15 - Grace.
1049 Words
It's when we land at the airport that dread begins to build in my belly.
Paris was a fairytale, but reality is intruding fast.
William carries me off the plane and keeps me on his lap in the back of the limousine. I cling to him, inhaling the masculine scent from his neck like a lifeline. I've allowed too much time to pass without telling William the truth. But I have to believe he'll understand. I have to believe that the man he's become will be compassionate and patient. He's not the lord of the manor anymore, right?
I close my eyes and snuggle closer, praying with all my might that our love is strong enough to survive the truth about who I am. Why I was on that road in the first place the day he picked me up.
"You haven't talked to your family since we left," he says, kissing my neck, licking it in the shape of a heart. "If you want to invite them over for dinner tomorrow, I can start preparing myself to be irritated now."
Despite my worry, I have to giggle. "You're so sure you'll be annoyed?"
"Yes. That's an hour I could be spending inside you." He stokes my bottom beneath my skirt. "We have to swing by a couple of my buildings on the way home," he murmurs into my ear, unaware that his words set a bomb off inside of me. "There are a couple of changes I need to make in day-to-day operations."
My hand curls into a fist on his shoulder. "Changes?"
"Yes." He hesitates briefly. "I think I've been a little harsh with my tenants. I'm going to institute a grace period for paying rent." There's a smile in his voice now. "I'm going to call it the Grace Clause."
Tears swarm my eyes. "That's lovely." I ignore the sense of foreboding in my belly and gather my courage. "I knew you would change the rule on your own. I knew you would do the right thing."
William's muscles tighten beneath me. "What do you mean by that?"
Finally, I lift my head and whatever he sees on my face causes him to go pale.
"William, I have to tell you something."
He visibly braces himself. "What is it, angel?"
"I...I..." My heart is going to break free of my chest. "Will you promise to listen start to finish and try to be calm?"
His eyes take on a sharper quality. A hint of panic. "Out with it, Grace."
Oh, God. I haven't even told him yet and he's pulling away from me emotionally. As if he expected this blow to come sooner or later. "I live in one of your buildings."
"What?" Dark eyebrows s***h together. "Why...why didn't you tell me that?"
I'm going to hyperventilate. "After my father lost his job, my family couldn't pay the rent this month. You sent them an eviction notice and...and..." I press a hand to my chest to stop the fearful rapping of my heart. "We were desperate and my mother, she thought I could...she thought you might be lenient if I offer m-myself in exchange for the money we owe. My virginity."
William might as well be made of marble, like so many of the statues we saw in Paris this week. A crank behind his eyes is the only thing that moves, rapidly processing the information, his carefree expression reverting back to bitter, like it was when we met on the road, the corners of his mouth turning down. "Well. You got what you wanted, didn't you? Mission accomplished."
"What?" I shake my head. "No. I gave up on the mission as soon as you brought me home. There was only us. And when you postponed the eviction, I knew...I knew you were going to give my family more time without me having to convince you. Because you're a good man."
"Just stop," he says raggedly, plucking me off his lap and setting me beside him on the seat, leaving me completely bereft. His chest heaves up and down and it burns me alive, knowing I'm hurting him. "You're a con. An opportunist. This is why I stay away from everyone. This is f*****g why. You all turn out to be selfish, self-serving liars eventually. Quite a show you put on, though, Grace. Bravo."
"It wasn't a show," I sob, a fissure forming in my middle. "I love you."
My words go in one ear and out the other. "You had every chance to tell me the truth, but you waited until I put a ring on your finger, didn't you? A free month of rent wasn't enough, I guess."
I've been struck in the stomach by a fastball. "Stop talking like this. What we have is real, William. I—"
"God," he pushes through his teeth. "I'm a f*****g fool, aren't I?" He gives me a mean once over. "Amazing what a man will do for hot pussy."
I slap him across the face on reflex because the splitting of my heart is so intense, so painful, that my hand flies on its own. William goes deadly still, his eyes closing briefly. When they open again, they are teeming with regret. But it's too late. My heart is shattered into a thousand pieces and all I want to do, all I can think about, is getting as far away from him as possible. This man told me he loved me, asked me to be his wife, and our love has been stripped down to something ugly in a matter of seconds. Our trust is gone.
I'm partially to blame—I know that—which only makes it worse.
The limousine stops at a red light and with a sob lodged in my throat, I turn and throw myself out of the vehicle, hitting the sidewalk running.
"Grace! Come back."
William's strangled roar hangs in the air behind me, but I keep sprinting without looking back. The movie theater up ahead is familiar. This is only a mile from my house, meaning I know the lay of the land better than William.
Disappearing into the scenery while my ex-fiancé shouts my name gets easier and easier as the numbness steals over me.
It's over.
- Writer
