Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress

Chapter 1609: Saving Grace

A Chance or a Closure?

Haines had no idea what kind of relationship he'd thrown himself into.

To be fair, Haines was never perfect. But he usually didn't make decisions purely based on morality. Yet, with Grace, he seemed to have made a lot of them.

It made him wonder-was it truly a mistake? Or simply nature's way of giving him another chance at love? Perhaps even in life, fleeting as it might be.

And in a way, he wanted to believe that. Even if, from another angle, it was questionable in itself.

When morning came, Haines's brow twitched as his eyes flickered beneath his lids.

Soft rays of sunlight filtered through the window, landing on the upper part of his face. Before opening his eyes, he raised a hand to shield himself from the blinding assault. Slowly, he squinted them open, letting them adjust to the light spreading across the room.

Haines quietly moved his gaze, quickly recognizing the room he'd woken up in. Unlike the first time-after getting drugged by Penny-there was no sudden rush of anxiety. Instead, he turned his head to the side.

There, lying on her side, was Grace.

Her temple rested against her knuckles, eyes slightly unfocused, as if lost in deep thought. When he turned toward her, she blinked, and a flicker of awareness sparked in her gaze. But her face didn't brighten like it usually did when she saw him. If anything, her expression remained passive.

"..." He blinked, keeping his mouth shut as he studied her reaction.

After a few seconds, her exasperated voice broke the silence.

"Say..." she began, squinting at him. "...this isn't the part where I wake up, right?"

Haines blinked again, noting the curiosity in her eyes.

"Last night... it wasn't a dream, was it?"

Even though parts of her body—especially the lower half-felt sore, she needed confirmation. There were just too many what-ifs.

was just soreness from

a brow, half-wondering if she was serious. But the look in her eyes told him she genuinely doubted what had

eyes landing on the exposed curve of her shoulder above the sheet. "...don't

"I sometimes sleep naked. Especially when

his mouth to say something, then closed it again. "What do you want

wake me up?" she shrugged. "Or make sure my

the alarm on the bedside

RINNGGG!

of them instinctively raised their brows, still staring at each other. Grace, still trying to process everything, suddenly felt an arm snake around her

he whispered, planting a soft kiss

She flinched, eyes widening.

Blink...

Blink...

lips trembled as she felt

he asked, looking up at her. "Want to

watched a movie like usual, chatted casually... and how he'd suddenly claimed her

they'd had plenty of close calls before. Haines' asking to

escalated. Clothes fell piece by piece to the floor. The sound of their lips meeting again and again, hands exploring each other

desperate closeness, the tension that built and released

gasped and covered

They did it.

eyes wide, staring at

reaction, Haines laughed softly. He could practically see

propped himself on one elbow and leaned over her. She jolted slightly as

she blurted, almost

any drinks last night for you to

even weirder," she said. "I

she fantasized about this scenario. Her reaction

the thought, he leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. Then her

again, he stared

plans this morning?" he asked