Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 1609

Chapter 1609: Saving Grace
A Chance or a Closure?

Haines had no idea what kind of relationship he’d thrown himself into.

To be fair, Haines was never perfect. But he usually didn’t make decisions purely based on morality. Yet, with Grace, he seemed to have made a lot of them.

It made him wonder—was it truly a mistake? Or simply nature’s way of giving him another chance at love? Perhaps even in life, fleeting as it might be.

And in a way, he wanted to believe that. Even if, from another angle, it was questionable in itself.

—

When morning came, Haines’s brow twitched as his eyes flickered beneath his lids.

Soft rays of sunlight filtered through the window, landing on the upper part of his face. Before opening his eyes, he raised a hand to shield himself from the blinding assault. Slowly, he squinted them open, letting them adjust to the light spreading across the room.

Haines quietly moved his gaze, quickly recognizing the room he’d woken up in. Unlike the first time—after getting drugged by Penny—there was no sudden rush of anxiety. Instead, he turned his head to the side.

There, lying on her side, was Grace.

Her temple rested against her knuckles, eyes slightly unfocused, as if lost in deep thought. When he turned toward her, she blinked, and a flicker of awareness sparked in her gaze. But her face didn’t brighten like it usually did when she saw him. If anything, her expression remained passive.

“…” He blinked, keeping his mouth shut as he studied her reaction.

After a few seconds, her exasperated voice broke the silence.

“Say…” she began, squinting at him. “…this isn’t the part where I wake up, right?”

Haines blinked again, noting the curiosity in her eyes.

“Last night… it wasn’t a dream, was it?”

Even though parts of her body—especially the lower half—felt sore, she needed confirmation. There were just too many what-ifs.

What if it was just soreness from her new workout routine?

Haines raised a brow, half-wondering if she was serious. But the look in her eyes told him she genuinely doubted what had happened the night before.

“You…” he trailed off, eyes landing on the exposed curve of her shoulder above the sheet. “…don’t have clothes on.”

Grace blinked and replied flatly, “I sometimes sleep naked. Especially when I can’t fall asleep.”

Haines opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. “What do you want me to do, Gracie?”

“Not wake me up?” she shrugged. “Or make sure my alarm doesn’t ring?”

“…”

As if on cue, the alarm on the bedside table rang.

RINNGGG!

Both of them instinctively raised their brows, still staring at each other. Grace, still trying to process everything, suddenly felt an arm snake around her waist—just as Haines rolled onto his side, pulling her against his warm body.

“Morning, Gracie,” he whispered, planting a soft kiss on the side of her neck.

She flinched, eyes widening.

Blink…

Blink…

Her lips trembled as she felt something hard poking against her leg.

“Still think you’re dreaming?” he asked, looking up at her. “Want to do it again?”

Slowly, her cheeks turned pink, then red, as last night’s memories returned—vivid and unrelenting. How they’d come home, watched a movie like usual, chatted casually… and how he’d suddenly claimed her lips just when she was about to lose hope.

After all, they’d had plenty of close calls before. Haines’ asking to stay over hadn’t immediately seemed like he wanted that.

But from that one goodnight kiss, everything escalated. Clothes fell piece by piece to the floor. The sound of their lips meeting again and again, hands exploring each other like they belonged nowhere else.

Moans followed as pleasure overtook them. The pounding, the desperate closeness, the tension that built and released in waves.

Grace gasped and covered her mouth.

They did it.

She blinked, eyes wide, staring at his face.

Seeing her stunned reaction, Haines laughed softly. He could practically see her mentally replaying everything that happened.

Seizing the moment, he propped himself on one elbow and leaned over her. She jolted slightly as her back hit the mattress, eyes locked on his hovering form.

“We… did it,” she blurted, almost in disbelief.

“I don’t remember us having any drinks last night for you to forget,” he teased.

“I know. That’s what makes it even weirder,” she said. “I didn’t drink at all.”

Haines couldn’t help but wonder just how often she fantasized about this scenario. Her reaction said more than words ever could.

Chuckling at the thought, he leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. Then her cheek. Then her forehead.

When he drew back again, he stared into her eyes.

“Do you have plans this morning?” he asked casually.

She did—Grace had an appointment at Cassandra’s place in an hour. But… that could wait. Her future couldn’t wait.

She shook her head without hesitation. “None.”

Haines chuckled, knowing it was a lie. But for once, he allowed himself to be selfish and pretended not to know.

Slowly, he lowered his head again—this time, his lips finding hers.

As soon as they kissed, Grace clutched at his shoulders. Her head tilted, her lips moving eagerly with his. When his tongue touched hers, she wrapped her arms around his neck. One of his hands slid to the arch of her back.

If she was dreaming, she didn’t want to wake up.

Because in this moment, she was the happiest she’d ever been.

Haines might argue otherwise—no, he was.

Thanks to her, what he’d discovered yesterday didn’t hurt as much as he’d feared.

Was she a distraction? No.

If anything, she was his saving grace. Otherwise, knowing that the woman had died at Charles’s hands would’ve destroyed what was left of his already broken heart.

Grace… what a gift he’d been given.

In the end, for him, it didn’t matter if this was a chance or a closure in love or in life. That wasn’t the point.

Today, it was clear that this was neither a chance nor a closure, but a gift.

A gift he wouldn’t take for granted this time.