Chapter 2
Grace’s POV
Only a few seconds after I posted the photos, my Facebook notification exploded. I looked at the likes and comments one by one, and not one was from Simon’s buddies. I doubted they hadn’t seen my post yet. Ha, they must’ve called him to toast to their little celebration!
Before long, my phone was buzzing non–stop. My parents and in–laws were all trying to reach me. Simon was blowing up my phone too, but I ignored it. I just shot a text to Mom: [I’ll be home later. I’ll fill you in when I get there.]
I packed up my things quickly, and just as I was about to leave, I spotted Simon pulling into the driveway. He sprinted out of the car and marched right over.
“Grace! What’s going on? You aborted our baby just ‘cause I donated. my sperm?!”
I just stared at him blankly.
“And why didn’t you ever mention you were pregnant?!”
His barrage of questions made me feel nauseous, but I wasn’t in the mood to argue. I brushed past his anger, grabbed my suitcase, and headed out the door.
But he grabbed me by my arm, his grip firm. “Is this some kind of joke to you? I told you I’d cut ties with her after the baby! I’ve made sacrifices for you! What more do you want me to do?”
His shameless words hit me, and I couldn’t hold back any longer–I slapped him. “Stop messing up your real relationship for me! You know what, your best friend’s right. Just do what you really want!” “I’m not worth it, right? You should find someone better.”
“I sent you the divorce papers. Don’t forget to sign them ASAP.” With that, I broke free and stormed out.
I could hear him yell a threat after me, “Stay, or I won’t accept you
Chapter 2
when you come back!”
Come back? Not a chance! Honestly, I should be thanking him this made me realize I’d be better off without him.
When I got home, my parents immediately cornered me with questions about the divorce. Mom’s eyes were red; she’d definitely been crying.
When I told them about Simon’s sperm donation situation, Mom pulled me in for a tight hug, crying, “I told you he’d only hurt you!”
Dad was quiet for a moment, then finally said, “Good riddance.”
I sulked for a bit and finally let the tears flow, sobbing on my mom’s shoulder. They never thought highly of Simon, convinced he didn’t truly love me.
I had pursued him for seven years, and when he finally agreed to date me, I ignored everyone’s warnings, thinking I could eventually make him love me. Obviously, that didn’t work out, and here we were, facing divorce.
I learned the hard way that you can’t force a relationship; a decade of my youth taught me that lesson. I waited ages, but Simon still hadn’t signed the divorce papers. Just after I threatened to take him to court, he finally texted me.
[I’ll come by tomorrow to pick you up and let Ryder and the others apologize. Stop making a fuss. I’m exhausted. Don’t make me pick between you and Sylvia.]
[I’m sorry, but can’t you see my perspective? I said I’d distance myself from her, but she’s pregnant and needs support. You see, her husband’s not around.]
He acted like he was torn between Sylvia and me just because she was pregnant, but time and again, he proved he always chose her.
On our wedding day, what did he do? He fucking chose to keep his ex–girlfriend company when she was not on good terms with her husband! On our anniversary, he left me to be with her because she was “panicking” during a thunderstorm! On my birthday, she let him.
15:09
know she got promoted, and he celebrated with her instead!
Every holiday, he tried to keep things fair by getting gifts for me and for his ex.
I’d talked about this to him a bunch, but he always said it wouldn’t happen again. Yet here we were, and every time it did, he’d call me petty. Honestly, the best moment we ever had was when he proposed, That night was wild. He popped the question way up in Skyspire Peak, where the stars felt so close I could almost reach them. Under that blanket of stars, he slipped a shiny ring on my finger, looking all serious. His vows were really heartfelt. It was the most serious I’d ever seen him, and he went all out for that moment.
When Simon noticed I hadn’t replied, he called me right up. “Darling, I booked a restaurant for everyone to apologize to you. Please don’t make a scene.”
I asked casually, “Is Sylvia coming?”
“Of course,” he said.
“Fine then,” I replied. “I’ll come with you tomorrow.”
If they wanted to apologize, it better be not just to me.
The next day, when Simon picked me up, Sylvia was in the passenger seat, giving me an awkward smile. “Sorry, Grace. I get car sick. Must be the pregnancy, you know, so I had to sit here.”
I just faintly smiled back, “Sure.”
When I hadn’t considered divorce, I might’ve felt weird about my husband’s ex sitting next to him. But now, whatever they did just stopped bothering me.
It was funny–if it was Simon’s car, she had to sit next to him. But in others‘ ears, she never complained about being car sick and would take any seat.
By the time we got to dinner, all of Simon’s buddies were there, waiting for us. Ryder came over first, greeted me, and pulled me to sit next to him. “Grace, I’ll be the first to apologize.”
15:09
Chapter 2
His tone wasn’t exactly sincere; it felt kind of threatening. Once everyone was seated, Ryder poured me a drink and said he’d take a shot to make up for his mistakes. He raised his glass, downed it, and started his apology.
“Well, I don’t usually think before I speak, so don’t take it to heart. Honestly, I never thought you were good enough for my buddy. But he wants to be with you, so I’m here to support him.”
“Thanks,” I said, “I guess.”
He poured another drink and said, “I’ll take another shot for what I said that day. Really sorry about it.”
Right after that, Simon’s other buddies jumped in with their apologies too. Seeing the vibe lighten, Simon quickly took charge and told everyone to dig in.
But then Sylvia stood up with a glass of juice. “Grace, I wanna apologize to you too. Simon and I had a past, so with our situation now, I think I’ve made things tough for you.”
Simon quickly stopped her, saying, “Hey, Sylvia, no. You didn’t do anything.”
Then he turned to me and said earnestly, “Darling, I’m sorry. I admit I didn’t handle this situation well.”
“Alright,” I said, “but someone else wants to hear you both apologize
too.”
The door then swung open, and a sharply dressed guy walked in.
“W–Why are you here?” Sylvia stammered, her eyes wide at the sight of her husband.
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