Minding Grace

19: Lift your heart up and save your life

Before she could stop herself, Grace felt the champagne glass slip from her fingers and shatter on the wooden floorboards, the remnants splashing over her shoes.

She stared at Lucy, her breath caught in her throat as she opened her mouth to respond to her.

Nothing.

She couldn't even begin to formulate a sound.

The hand that had held the glass slowly clenched into a fist, her nails quickly pushing into the skin of her palm.

Grace had no intention of actually using it against Lucy.

She felt she might almost lose consciousness and the pain was keeping her somewhat in the present.

"Is this true?" James said in a low voice.

Grace shook her head, finally meeting James' gaze.

"You're a fucking liar Grace," Lucy cut in, "I saw you both in the shed..."

"Enough!" James suddenly yelled, "Grace is capable of answering me!"

"I...we only kissed...once..." she said, her voice flooded with shame.

James sighed heavily and looked at Grace.

"I knew he was trouble the minute he set foot in the door," he spat, "we let him into our home and this is how he repays us?" he said, his voice rising.

"James please..." Grace interrupted him.

"I'll fucking kill him!" he said through gritted teeth before he grabbed Grace by the arm and pulled her away from Lucy, towards the back door.

With enough distance between the two of them and Lucy he leaned down inches from her face, his eyes glaring at her.

"Play along, we'll talk later," he whispered without a hint of anger in his tone.

Grace almost fell to the ground in relief as James straightened himself up, an angry expression reappearing on his face.

"I can't even stand to look at you right now," he raised his voice again, "and he's just fortunate he's not here right now," he opened the door angrily, "I'm going into work," he snapped before disappearing into the house.

Grace let out the breath she was holding.

She knew she shouldn't feel any guilt regarding Harry, James had already made that quiet clear.

It was her damn morals that always got in the way.

But they would sort this out.

"You're in trouble now..." Lucy sing songed from behind Grace.

Fucking bitch.

Grace turned and slowly walked back to where Lucy stood and stopped in front of her, her chin tilted in the air as she looked her up and down.

"How could you do that?" she asked quietly, "why would you do that?"

"Why not?" Lucy smirked at her, "James deserves to know that his wife's a self-righteous, dirty, cheating slut!"

"If anyone's a slut here it certainly isn't me," Grace retorted, watching the smirk fall from Lucy's face.

"I'm not the one cheating on my husband," Lucy seethed, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"I'm not the one who tried to frame an innocent man simply because he didn't want me," Grace replied, crossing her arms over her chest, mirroring Lucy's stance.

"I can still tell James what Harry did, he'd believe me," Lucy replied defiantly.

"The camera never lies Lucy," Grace simply said.