Falling from Grace - Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara

Chapter 8: Mistakes

ZUGZWANG (n.)

A situation where every possible move or decision is a bad one or one that will result in damage or loss.

"I want the divorce, Andrew" Cate used all the strength in her bones to be able to say that, regretting immediately as soon as she realized the look her husband was carrying. His eyes went dark, his face red and she could see his breath getting heavier and heavier.

"You don't. And you won't have it" he said in a cold voice, carrying a palpable hatred in his gaze.

Cate felt her stomach ache and felt she could vomit at any moment, nervousness and anxiety growing inside her every minute.

"Please, Andrew. Don't make it harder than already is" the man took wide and calculated steps toward his wife, almost closing the space between them completely.

He took his right hand to Cate's cheek, caressing her and leading it toward the nape of the woman's neck. Cate gasped as she felt her husband pull a handful of hair, harder than she could handle, and felt her eyes fill with tears.

"Why, bitch?" Andrew whispered menacingly in the blonde's ear, she was already feeling heavy tears streaming down her cheeks, and felt her throat burning, holding herself as hard as she could not to scream, to not wake the children.

"Let go of me, Andrew, you're hurting me" the blonde pleaded, trying in vain take the man's hand away from her hair. She felt him loosen his grip and watch him turn away, walking to the other end of the counter, impatiently.

"Why, Catharine?" Cate felt her legs weaken and her muscles stiffen at the sound of her first name, thinking maybe she shouldn't have started this conversation. But remembering that she shouldn't be married to another person out of sheer social obligation, when in fact her heart belonged to another person.

"I'm in love with someone else" she whispered between sobs, the phrase coming out almost inaudible.

The first mistake.

She felt all her body tighten when realized that Andrew was approaching again, retreating until her back hit the sink, she got trapped between her husband and the sink's cold stone.

She didn't even notice Andrew raising his hand, when she realized, she just felt the right side of her face burning.

Andrew slapped her.

"Is that bitch you worked on in your last movie isn't?" Cate lowered her gaze to the floor, not being able to answer. "I should've guess, since anyone who gives you the least attention, you think that it means they want something with you. You forget how old and pathetic you are. I'm only married to you because business would be affected"

Cate was staring at the floor, letting her tears fall and her hand over the burning cheek.

"No one can love you, Catherine. You are not worthy of love. LOOK AT ME" He grabbed her wrist, pulling it off from the mark of 4 fingers that had already been formed, just to slap again in the same spot.

This time Cate couldn't hold her scream caused by the pain, and she cried even more when she felt the taste of iron coming from the blood on her lower lip.

She tried to get out of the suffocation that Andrew was giving her, but was prevented by the strong grip of the man's hand on her arm.

"You're not going anywhere, bitch" He hit her again, this time on the other cheek.

Cate's eyes widened as she looked up the stairs and saw her two children there, crying after had witnessed the scene.

"Go to your bedroom and lock the door, babies, Mom's coming up soon" she said, trying to calm the kids and herself. She breathed a sigh of relief as the boys turned their backs and headed for the bedroom.