I CAME BACK TO MAKE YOU PAY

GRACE’S POV

The sound of the door being kicked open jolted me awake. Eleanor and Scarlett stepped toward me with vicious expressions.

“So you can sleep so peacefully? You’re ignoring your father’s orders?!” Scarlett shouted.

A slap landed across my face from that devil of a woman. Eleanor came closer and grabbed my face roughly — both of them acting so high and mighty.

“Do you think your father’s words mean nothing? Don’t you know he’s already handed you over to me and my mother?” Eleanor said.

I swatted her hand away. “You think you can humiliate me?!”

“Insolent!”

Scarlett slapped me again, yanking my hair. She shoved my head toward the wall clock. “Open your eyes! Do you know what time it is?!”

The clock read 11:45 p.m. — fifteen minutes before midnight, the deadline for me to leave this house.

Scarlett shoved me so hard I fell to the floor.

“Leave now! Your time is up! You’re not allowed to take a single thing from this house!” Scarlett barked.

“You have no right!” I tried to stand, but Eleanor stepped on my hand.

“Ahh! Let go of me!”

“Keep screaming! No one in this house cares about you, idiot! Your father’s been out with Hunter all this time! The authority to throw you out has already been handed over to us!” Scarlett said.

I struck Eleanor’s leg with my free hand, but she grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet.

Scarlett twisted her fingers deeper into my hair, while Eleanor’s grip tightened on my face.

“Get out of this house right now and never come back! We’ll even let you keep that dress you’re wearing!”

Once again, they shoved me hard, sending me sprawling outside my bedroom door. I was utterly broken.

I had no dignity left if I stayed here any longer. Like it or not, I had to leave the home I’d lived in since childhood.

They both escorted me toward the front door. Several servants still awake lowered their heads with sorrowful expressions as I passed.

“Never come back, stupid Grace!”

The door slammed shut with Eleanor’s words echoing after me.

The cold night air greeted me as I stumbled toward the gate.

Memories of my late mother filled my mind. I could never have imagined that the father who once loved me so much could be manipulated and poisoned by a woman like Scarlett.

From the beginning, I’d never agreed to his marriage to her. Scarlett’s background was dubious at best; my father met her after leaving a nightclub, on the side of the road.

The look in Scarlett’s and Eleanor’s eyes alone was enough to prove they were cruel and cunning. But my father was blind — falling deeper into their lies.

Now I had to bear all their evil deeds, sacrifice my happiness, and endure it all in tears.

So furious was I that I didn’t even feel the exhaustion as I made my way toward the gate, which was quite far from the main door.

“Good evening, Miss Grace. I’m sorry,” the guard at the gate said softly.

I could only nod, my eyes swollen.

Where should I go?

A long, empty road stretched before me. Which way should I take? Left or right?

My father’s mansion was far from any neighborhood, built in an exclusive area with only five other mansions — most of which were unoccupied because their owners were always abroad.

Taking a deep breath, I chose the right path, which would eventually lead me to the main road.

My steps were heavy, every breath adding weight to my chest. The night wind bit at my face, cold and sharp, yet it almost felt like the last embrace urging me on.

The street was deserted, lit only by the occasional dim streetlamp spaced far apart. I kept walking, no real destination except away from everything that had shattered me.

In the distance, I spotted an old bridge standing firm over a river. A dark idea crept into my mind.

Quickening my pace, I reached the bridge. The sound of the flowing river and the silence of the night seemed to push me toward one choice.

If everything had to end… why not end it here?

No one wanted me anymore. Maybe it was better to join my mother. Love and happiness were already gone.

My hands trembled as I gripped the railing, climbing onto the ledge. But the pain in my heart dulled the fear in my mind.

I was just about to jump when the blare of a car horn split the night. Headlights flooded me in harsh light, and I scowled in irritation.

A man stepped out of the car and ran toward me, shouting, “Wait!”

When he got close, he stopped and lit a cigarette. For some reason, I found myself curious about what he wanted to say instead of jumping immediately.

“You smoke?” I asked.

“No. And what do you want?”

“Me?” He chuckled. “I don’t want anything. I just want to stop you from doing something stupid.”

“What do you mean?!”

The man stood right beside me, smiling faintly as he looked at the bright moon overhead.

“I mean, I don’t want this place to turn into some tragic urban legend. What you’re about to do — what’s in your head right now — is stupid. This bridge is important. It’s famous for its history. Don’t stain it with your despair,” he said.

“Like I care. Life’s already been cruel to me — thrown out by my family, abandoned by my fiancé! Why should I think about anyone else?”

“You don’t actually want to jump.”

I turned to him sharply. “Don’t act like you know me! Mind your own business! I didn’t jump because you called me, you idiot!”

“If you really wanted to jump, you’d be in the water already — without caring that I showed up. The fact that you’re still here means your heart doesn’t truly want to do it.”

I shifted my gaze toward the wide river. What this stranger had said was true—deep down, I was still hesitant to end my life.

“Come on, get down. Let me help you. Stop doing something stupid. Your life may be in ruins, but do you really want to give those who threw you away the satisfaction of seeing you dead?”

He extended his hand toward me. His face held a warm smile, and there was sincerity in his eyes.

“But… I have nowhere to go. I’m alone and I don’t know where to turn…”

“Do you think the universe would really let you go through all this alone? Why do you think I happened to cross this bridge tonight? I could’ve gone straight to the main road instead—my friend’s mansion is that way.” He pointed toward a spot in the distance.

He brought his hand closer. Maybe it really wasn’t my time to end things.

I took his hand, and in one swift pull, he drew me back onto the safe side of the bridge.

The movement was so sudden that my gown snagged, and I almost fell—if not for him catching me in time.

Our eyes met. Something in his gaze made my heart race.

“My name’s Chase Morgan. Nice to meet you. Care for a drink?”