Chapter 103
Richard's POV
She paused, slowly turning to face me. Even under the harsh fluorescent lights, she was stunningly beautiful. But there was something different about her—a coldness in her posture, a distance that hadn't been there before.
She met my desperate gaze with icy composure. I knew I looked disheveled, my usually perfect appearance marred by something wild in my eyes.
"Richard." Her voice was steady, controlled. "I told you we were finished."
As she tried to get into the car, I grabbed the door, my knuckles white with the force of my grip. "Don't you dare get in that car and drive away from me."
She raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
My gaze fell to her hand resting on the steering wheel, and then I saw it—an emerald ring, flickering with green fire under the lights. In that moment, rage and jealousy crashed over me like a tidal wave.
"That ring," I said, my voice trembling with barely controlled fury. "Where did you get it? Where's our wedding ring? Where's our ring?"
She let out a cold laugh, the sound like breaking glass. "You really want to know about betrayal, Richard? You want to talk about our marriage?"
My face went pale, but I pressed on. "Grace, I know we've had our difficulties, but you're wearing another man's jewelry—"
"Our marriage?" she interrupted, her voice sharp as a blade. "Richard, are you absolutely certain we were ever really married?"
The question hit me like a physical blow.
Has she found out?
"Grace, what are you talking about? Of course we're married. We have a certificate—"
"Do we?" Her smile was sharp as a knife. "Do we really, Richard?"
Grace got into the car and tried to close the door, but this time I physically blocked it with my body. The door caught my arm, sending sharp pain shooting to my shoulder, but I didn't move.
"You're not leaving until you explain what you mean," I said through gritted teeth.
She pressed the accelerator. "Get away from my car, Richard."
"No!" The word came out like a roar. "I gave up everything for you! Do you know what I've endured from my family to be with you? The pressure, the expectations I've defied? And this is how you repay me? By running off with another man?"
Grace's laughter was like breaking glass. "Oh, Richard. Still playing the victim, I see."
She suddenly accelerated. I had to jump aside to avoid being hit, stumbling and crashing into a concrete pillar. My shoulder screamed with pain, but I barely noticed.
Laura appeared beside me, her face pale with worry. "Richard! Are you hurt?"
I pushed her away, not caring about her shocked expression. Grace's car was already heading toward the exit, but I wasn't finished. Not even close.
I ran to my own car, ignoring Laura's protests, and gunned the engine.
---
I followed her car at a distance.
Finally, as she passed through an upscale apartment district, her car pulled into the underground garage of one of the high-rise buildings.
I slipped into the garage through the pedestrian entrance, my footsteps echoing off the concrete walls. Grace had just reached to press the elevator button when I stepped out of the shadows.
"We need to talk."
She turned around, surprise flashing in her eyes for just a moment before that cold mask slipped back into place.
"Richard. You followed me?"
I moved closer, backing her against the concrete wall, my hands braced on either side of her. She didn't flinch, didn't try to escape. She just looked at me with those sharp blue eyes, waiting.
"Who is he?" I asked desperately, my voice hoarse. "The man who gave you that ring? Is he the one you've been seeing behind my back?"
"Behind my back?" Grace's laughter was sharp and cutting. "That's rich, coming from you."
"Don't turn this around on me," I said, leaning closer. "I gave you everything—my love, my protection, my name. And this is how you repay me? By running off with another man? Do you have any conscience left?"
For a moment, something flickered across her face—pain, maybe, or regret. But then her expression hardened again, and when she spoke, her voice was like ice.
"Enough, Richard. Stop this pathetic performance. Don't you find it disgusting? This act you're putting on?"
Her words hit me like physical blows, each one finding its mark with surgical precision. "What act? Grace, I'm trying to save our marriage—"
"What marriage?" she interrupted, and there was something in her tone that made my blood run cold. "What exactly do you think we have, Richard? Or do you need me to spell it out for you?"
"I don't understand what you're trying to say."
"Don't you?" Grace pushed herself off the wall, standing tall, her eyes blazing with an emotion I couldn't identify. "Then let me refresh your memory."
She began to speak, her voice calm and measured, but each word was like a dagger to my heart.
"A carefully orchestrated courtship to win my trust and affection. A beautiful love story designed to make me the perfect cover for you and Laura. Even a forged marriage certificate to ensure I'd help you raise Emma without question."
No. The word screamed through my mind, but I couldn't make my voice work.
"Richard Harrison," she continued, her voice never wavering, "I really should thank you for your... thoughtful arrangements."
My hands went slack, and I stumbled backward until my back hit the concrete pillar. Cold sweat broke out across my forehead, and my vision blurred at the edges.
"Grace, what are you saying? We're legally married. You can't possibly think—"
"Our marriage certificate is a fake, Richard." Her voice cut through my desperate protests like a scalpel. "You and Laura Parker are the real married couple. Emma is your biological daughter."
The words hit me like a physical assault. My legs gave out, and I found myself on my knees on the cold concrete floor, my breathing coming in short, panicked gasps.
She knows. Oh God, she knows everything.