The Billionaire’s Dare

THE BETRAYAL

“Don’t walk out on me Harold”

Gratina begs stomps her foot as Harold matched away showing only his back heading towards a car at the backyard, she sat on the floor of the living room of an average house with tears streaming down her cheeks, her mom call comes in. She switches it off, she sees Harold coming back inside and immediately rose to her feet, her eyes pleading. “What have I done to deserve this? Is it because I love you too much?” Harold tried to escape, but Gratina blocked his path.

“I gave up everything for our marriage! You’re pushing us to the edge. What happened to you after the first year? You’ve changed so much!”

Tears poured down her face, her voice cracking.

“Stop this Gratina…!”

She froze in shock,

“…you want to hear it right?”

He stares deeply in her eyes “Here it is, I’m not ok with how this is”

She grasps his hand desperation in her eyes

“But I’m okay with it, it’s working we just have to make few changes”. He yanks his hand off hers,

“That’s the problem, it’s not working, I can’t keep pretending it is”. She staggers to the back a little clutching the staircase ray to hold herself.

“You went behind your family only to come and get married to me because of some stupid high school crush how foolish of you, Gratina, how could you even settle for this life?”

Gratina felt her body shaking. Harold’s words cut deep. He squats beside her, his finger lifting her chin. Their eyes met, and Gratina saw only pain and sadness in his gaze. “Two miserable people can’t be happy together,” he whispered, standing up and leaving her on the floor.

He enters the room takes his phone with his workout bag pack and goes out, leaving her on the floor. Gratina felt her world shattering. She lay there, her tears drying.

Gratina wanders into the kitchen, searching for a distraction from her emptiness. She opened the fridge, but it was as barren as her heart. She thought of calling her mom or her sister or someone, maybe her Dad would be of much help but she vanished the thought.

Gratina is of a wealthy and influential family with a sister who she haven’t seen in a long time, she is a person following her heart to be with her long term crush who is now her husband, but the marriage had failed after a year.

She gazed out the window, lost in thought, until the sound of boiling water snaps her back to reality. She dialed Harold’s number, but it was unreachable. Panic set in as she realized her husband's phone was off.

She rushed to their room, her eyes scanning the space for any sign of him. But his valuables, even his laptop, they were all gone. The room seemed to be closing in on her, and she felt suffocated at this moment.

Few minutes later and the memories that lingered was the only thing she could rest on.

She collapsed onto the bed, her eyes fixed on the jacket she had knitted for him as their one-year anniversary gift. It was the same one he had worn a few days ago, and the warmth of his body still lingered in the fabric.

Harold was her high school sweetheart,who she had secretly crushed on but concealed it for a longtime, until they were done with school, since her parents were not in support of any relationship, her parents always wanted her to school in San Francisco but Brustin Town has been where her heart lies, not only because it’s her hometown but because he was here, she finally got him on her side after so much attempts but her father never accepted him, Mr. Grimson, had her sent out after so much urge on the San Francisco matter, Harold had taken her in, with the acceptance of her as his girlfriend, he had just a mining job he goes for, Gratina was so happy living with the love of her life, 3 months after she moved in, they got married with just two friends present.

Mr Grimson had stopped sending her upkeep to her card, which had embarrassed her when she went for her wedding shopping. They had managed to come up with something and she didn’t care as long as Harold was the one she walked down the Isle to.

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she remembered the vows they had exchanged on their honeymoon.

"To love and to cherish you, Gratina," he had promised.

"I will always stand by your side, in wealth, sickness, and old age, until death do us part. And even if it does, in my next life, I will be here."

All of this he had promised but here everything felt empty, he was gone, and she was left with only memories.

She walks to the jacket, She inhales his scent from it, feeling a pang of nausea wash over her. She rubbed her stomach, wondering if it was the emptiness of her heart or the emptiness of her stomach that was causing the ache. She looks at the jacket as it seemed to mock her, a reminder of the love they had shared and the promises they had made. But most of all, it reminded her of the love they had lost, and the heartache that now consumed her.

"I need to get something to eat," her eyes fixed on the jacket. But as she inhales the scent again, She rushes to the bathroom, her stomach churning. She vomits into the sink, staining her dress. She scrubs the stain with a towel, her hands shaking. After washing her face, she looks into the mirror. Her eyes widens in shock. She looked pale, sick, and hopeless. Her bright smile and beautiful life weren’t shown on her or her eyes.

"What have I done to myself?" she whispered, her eyes welling up with tears.

As she turned to leave, her legs couldn’t carry her. Her phone rang from the room, but her head felt light, her vision blurry. She stumbled towards the sound, her hand reaching out for the phone, her Sister’s voice was on the other end, but Gratina couldn't make out the words, everything seemed to fade away as she collapsed to the ground, the phone slipping from her hand.

…

Gratina's eyes fluttered open, as she finds herself in a hospital bed, wearing a hospital gown. She turns to her side and saw her face in the mirror beside her, she looked a mess. Her gaze fell on the drip attached to her hand, and her heart skips a bit. She turns to her other side, and her eyes widened with surprise. Her sister, Kendra, was sleeping so deep, she was looking radiant with her blonde hair and peaceful expression.

Gratina's eyes wells up with tears as she gazed at her. She had always admired Kendra's hair and beauty, and the way she loved the family but their family's distant relationship had kept them apart. Gratina had always wished their family never had much wealth so that just maybe the disconnection among them wouldn’t have been there, her family would have loved like other families she admired.

As Gratina struggles to sit up and reach out to her sister, her body felt weak and heavy. She longed to hug Kendra and cry in her arms, and tell her how she felt, but she knew she couldn’t. Just then, the door opened, and her father, Mr. Grimson, stood in the doorway, his arms folded and his eyes fixed on Gratina with a stern expression. She felt a surge of shame and guilt, and her eyes dropped in submission.

Kendra sits erect with a tap from him, her eyes met Gratina's. She smiled softly and rose from her seat, approaching Mr. Grimson.

"Is she up?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

"She is," Mr. Grimson replied in his deep, authoritative voice.

"But she doesn't want to see anyone right now. I think you should come talk to her”.

Kendra turned to Gratina, her eyes filled with pity and understanding.

"I'll meet up with you, Dad," Mr. Grimson turns towards Gratina, their eyes met before he exited the room.

Kendra walks slowly to her sister.

“What’s wrong with mom?” She puts her hand in her Jean pockets.

“Well she’s been in and out of the hospital due to heart failure, we were to take her out for surgery but she doesn’t agree with it, nothing much I feel you should just focus on being better, I called earlier to inform you about it but heard the thud plus you were silent so I suspected since I knew Harold’s place, beside why was Harold not with you and he haven’t come by after I dropped a note at your place”

Gratina's face contorted in pain as she pulled out the drip and closed the cannula, blood ceasing to flow. Kendra rushed to her side, helping her stay on the bed.

"Gratina, please, you need to rest. Your body needs to heal, for the baby's sake..." Kendra's words trailed off as Gratina's eyes widened in shock.

"What... what did you just say?" Gratina's voice trembled, her eyes fixed on Kendra's.

Kendra's face was filled with compassion and shock.

"You didn't know you were pregnant, did you? Her voice barely above a whisper.