Chapter 9
Than Harper was the first to arrive,
The moment I saw him, tears welled up in my eyes, and I choked out, “Ethan, why did you send by in find mer
“Was it just to laugh at me? Have the thare of you not had enough fun already?”
Hisfare was fall of concern as he hurried to wipe away my tears.
“Grace, I didn’t I didn’t send ber–1 didn’t even knowt
Turned my head away, avoiding his hand, my expression filled with stubborn defiance.
Tihan. I’ve never regretted being with you. That you Hen’t to use my feelings for you are to team up with them and make a food end of mer
“I didn‘! I swear I didn’t! I had no idea about Caleb’s feelingsTM
I lowered my gate, my voice trembling with sadness.
“How am I supposed to believe you? You’re Ivy’s boyfriend and Caleb’s best friend. I’m just an outsider. Why would you take my side?”
A flicker of hurt crossed his face
“Grace, we were together for ten years. Don’t you know me better than that?”
Did he remember those ten years when he chose Ivy over me?
I forced down the bitterness threatening to rise in my throat.
Tôting my head up to meet his eyes. I let two more tears fall.
– I was just starting to figure out how to play my next card when I heard the door lock beep..
Perfect timing
I grabbed Ethan by the collar and pulled him into a kiss
by’s shocked voice immediately cut through the air.
“Ethan What are you doing?”
Before I could react, someone yanked me away with a force that made me stumble.
Caleb Monroe’s fist landed squarely on Ethan’s jaw
Ethan didn’t back down.
Caleb wasn’t just the guy who’d dated his ex–be also harbored feelings for his current girlfriend.
No man would tolerate that
The two of them went at it, throwing punches and knocking over furniture
The apartment quickly descended into chaos.
Ivy rushed forward, trying to break up the fight, but I stepped in her way collapsing to the Deor.
“Ah! Grace, why did you push-”
y and shoved her aside. She glared at me, then let out a sharp laugh before
La Tania Thaile – Hillionaire Hurradet.
Crashl
I didn’t wait for her to finish her sentence.
I threw myself onto the glass coffee table with all the force I could muster.
The glass shattered loudly, and the room weid silent.
I didn’t say a word.
Instead. I find Ivy with a wide eyed fearful look,
Her face turned pale.
“I didn’t! It wasn’t me–it was het She did it to herself
I’d stood in her shoes once, helplessly explaining while no one believed
And now? No one believed her either.
Neither Caleb riban even glanced at her.
They both rushed to my side, scooping me up and carrying me straight to the hospital
The truth was, I wasn’t badly hurt.
The glass shards had been carefully prepped with my ring, so while it made a lot of noise, the damage was minimal–just a few shallow cuts
But Caleb and Ethan were thaken enough to insist be admitted.
That worked just fine for me
It made executing the next step of my plan even easier.
In the following days, the two of them seemed to come to an unspoken agreement..
They took turns watching over me.
Meanwhile, by and I followed each other on social media.
Every day, I’d post a new picture of Ethan sitting by my bedside.
At first, she’d call him
Each time, I’d avert my eyes and quietly tell him, “Your girlfriend’s calling. You should answer.
But Ethan wouldn’t even look at his phone.
He’d decline the call, turn it off, and go right back to sitting by me
Eventually, Ivy stopped trying to reach him.
As for Caleb, I played a different game.
I unleashed every ounce of fury I had at him, focusing him of loving Ivy and using me
I even made a point to say how much it hut knowing the sunblowers he gave me were never meant for me
The guilt ate away at both of them
Maybe they didn’t love me, but they certainly loved their own images.
Neither of them could bear the thought of being labeled heartless,
So they both tried to make ito me in their own way
Caleb filled my hospital room with tears.
Ethan showed up every day with homemade meals.
So, it stopped bring about taking burns,
Instead, they started competing to see whin could spend more time with me.
Eventually, both of them were in my room at the same time, refusing to leave.
Tut I wasn’t the least bit happy about it.
The bidding deadline was fast approaching, and Ivy hadn’t made a mono yet.
Ivy was the queen of playing hard to get.
When Ethan and I were still together, and she was the cause of our constant arguments, she suddenly dropped everything and left the country.
She’d claimed she didn’t want to interfere in our relationship, that she was removing herself for our sake
But by leaving, she took Ethan’s heart with her.
Ethan told me she only left because of me, and that he had to bring her back.
I told him if he went after her, we were done.
And, of course, Ethan didn’t choose me
This time, though, I was certain by would pull the same stant,
After waiting for what felt like forever, it finally happened.
The night before the bidding. Ivy made her move,
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