Grace sat quietly in Ethan''s car, a strange sense of unease settling in her chest.


    Ever since Daphne died, it felt like she''d been caught in a web, and someone was pulling the strings.


    The car stopped at Palm Bay. She didn''t get out right away. After a few minutes of hesitation, she asked, "Mr. Henderson, are you nning to question me about what happened to Daphne?"


    After all, Simon had clearly intended to pin it all on her tonight. If Holden brought her here instead, there had to be a reason, right? But she couldn''t figure out what.


    Ethan had already lowered his wheelchair from the car. He paused at her question, his expression unreadable. Then, without saying a word, he continued moving forward.


    Grace had no choice but to follow him.


    They went all the way to his bedroom door. She hesitated for a moment before slowly stepping inside.


    The same magnolias were still in a vase by the headboard. Somehow, they still looked fresh, like they''d just been picked. They must''ve been treated with some kind of preservation technique.


    She was about to ask him about the magnolias when his phone rang.


    Ethan answered with his usual calm, but his tone had a sharp edge. "I''m busy. I won''t be there tomorrow night."


    Grace immediately figured it out. Every year, the Henderson family would be swamped around Christmas time. As the heir, Ethan had to handle all sorts of matters. He had to have a lot on his te.


    Call after call came in. He spent the next 30 minutes straight on the phone.


    Grace didn''t feel right sitting down, so she just stood quietly off to the side.


    Finally, an hourter, he ended thest call and looked up at her. "Simon will take care of Daphne''s case."


    Which meant it was no longer her problem.


    Grace finally let out a breath she didn''t realize she''d been holding. But she couldn''t figure out why Ethan was helping her.


    Even she, dense as she could be sometimes, had started to catch on. Since the moment she lost her memory, Ethan had been stepping in to help her-again and again.


    Her eyes drifted to his wheelchair. A question she had been holding back for a long time finally slipped out. "Mr. Henderson, about your legs... Have you really never med me for what happened?"


    With his personality, if he held a grudge against someone, there was no way they would still be walking did walking


    around freely So, why did he keep going out of his way to help her?  s


    She ran the possibilities over and over in her head, and none of it made sense.


    Ethan lowered his gaze. His wrist was rigid and tense as he moved past her without looking back.


    Then, she heard him murmur, almost too softly to catch. "Let''s just say I owe you big time."


    She hurried to follow him, cing her hands on the back of his wheelchair. "Then consider us even now. You helped me, so we''re square."


    The wheelchair came to a stop. He stared straight ahead, pressing his fingers to his temples.


    Grace noticed he looked exhausted. His condition seemed to be far worse than usual.


    "Mr. Henderson?" she asked quietly.


    He shook his head and maneuvered himself into the elevator. Once downstairs,


    he headed toward the coffee table and pulled out a bottle of pills.


    Grace didn''t see what they were and just rushed to pour him a ss of warm water.


    He reached out to take it, but his fingers trembled, and the water spilled right onto hisp. His hand slowly curled into a fist as if he was trying to hold somethingan. Pain or frustration, she wasn''t sure.  s


    Grace grabbed some tissues and gently tried to dry the water from his pants.


    That was when the front door opened.


    Jodie walked in, arms full of magnolias. But the moment she saw Grace, she froze. The flowers slipped from her hands, scattering across the floor.


    "Grace!" she yelled as she stormed over, raising her hand to p Grace. But she stopped when she saw Ethan''s expression. "Uncle Ethan, what''s going on?"


    Ethan had his eyes shut. Large beads of sweat were rolling down his face.


    Grace panicked and called for Tim, who calmly stepped forward, snatched up the bottle of pills, and gave Ethan another dose. Then, he stepped in front of her, blocking hier


    view with his body.


    to'' s


    "Ms. Lambert, since everything has been cleared up, I''ll have someone send you


    home," Tim said in a steady voice.


    Grace turned her head, trying to get onest look at Ethan, but he turned away, leaving her with nothing but a glimpse of his tense wrist.<fn1450> Newest update provided by Find[?]ovel</fn1450>