Chapter 272

Lina Sweeney was shocked. She hadn't expected a man's voice on the other end of the call. It sounded like… "Are you… Jason?" she asked breathlessly.

"Yes," he replied, then hung up.

Lina stared at the phone. If Grace was asleep and Jason answered her phone, did that mean he was with her best friend? And if Grace wasn't at her rented house, where was she? Lina looked from her phone to the closed door of the house. Could Grace be living with Jason?

Was life truly so magical?

Meanwhile, Jason put away Grace's phone. He gently lifted the sleeping woman in his arms and carried her from the car. He removed his coat and covered her to ward off the chill.

The servants couldn't hide their surprise as he entered. Although they suspected Miss Cummins was a special guest to be residing at Reed Residence, they'd never seen Young Master Reed treat a woman with such care and tenderness. He held her almost as if she were a rare treasure, making not a sound lest he wake her.

Uncle Kwan, the housekeeper, who had watched the young master grow up, had a complicated look in his eyes. He'd seen this gentleness before—when the young master had brought his mother to Reed Residence. But that had ended in tragedy.

Sometimes, too much affection led to heartbreak. Would the little young master, as he was called, pour all his feelings into Miss Cummins like his father had? After all, he'd never treated any woman this way, not even Miss Atkinson.

Uncle Kwan feared the young master might love this woman too much, inviting another tragedy.

Jason carried Grace to her bedroom, carefully placing her on the bed. He removed her shoes and coat. Dry tears stained her face. Even asleep, her eyebrows were furrowed, as if still consumed by sorrow. She clutched a half-burnt photo album. It took him a while to gently remove it. Her gauze-wrapped hands stung his eyes.

"It's just a photo album. Why are you being such a fool?" he muttered. Even if it was her mother's, it wasn't worth this struggle. The fire could have injured her far worse.

He gently took her hand, kissing her gauze-wrapped fingertips. "It must have hurt when you burned yourself. I want to bear the pain for you…"

For the first time, he truly wanted to bear someone else's pain.

Jason tucked Grace under the covers and watched her sleep, a giddy feeling washing over him.

Grace felt as if she were in a long dream. She was a child again, with her mother. She dreamt of barely remembered memories.

Gradually, the dream turned into a nightmare. Her mother suffered a miscarriage; her unborn brother was stillborn.