Chapter 68 Henry's Cheap Affection
Henry's intense stare showed he was feeling a lot. Grace had clearly been expecting him tonight. He moved closer, grabbed her wrist, and was about to speak.
"Don't touch me!" Grace yanked her arm back and stepped away. "Henry, you promised you wouldn't see her again! You said you had an important meeting tonight! But you've been with her! What do you take me for? What do you take our marriage for? Nothing, huh?"
Henry's grip tightened, his brows furrowing. "Enough!" he hissed.
Grace rolled her eyes. She hadn't even started, and he was already telling her to stop. What did he think she was doing? What right did she have to make a fuss?
Tears welled up as she looked at him. "Henry, if you hadn't said you liked me, if you hadn't said you wanted to start over, I wouldn't care what you did with her. But you said it. Every time I found out you were still seeing her, every time you got close to me, it made me feel disgusted. Henry, you're so filthy. I can't stand it anymore!"
Henry's face darkened as he pulled her closer, whispering in her ear, "Feeling disgusted now, huh? Weren't you the one screaming with delight every time we were together? Or has that slipped your mind?"
Grace looked up at him, her skin glowing under the chandelier, tears at the edges of her eyes. A slight bruise marked her brow.
Henry touched the bruise, sneering. "Mrs. Montague," he mocked, "I may have kept secrets, but it looks like you have too! Let's call it even."
Grace's lips trembled. "There's no 'even' between us, only you and Elodie!"
She pushed him away and straightened up. She didn't want to waste her energy on them. She had a private dinner to attend and had to perform in front of some industry bigwigs.
Just then, Owen came out to greet her. "Why didn't you come in? Mr. Garcia has been waiting for you. He was just talking about you with some teachers, and everyone wants to meet you!"
Grace smiled lightly. "Owen, I'm coming in now!"
Owen noticed Henry and Elodie for the first time, looking puzzled. "Mr. Montague, aren't you and Grace married? Why are you here with Elodie? Aren't you afraid of rumors?"
Henry snapped back, "You know my wife?!"
The two men exchanged sharp words.
Elodie, in her wheelchair, looked pale. She had put in a lot of effort for tonight's dinner, even wearing an adult diaper for her dress. She thought she'd be the star, but Grace stole the spotlight.
Seeing Grace, Elodie knew learning from Gavin was pointless. Grace was the one Gavin wanted!
Suddenly, Elodie's face turned pale, and she clutched her skirt, her voice breaking. "It hurts, Mr. Montague, it hurts! Take me back to the hospital!"
Henry looked down at her, seeing her forehead glisten with sweat. He scooped her up and headed for the elevator. The doors closed, and they were gone. He never once looked at Grace.
Grace felt helpless as she watched Henry carry Elodie away. He had a tenderness for Elodie that he never showed her. In that moment, he seemed to forget his marriage and his wife.
'How could I have ever thought Henry liked me even a little? Grace, you are so ridiculous!' she thought to herself.
Owen sighed, looking concerned. "Grace," he said softly, "do you need a moment to collect yourself, or should we reschedule? I can tell Mr. Garcia you had a minor mishap."
Grace shook her head, staring at the closed elevator doors. "I can't lose my career along with my marriage! I'm fine, Owen, let's go!"
That night's dinner was a hit. Grace played a piece for the industry bigwigs and quickly became the next big thing in classical music. Gavin was proud and introduced her to everyone.
Grace drank a lot of red wine. On the way back, her stomach felt like it was on fire.
Sawyer, the driver, took her home and told the housemaids to prepare something to sober her up and bring it upstairs. The housemaids liked Grace and did as told.
But when they got to the second floor, they found Grace sprawled on the sofa, sweating and clutching her stomach.
The housemaid was scared and gently shook her awake. "Mrs. Montague, are you okay? Should we call Mr. Montague?"
Grace was in too much pain to speak. The housemaid, panicking, tried to call Henry but couldn't reach him. She rushed to get Sawyer, and together they carefully got Grace into the car.
Grace, in pain, whispered that she didn't want to go to Montague Group Hospital. She didn't want to see Henry.
Sawyer sped to Serenity General Hospital, where Grace knew a doctor. But none of them expected Elodie to be there too.
After an exam, they found Grace had acute gastric spasms from drinking and stress. She took some meds and stayed overnight. By morning, she felt better.
The housemaid went to handle the discharge paperwork. Grace, still a bit dizzy, decided to take a walk. She stopped to admire the view outside.
From a nearby room, she heard a familiar voice. It was Henry, cold and mocking.
"Yes! I don't like her! But I won't let her like you! Lucas, what I don't want, you can't have! Let her go? Impossible! I'm not done playing yet!"
Inside, Lucas's voice was low; they were arguing.
Grace stood outside, Henry's words echoing in her mind. His "I'm not done playing yet" shattered any illusions she had.
His so-called affection and desire to start over were just part of his game. She realized she was just a possession, a trophy to show off to Lucas. Once he was done, he'd discard her without a second thought.
Feeling bitter, Grace realized all her emotions for him were wasted. The situation was a cruel joke.
When she found out he was still seeing Elodie, she had hesitated and struggled, testing if he had any real feelings for her.
Now, her attempts seemed laughable.
As she tried to leave quietly, the housemaid called out, "Mrs. Montague, what are you doing here? I've been looking for you everywhere!"
The door opened, revealing Henry's pale face.