Try Begging - Chapter 171.2

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Normally, Grace would have gotten up to hug her, but she didn’t this morning. Despite the significant milestone of the baby standing up alone, she remained sprawled on the bed, asking harsh questions.

“…Do you like me?”

‘The only person you have to rely on is me… at least up until now. That’s why. It’s not that you like me. So…’

“Don’t like me.”

‘You’ll forget me soon. You’ll have a much wealthier and stronger Father. You’ll quickly forget me, a penniless soul with neither affection nor power.’

This baby not only resembled her father’s appearance and temperament, but she also had traits that made Grace feel uneasy.

Grace was as overwhelmed by her as she had been with that man.

She felt the same burden and guilt from the baby that she experienced whenever the man couldn’t hide his feelings for her.

Even though I’m only planning to abandon you, you snuggled up to me as if my arms were the coziest place in the world… That’s how overwhelming it was for me.

I thought that once you were gone, that overwhelming feeling would disappear as well.

But beneath her tightly shut eyelids, the baby’s face kept irritatingly flashing before her.

Grace clenched her teeth even harder.

How much she hated the soft, chubby pink cheeks. She hated the baby’s sunshine-like warmth, the cheerful smile, and even the ugly, contorted face when crying. Does he know how painful it was to feel that warmth and comfort when holding the baby?

So I won’t return to you. Never.

‘I’m going to live my life. I’m going to live my life.’

She silently repeated these words to herself with gritted teeth.

Beep—

A whistle blew from the platform. People surged into the train, and soon after, the sound of the doors closing echoed.

“Uwaahh!”

The baby sitting across from her burst into tears at the loud noise.

“Huh…”

Grace burst into tears just like the baby. She opened her eyes wide, though the tears clouded her vision, making everything invisible.

Really, now there was nothing she could see.

Grace stood up in a hurry, roughly pulling out the bag she had left under her seat. She pushed through the people standing in the aisle and headed toward the door.

Just as she flung open the door and leaped onto the platform, the train started moving. People were surely looking at her as if she were a madwoman, but she didn’t care. Grace pushed through the crowd on the platform and ran desperately.

Beep—

The horn sounded long and loud as a black locomotive steamed in from the opposite platform. By the time the southern night train came to a halt, she was already outside the station.

“Please, take me quickly to the Count Winston’s townhouse.”

She shouted at a passing taxi. Even though the driver kept glancing at her as he drove, she stared straight ahead, tears streaming down her face.

“Faster, faster!”

Her body fidgeted anxiously, urging the driver, while her rational mind chastised her.

Grace, you have to leave all the past behind and live your life.

‘What is my life supposed to be?’

It was the most important question she had ever asked herself. Whatever it was, it was clear that she couldn’t live her life fully while only holding onto memories of that child—memories alone.

She clenched her teeth and sobbed.

Leon Winston, you miserable b*stard. I hope you get what you want.

If that was your intention, you’ve succeeded admirably. A genius… To make sure I couldn’t let go of your traces until the end.

Grace wiped her tear-covered eyes with her sleeve and sobbed.

If this was going to happen, she should’ve let the baby go earlier. Why did she keep holding on? She shouldn’t have known about this. The baby, though so finicky, was generous with her smiles. Every time the baby let out a loud kyaa and laughed, she reacted harshly.

Don’t smile. I don’t like you. There’s no way I could like you, who resembles that man.

In reality, it was Grace who laughed first, and the baby merely followed suit. Even though she vaguely knew this, she deceived herself into thinking it wasn’t true and placed the blame on the baby.

Why was it that the word ‘cute’ came so easily for other people’s babies but not for hers?

She had never even properly said that her baby was cute, despite being the most adorable in the world. To make matters worse, the baby didn’t even have a name for more than six months after she was born.

Tears spilled out again.