Chapter 3
When I came to, I was still in Richard's office, and the place was completely empty.
The wet spot beneath me had already dried up.
The baby was no longer moving inside me.
I just sat there, completely lost.
Maybe the baby could sense that his parents didn't care about him, so he decided to leave before he even got a chance to meet us.
As I walked out of the office, everyone was staring at me with different expressions.
Some looked sympathetic, some guilty, some just waiting for drama, but nobody dared to say a word.
Honestly, it was hard not to feel a little heartbroken.
The marketing manager Serena Blake kept getting fired from one company after another, just because he was too quiet.
I was the one who had noticed his talent back when I worked there, and had helped him become who he was then.
Whenever the newbies got blamed for things they didn't do, I was always the one to stand up for them.
But now, none of that mattered anymore.
Serena nervously came over and handed me my phone.
"Grace, here's your phone. Mr. Grant and the others just wanted to give you a little scare. They weren't really trying to mess with you," he said.
I stared at her for a few seconds, then let out a cold, mocking laugh.
"So, would you swallow your pride and do it?" I asked.
Her face went pale, then flushed red, and she was completely speechless.
As I turned to leave, I caught someone snickering behind me.
"She can't even hold onto her man or her kid, and she still thinks she's all that?"
As soon as I stepped out of the office, a swarm of reporters rushed over.
They shoved their microphones right in my face.
"Mrs. Grant, do you have anything to say about the trending topic online?"
"I heard you and Mr. Grant went from college sweethearts to husband and wife. What made you betray him?"
"Mrs. Grant, is your baby really Mr. Grant's, or is it from your affair?"
"Aren't you worried your child will resent you for being so irresponsible?"
"You're an orphan. Shouldn't family mean everything to you? Why would you do something like this?"
"Mrs. Grant...Mrs. Grant..."
My ears suddenly started buzzing.
The noise around me was so suffocating, it felt like I couldn't catch my breath.
Meanwhile, just a short distance away, Richard and Emily were laughing and chatting in the car, acting like nothing else in the world mattered.
My brows were furrowed tight as I tried to squeeze through the crowd, but my strength was gone. I could barely move.
Instead, they crowded around me even more aggressively, leaving me no way out.
The memory of almost drowning as a kid hit me like a tidal wave, and my whole body started trembling uncontrollably right where I stood.
"Grace!"
A familiar voice called out to me.
A woman was struggling to push the reporters away.
"Don't crowd her! She's scared!" she shouted.
I turned toward the voice.
When I saw who it was, I froze right where I stood.
It was Audrey Hayes, the director of the orphanage who'd raised me since I was little, the closest person I have in this world.
One of the reporters, annoyed by her, shoved her on purpose, knocking her to the ground.
The usually quiet security guard suddenly marched over, looking fierce and ready for a fight.
"Mr. Grant said no one's allowed to bother Mrs. Grant while she's being interviewed," he barked.
Audrey looked at him helplessly and pleaded, "Grace gets scared easily, please help get these people away from her."
"I'm not here to make a scene. I just want to take Grace home," she added.
"I said no one's allowed to bother her! Can't you understand simple instructions?" the guard snapped.
When she didn't move, the guard suddenly blew up.
He grabbed Audrey by the collar and, with a vicious shove, forced her through the side door.
My eyes were burning with panic as I tried to rush over, but I was completely trapped by the crowd.
The reporters wouldn't stop bombarding me with questions.
"Mrs. Grant, who was that old lady to you?"
"You care about her so much. Is she somehow connected to the person you cheated with?"
"Get the hell away from me!" I yelled, my eyes red with rage. "Can't you see that old lady getting bullied over there?"
Richard noticed the commotion and was about to look over.
Right then, Emily called his name.
As he turned, Emily pulled him in for a kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Richard froze for a moment, but he just let it happen.
The window slid up, shutting me out.
Tears streaked my face as I watched, expressionless, while the car disappeared into the distance.
Whatever hope I had left inside me vanished completely.