Regret Came Too Late (Grace and Ethan) novel Chapter 118

Jodie, barely in her 20s, was already playing this dirty.

Grace kicked out hard, sending Jodie stumbling to the side. But Jodie wasn't done. Fueled by fury, she went for another vase without hesitation.

"Go to hell, Grace!" she snarled.

Before she could swing it, a voice cut through the room.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Jodie froze. She looked up toward the doorway and saw Ethan sitting in his wheelchair.

"Uncle Ethan," she greeted.

Wasn't Ethan supposed to be at work?

Ethan's brows furrowed when he saw Grace clutching her bleeding hand. His voice turned cold. "What are you doing?"

Jodie quickly set the vase down and rushed to his side. "Uncle Ethan, how could you let this bitch into Palm Bay? Did you forget she's the reason you ended up in a wheelchair? She even made Yancey lose his baby. I hate her! I wish she were gone for good."

The more she spoke, the more worked up she got. She dropped to a crouch in front of Ethan, her entire face flushed red with rage.

Ethan shifted away from her, clearly not liking the close contact. "Who told you to come here?"

"I came on my own! You can't stop me. She needs to pay for what she did to Yancey's baby!"

Ethan didn't even blink. Turning to Tim, he said, "Show her out."

A flicker of shock crossed Jodie's eyes. It took her a long moment to collect herself before she stood up, her face drained of all color. "Uncle Ethan..."

But the bodyguards were already behind her.

She glared at Grace with pure hatred, stomped her foot, and finally stormed off unwillingly.

Grace wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but something about Jodie's attitude toward Ethan felt off. That look in her eyes didn't seem like the way a niece looked at her uncle.

Grace dropped her gaze and quietly pressed her bleeding palm.

Ethan wheeled himself to her and took her wrist to inspect the wound.

Out of nowhere, Grace asked, "Is Jodie adopted?"

She didn't remember the past, so she couldn't be completely sure. But she knew all too well how a woman looked at a man when she had feelings for him. And when Jodie looked at Ethan, it was pure possessiveness.

Not to mention the look in her eyes when he showed up just now—surprise, hope, and excessive adoration.

Ethan was already maneuvering his wheelchair into the living room. Grace followed behind him slowly, a strange discomfort creeping into her chest, but she couldn't quite explain why.

After grabbing the first aid kit, Ethan finally replied to her, "I found her on the street when she was a kid. I didn't want to raise children, so I let someone else do it."

That "someone else" was Lily and her family. And that was how Jodie ended up as Yancey's little sister.

Grace's eyes lit up. She grabbed Ethan's hand in excitement and said, "I'm going to look into it right now. Mr. Henderson, thank you so much."

He didn't say anything but just stared down at the hand she was holding. She had such tiny hands.

Grace didn't notice Ethan's gaze. She let go of his hand quickly and practically bounced toward the door. Just as she reached the doorway, she heard Ethan say, "You're always like this."

His voice was soft, almost like he was talking to himself.

She paused and turned back. "What?"

"Nothing."

Grace smiled at him. "If I manage to get this solved, I'll keep helping you sleep. I asked Susie this morning. She said you've had insomnia for years. But you've been sleeping great lately. I guess I'm still useful, huh?"

Her smile was so genuine. It gave off this easy, comforting warmth.

But Ethan didn't look at her. He just let out a low hum in response.

Grace sighed. Ethan really was the serious type. It was hard to believe someone like him ever had a crush—or that he was still hung up on his first love years after she died. He was probably the most loyal man on the planet.

She hadn't known about how bad his insomnia was until she asked Susie. No wonder he looked so much better lately. Having a good sleep made all the difference.

And now, she understood why even Simon, who clearly couldn't stand her, still put up with her—because Ethan could actually sleep when she was around.

But seriously, what kind of weird energy did she have that knocked people out like this? Thinking about it, she couldn't help feeling a little proud.