41. Chapter 41
Chapter 41
-Annabella-
K ace’s grandfather had come to visit much earlier than expected, and after he left the house, I hurried to find Kace, wanting to make sure everything was all right.
I had stayed away, but we had crossed paths when I went to open the door and let him in. He had said nothing, but the way he had looked at me felt like he was looking for a weakness.
I could understand a little better why Kace didn’t want me near his grandfather. Therefore, I wanted to check on him. He sat behind his desk, but he was not working.
He looked troubled, but when I stepped closer, he noticed me and snapped out of his trance. He smiled at me and waved me over to him. I joined him, and he pulled me down on his lap.
“Is everything all right?” I inquired.
“Yes, everything is fine,” he told me.
“I didn’t know he had come to visit. I let him in,” I admitted.
“It’s fine. My grandfather is not a man to send away, but you didn’t talk?”
“No, we didn’t. But I can see why you didn’t want me near him. He is scary.”
“He is,” he confirmed.
“Did he say something bad to you?” I asked, but Kace shook his head.
“Actually, he didn’t. He acted much differently than usual.”
“How so?” I inquired.
“He just didn’t… threaten me.”
“Is that something he usually does?” I asked, scared.
“Unfortunately,” he admitted.
“Oh God…”
“Yeah, that’s my grandfather.”
“I'm glad you didn’t turn out to be like him,” I said, kissing his cheek and softening him. He ran his fingers through my long hair, smiling back.
“Yeah, me too,” he said.
“You’re sure you’re okay?”
“I am,” he confirmed.
“Tell me if you’re not. Maybe I can make you feel better,” I suggested.
“Oh, and how were you going to do that?”
I smiled teasingly at him, and he knew right away what I was thinking.
“I mean, work is not that important,” he said before he made me straddle him, making me chuckle.
I leaned closer and kissed him, quickly distracting him from all the worry.
As I was leaving work, I texted Kace that I was on my way home. Yet I knew he wouldn’t be there since he had important meetings he had to attend at his other office. But I wanted to let him know about my whereabouts.
However, I had begun to notice he was going out more, and it felt good that neither of us were hiding anymore.
It was late when I stepped outside, but when I went to find my car, someone was blocking it, parked directly behind it. It confused me a lot, and I walked over to the black car, knocking on the window to see if someone might be in there.
But it was the window to my left that rolled down, revealing Kace’s grandfather, who smiled at me. I didn’t like that smile.
“Hello, Annabella,” he greeted.
I didn’t know what to say and just took a small step back.
“Need a ride home?” he inquired.
“I… I actually have a car,” I told him. “Which you’re blocking.”
“I’m sure you can borrow one of Kace’s many cars to work tomorrow or get someone to collect this one,” he told me.
“I would rather use this one,” I said, pointing to my car.
The look in his eyes changed, a clear message shining through them: I was going to drive with him. I looked around, hoping to find a solution, but I didn’t know what it was about the old man. It felt like you couldn’t say no to him.
I discreetly shot Kace another message, just to be sure, before I finally went around the car and got inside. I sat down beside his grandfather, who turned to me and smiled before he ordered the driver to go to Kace’s house.
At least I hoped it was Kace’s house we were going to and not the woods to be murdered. His grandfather appeared much like any high-class gangster from every mafia movie ever made. He gave me the chills.
“How long have you been married for?” he asked.
“Oh, um, a little over a month and a half,” I informed him.
“You seem to be smitten with each other,” he remarked.
“We… make it work.”
“Yes, the key to every great relationship is trust, isn’t it?” he asked.
“Um… yes. But this is the first time I’ve been married,” I admitted.
“And marrying a stranger you thought was wise?”
“Isn’t that what you want Kace to do?” I shot back, making the older man smile.
“That is what I want, but now I’m asking you about it.”
“I… had some things I wanted to escape from,” I confessed.
“Your family?” he inquired.
“Yes…” I admitted.
“Yes, I did read a little about you. What an awful way to grow up, always in the shadow of another. Good thing Kace never had any siblings. A parent always favors one child. They just never admit it,” he told me, but his words made me feel cold.
“So I’m guessing you had a favorite child,” I said, pushing him.
“I did. She died young.”
Oh shit, he admitted that so fast , I thought.
“I see,” I replied.
“So tragic,” he said, but there was no emotion in his voice, so I wondered if he even cared that much.
“A parent’s worst nightmare, I hear,” I murmured.
“Yes, it is. I’m sure when you two have kids, you will slowly see why that worry never leaves you.”
“Kids…” I whispered.
“You have talked about kids, right?” he inquired.
I nodded. “But it’s early.”
“Better to start early, wouldn’t want to learn too fast how incompatible you two are,” he told me.
“I think it would be better to learn. I mean, a kid wouldn’t be in the middle of it then.”
“Oh, really?” he inquired.
“Yes, really,” I replied.
He smiled. Then he pulled out something he had been hiding beside himself. I looked at the little yellow folder he held in his hand, feeling confused.
“You want to know the truth about your husband, then?” he asked.
“I… don’t understand. What truth?”
“As I said, the key to any great relationship is trust, but I just thought maybe you never wanted to know so you could stay where you were and not realize how much the people around you lie and deceive you. You see, my grandson isn’t that different from me or even from your parents. You didn’t escape them. You just ended up marrying a person like them,” he informed me.
I shook my head, not believing a word coming out of the older man’s mouth. “No, Kace is nothing like my parents. He actually cares and doesn’t try to use me as a doormat.”
“No?”
“No!” I exclaimed.
“Then I’m sure nothing in this folder will make you change your mind,” he said, holding it out to me like a carrot on a stick. I stared at it, slowly reaching out, but then holding up my hand and shaking my head.
“Since it won’t change my mind, why should I look?”
The old man continued to smile. “You’re correct,” he said, lowering the folder.
“I trust Kace. I don’t trust you.”
“I must say you impress me a little. Often, Kace’s girlfriends were people who were easily tempted. Maybe that’s why he likes you so much. You can’t be bought,” he pointed out.
“I can’t be,” I confirmed.
“He has found himself a keeper.”
“He has,” I said.
Slowly, I noticed we were driving down the street leading to Kace’s house, and I felt relieved to see it.
“It’s sad he won’t just be honest with you, but I guess he had to test you, just like I just did,” he said.
“What do you mean? Test me?” I inquired.
“Yes, test you. When you have been surrounded by people for so long who just want your money, you need to know how real others are. How do you do that? You put them through a test.”
“You mean, a test that would reveal if I would ask him to buy me a whole store? I don’t mind a test like that,” I assured him. “It’s fine if he needed to see if I was a gold digger.”
“Yes, but could you love someone with a disability as well?”
“I think I have proven I care for Kace,” I stated.
“But how could he be sure?” his grandfather asked.
“What do you mean?”
The car slowed down in front of the big gate, but it did not drive inside. The driver didn’t turn it off either. We just stayed parked in that spot, and his grandfather kept smiling in an eerie way.
“Kace was in a horrible accident, as you know,” he said.
“He was,” I confirmed.
“But he made a full recovery,” he told me.
“He did,” I agreed.
“No, I mean, Annabella, he has fully recovered in every way,” he clarified.
“I don’t understand what you mean. Yes, he has. He is fine.”
“So are his legs,” he said.
“I know he can walk a little. He wasn’t fully paralyzed.”
The old man just kept smiling, which was very confusing.
“What?” I inquired.
“You really are a na?ve but kind-hearted person, aren’t you?”
I drew back a little, shocked and unsure why he was saying this. “What?”
“Kace can walk just fine. He is the one lying to you, Annabella. He is putting you through the ultimate test.”