<b><i>Gracie’s </i></b><b>POV: </b>
I sat quietly for what felt like an eternity.
So those were the circumstances surrounding my birth? I was possibly the product of an <b>affair</b><b>, </b><b>so </b><b>my </b>
mother wanted me gone to conceal her secret….
My heart started to pace as one thing became painfully clear….My number was up the minute I became a Rochester. I ced my hand over my heart as if to calm myself. Kai sat quietly while staring at me; probably waiting to see what I would say or do next. I needed topose myself. I didn’t want to cry over these horrible people anymore. Breathing slowly, I lifted my head towards
Thorton.
<i>“</i><i>Tell </i><i>me </i><i>everything</i>.”
He nodded in response; guilt riddled on his face.
<i>“</i><i>I </i><i>first </i><i>met </i><i>your </i><i>mother </i><i>when </i><i>she </i><i>became </i><i>engaged </i><i>to </i><i>Calvin </i><i>Rochester</i><i>. </i><i>By </i><i>then</i><i>, </i><i>I </i><i>had </i><i>already </i><i>been </i><i>working </i><i>for </i><i>that </i><i>family </i><i>for </i><i>about </i><i>three </i><i>years</i>. <i>When </i><i>I </i><i>first </i><i>met </i><i>her</i><i>, </i><i>she </i><i>wasn’t </i>like <i>anything </i><i>I’d </i><i>ever </i><i>seen </i><i>before</i><i>. </i><i>She </i><i>was </i><i>beautiful</i>. <i>She </i><i>had </i><i>this </i><i>innocence </i><i>and </i><i>purity </i><i>about </i><i>herself </i><i>that </i><i>could </i><i>melt </i><i>any </i><i>type </i>of
<i>ice</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
I sat quietly, giving Thorton my direct attention. I could tell by the way his eyes sparkled, he was in love with my mother.
“<i>Our </i><i>affair </i><i>began </i><i>after </i><i>their </i><i>marriage</i>. <i>It </i><i>honestly </i><i>just </i><i>happened</i><i>. </i><i>She’d </i><i>suspected </i><i>Calvin </i><i>of </i><i>bangin </i><i>his </i><i>secretary </i><i>and </i><i>asked </i><i>me </i>to <i>find </i><i>out</i>. <i>At </i><i>first </i><i>I </i><i>said </i><i>no</i>…<i>I </i><i>mean </i><i>my </i><i>loyalty </i><i>was </i><i>technically </i><i>to </i><i>Calvin </i><i>and </i><i>David </i><i>Rochester</i>. <i>But </i><i>the </i><i>way </i><i>she </i><i>looked </i><i>at </i><i>me</i><i>…</i><i>those </i><i>pleading </i><i>eyes</i>…<i>I </i><i>couldn’t </i><i>deny </i><i>her</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
<i>“As </i><i>it </i><i>turned </i><i>out</i><i>, </i><i>he </i><i>was </i><i>sleeping </i><i>with </i><i>the </i><i>secretary</i><i>….</i><i>Sharon </i><i>was </i><i>furious</i>. <i>She </i><i>threw </i><i>things</i><i>, </i><i>yelled</i><i>, </i><i>cursed</i><i>…</i><i>and </i><i>then </i><i>finally</i><i>…</i><i>started </i><i>crying</i><i>. </i><i>I </i><i>couldn’t </i><i>take </i><i>it</i>. <i>I </i><i>couldn’t </i><i>take </i><i>those </i><i>beautiful </i><i>eyes </i><i>shedding </i><i>tears </i><i>of sadness</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
Kai twitched in his chair. For a moment, it looked as if he understood Thorton.
<i>“</i><i>Anyway</i><i>…</i><i>in </i><i>my </i><i>attempt </i>to <ifort </i><i>her</i><i>…</i><i>she </i><i>kissed </i><i>me</i>. <i>That </i><i>was </i><i>how </i><i>the </i><i>affair </i><i>began</i>. <i>It </i><i>went </i><i>on </i>for <i>years and </i><i>I </i><i>was </i><i>in </i><i>love </i><i>with </i><i>her</i><i>. </i><i>I </i><i>thought </i><i>she </i><i>was </i><i>in </i><i>love </i><i>with </i><i>me </i><i>too</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
The sadness in his voice almost made me feel sorry for him.
1/31
<i>“</i><i>Anyway</i><i>…</i>when <i>she </i><i>found </i><i>out </i><i>she </i><i>was </i><i>pregnant </i><i>again </i><i>for </i><i>the </i>fourth <i>time</i><i>; </i><i>she </i>was <i>already </i><b><i>irritated</i></b>. <b>She </b><i>didn’t </i><i>want </i>to have <i>another </i><i>child</i><i>; </i><i>the </i><ist </i><i>pregnancy </i>was <i>already </i>too risky.”
Iughed to myself thinking about how much of a pain in the ass Brian has always been.
<i>“</i><i>And </i><i>when </i><i>she </i>found out <i>she </i>was <i>having </i>a <i>girl</i><i>…</i><i>well </i><i>let’s </i><i>just </i><i>say </i><i>that </i><i>didn’t </i><i>help</i>. <i>At </i><i>the </i>time<b>, </b>she asked <i>Calvin </i><i>if </i><i>it </i><i>was </i><i>wise </i><i>for </i><i>her </i><i>to </i><i>have </i><i>another </i><i>child </i>because of <i>the </i><iplications </i><i>with </i><i>Brian</i><i>.</i>”
He recalled the night she called him panicking because the baby might be his.
“<i>Bernie</i>….<i>I </i>can’t <i>have </i><i>this </i><i>child</i><i>! </i><i>You </i><i>know </i><i>that</i><i>! </i><i>You </i><i>know </i><i>why</i><i>!</i>”
“<i>I</i><i>…</i><i>Sharon</i>…<i>what </i><i>do </i><i>you </i><i>want </i><i>me </i>to <i>do</i>? <i>You </i>said <i>Rochester </i><i>didn’t </i><i>agree </i>to the <i>abortion</i><i>. </i><i>What’s </i>the <b><i>big </i></b><i>deal </i><i>anyway</i><i>?</i>”
“<i>The </i><i>big </i><i>deal</i><i>!!! </i><i>This fuckin </i><i>baby </i><i>could be </i><i>yours</i>! <i>Do you </i><i>want </i><i>them </i><i>to </i><i>find </i><i>out</i><i>!!! </i>Do <i>you </i><i>really </i><i>not </i><i>know </i><i>what </i><i>would </i><i>happen </i>if <i>they </i><i>did</i><i>??</i><i>” </i>
<i>“</i><i>Sharon</i><i>…</i><i>why </i><i>would </i><i>they </i><i>find </i><i>out</i><i>? </i><i>They </i><i>didn’t</i>…”
<i>“</i><i>Because </i>it’s <i>a </i><i>girl</i><i>!!! </i><i>They’ll </i><i>test </i><i>the </i><i>baby </i><i>because </i><i>it’s </i><i>a </i><i>girl</i><i>!</i><i>” </i>
Thorton exined how that was the first time he’d heard of the Rochers not having girls; how Calvin’s mother Rosemary Rochester ordered an immediate paternity test when my uncle’s wife gave birth to a girl.
<i>“</i><i>So </i><i>that </i><i>was </i><i>it</i><i>…</i><i>she </i><i>was </i><i>right</i><i>…</i><i>Rochester </i><i>would </i><i>have </i><i>ordered </i><i>my </i><i>immediate </i><i>death</i>.<i>” </i>
I looked at him in disgust and scoffed.
<i>“So</i><i>, </i><i>you </i><i>chose </i><i>yourself </i><i>over </i><i>your </i><i>possible </i><i>daughter</i><i>?</i><i>” </i>
He looked me in the eyes, so much guilt filled in them.
<i>“</i><i>I</i><i>…</i><i>yeah</i>. I’m <i>scum </i><i>Grd</i><i>. </i><i>I </i><i>know </i><i>that</i><i>. </i><i>I </i>don’t <i>make </i><i>any </i>excuses. <i>But </i><i>I </i><i>couldn’t </i><i>do </i><i>what </i>she <i>asked </i><i>me</i><i>. </i><i>I </i><i>couldn’t </i><i>harm </i><i>you</i><i>. </i><i>The </i><i>night </i><i>you </i><i>were </i>born, <i>Sharon </i><i>asked </i><i>Calvin </i>to <i>bring </i><i>her </i><i>some </i><i>specialty </i><i>soup</i>. <i>That </i><i>was </i><i>how </i><i>she </i><i>lured </i><i>him </i><i>out</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
Thorton told us about how Sharon gave me to him. How callous and detached she had <i>been</i>.
<i>“</i><i>Sharon</i>…<i>we </i><i>don’t </i><i>have </i>to do <i>this </i><i>maybe-</i>”
<b>9:01 Sun</b><b>, </b>Sep 14 B
<i>“</i>Do it <i>Benard!! </i><i>Either </i><i>you </i><i>do </i><i>this</i>…or I’ll tell <i>my </i><i>husband </i><i>you </i>took <i>advantage </i><b>of </b>me.<i>” </i>
Thorton’s eyes darkened as he spoke of Sharon’s betrayal.
<i>“</i><i>All </i><i>that </i>time <i>I </i><i>thought </i><i>she </i>was <i>in </i><i>love </i><i>with </i>me…turns <i>out </i><i>I </i>was <i>just </i><i>another patsy</i><b><i>. </i></b>She <b><i>made </i></b><i>that </i><i>threat </i><i>without </i><i>even </i>blinking an <i>eye</i><i>. </i>So I took <i>you</i>. <i>My </i><i>original </i><i>n </i><i>was </i>to just <i>drop </i>you <b>off </b>in an <i>orphanage </i><i>somewhere</i><i>, </i><i>but</i>…<i>as </i><i>I </i><i>was </i><i>leaving </i><i>the </i><i>hospital</i><i>, </i>I <i>overheard </i><i>these </i><i>nurses </i>talking about this <i>woman </i><i>that </i><i>had </i><i>just </i><i>discharged </i><i>who’d </i><i>lost </i><i>her </i><i>husband and </i><i>child</i>. <i>That </i>was <i>when </i><i>I first </i><i>met </i><i>Diana </i><i>Teagues</i>.
39
My heart skipped a beat at the mention of my adoptive mother.
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<b>3/3 </b><fnd0f0> Read full story at f?i?n?d?n?o?v?e?l?</fnd0f0>