Mrs. James stopped a taxi. The driver asked her where she was going. The people here were friendly and hospitable. Picky as Mrs. James was, she was not in the mood to judge the driver’s substandard Mandarin at this moment.
Just as she was about to answer the driver’s question, her cell phone rang. She nervously picked it up and stared at the caller’s name on the screen for a long time.
She hesitated. If she did not answer, she could still stall for a while. Once she answered, she could no longer refuse.
The long ringing of the phone finally stopped. Before Mrs. James could breathe a sigh of relief, the demonic ringing of the phone started again.
Helplessly, she pressed the connect button and said, “Payne.”
“Mom, did you get off the plane?”
Payne asked anxiously from the other end of the phone, “Mom, go to find Grace directly. She is at a homestay called ‘Memory Inn’. I’ve told you before.”
Payne kept urging Mrs. James to look for Grace. He knew from WeChat that Grace was running a homestay called Memory Inn. A woman, who used to drink with Payne before, had recognized Grace in that picture in their WeChat group. She said that she probably had seen Grace’s photo on a forum.
Then, Payne followed the evidence and worked hard before finally getting the news of where Grace was staying.
He didn’t want to wait for death… Payne held his phone tightly and said to his mother in a hurry, “Mom, tell little Grace that her brother will die if she doesn’t save me.
Grace looks tough, but she is actually very soft-hearted. She definitely doesn’t to watch her own brother die.”
Mrs. James’s eyes turned even redder behind the sunglasses.
She felt extremely sad, and she choked with sobs as she said,
“Payne, I know. You should stay in hospital and take care of yourself. I will tell Grace about it. I’ll beg her to save your life.”
Mrs. James cut off the phone and spread herself out in the back seat, “Memory Inn. Go to Memory Inn.”
“The homestay?”
“Yes.”
Along the way, she was silent. No matter how beautiful the scenery was, it was impossible to touch her anymore. She felt extremely worried and exhausted.
She clenched her fist and rested it on her knees. She couldn’t help but tremble.
She glanced at the screen that was still on. She saw the photo of her and Jafar, sweet and intimate.
But…at this moment, it was totally ironic!
Thinking of Jafar, Mrs. James’s face turned pale.
After a long journey, the wilderness at the sight confused Mrs. James. “Did you take the wrong path?”
The driver stopped the car and said, “This is it. That’s right.” He opened the window and pointed not far away. “There, Memory Inn. That’s the homestay.”
After paying the fare, Mrs. James walked in the direction of Memory Inn. Standing in front of the gate, she felt complicated. She wanted to turn away and leave several times, but when she thought of Payne lying on the hospital bed and Jafar who had already told her the truth, her hesitation was instantly drowned out by hatred.
She pushed open the door and walked in.
At the front desk, a woman said in a clear but calm voice, “Welcome--” The woman at the front desk raised her head. Gentleness of her face faded away as her eyes suddenly widened, and her voice abruptly stopped.
Mrs. James was also shocked the moment she raised her head.
“Little Grace…”
Almost at the same time that Mrs. James called out, the woman who was just leaning against the front desk suddenly turned around and left without saying a word.
Mrs. James caught up to her like a gust of wind and reached out to grab Grace’s arm, “Little Grace!”
With “little Grace”, half of Grace’s body froze. She lowered her head… Little Grace? Little Grace. Little Grace. Little Grace?
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: I've Been There Before (Grace and Caden)
How can a woman suffer so much? How can a man be too cruel initially robbing her of dignity and all, then deceiving her after he knows he loves her? How can they not remarry, making their offspring illegitimate? The line between love and hatred is truly fine indeed! Thank you for this story....