Contract Marriage: I've always loved you

Chapter 46 You'll Never Trust Me

"Steve, it's not what you think. I—" She tries to explain, but stops as I show my hand to her.

"I don't want to hear a word. I believed you were changing, but now I see it was just an act. You're still the same." Her eyes widen upon listening to my words.

This time, I won't let her manipulate me. Fuck! I feel so hurt. How can I let her hurt me every fucking time?

She pleads, "Steve, please listen. It's not what you think. I was just—"

I cut her off, my tone harsh and unforgiving. "Grace, I know you were just pretending like you always do. I was an idiot to believe that you had become a better person."

"Steve, stop it. Let me explain to you, please." She entangles her tiny finger with mine, fixing her eyes on me. For a second, I feel like to trust her again. Maybe I'm thinking wrong.

Hell, no! It's enough. I can't let myself hurt because of her. Not anymore.

I disentangle our fingers, glaring at her. "Grace, you don't have to pretend that you have changed. After knowing your truth, I'll still let you stay with our babies because I'm not like you that I'll separate babies from their parents."

As tears trickle down her cheeks, my heart aches. I feel like wiping her tears and telling her what she means to me.

No, no! These are fake tears. You can't fall for this, Steve.

I make my heart of stone and decide not to fall for her crocodile tears.

"Steve, please listen. It's not what you think. I was just—"

I turn away and storm out, slamming the door without giving her a chance to finish because I know that if I stand in front of her, her eyes, her face, and her expressions will again melt my heart, even though I know it's all acting, totally fake.

As I walk away, I can't shake the feeling that my father was right. His warnings echo in my mind, 'You'll regret trusting her, son.'

Tears roll down my cheeks. I feel so broken, and I'm really regretting trusting her. A woman like Grace can never change. My dreams have been shattered again. How could I have been so blind, so foolish, to believe that she had truly changed?

As I replay every moment with Grace, I question if any of it was real. The laughter we shared, the tender moments with our newborn twins—all of it feels fake now after knowing it was all just a carefully constructed lie.

I'm utterly devastated by the realisation that I've been holding onto hope for a version of Grace that doesn't exist, a version that only lives in my imagination. Every piece of my heart feels like it's been shattered into a million pieces.

***

In the days that follow, I deliberately choose to ignore Grace, shutting her out completely. I can't let her affect me. I know I love her, but I can't let her play with my feelings, not anymore.

When I get back from work every evening, I take the twins to my father's room to spend time with them to distract myself. My little munchkins' laughter and playful babbling become a temporary escape from the pain I'm feeling. I watch them, forgetting the disappointment and hurt that Grace has caused.

Grace looks desperate to talk, but I stay firm in my decision to stay silent. The hurt runs deep, and the trust we had feels broken beyond repair. I embrace the silence as a shield, protecting myself from more heartache.

But deep down, despite all my efforts to distance myself from her or distract myself to avoid her, she still affects me. Yes, her mere existence does. Because I am genuinely and wholeheartedly in love with her.