Smoke and Mirrors (DE)

8. Can we talk

Grace sat on her baby pink yoga mat with her legs folded across each other in the lotus position with her eyes closed breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth slowly, feeling the tugging sensation on the muscles in her hips as she stretched them. Opening her eyes she let out a dramatic and defeated exhale not being able to clear her mind. Joseph's release had been causing Grace a whirlwind of emotions just as his arrest had. Seeing him for the first time the other night was not how she imagined it to go. Of course she didn't expect him to be buddy buddy with her but she also didn't expect him to bring a random female to a family function and throw her in Grace's face out of spite to make her jealous.

Was he upset with her for leaving him? What was she supposed to do? Be accepting of learning the true natural of her boyfriend and how he murdered a whole family including a child? There's not enough love in the world for someone to be able to overlook something like that. How could someone do something like that? How could you take a life, let alone a child's life? He'd been lying and manipulating Grace, selling her this picture perfect dream just to cover up his own dark secrets and when it all came crashing down around them he couldn't even look Grace in the eyes and apologize. He still to that day had yet to apologize for the mess he'd created of Grace's life.

" Psst," Destiny whispered looking over seeing Grace sitting next to her deep in thought.

Grace looked up at her friend mustering up a smile while still managing to not mess up the pose she was in. " Why are you being so quiet this morning?" Destiny asked, careful not to speak too loud and disturb the others around them.

" I hate men," Grace blurted out defeatedly taking Destiny by surprise. Grace hardly ever spoke of 'boy problems'. Destiny knew of Grace dealing with Malik but she'd never expressed any problems with him so she thought they had a good relationship except only Grace wasn't talking about Malik, she was talking about Joseph.

Destiny didn't know about Joseph, no one apart of her life now did. When Joseph got arrested it was highly publicized in the media. His mugshot was on every news station on TV, in every news paper of every news stand on every corner in New York. Joseph faced a lot of scrutiny and backlash from the city. They demonized him and portrayed him as a monster and that was something Grace didn't want to be attached to especially after just accepting a position with the police department so she made the decision to disassociate herself from the situation.

" What did Mr. Officer bae do?" Destiny asked.

" No he—," Grace paused sighing. " What would you do if someone did something to you out of spite— to make you jealous?"

" Like how would I react?" Destiny asked for clarification. Grace did a little shrug before nodding. " I wouldn't do anything," Destiny said. " Because clearly that person was just doing that to get a reaction out of you so don't give them one,"

Before Grace could respond her phone began ringing. Grabbing it, she excused herself from the yoga studio to answer. " Are you busy?" Prie asked as soon as the phone call connected.

" No, I'm just about to leave yoga in a few,"

" Can you do me a huge favor please and go pick up Kash for me, I'm still with a client and Dre not answering the phone,"

" Sure, where is he?" Grace asked leaning against the wall in the hallway of the gym looking at her nails.

" Joseph's,"

Grace's mood instantly shifted. " Prie-,"

" Grace you know I wouldn't ask if I didn't really need you, please. I literally have a client in my chair right now,"

Grace groaned rolling her eyes. " Fine, make sure he's ready to go as soon as I pull up,"

Grace made the fourty-five minute drive from the city to the suburbs pulling into the crescent driveway of a large home. It was a beautiful two story home built of white bricks with grey shingles topping the roof. Landscapers busied themselves mowing the vibrant full lawn and clipping and cutting the bushes and trees to perfect geometric shapes that lined the perimeter of the luxurious home.