Chapter 203 Grace is Returning to Vesper City!
Grace was floored. She'd thought of a million ways this could go down, but this? No way. Henry had been all sweet and caring, acting like he was dying to patch things up.
And she was shaken, but then Henry dropped the bomb—he was with Esme!
Tears started to fill her eyes. She knew she should just bounce with Taylor, but her feelings were all over the place.
Henry said he was with someone else.
She couldn't just take a Facebook post at face value; she needed to hear it straight from him.
Grace dialed his number.
The ringing felt like it went on forever until Henry finally picked up.
There was this long, awkward silence, just their breathing on the line.
Finally, Grace broke the ice. She just asked, "Is it true?"
"Yeah! I'm with her!" Henry's voice was firm on the other end. "You left for three years! Grace, I get lonely too!"
Grace blinked. So it was loneliness.
She wasn't about to beg him to come back; her pride wouldn't let her.
Henry kept going, "These days we've been together, it was mostly for the kid. Now that the surgery was a success and Taylor's healthy again, Grace, we should end this. Didn't you say there was no chance for us anymore?"
Grace gently hung up the phone.
She kept it together in front of Taylor. She held back her emotions, thinking how dumb she was to get swayed by Henry over and over.
She made up her mind that it would never happen again! But she didn't regret making that call.
Taylor was too young to get it, but Clara noticed something was up. She reached out and held Grace's hand in silent support.
Grace forced a smile and said, "I'm fine, Clara. We were supposed to split anyway!"
After that, she told the driver to turn around and head to the apartment.
The driver, an old hand of Henry's, blurted out, "Mr. Montague said you can keep living in Tranquil Heights. He's moved back to his old villa."
Grace was taken aback for a moment, then she smiled bitterly. Even the driver knew the score, yet she had hesitated so much; how ridiculous!
She didn't agree and said softly, "Take me to the apartment. Tranquil Heights is Mr. Montague's property. It just doesn't feel right for me to stay there. I'll figure out a time to grab my stuff."
Henry was with Esme now. If she kept things murky with Henry, it would be disrespectful to others and to herself.
But how could her heart not ache?
As Clara said, after being together for so long, sharing a bed for so long, it was impossible to let go just like that. But she had to slowly let go.
Grace didn't cry. Compared to their past, this relationship didn't hurt her deeply, but there was a dull pain in her heart. She thought time would slowly heal it.
At the Montague Group Hospital, in the VIP intensive care unit, Henry lay there quietly.
He had lost a lot of weight, his gaunt face resting on a white pillow. Beside him was the phone he had just used to deceive Grace, telling her he was with Esme.
He knew Grace would cry at night.
No matter how strong she was, she was still a woman. She had expectations of him; otherwise, she wouldn't have posted those messages, nor would she have put aside her pride to make that call.
Henry knew he could easily win Grace back.
But what about the future? Letting her spend her life with a disabled husband? He couldn't bear it!
Henry would rather Grace hate his guts. He'd rather she think he'd changed, that he couldn't handle the loneliness and had been with other women during those three years. Over time, she'd forget him!
Henry clenched his fist, trying one last time to sit up, but he had no strength left. He could only lie there like a useless lump.
He panted, his eyes moist. 'I'm sorry, Grace, I'm sorry!' he thought.
Grace never went back to Tranquil Heights to pack her stuff. She had to take care of Taylor and sometimes take her to the hospital for check-ups.
Many times, she passed by Henry's ward, not knowing that while she was fuming at him, he lay quietly in bed, unable to move or take care of himself.
A month flew by.
Taylor's health gradually got better, but she missed Henry a lot and always asked why Daddy didn't come to see her.
Grace would call Henry for her. But each time, shemade sure to be absent. She deliberately avoided hearing Henry's voice, thinking it would make her feel better. She struggled to erase the memories of those days and suppress her lingering feelings for Henry.
Slowly, she got used to it and gradually forgot about their life together.
Grace thought it was time to head back to Vesper City.
Late at night, Clara put Taylor to bed.
Clara came out of the bedroom and saw Grace staring blankly under the lamp. Guessing she had something on her mind, Clara poured her a glass of water and sat beside her, speaking gently, "What's on your mind? If you really can't forget..."
Grace cut Clara off. She said softly, "I have forgotten him! If Taylor's check-up is fine this week, we'll go back to Vesper City."
Clara sighed. She had seen them so happy together and thought they'd reconcile, but it turned out they weren't meant to be. However, it was good that Grace could move on!
In the end, Clara said nothing.
Grace stayed up late into the night before heading to the bedroom. Taylor was sound asleep, seemingly unfazed by the absence of Henry.
Grace gently touched Taylor's face, thinking that maybe she had been waiting this month for something impossible.
She had hoped that one day Henry would call her and tell her he wasn't with Esme, that he had said those things just to upset her.
But a month had passed, and she hadn't heard from him. She thought maybe it was time to leave.
Grace smiled bitterly. She got up and walked to the living room, dialing Henry's number. After a few rings, Henry answered.
Grace spoke politely and distantly, "I want to go to Tranquil Heights tomorrow to pack my things. Is that cool with you?"
Henry was silent for a moment before speaking softly, "It's always cool."
There was a silence between them.
He then asked, "Are you planning to go back to Vesper City?"
Grace responded with a hum, "Yeah, we're going back to Vesper City. If you want to see Taylor, call me in advance. You can visit her there."
Henry was silent again.
Grace suddenly remembered that he was with Esme now. Maybe they'd soon have a family and a kid. It wouldn't be convenient for him to visit Taylor.
She had resented him before, but gradually she let it go.
Henry had found an expert team to cure Taylor. They were actually even now. He had someone else by his side, and she really shouldn't hold any grudges.
Grace slowly hung up the phone.
She walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, standing in the darkness, reminiscing about their past one last time. All the love and hate would fade away as she left for Vesper City.