be a mother, but she definitely knew how to protect her daughter. Whoever had the nerve to lay a finger on her daughter was in serious trouble! Clara Donovan gazed at the woman before her with wide, teary eyes, completely overwhelmed by this unexpected gentleness. It was the first time her mother had ever spoken to her so gently. "Don't you dare touch my sister!" Ethan Donovan snapped, pulling Clara behind him. "Quit pretending. Aren't you the one who caused all her injuries?" Grace frowned. "Me? How could that be?" She'd always been a little spoiled and had a bit of a temper, but she wasn't the kind of person who'd ever hurt her own child. Ethan scoffed. "You'd do anything for that jerk. You used your own daughter as a walking blood bank for his daughter, and now you want to use Clara's bone marrow to save his daughter. You're not even worthy of being a mother!" "Ethan, don't talk to Mommy like that." Clara was afraid Grace wouldn't stay this gentle after she heard what Ethan said. With tears streaming down her face, she pleaded, "Nobody forced me, I swear. I did it because I wanted to. As long as you don't jump in the river again, I'll do whatever you want." Adrian picked up his daughter and gently patted her back to comfort her. He looked at Grace, and there was nothing but disappointment in his gaze. "We'll go to court and file for divorce tomorrow." He once believed that if he waited long enough, she'd change her mind. But over these six years, she had taught him a hard lesson. If she didn't love him after all that, she never would. Even if he waited another 60 years, she'd only ever love Jesse Blake. She wouldn't spare Adrian even a shred of her affection. Adrian took the two kids and left, leaving Grace stunned and alone. She had no clue what had happened in those six years, but it looked like she had turned into a pretty terrible person. Grace wanted to know the full story of what had gone down during those six years. But after checking her phone, she noticed she only had one contact in there—Jesse. Relying on her memory, she called her best friend, Sabrina Norman. Half an hour later, Sabrina, wearing a black suit, rushed into the hospital room. "Sabrina!" "Who are you?" Sabrina shot Grace a cold look and shoved her aside. Grace had cut off all contact with her and treated her like an enemy—all because of a man. But now, Grace had not only called Sabrina but also hugged her like they were close. This was suspicious! "I'm Grace, the one from when I was 18." Anyone else would have written this off as crazy. But Sabrina believed it. When she was 18 years old, Grace was the heiress of the Lawson family and the most admired woman in Regalton. But by 24 years old, she had fallen so far that people mocked her as a lovesick doormat. "Sabrina, what really happened these past six years?" Grace was desperate to learn all the details of those six years. How did she end up marrying Adrian? What had she done to make her kids resent and dread her? From Sabrina's account, Grace discovered everything that had taken place in those six years. "So you're telling me that in just six years, I turned into some hopeless lovesick doormat? I gave Lawson Group to that guy, and he cheated on me with his old flame and even had a daughter with her. And I actually forgave him and even made my daughter a blood donor for his mistress' kid?" Grace felt utterly stunned and perplexed. "Why in the world would I do that?" How could she have dumped a prince like Adrian just to keep chasing after some nobody? Sabrina rolled her eyes. "How would I know what you were thinking? I seriously wondered if Jesse had you under some kind of spell. "You actually threatened to kill yourself if Clara didn't donate her bone marrow to Jesse's daughter! And in the end, after all your crazy moves, Adrian finally asked you for a divorce." "What?" Grace felt completely lost.