Chapter 3

Grace's POV

But Blake just nodded coldly.

"Yeah, perfect."

Watching them plan to destroy the evidence, I rushed to stop them.

"Blake, listen to me—I'm warning you one last time. Call the fucking coroner to identify this body. If you throw her in that septic tank, you'll rot in hell!"

"You threatening me now?"

Blake's eyes turned deadly. He hated being challenged in front of his people.

He stormed over, grabbed my collar and hauled me up.

"Grace, who the fuck do you think you are? Huh? Still think you can boss me around? Well, news flash—I run this fucking show!"

He threw me down like trash.

Then he spun toward his security. "What the hell are you morons standing around for? Drag this thing to the back! Dump it in the septic tank! And nobody—I mean NOBODY—touches it without my orders!"

I stared at Blake's vicious face, barely recognizing this monster.

This man was beyond saving.

Two guards stepped forward, disgusted as they dragged the corpse toward the backyard.

Guests backed away, covering their noses.

"Jesus Christ, what a buzzkill. Trash ruining our party."

"Right? Blake's way too soft on these people."

"Alright Grace, tick tock!" Jessica sauntered over, kicking the divorce papers. "Sign these and fuck off before Blake decides to toss you in there too!"

She paused, eyes gleaming with malice.

"Oh, and first? You're gonna get on your knees and apologize to me. Your mom's nasty blood ruined my designer dress!"

"Kneel? To you?" I laughed harshly. "Yeah right. In your dreams."

"Won't kneel, huh?" Jessica's face twisted. "Fine then. I'll send you down to join her!"

She dragged her finger across her throat.

"Like hell you will!" I snapped and shoved her hard.

Jessica stumbled backward, hands flying to her stomach.

"Ah! My baby!" she shrieked.

"GRACE!" Blake saw Jessica nearly fall and charged at me, his boot slamming into my ribs.

I crashed to the ground, pain exploding through my chest.

"You fucking psycho! Touch my kid again and I swear I'll bury you!"

I froze.

Kid?

I struggled up, staring at Jessica's hands protecting her belly.

"You're... you're pregnant?"

Jessica rubbed her stomach smugly. "Oh yeah. Three months along. Blake's heir."

My world shattered.

"Blake..." My voice cracked. "So that's it? That's why you want this divorce? For the baby?"

He shrugged. "Well, yeah. Kid needs a real mother. A legitimate name."

"You care so much about THIS baby," I said bitterly, "but ours? Ours meant absolutely nothing?"

The memory hit like a sledgehammer. A year ago, I'd been so excited to tell him. Thought he'd be thrilled.

Instead he'd looked at me like I was diseased.

"Not now, Grace. Company's barely off the ground. Can't have some screaming brat dragging us down."

"But Blake, it's our—"

"Get rid of it." He hadn't even looked up from his laptop. "Look, we'll talk kids when I'm actually rich."

We fought all night. I was so devastated I fell down the stairs. Lost the baby the next day.

I'd blamed myself for a whole year.

"Our baby?" Blake sneered. "Ha! You actually thought trailer trash like you deserved my child?"

Each word was a knife to the heart.

"You're nothing but farm garbage, Grace. Your bastard would've been worthless too." His smile was cruel. "But Jessica? She's different. Class, education, breeding. HER kid will inherit an empire."

Something inside me died as I stared at this stranger.

That dead look in my eyes set him off. He grabbed my shoulders, forcing me down.

"Get on your fucking knees! Jessica wants her apology!"

My legs buckled under his grip, joints screaming.

"I won't kneel. And I sure as hell won't sign shit." I met his rage with ice-cold fury. "Blake, you're gonna pay for every second of this."

"You fucking bitch!" His hand flew up to strike me.

The guards had dragged the body to the septic tank's edge. The lid gaped open, reeking of sewage.

"Just dump it!" Blake roared without looking.

Just as they loosened their grip—

CLANG.

The iron gate swung wide.

Everything stopped. Blake's hand froze mid-swing. Jessica's triumphant smirk died.

A heavyset older woman in a faded floral dress shuffled through, clutching paper grocery bags.

She dabbed sweat from her forehead, grumbling. "Middle of goddamn nowhere... cabbie wanted an extra twenty just to find this place... Christ..."

When she spotted the chaos in the yard, she went rigid.

Dead silence.

I stared at that beloved face, tears flooding my eyes.

Mom looked between me and Blake in confusion, then her gaze landed on the mangled corpse by the septic tank.

"Grace? Blake?" My mother Mary's voice cut through the stillness. "What in God's name is going on here?"