"Are you done?" I looked at Theodore Grant, my expression serene, feeling nothing inside.
But in a daze, I couldn’t help but feel how much had changed between us.
’If I had heard Theodore Grant say those words just a month ago, I probably would have fainted from happiness.’
’I had been in love with him for twelve long years. All I ever wanted was to finally melt his heart.’
’But just as I decided to walk away, Theodore Grant had a "sudden epiphany"...’
’There was nothing more laughable in the entire world.’
Theodore Grant’s expression instantly darkened. His somber eyes held a mix of pain, conflict, and a hint of madness.
"Is it because of Sebastian Forrest?" Theodore Grant practically squeezed the words from between his teeth.
I just wanted to laugh. "Theodore Grant, what’s between us has nothing to do with anyone else. You should know that better than I do."
Theodore Grant took an instinctive step forward, and I flinched back out of reflex, my guard instantly up.
"Chelsea, I’m sorry, okay? Just forgive me one last time..."
I shook my head. "Theodore Grant, it would be a lie to say I don’t resent you at all, but I’ve never truly blamed you. You were completely unaware of what happened with my mother, and I have no desire to accuse you unjustly."
A glimmer of hope appeared on Theodore Grant’s face.
"But—"
As my tone shifted, the hope on his face froze.
"I’m not in love with you anymore."
Theodore Grant instinctively shook his head. "I don’t believe you!"
I let out a soft laugh and began to speak, my voice calm and unhurried. "Theodore Grant, you probably don’t even realize how happy I was when I first found out I was going to marry you. I was so excited I nearly fainted. I thought I was the happiest person in the world."
Theodore Grant’s face was filled with heartache. "Chelsea..."
I raised a hand. "Let me finish."
I couldn’t help but take a deep breath. "You also have no idea how alluring you are in other women’s eyes. You’re handsome, rich, and your family background is second to none. A golden boy like you... if you said you liked someone, probably no one could resist. In the first year of our marriage, I even felt like I’d reached the pinnacle of what any woman could hope for. Marrying you felt like I’d hit the jackpot..."
As I spoke, my eyes began to sting, as if I were mourning my foolish and naive youth.
"So..." I looked directly at Theodore Grant. "Do you think, if I still loved you like I used to, I’d be able to refuse you after what you’ve just said?"
"It’s true that I used to love you, and it’s also true that I don’t love you now."
Theodore Grant’s hands clenched and unclenched repeatedly before he suddenly relaxed them. "Even if you say all this, I won’t change my mind. Chelsea Joyce, you’re mine. You’ll be mine for this entire lifetime. I will absolutely never let you go."
A sense of helplessness washed over me.
’I’ve already explained everything to him so clearly, appealing to both emotion and reason, but he’s still being completely obstinate.’
’I never even knew Theodore Grant had such a stubborn side!’
"Suit yourself." I didn’t want to say anything more to him. Anything I said would be like talking to a brick wall anyway.
I walked straight to the door and opened it. "You should go. You’re not welcome here. Don’t come back again, or I’ll call the police!"
Theodore Grant shoved one hand back into his pocket, a faint smirk playing on his lips. In that moment, he seemed to have reverted to that cool, proud golden boy. "Chelsea Joyce, I’ll make you come to me of your own accord."
Growing impatient, I pulled the door open wider. "Go."
Theodore Grant strode out, but he suddenly stopped when he was in front of me. "I’ll be waiting for your call."
With that, he walked straight out. I SLAMMED the door shut, feeling utterly annoyed and agitated.
’But Theodore Grant’s parting words sent a wave of unease through me. I knew he wasn’t one for empty threats. If he dared to lay down a challenge like that, he definitely had an ace up his sleeve...’
’I just had no idea what Theodore Grant was planning to do!’
"Chelsea..."
Just as my mind was racing, my aunt suddenly pushed her door open and came out. She first opened the front door to peer outside, then asked anxiously, "Why did you let Theodore Grant leave?"
"Aunt, please don’t get involved in my business with him."
"How can I not get involved?" My aunt frowned. "A man with Theodore Grant’s status can have any woman he wants! For him to ask you to get back together, that’s an amazing opportunity! Why would you send him away?"
"It’s over between us."
My aunt suddenly slapped my arm. "Are you stupid? You’re divorced now. Finding another good man will be next to impossible. You’re better off with someone like Theodore Grant. Not only is he handsome and rich, but more importantly, you know him inside and out..."
"Besides, I can see he’s sincerely sorry. And what happened to your mother can’t be blamed entirely on Theodore Grant. It was all that homewrecker’s fault!"
"Aunt!"
Seeing her words getting more and more outrageous, I was growing impatient. "Alright, I’m a bit tired. I’m going to go rest. You should get some sleep too."
"You think about it carefully. They say a prodigal son’s return is more precious than gold. This is a rare opportunity..."
I ignored my aunt, turned, and went back to my bedroom. The moment I closed the door, I let out a long, deep breath.
’No matter what, I’ll send my aunt and her family back home tomorrow. If they stay any longer, they’ll be the death of me.’
I lay on my back, staring blankly at the ceiling for a while. Then I remembered I had to go somewhere with Sebastian Forrest tomorrow. I reached over, turned off the light, got in bed, and pulled the covers over my head to go to sleep.
I slept straight through to the next morning.
Perhaps it was because of the pregnancy, but I was sleeping more, and much more deeply than usual.
When I heard someone knocking, my brain was still groggy. It took me a long moment to even register the sound.
I rubbed my drowsy eyes and got up to open the door.
"Chelsea, something terrible’s happened! It’s your cousin!"
At her words, the last remnants of sleep vanished from my mind. "What happened to my cousin?"
My aunt was so frantic she was on the verge of tears. "Just now, your cousin called me. He-he said a group of men suddenly burst into the hospital and knocked him out without a word. When he woke up, he was in a completely unfamiliar place. The people guarding him told him to call you. He said you’d know what to do!"
My mind went blank. Suddenly, Theodore Grant’s parting words from last night flashed through my head...
’Chelsea Joyce, I’ll make you come to me of your own accord.’
’I’ll be waiting for your call.’
"Chelsea, who did you provoke? Your... your cousin, he’s not going to be in any real trouble, is he?" My aunt’s eyes were red with anxiety.
I quickly tried to soothe her. "Don’t panic. My cousin will be fine."
I took a deep breath, turned to grab my phone, found Theodore Grant’s number, and dialed.
The call connected almost immediately—
I couldn’t suppress my anger and roared, "Theodore Grant, what the hell do you think you’re doing?"