Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 1602

Chapter 1602: Why… do I even try?
Charles would not understand, but Haines couldn’t blame him. After all, Haines had never told him about her.

Haines kept his mouth shut all these years, keeping his first and only romantic relationship from many years ago as just a part of his past. A past he thought no one else should concern themselves with.

After all, the past would always be the past.

There was no point in bringing it up in the present when it was no one else’s business. But alas… why?

That was the only question Haines had: WHY?

Of all the possibilities that could’ve explained why his first love disappeared without a trace, why did it have to be death?

Why did she have to die? And to make it worse, why did she have to die at the hands of his cousin — who was more like a brother to him?

A plethora of “whys” filled Haines’s head as he left the Bennet Mansion and drove aimlessly.

Why?

Why?

HONK!

Haines snapped out of his daze when a loud honk erupted from his side. As soon as his eyes focused, he realized he was about to hit another car. Instinctively, he swerved to the side, narrowly avoiding an accident.

Tires screeched as he slammed on the brakes, stopping just off the road.

Holding the steering wheel with both hands, his heart pounded against his chest. He panted, his fingertips growing cold.

That was close.

After another deep exhale, Haines leaned back in his chair and tilted his head back. He closed his eyes, stabilizing his breathing. Yet, even as his heart slowly stopped racing, it ached even more. Before he knew it, tears began pooling under his eyelids.

“I waited… all these years…” His voice cracked, and he held his breath to stop himself from breaking down. “… hoping she might come back.”

Even if the chances were slim, Haines held onto that hope for as long as he could.

But why now?

Now that his heart was fluttering for another woman, now that he was giving himself a chance to open his heart again, and after decades of holding onto someone’s ghost…

Why did this news have to reach him?

Why now, when he was finally starting to move forward after being stuck for so long?

Haines slowly opened his eyes and caught a glimpse of himself in the rearview mirror. His lower lip quivered as he stared at the pathetic reflection staring back at him.

If this was life’s way of playing games, then it was one twisted fucking game.

—

Buzz!

Grace looked over her reading glasses as her assistant knocked on the open door.

“Miss Grace, someone’s on the line,” said the assistant quietly. “They said they’re from the police station.”

Grace’s brows furrowed, but she nodded. As far as she was concerned, she wasn’t expecting any call from the police. Her first guess was Penny — the only client she had who was likely to get arrested.

Picking up the phone, Grace greeted, “Hello?”

“Is this Attorney Grace…?”

She listened to the other person on the line and nodded. “Speaking.”

“Attorney, your client is at the station after a minor road incident…” As the officer explained the situation, Grace rose from her seat in a panic.

“Got it. I’ll be right there.”

Without wasting a second, she placed the phone down and grabbed her bag in a hurry. Her every step was urgent as she barely gave her assistant instructions, not pausing for a second.

“I won’t be available for the rest of the day. Just send over any important case files to my home.”

The assistant turned to look at Grace’s back. Her brows furrowed as she tilted her head slightly to the side.

“Miss Grace seems a lot busier lately,” she muttered. “Ironically, she’s handling fewer cases now.”

After thinking for a moment, the assistant shrugged and stood up, closing Grace’s office door behind her.

—

The call Grace received was brief, but it was enough to let her know that Haines had been taken to the station. Without thinking twice, she drove as fast as she could.

When she reached the station, her quick steps halted.

There, seated in the corner of the station, was Haines. He didn’t look hurt, just pressing his palm against his cane and making small circular motions with it. His eyes, however, revealed that he wasn’t mentally present.

A deep sigh escaped her, and she took slow, deliberate steps until she was near him.

The moment she stopped, Haines slowly lifted his eyes and met hers. Grace frowned slightly, but the deep worry in her eyes lingered.

“Wait for me here,” she said before turning, only to stop when he reached out to grab her hand.

Slowly, she looked back at him. “I’ll be back very quickly,” she said, reaching out to pry his hand off hers. “Just stay here.”

With that, Grace walked away to handle the situation as his legal representative. The accident Haines had caused wasn’t serious enough to hurt anyone; it was just that he had damaged public property, and his lack of cooperation had dragged the situation out.

As Grace approached one of the officers, Haines’s gaze followed her. His eyes stayed fixed on her as she casually exchanged words with the officer, who had been irritated by Haines’s sparse responses.

After all, unlike the others in the station who were begging officers for help or just let them go, Haines barely answered any questions. That was why, instead of being sent away, they were planning to detain him for the night.

But that wasn’t what Haines’s mind was focused on.

The longer he stared at Grace and watched how she was trying to get him out of trouble, the more bitterness grew in his heart. First, the woman he loved had died at the hands of his cousin.

And now, the second person who was giving him a reason to open his heart… might also be taken from him. Not by someone else’s hand, but by this world.

“Why… do I even try?”