Chapter 5 She Escaped
997 Words
Grace was seething with anger, yet she couldn't find a single word to refute him.
It was true—before that boy, she was already dead.
How could she make him call her "Mom"? How could she explain?
Should she confess that she hadn't really died, that she had abandoned him all those years ago?
Out of all her children, she had left him behind...
Grace bit her lip hard.
"So, why did you bring me here? To treat you? I've told you already, I can't help!"
Why had he brought this "dead" woman back into his life?
William, now slightly calmer, started to think.
Was it because he had her back, because he missed her? No, it couldn't be that.
No, it was because he hated her, wasn't it? He wanted revenge. He wanted her to feel the same pain he had.
Thinking he had figured it out, William curled his lips into a smirk.
"My dear, do you even understand the sins you've racked up over the years while you've been off enjoying your life? Do you have any idea how much those who cared for you suffered after hearing of your 'death'?"
Seeing Grace's icy demeanor falter, her face turning pale, made something dark stir inside him.
So she still cared about something, didn't she?
"You're here because... you have to atone!"
Grace couldn't deny it. She knew exactly what he meant.
Henry, her aunt and uncle...
Henry had been so good to her, treating her like his own granddaughter, offering both material support and emotional comfort.
And after her family's fall from grace, her aunt and uncle had stepped in, supporting her through the tough times.
But how had she repaid them? With lies and deceit.
What had they felt when they heard of her "death"?
Grace closed her eyes in pain.
"And it's all because of you!"
"Because of me? I didn't force you to marry me!"
"Yes, no one forced me. I was a fool to marry you. I threw away my life for you, married a devil like you. Is that what you wanted? To watch me destroy myself? Get lost—"
"I'm leaving anyway. But you'd better be ready to repent."
With that, William left, his words cutting through the air.
Grace tried to follow, but the bodyguards blocked the door, trapping her in the room.
"William! Come back! Let me out, William Astor—"
William, meanwhile, sought out another doctor.
He hadn't slept properly in days.
Especially after finding out that Grace was alive, he hadn't closed his eyes the entire night.
The pain of it was unbearable, and he felt like he might break at any moment.
"Mr. Astor, with all due respect, your condition seems to be psychological. The medication doesn't seem to be working anymore. It's becoming critical. You might want to consider seeing a psychologist."
"A psychologist?"
William's eyes, bloodshot and unseeing, narrowed. His face twisted with clear resistance.
The doctor sighed quietly, recognizing the symptoms.
Many wealthy patients were reluctant to confront their mental health issues, often unwilling to reveal the underlying causes they kept hidden from others.
In the end, the doctor prescribed stronger tranquilizers and then dismissed him.
Just as William was about to leave, he received a call from his bodyguard.
"Mr. Astor, it's bad—Mrs. Astor... the woman has escaped!"
"What? She escaped? How did she get out?"
"We checked the security footage, and it's been erased. Aside from Childe Lucas returning, no one else has entered the suite."
"Damn it!"
William's head spun, a sharp pain shooting through his temples. His blood pressure was spiking.
But that wasn't the worst of it.
Greene soon returned with even worse news.
"Mr. Astor, we've got a problem. Someone leaked the footage from earlier today at the hospital. It's all over the internet now. Everyone's condemning you, saying you need to apologize to the 'abused' female doctor..."
"Condemning" didn't even begin to describe it.
It was an all-out internet assault. William, the CEO of one of the world's largest empires, was being mercilessly targeted online.
His head throbbed again.
Finally, the phone slipped from his fingers with a crash as he crumpled to the ground.
"Mr. Astor!"
After a long moment, William slowly began to regain his senses. His head still pounded.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to fight off the overwhelming pressure building up inside.
"Have you figured out who helped her escape?"
"We haven't found anyone yet. However, based on the footage, it seems to be linked to a 'hotel inspection' organized by an executive. We believe it's one of the male executives."
"A man?"
"Yes, a male executive..."
William's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"A man? Her lover?"
Greene, oblivious to the danger, answered too quickly, "Mr. Astor, first of all, we can't confirm it's connected. Even if it is, how can we be sure he's her lover? He could just be a boyfriend... or maybe her husband..."
Before Greene could finish his sentence, something heavy crashed to the floor with a loud bang.
Greene froze, finally realizing his mistake.
"I didn't mean it like that, Mr. Astor..."
"Get out!!"
Greene scrambled to leave, rushing to find Grace.
As soon as he was gone, a woman in a short skirt and immaculate makeup appeared.
She watched Greene leave and then clenched her teeth in frustration.
'Grace Miller... So you weren't dead? Five years... all this time I've been trying to get close to William, trying to win over the Astor family, but I couldn't get in the door. I thought I just needed to wait it out, let time heal everything, but now... you're back? You didn't die? You're still haunting us?'
Her thoughts seethed with malice. Her teeth ground together.
'How dare you still be alive? But... even though you've come back, I still have the upper hand!'
She smirked and then immediately switched to a sweet smile as she entered William's suite.
- Writer
