Chapter 17

Grace felt a stabbing pain in her heart. No matter how much she did or how tired she became, it didn’t matter to her. What hurt her the most was Brian’s lack of trust and his cold words.

She dragged her weary body back to the Francis estate.

Melvin, who hadn’t gone to bed yet, hurried over with concern when he saw her pale face. “Miss Sherman, how are you?”

Grace collapsed onto the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling in a state of exhaustion.

Seeing her silence, Melvin quietly walked to the kitchen and served her a bowl of chicken soup.

“Miss Sherman, this is specially made for you. It’s made from an old hen brought in from the countryside. Please have some,” said Melvin.

“Melvin, thank you, but I’m not in the mood for drinking soup right now.” Grace finally moved her eyes.

Melvin insisted with concern. “You’ve had a tiring day; you should have some.”

Grace didn’t want to refuse Melvin’s kind gesture any longer. She sat up, took the chicken soup from his hands, held her breath, and took a big sip, finishing it in one go.

The rich chicken soup flavor surged up her throat just as she swallowed. She quickly covered her mouth, rushed to the bathroom, and vomited out the contents of her stomach.

Melvin was quite alarmed. “Miss Sherman, why are you vomiting again? I’ll call Mr. Brian right away,”

he exclaimed.

“No need, Melvin. I’m fine. I’m just tired and need some rest,” Grace hastily reassured, grabbing his arm.

At this moment, Brian was accompanying Louise. If Melvin called to inform him, it would likely only elicit his mockery rather than concern.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Melvin sighed deeply.

“It’s my own body, and I know how I feel. Thank you, Melvin,” replied Grace.

After returning to her room, Grace fell asleep immediately. She slept deeply, but at eight o’clock the following day, Brian called to remind her to come over and deliver breakfast. Grace reluctantly got up from bed and hurriedly prepared breakfast.

Melvin also pitched in to help. After preparing breakfast, both he and Grace went to the hospital together.

Standing at the hospital room door, Grace watched as Brian fed Louise breakfast as if she were the only person in his eyes. Grace’s heart felt numb, as if it had already lost its sensitivity.

After Brian fed her breakfast, he prepared to leave for the office. Before departing, he specifically warned Grace, “Don’t let me catch you mistreating her again!”

Grace gripped her palms tightly, her long nails digging into her flesh, yet she felt no pain.

Walking to the corridor, Melvin followed along.

“Mr. Brian.”

“What’s the matter?” Brian glanced at him and asked casually.

“Last night, Miss Sherman was so exhausted when she returned that she could barely walk. After managing to have a bowl of soup, she vomited. Her health has been really poor lately, Mr. Brian. Why don’t you let other maids come and take care of Miss Adkins?”

Brian had averted his gaze long before Melvin finished speaking, his expression indifferent like still water. Only after Melvin had finished speaking did Brian finally turn to look at him.

“Melvin, you’ve been with the Francis family for many years and considered an elder. That’s why I didn’t interrupt you just now and let you finish. In the future, take care of your own responsibilities, and please refrain from speaking on matters that don’t concern you.”

Melvin cast a darkened gaze, appearing to have words on the tip of his tongue but choosing to remain silent.

Brian spoke coldly once again, “It’s not that someone else can’t take care of her, but when she makes a mistake, she should face the consequences.”

Melvin dared not say another word.

Brian entered the elevator and departed.

Melvin turned around to glance at the busy figure of Grace. Thinking about what Brian had just said, an unpleasant feeling lingered in his heart.

On the way home, Melvin suddenly received a call from Brian.

“Mr. Brian, do you have any further instructions?”

f “According to the treatment of the Francis family’s servants, give her a day off on the weekend,” Brian instructed.

After saying that, he promptly ended the call. The expression on Melvin’s face finally relaxed. A day off would indeed be good.

Grace took care of Louise for three days, during which she lost a total of six pounds.

Every day, she toiled under the scorching sun, making it difficult for her to have a proper meal.

Her face had visibly and rapidly slimmed down, and even her jawline had become sharper. Enduring until the weekend, she finally had time for a medical check–up.

“Why aren’t you taking care of your body? Look at how much weight you’ve lost! None of your health indicators. are normal. If you keep going like this, you might lose the baby. What is your husband doing? I see him dressing decently. Can’t he afford to hire someone to take care of you?”

Dr. Ford looked at the examination report and couldn’t help but sternly admonish.

Grace bit her lip. After all, she was the servant who was supposed to take care of others.

Dr. Ford looked at the data on the examination report, becoming increasingly upset. “I’ve never seen a pregnant woman in such a terrible condition. The sooner you divorce that husband of yours, the better!”

Grace awkwardly said, “Dr. Ford, after all, he doesn’t know about my pregnancy. It’s not his fault.

Maybe the baby in my belly is just too restless, so I can’t eat anything these days.”

Dr. Ford let out a heavy sigh and prescribed medication for her, also arranging for an intravenous drip.

After returning home, Grace forced herself to eat a lot. She couldn’t afford to collapse.

The much–needed rest was spent within the confines of the hospital, and the following day, she resumed her duties in Louise’s hospital room to look after her.

5 “Grace, you seem to have lost a lot of weight recently. How about having lunch with me today? I crave seafood, Could you buy some? The place Brian and I went to last time is the freshest, in Yeston in the south of the city.”

Listening to her chatter, Grace knew the restaurant she was talking about. She had been there with Brian before, and was at least an hour away from here.

Grace gritted her teeth and ultimately decided to take a taxi there.

Grace spent over 200 dollars on taxi fares in the past few days. Louise was in a rush for meals or buying things, so Grace had no choice but to take a taxi. Including the money spent on groceries, she had already spent several hundred dollars.

After buying and processing the seafood, Grace felt a bit distressed about the money. These days, Brian hadn’t arranged a driver for her or given her money for groceries. She also couldn’t bring herself to ask Brian for this.

After some contemplation, Grace ultimately chose to take the subway back.

The subway was crowded, and Grace stood throughout the journey. Despite being pregnant, since her belly was not very visible, no one offered her a seat.

She stood almost the entire way, from boarding to disembarking.

When she reached the hospital entrance, Louise called.

“Grace, did you get lost? Why haven’t you returned yet? It’s taking you so long.”

Grace, panting from exhaustion, replied, “I’m downstairs. Just wait a moment; I’ll come up right away.”

“Hurry up! I’m starving!”

Somehow, today’s crowd seemed unusually large, and Grace noticed that many of them were young women. Everyone appeared to be in a rush to see the doctor, with some young girls even excitedly examining their registration forms.