Chapter 138: Let Them Have A Talk First
The smothering tone of his father made Sherry completely calm. The professor showed his apology when he looked at Grace. Realizing that she was the girl who was imprisoned and raped by one of her relatives, he bowed to her and apologized.
"Sorry. Sherry drank too much." He said.
"Professor Couper, could you please bring her back to the hotel? It seems that she needs some rest." Hale tried his best to respect his teacher. After finishing his talk, though, he wouldn't give them another look.
Carl felt so embarrassed. He knew that they couldn't stay there any longer. He sighed and pulled Sherry, who was apparently not ready to leave and walked her away with the help of his wife.
After the Couper's left, other guests were still watching. They didn't know what really happened but were curious. Hale made a short remark, saying that Sherry had to go first because she had drunk too much and felt uncomfortable. Although everyone felt weird, they knew it was not appropriate to gossip too much at a wedding. So they decided to show more decency and continue to enjoy the food and drinks.
Grace had been feeling weak in her knees and couldn't stand still herself. Cathryn supported her lower back so that she wouldn't at least fall down. It happened all of a sudden. Grace was stunned and had mixed feelings.
Since there were some senior relatives at the same table, Hale wanted to do something to save the day. He reached out to Grace, held her hand, and tended to make another toast. Grace let his hand go instead and lowered her head. "Excuse me. I'm going to the bathroom." She quickly asked his permission.
Then, she turned around and headed to the hall.
Hale panicked at the sight of this. He put the glass down, held the shoulders of his parents, and assured them that everything would be fine. He exchanged a look with Keith and then followed Grace.
Cathryn was also concerned. She knew that it must be tough for Grace at this moment. She was also about to follow her but was pulled back gently by Keith.
"Let them have a talk first, dear," Keith stopped her.
When Grace got out of the entrance of the hall, she picked up her pace. She was wearing a pair of stilettos and staggered on the soft carpet. Hale worried that she would fall down, so he caught up and pulled her. "Please, slow down, my dear." He tried to appease her.
Before Hale could say more, Grace pushed him away violently. Hale stepped back somehow with the push.
"You've already known everything! Don't you think I'm dirty? I was sexually abused by my uncle. Don't you think I'm disgusting?" Grace's voice was broken.
Her eyes were red. But no tears flowed.
Looking up at Hale, meeting his eyes like staring at an enemy. At the same time, she couldn't hide her love for him. The two emotions tortured her, which made her look even more pitiful.
Seeing Grace's reaction, Hale felt so sorry for her. When he got to know this event, he had never thought of Grace as dirty or disgusting. All he could feel was sorry for her experience. He couldn't imagine how Grace managed to live through the humiliation. She was just a teenage girl! She could have lived a more carefree teen life. It turned out that she had to be strong enough to face the evil.
"Not at all, dear," Hale gently blurted out.
Hale didn't talk much. He uttered this one sentence only, but with all his sincerity. He was so righteous with a decent look and sharp eyebrows. His eyes were bright, his words short but affirmed.
Hale would never lie.
As soon as he said so, Grace's tears dropped. She couldn't stand but squatted on the ground, looking in the direction of the hall, of which the door was closed at the end of the corridor. All the people inside the room were cheering, talking, and laughing. All of them were here to bless her. But am I worth it? Can I be happy? She raised doubts to herself.
She had never told Hale about her tragic past, not because she was afraid that Hale wouldn't let it go but was afraid that she wouldn't let it go herself. She could remember how her uncle had opened her legs violently and sexually abused her over and over again, even though she was crying and begging him to stop.
She couldn't face this person who had known her past and couldn't have any intimate action with him. She could imagine how she would feel embarrassed in the future when doing something with Hale.
Grace squatted on the ground, tears dropping on the carpet. She stared at the red stilettos desperately. "I can't stay beside you..." She was shaking her head and muttering.
Hale came up to her without saying a word. He reached out and wanted to hold Grace in his arms. However, Grace shivered and retreated violently, looking at him with horror and defense. Her tears messed up the makeup on her face.
Hale's heart was like being ironed little by a red-hot iron. He was somehow numb, letting the pain burn his chest.
"You can't go," Hale said. "You're my legitimate wife now. If you leave, it is illegal. I'm a police officer. I can take you back wherever you go. "He added.
A couple of days ago, when Carl told Hale about this, he thought he could deal with it no matter what Grace's reaction would be. However, when he saw Grace behave like this, he completely panicked.
He didn't have any dislike for Grace but felt sorry for her when he heard the horrible story from Carl. His wife, who was loved dearly by him with his heart and soul, shouldn't have been maltreated like this. If he had known Grace earlier, no matter who the bastard was, he would have gone and ended that person's life.
"I really love you, Grace. Don't torture me, please. Don't abandon me..." Hale's tone somehow became extraordinarily fragile. "I'm a policeman. My duty is to protect my fellow citizens. I'm also your husband. Trust me. I'll protect you in the future. I promise that I'll never let you be so desperate for the rest of our lives."