Chapter 121
Alice clutched her stomach, cold sweat covering her cheeks as she bit down hard on her lip. Right after she spoke, she swayed like she was about to faint.
Yancey instinctively moved to catch her. “Alice…”
She collapsed into his arms while sobbing, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Yancey, losing the baby already broke me. I can’t handle seeing Grace right now.”
She shut her eyes, playing the perfect image of a woman falling apart.
Grace watched the whole scene unfold from the side, and even she had to admit that Alice’s acting was impressive. No wonder she managed to manipulate everyone so easily all these years.
But Grace wasn’t about to back down. She turned her gaze to Yancey and said, “Yancey, go ahead and have me sent to a psychiatric hospital. That’s how it’s always been. The moment Alice puts on that pitiful little act, all of you believe her. I’m done.”
She looked down, a sharp, bitter smile playing at her mouth. She added, “But let’s be clear-the loss of the baby had nothing to do with me. Not that anyone cares to investigate. You all just decided I was guilty before even asking questions. What else is there for me to say?”
Yancey parted his lips to speak, but nothing came out. Alice was in his arms, yet his gaze was locked on Grace. For a brief second, he was completely lost.
His silence made Alice uneasy because Grace’s words had struck too close to home.
“Yancey, can you help me back to my ward?”
But Yancey didn’t move and kept looking at Grace.
Alice’s eyes burned with resentment. Her jaw tightened so hard it looked like she might snap a molar. She bit her tongue until blood welled up, then gave a soft cough. She held out her hand to show her red-streaked palm.
Upon seeing her palm, Yancey immediately snapped out of it and helped her back into the ward.
“Alice, are you okay?”
Alice shook her head and clutched her chest as she said, “It’s just that the whole thing with the baby has hit me too hard. I’ll be fine after some time. Yancey, you know I’m not that heartless. I wouldn’t really let Mom send Grace to a psychiatric hospital.
“Didn’t we already agree to have her marry Hendricks? Just send her to him. Let him keep an eye on her. At the very least, make sure she doesn’t show up again before you and I get married.”
With Hendricks involved, Grace was as good as ruined.
Yancey hesitated.
Alice’s face turned even paler with anger, but she took a step back, deciding to play the long game. She said, “Yancey, I need some time to myself. Can you step outside for now?”
She thought that would make Yancey stay, but to her surprise, he actually stood up. “Get some rest,” he simply said.
Alice was left speechless, staring helplessly at his back as he walked away. He even closed the door behind him as he stepped out of the ward.
Outside, Grace was still standing there.
Things between him and Grace had been nothing but cold stares and harsh words lately, but that brief moment of vulnerability from her earlier had softened something in his chest.
Grace saw him walk out and gave a faint tug at the corner of her mouth. “So… are
you here to have me sent to a psychiatric hospital?”
Yancey frowned. “Is that the kind of man you think I am?”
She gave a dry laugh. She’d already be locked up if she hadn’t broken down earlier.
He stepped closer, scanning her face. “Grace, do you have any proof?”
“Nope. Which is why I’m not resisting. Go ahead-send me off.”
“You-”
His voice rose, but she cut him off, her eyes Suddenly glassy. “Do you remember the Farm Support Project in Northbrook? You were there too. Tell me-did Alice really handle that well?”
His chest tightened. That damn project had been a thorn in his side for a long time. It was also the moment his view of Grace started to shift.
She kept going. “If she were just some stranger and you weren’t in love with her, how would you rate the way she handled it?”
Yancey’s expression turned sour. He didn’t want to admit it, but he hadn’t liked how Alice acted back then.
Grace, on the other hand, had stepped up. She had done a good job. She even made the local news.
Yancey wasn’t an idiot. That comparison had always been stuck in his head, screwing with how he viewed Grace and Alice.
The truth was, he had never really understood Grace.
She wasn’t done. “I used to love you. But after the accident, I genuinely don’t remember a thing. And none of you believed me. Ethan was the only one who showed me an ounce of kindness. The world feels O
completely foreign, but around him, I actually feel safe. You say I used to hate him-but now? He’s the only one who seems trustworthy.”
Grace knew exactly where to hit.
First, she zeroed in on the thorn he kept buried deep inside him, and then she went straight for the nerve he was most sensitive about.
Yancey’s expression changed instantly. “Grace! You’re supposed to hate him!”
“That’s enough, Yancey! At least he’s not trying to toss me into a psychiatric hospital without a single question!”
Yancey’s chest heaved. The way her expression softened when she mentioned Ethan looked genuine.
His lips pressed into a tight line when he asked, “Are you still faking it?” Grace suddenly looked exhausted. She gave a small shrug and turned to leave.
But Yancey reached out and grabbed her wrist. He said, “I’ll look into this. And if you really were framed… I won’t hold you responsible.”