Grace's POV
Panting and rushing, I walked until I reached the child care, which was technically Jane's house, my best friend since I divorced Chris. Yeah, sometimes I don't even want to admit I was ever married to him—a lousy marriage that only ended with me being a divorced woman, struggling to trust men again.
"Grace!"
Jane greeted me at the wide-open front door, of course carrying Noah, a toddler whose single mom leaves him here daily to work from morning until afternoon, just like the other toddlers.
I immediately approached Jane and took Noah from her arms, looking at her anxiously.
"What's wrong with you? How do you feel?"
"I don't know… I had some diarrhea, which went away after I took medicine, but now I keep feeling nauseous," Jane replied as she stepped inside.
I followed her in, and she closed the door, walking toward the living room blue couch, where eight toddlers were happily playing. Noah immediately wriggled out of my arms and ran toward a short locker.
"Rose couldn't make it today; her husband's got a fever." Jane's words refocused my attention on her, and I sat beside her, taking off my bag. "This is such a mess… She's been absent more often, and I feel like I'm never really healthy. I think I'll have to close this place indefinitely." She looked at me worriedly.
I shook my head, my breath quickening at the thought of dull days without adorable toddlers around me. That would be a nightmare, pulling me back to old habits of wasting time at the bar and ending up broke. No, that can't happen!
"No, Jane… You can't do that!" I pleaded.
Jane just stared at the toddlers playing with a worried expression.
"Jane… Their parents trust us so much to take care of them and even pay us well!" I said, holding her hand. "Please don't disappoint them by closing this place… Besides… They're used to being here; they'd be stressed if they had to go somewhere new…."
"I don't know…" Jane sighed and stood up, making me reflexively pull my hand back. "I'll think about it… But…" She paused, looking at me.
I stood. "What?"
"I want you to come earlier tomorrow until I feel well enough to work ahead of you," she said with sadness in her gray eyes.
I quickly nodded, though my mind immediately went to my duties cleaning Mrs. Katherine Maverick's apartment.
"I'll do it..."
"You need to be here at seven," she added.
"Yes… I will…"
"Alright then, I'm going to my room now, I need to rest," she said, smiling briefly and holding my arm, then headed upstairs.
I sighed, sitting back down on the sofa and watching the toddlers play. They were all so cute, innocent, and lovable. It made me wonder if my marriage to Chris had been normal, maybe I'd have a baby by now.
Yes, it should be possible, because a doctor once told me I had a good level of fertility. But a pregnancy never came to me… Chris didn't even touch me.
"Mama!"
Little Lily ran over to me with a broken Barbie doll, the head separated from the body.
"Noah broke my Barbie!" she said, pouting, her natural pink lips pulling down in a frown.
"Oh, sweetie… Maybe Noah didn't mean to," I said, taking the Barbie doll. "Let me fix it for you."
Lily sat next to me as I tried to reattach Barbie's head through the available slot. It only took a few minutes to fix, and I then ordered food while watching them play.
That's what I always did at the daycare: watch them while having breakfast, and then I'd play educational games with them, have lunch, and then they'd nap until their parents came to pick them up around 4:00 p.m. or later.
Today, Rose truly wasn't coming. Jane's condition worsened to the point that her husband had to leave work and take her to the hospital.
I quickly headed back to my apartment, which wasn't too far from Jane's house or Mrs. Katherine Maverick's apartment.
"Grace…."
A man's voice called, startling me slightly. I looked to the right and saw Chris standing near a row of parked cars on the roadside. My heart skipped a beat—not because I still loved him, but because I was worried he'd bring trouble.
"What's he doing in here? How dare he come back to see me?" I muttered, glancing at him as he walked toward me, his slightly thick brows furrowed.
"I want to talk," he said.
I turned my head, looking at the building across the street.
"I don't have time; I'm going to rest," I replied.
"Then let's talk at your apartment… we can talk while you rest," he insisted, making me turn to face him, taking in his striking figure with his thick beard and muscular build, dressed in a gray suit and a black coat. "Are you up for that?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.
I let out a sharp breath. "Honestly, I don't feel like it because I don't want anything between us anymore… But if it's important, then let's talk somewhere else," I said.
"Okay!" He smiled warmly. "Then let's go to a café; I know you're probably hungry."
I just stayed silent, unable to deny I was hungry since I hadn't had lunch.
He led me to his car, then drove to an outdoor café bustling with customers, even paparazzi. Honestly, it reminded me of Logan, who's currently famous.
'Is he here?' I wondered, glancing around as I walked slowly behind Chris, but my eyes didn't find Logan. 'Ah, just because there are paparazzi doesn't mean Logan's here. He's not the only famous one, anyway!' I reassured myself before looking back at Chris.
"Let's sit here," he said, pulling out a chair.
I sat down, and he took the seat across from me. We ordered food, and silence filled the air between us, though he never stopped staring at me. It was strange, sitting face-to-face with my ex-husband, who had never really fulfilled his role as a husband before.
"My relationship with Mike is over," he suddenly said, instantly reminding me of his boyfriend. Yes… His boyfriend, because he was gay!
"Why end it after doing so much to hide your relationship… by sacrificing me?" I replied with a bitter smile. "Is it because he fell in love with another man or a woman? Does he want a normal life?"
"No…" He shook his head, sadness in his dark eyes. "I wanted to end it because I want to heal."
"Heal?" I raised my brows.
He looked down, smiling shyly. "I'm sure you'd laughing at me now. My life's been ruined… Just like you once told me… I'd destroy myself because I couldn't fight my madness," he said.
I was stunned, staring at him, recalling how he and Mike had gone so far in their relationship, even shamelessly showing affection in front of me when he was still my husband. It was revolting; I couldn't stop remembering it, couldn't see him with any charm anymore, only disgust!