Chapter 6
The first thing that popped into Antonio’s mind was that people went to City Hall to get married. But why would Grace go there?
Grace looked down. If Antonio could marry someone else, why couldn’t. she? But how was she supposed to tell him? Even now, he was still lying, treating her like a fool.
“An old friend,” she eventually replied.
“A guy or a girl?”
Grace was amused. Would he care if she hung out with another man?
“A guy.”
Antonio’s face darkened. His grip on the lunchbox tightened, his knuckles turning white.
“What are you two going there for?”
Grace had thought about testing Antonio to see if he had any feelings for her at all, but she dropped the idea eventually. Even if he did have feelings for her, so what? It wouldn’t amount to a fraction of what he felt for Keyla. She had been foolish to hold on to any hope.
“A consultation.”
With no intention of continuing the conversation, Grace turned to leave, only to bump into his lunchbox, sending the food spilling onto the floor. They both stood there in silence for a long moment. Then, Grace grabbed a cloth to clean up, but Antonio snatched it from her.
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In the past, Grace never let him do any chores. But today, she simply walked away without a backward glance. Antonio’s hand froze mid–wipe. When he looked up again, she had already closed her bedroom door.
A strange frustration crept into Antonio. Grace had been acting different. these past two days. No more smiles, and no more phone calls urging him home. She barely even talked to him. She used to love chatting with him so much, never running out of things to say. What changed? Antonio shook his head, telling himself that she probably was just not feeling well.
After a long while of hesitation, Antonio knocked on Grace’s door. She opened the door and was surprised to see Antonio holding something freshly cooked in his hand. The food was still steaming, but she had no appetite for it.
“The food spilled, so I made something else.”
“Thank you.”
Just as Grace took it, Laney appeared at the doorway.
“Grace, you really missed out! The food that was spilled was very expensive. I barely had a few bites before my brother packed it up for
you.”
Grace’s face paled. Was Laney saying that it was their leftovers? In their eyes, was she no better than a beggar on the street?
Antonio noticed her reaction and tried to explain, but before he could, Laney tugged him away.
“Antonio, I need your signature for a school form.”
Grace stood there, holding the food, her fingers trembling. She shut the door and dumped all the food into the trash. This was the first time.
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Antonio had ever made her food, but she felt no joy at all.
Grace picked up her phone. Lancy’s class group chat was filled with notifications. Grace had always handled those before. After a long while of hesitation, she made one last reply and left the group. Antonio was also in the chat group. What happened next was no longer her concern.
Just then, a message from Lancy popped up.
“Grace, do you have no shame? Why can’t you just let my brother go? He doesn’t love you. How long are you going to keep lying to yourself? Oh, and don’t bother responding to group messages from now on. I just added. Kevla to the chat group.”
Grace had put up with Lancy’s attitude for years, thinking it was just immaturity. Antonio had also told Grace to be patient with his sister. After all. Laney had lost her mother at a young age. However, after seeing how hard Laney had tried to get rid of her, Grace realized Laney wasn’t just rebellious or naughty. She was a real bitch.
“I already left the chat group. Your business is no longer my concern.”
Tomorrow, Grace would finally cut ties with the two siblings. And surprisingly, Grace didn’t feel sad at all; instead, she felt relieved. After three years of being their doormat, it was time to start living for herself.
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