Chapter 139
Adele's voice rose several notches, clearly agitated and accusatory. "Grace, how can you be so thoughtless! How many times have I told you—in the Parker family, you need to know your place and not provoke people we can't afford to offend! Who is Nina? She's the daughter of the Green family, Damian's fiancée! How could you run to the Wolfe Manor and confront her?"
"You're just making trouble for me!"
Grace didn't respond, just listened quietly.
Adele seemed to realize her tone was too harsh and softened a bit, beginning to lecture earnestly. "Grace, listen to me. The Green family isn't someone we can afford to offend. The Wolfe family may be top-tier in Harmony City, but the Green family isn't far behind. In Everglade City, they're the number one family—deep roots, extensive connections. Even in Harmony City, their influence is only slightly less than the Wolfe family's. By offending Nina, you've offended the entire Green family. What's the Parker family supposed to do?"
Don't cause trouble for the Parker family.
Don't make things difficult for her.
From the first day she was brought to the Parker Villa, these words had become shackles around her.
A very soft laugh escaped from Grace's lips.
The laugh was cold, dripping with mockery, making even Adele on the other end of the phone freeze.
"Grace, what are you laughing at?"
"I'm laughing at myself, for being too naive." Grace turned around, leaning against the cold glass window, the last trace of warmth vanishing from her voice. "I thought when you called, you'd at least ask if I was okay."
Adele was caught off guard, then defended herself. "Of course I care about you! If I didn't care, why would I be telling you all this? I'm worried you'll get hurt!"
"Worried I'll get hurt, or worried I'll drag down the Parker family?" Grace cut straight to the point.
"How dare you talk like that!" Adele's voice turned shrill again. "I struggled to raise you and put you through college, and now found you such a good home—is this how you think of me?"
"A good home?" Grace repeated the phrase as if she'd heard the joke of the century. "Living under someone else's roof, walking on eggshells, being ordered around by Ethan like a servant, bullied by his friends—this is the good home you gave me?"
"Ethan is just young and doesn't know better..."
"He's only one year younger than me." Grace cut her off. "Mom, let's stop pretending, shall we?"
Her voice suddenly became calm, a desperate kind of calm.
"Today, I just want to ask you one question."
"All these years, from when I was born, to when you left Brian with me, to when you remarried and left me alone back home, to when you finally brought me to this so-called 'good home'... have you ever loved me at all?"
On the other end of the phone, a long silence fell.
This silence was more hurtful than any words.
Grace's eyes gradually reddened, but she stubbornly held back, not letting the tears fall.
"I understand now." She said softly, as if pronouncing judgment on herself.
Just as she was about to hang up, Adele's voice came rushing through again. "Grace! Of course, I love you! Everything I've done has been for your own good!"
"For my own good?" Grace laughed. This time, tears finally fell uncontrollably. "For my own good, so when Brian hit me, all you did was hold me and cry? For my own good, so after you found a new man to depend on, you dumped me like a burden? For my own good, so in your new family, when I'm wronged, you just tell me to swallow my anger?"
"Do you even know what started all this today?" Without waiting for Adele to answer, she continued on her own, her voice a mixture of hatred and despair.
"It was Brian. That man you chose, my biological father."
"Nina's people said Brian owed them gambling debts, so he came up with the idea of drugging me, trying to send me to Miles's bed so he could extort money."
"These are my parents—a gambler shameless enough to sell his own daughter. A social climber selfish enough to sacrifice her daughter's dignity and happiness."
"You two deserve each other."
Her words were cutting, like a sharp knife that not only sliced open her own wounds but also tore away the facade of the loving mother Adele wore.
On the other end of the phone, only heavy breathing remained. Adele couldn't say a word.
Grace couldn't be bothered to say anything more and hung up directly.
The phone slipped from her palm and fell onto the soft carpet without making a sound.
And she, as if all her strength had been drained away, slowly slid down along the cold glass window until she was sitting on the floor.
She hugged her knees, burying her face deep into them, unable to hold back any longer as her shoulders began to shake violently.
There was no wailing, only silent, desperate sobbing. All the grievances, unwillingness, anger, and sadness accumulated over the years turned into scalding tears that soaked her sleeves.
A pair of warm, large hands gently landed on top of her head.
Grace's body stiffened.
Miles crouched down beside her. Without saying a word, he simply stroked her hair with his palm, over and over.
His movements were gentle, carrying a careful tenderness, as if comforting a frightened child.
After a long while, he lifted her up from the floor, cradling her in his arms.
Grace instinctively struggled, but he held her gently.
"Don't be afraid." His voice was low and tender, sounding by her ear. "It's okay to cry."
He carried her to the sofa, letting her lean against him. His broad, solid chest was like a safe harbor, blocking out all the storms of the outside world.
Grace finally let down all her defenses. Leaning against him, she began to cry out loud.
Miles just held her, letting her tears soak the shirt on his chest. He could feel her body trembling, could hear the suppressed pain in her crying. His heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand—it hurt.
He waited a long time, until her crying gradually subsided, leaving only intermittent sobs.
Only then did he gently push her back a little, using his fingertips to tenderly wipe away the tear stains on her face.
Her eyes were red and swollen, her nose tip was red too—she looked pitiful and helpless.
Grace lifted her wet lashes and looked at him.
"Thank you."
Miles wiped away her tears. "I'll always be by your side."
Those few short words filled Grace's heart with warmth.
With Miles's comfort, Grace gradually calmed down. Miles settled her in, then left the apartment, letting her rest well.