Chapter 144 Chapter 144
Ambulances screeched through the wide, bustling streets of the city.
Huddled beside Wendy's stretcher, Grace clutched Wendy's hand tightly, without the slightest sign of loosening her grip.
Grace stared blankly as her mind drifted uncontrollably while paramedics bustled around them. Their words were muffled and barely audible.
Someone approached to pry Wendy's hand open and free Grace's wrist. Only then did Grace lift her head, dazed, and utter, "It's okay. Let her hold on."
The paramedics shouted at her. Grace strained to listen for a long moment before understanding them. They said, "The patient is deceased."
The deceased person's grip was so tight that not even a grown man could pry it open.
Grace showed no reaction, only turning her head to look blankly at Wendy on the stretcher beside her. Under the oxygen mask, Wendy's face looked small and pale, as if all the blood had drained from her body.
Grace had killed with her own hands, witnessed death up close, and faced mortal peril.
Yet, she wasn't the type to scream at the sight of a wound. Still, never before had she felt such profound hatred and dread toward death.
Wendy shouldn't have died. Yes, she was reckless, immature, foolish, and self-righteous.
But she shouldn't have died. Not like this, at least.
Grace didn't know how they finally pried her hands from Wendy's grasp or how she ended up outside the hospital. She sat down on the steps beside the entrance and stared blankly at the hurried passersby in the night.
When Benjamin found her, she was still seated in that same dazed state and showed no reaction until he approached her.
Alarmed, he bent down, gripped her shoulders, and urgently called her name, "Grace? Grace?”
Only then did Grace slowly lift her head. Her unfocused gaze gradually sharpened on his face. Her eyes widened as she stared at him without saying a word. Her gaze felt suffocating to Benjamin, as if someone had clenched his heart in a fist. The dull ache brought on panic, leaving him unsure how to salvage the moment.
He clenched his jaw and said in a low voice, "Grace, listen to me—"
A sharp crack echoed as her right palm struck his face hard and without warning—a blow delivered with almost all her strength. Her blow jerked his head to the side. He froze for a moment, then slowly turned back. Crouching before her, he lifted his eyes to meet hers, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Only once. Before we went to Mexico, when we were in a cold war and I went drinking at Garma—"
Another sharp sound echoed as Grace's hand came down hard across his face again. This blow was filled with hatred. Blood still stained her hand, smearing onto his face and making the crimson imprint stand out more sharply.
Blood seeped slowly from the corner of Benjamin's mouth, yet he only chuckled softly. "I just happened to run into her there and ended up sleeping with her."
Grace said nothing, only gritted her teeth and slapped him viciously.
By the time she struck again, her hand had gone numb, feeling only pain.
Benjamin casually wiped the blood from his lip with his thumb and continued, "When I sobered up, I regretted it. I gave her the pills, but she didn't take them. She threw them away.”
Her hand shot up once more, landing another heavy slap.
For every sentence he uttered, she delivered a slap. After several blows, her hand went numb from the pain.
Yet she didn't care. She said nothing, only clenched her jaw and struck him with all her might.
As she swung for the final blow, he caught her in midair and gently cupped her wrist. He even grinned at her. "Use the other hand. This one will swell."
Grace didn't switch hands nor strike him again. Her entire body shook uncontrollably and her lips trembled so badly that she could barely form words. "She was only eighteen! She was still a child! You're a monster, Alex. A monster. She was carrying your child, and you had her killed."
"I don't want her to bear my child!" He stared at her. "Grace, I only want your child. In this world, I only want the child you bear for me!"
"Bear your child? You want me to bear your child?" She suddenly started laughing softly and couldn't stop until tears streamed down her face.
Benjamin finally panicked, gripping her shoulders tightly. "Grace? Grace?”
After a long moment, she finally stopped, glaring at him coldly. “Alex, you can dream on. You killed my child. You killed your own child. A monster like you doesn't deserve children. You never will. I won't bear your child. If I ever get pregnant by you, I'll kill myself!"
Her words were venomous. His eyes blazed red as he stared at her for a moment, then suddenly scooped her up. Ignoring her struggles, he carried her toward the exit. Michael waited nearby, having been frozen by their violent exchange long ago. He didn't dare approach, but rushed ahead to open the car door for Benjamin.
The car was parked nearby. Benjamin shoved her into the backseat, climbed in after her, and kept her pinned down, refusing to let her move an inch.
She refused to yield, struggling desperately. He locked her in his embrace and growled, "Grace! Calm down! Don't hurt the baby!"
She froze abruptly. She was unable to move.
He still held her tightly, not loosening his grip at all. His arms instinctively avoided her lower abdomen. Then, he slowly lowered his head, resting his forehead against her back. In a soft voice, he said, "Your period is a week late. Grace, you sensed it, too, didn't you? We have a child. Our own child. He's here.” His hand settled gently over her belly. "Grace, don't hurt him."
Grace felt her heart plummet as if it were falling into a bottomless abyss. She forced herself to steady and let out a hollow laugh. "Alex, have you lost your mind? Or are you mad with longing for a child? My periods have always been irregular. A few days late, and suddenly I'm pregnant?"
Benjamin only smiled, refusing to argue. "Whether you are pregnant or not, stop this. Don't hurt yourself.”
She had gradually calmed down from her earlier outburst and was no longer struggling. She said coldly, "Let go of me. I can sit on my own."
He hesitated before releasing her. With one side of his face still swollen, he studied her intently. Then he turned her face toward him and said solemnly, "Grace, don't be foolish. I want this child."
"There is no child here," she said, forcing down her panic and challenging him with a cold expression. "You do have a child with Wendy, but you just killed it."
Ignoring her sarcasm, he forcefully grasped her hand instead. "Even if there isn't one now," he said softly, "there will be one in the future." He paused before continuing. “Grace, whether you believe it or not, I never intended to kill Wendy. Her death was an accident.”