Chapter 70 Chapter 70
Grace fell silent upon hearing this. After a long moment, she managed a faint smile. In a meaningful tone, she replied, "Don't contact me for now. Wait until I can't find you anymore, and then you can reach out.”
If she couldn't find him, then Benjamin would be at lost too. He understood her implication, nodded. "All right."
He went to the bedroom to retrieve the item he'd left behind: a small, palm-sized porcelain doll set depicting a couple. She had found them at a night market stall when they had just started dating. Back then, she kept the male doll, and he kept the female one. It wasn't until they moved in together that they placed them side by side.
This time, however, Adrian took the female doll with him. At the doorway, he paused and turned back to look at Grace. After a long moment, he said, "Take care of yourself."
She nodded, unable to meet his gaze, and whispered, "You too."
He forced a smile, but it remained strained. Only then did he turn and leave.
After listening to his footsteps fade beyond the door, she closed it and shuffled back into the room like a zombie. She didn't notice her phone ringing until she sat down on the bed. Only then did she return to the living room to answer it.
It was Benjamin. His voice sounded almost cheerful as he asked, "Did you do as I said?"
Suddenly, Grace erupted. Her voice rose sharply as she shouted, "Benjamin! Are you crazy? What do you think you're doing? Do you believe we're in a relationship? What exactly do you want from me? Isn't the satisfaction you get from humiliating me enough? What more do you want?"
Dead silence filled the receiver. Benjamin didn't speak, but he didn't hang up, either. He just stayed silent, a silence so thick it felt suffocating.
In that silence, she clutched the phone tightly, closed her eyes slowly, and fought to suppress the raging storm of emotions inside her, forcing herself to calm down quickly.
After a few seconds, she took a soft, deep breath. Suddenly, she burst into tears and sobbed, "He's gone. This time, he's truly gone. He'll never come back.”
Benjamin remained silent. She continued sobbing and muttering to herself, "I've loved him since I was seventeen. I've loved him for ten years. Ten years! Benjamin, do you know how long ten years is? Do you know what it feels like to love someone? Do you know how agonizing it is to push your beloved away? You don't know. You just laugh. The more I suffer, the harder you laugh.”
He truly didn't know how much she was suffering. All he knew was that his chest felt scorched by fire.
Y Country and Seattle felt like two different worlds. The air was humid and stifling, offering no relief, even at night. He’d just stepped off the plane when the car sent to pick him up pulled up nearby. The bodyguards were already opening the door for him, but he stood rooted to the spot, listening to Grace’s heart-wrenching sobs. His legs felt like they were filled with lead; they were too heavy to move.
Aron glanced at him curiously and whispered, “Mr. Norman, time is running short.”
Benjamin turned his head at the sound, his gaze momentarily blank. After a brief pause, his usual cold expression returned. Without a word, he ended the call and bent to slip into the car.
Thousands of miles away, the moment the call ended, Grace stopped crying. She stared at her phone screen for a moment, grabbed a few tissues, and roughly wiped her tears away. Then, as if nothing had happened, she stood up, went to the bathroom to wash her face, and headed to the kitchen to make herself something to eat.
The refrigerator held almost no vegetables, so she could only toast two slices of bread. Standing before the toaster, she reflected on the experience and came to a conclusion: Benjamin might actually like her a little. Though she found the idea unbelievable and presumptuous, if a man could tolerate a woman making a scene over another man in his presence, then he must feel something unusual toward her.
She couldn't help but wonder how Benjamin would treat her when they met again—it would determine her future approach toward him.
If she hadn't misjudged, tonight's momentary lapse might set their relationship back significantly. Yet, this setback could become an opportunity for her to forge a closer bond with him.
Starting yesterday, Grace had stopped taking the short-term contraceptive pills. By the fourth day—the morning Benjamin was scheduled to return—her period arrived right on schedule.
Although she hadn't lied this time, she remained cautious, meticulously preparing every detail before driving to Benjamin's apartment.
She hadn't known when he would return. Only upon seeing his car parked below did she confirm that he was back.
Benjamin was home, but he had just returned. His afternoon flight to Seattle required him to handle some business matters at the office before having Michael drive him back to the apartment.
Since Grace had changed phones, Benjamin hadn't installed monitoring software on it again. Instead, he tracked her location through her phone number, meticulously recording every detail. This allowed him to see her daily movements. That day, after leaving school, she took the bus straight to her parents' house. She stayed for just over ten minutes before leaving and then returned to her apartment, where she remained.
Since she hadn't sought out Adrian, he must have gone to her apartment.
Benjamin's expression darkened considerably as he instructed Michael, "Check the surveillance footage from her apartment. See how long he stayed before leaving.”
Since Benjamin had a key to her door, he must have tampered with her home security system a long time ago, when he was plotting his revenge. However, after he began approaching her as Benjamin, he lost the inclination to review those tapes.
Sure enough, Michael’s face clouded with difficulty. "Mr. Norman, the hidden cameras in Ms. Hill’s home stopped recording long ago."
Benjamin's expression grew colder. Though he was unwilling, he was powerless. Images of Grace and Adrian making love on the bed kept flashing through his mind, completely beyond his control. The harder he tried to push them out, the clearer they became.
It wasn't his imagination; he had seen it with his own eyes in the surveillance videos. Back then, he watched it like a joke and occasionally commented on it with Michael. Now, just thinking about it made his chest feel like it would explode.
Michael remained silent, not daring to look at Benjamin. He stood there, pretending to be invisible, until the message came through his earpiece. Only then did he cautiously speak up, "Mr. Norman, Ms. Hill is here."