Chapter32
After countless sleepless nights. I surprisingly caught some solid z’s on the flight.
In my dreams. Antonio’s face kept showing up, like he was just waiting
for me there
Back when we were just seven, we used to play games together.
He’d tell me he was the groom, and I was the prettiest bride.
When we turned eighteen, we made that game real.
He vowed to hustle hard and give me a grand wedding.
But when did things start to fall apart between us?
Did it start after Stella showed up, or was it before that?
I couldn’t even remember it anymore.
Antonio had been the center of my world for as long as I could remember.
No matter how much I tried to stay cool and get over him, it felt like my insides were being torn apart.
Once I landed, I didn’t even have the guts to turn on my phone.
“Grace!”
My mom was waving at me, standing out in a sea of foreigners.
It had been ages since we last saw each other.
She wasn’t the same woman I remembered, sitting on the couch, crying.
Chapters
waiting for my dad to come home.
She was older, but she exuded more charm than before.
“You’ve grown so much.” she said, her voice filled with wonder.
My mom kept touching my face, saying sorry over and over again.
I just let go and hugged her tight.
I said. “Mom, I’m not holding it against you.
“You said I should love myself first before seeking love from others.
Twenty years apart, my mom and I both made the same choice.
“Grace, Antonio’s been calling non–stop,” my mom warned me.
She tried to dry my tears, but hers started flowing instead.
“No matter what you choose, I’m with you all the way,” she said, supporting me no matter what.
My phone was blowing up with calls and messages from Antonio.
Before I could even catch up on the latest, another call was coming in.
“Grace…” he said, his voice laden with stress, like he was holding the whole world on his shoulders.
I’d never heard Antonio this worked up before.
I was puzzled. With Stella back in the picture, why was he still worried about me, the substitute?
He tried to explain, “Grace, have you read my journal? It’s not true.
There’s nothing going on with Stella. I promise you. She’s just like a sister
Chapter32
After countless sleepless nights. I surprisingly caught some solid z’s on the flight.
In my dreams. Antonio’s face kept showing up, like he was just waiting
for me there
Back when we were just seven, we used to play games together.
He’d tell me he was the groom, and I was the prettiest bride.
When we turned eighteen, we made that game real.
He vowed to hustle hard and give me a grand wedding.
But when did things start to fall apart between us?
Did it start after Stella showed up, or was it before that?
I couldn’t even remember it anymore.
Antonio had been the center of my world for as long as I could remember.
No matter how much I tried to stay cool and get over him, it felt like my insides were being torn apart.
Once I landed, I didn’t even have the guts to turn on my phone.
“Grace!”
My mom was waving at me, standing out in a sea of foreigners.
It had been ages since we last saw each other.
She wasn’t the same woman I remembered, sitting on the couch, crying.
Chapters
waiting for my dad to come home.
She was older, but she exuded more charm than before.
“You’ve grown so much.” she said, her voice filled with wonder.
My mom kept touching my face, saying sorry over and over again.
I just let go and hugged her tight.
I said. “Mom, I’m not holding it against you.
“You said I should love myself first before seeking love from others.
Twenty years apart, my mom and I both made the same choice.
“Grace, Antonio’s been calling non–stop,” my mom warned me.
She tried to dry my tears, but hers started flowing instead.
“No matter what you choose, I’m with you all the way,” she said, supporting me no matter what.
My phone was blowing up with calls and messages from Antonio.
Before I could even catch up on the latest, another call was coming in.
“Grace…” he said, his voice laden with stress, like he was holding the whole world on his shoulders.
I’d never heard Antonio this worked up before.
I was puzzled. With Stella back in the picture, why was he still worried about me, the substitute?
He tried to explain, “Grace, have you read my journal? It’s not true.
There’s nothing going on with Stella. I promise you. She’s just like a sister
