Chapter 358
Chapter 358:
Gracie’s composure was far stronger than Jessie had expected; under normal circumstances, watching a husband rush to defend another woman would leave anyone seething and heartsick. But Gracie stayed composed, her quiet steadiness revealing more than her words ever had.
It dawned on Jessie that Gracie’s feelings for Brayden might not run nearly as deep as she once feared.
That thought eased the tension coiled in her chest, loosening her breath.
“All right. Let’s get back to the hotel and call it a night. Once tomorrow’s seminar is done, our shopping spree officially begins!” She shot Phoebe a playful glance. “I’m treating this time. You and Gracie better not hold back p>
At the hotel, Gracie slipped through a quick hot shower and then sank onto the plush bed.
Even with her limbs aching with fatigue, sleep stayed stubbornly out of reach.
She reached for her phone instead, refreshing the online news over and over, each update tightening the pressure around her ribs.
Among the photos flooding the feed, she eventually caught sight of Yousef lingering at the edge of a frame.
A moment’s hesitation passed before she opened their chat and tapped the call button.
The line barely rang twice before he picked up, his voice low with surprise. “Gracie p>
A shaky breath left her. “Where are you right now?” she asked bluntly. “Weren’t you at that gathering earlier? Tell me what actually went down p>
A beat of silence stretched across the line before Yousef finally answered in a low murmur. “I’m at my club. I was there when everything went down at the gathering p>
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Gracie swallowed hard. “Did Brayden… actually hit another man in the head?” Her fingers clenched around the phone, knuckles paling.
“I didn’t catch the moment it happened,” he admitted. “By the time I pushed through the crowd, Hobson was already on the floor. But everyone there kept saying Brayden cracked a bottle over him…” Yousef’s voice sank, weighted with concern. “Gracie, did you call just for this p>
“I did.” Her reply came soft but strained. “It’s late. I should let you rest p>
She ended the call and let herself sprawl across the bed, her eyes tracing the dim pattern of the ceiling as exhaustion pressed in on her.
A sharp throb lashed through her skull without warning, scattering her thoughts into a haze of tangled emotions she couldn’t sort, let alone silence.
Brayden and Delia had spent their entire childhoods side by side, their bond stitched together by years she could never touch. Gracie, in contrast, had only brushed into Brayden’s life a few fleeting months ago—barely long enough to call it anything at all. Their connection felt flimsy beside something formed over a lifetime.
So why was there a dull ache twisting in her chest?
Across the city, Yousef stared at his phone, a weary, crooked smile pulling at one side of his mouth.
“Gracie… you’re doomed. You’re falling for him, and you don’t even realize it.” He pocketed the phone and stepped toward his friends milling around the row of cars. “Did anyone actually catch what happened? Was Brayden really the one who hit him p>
“Who else would’ve done it if not him? There’s no way we got it wrong,” one of them said confidently.