Saving Grace

Chapter 7

Three years later

"Grace we need to go," Delton told me and I nodded before waving goodbye to my fans one last time while they seemed to scream even louder and getting into the limo.

"How was the interview?" Owen and Diana asked as soon as I was settled in the car.

"It was amazing, I really loved it. Actually I love every moment I'm on stage, on the spotlight. I really come alive and that just makes me feel so happy and content."

They both smiled and I smiled back before opening a bottle of champagne and we all took glassed and made a special toast.

"I want to thank you guys for living my dream with me. If it wasn't for Diana who helped me choose my dream when I needed to, I wouldn't be here feeling this happy and I really am happy. I still can't believe I actually starred in Broken Memories which is ranked the best movie right now and I was lead! The thought of that just makes butterflies erupt in my stomach. This toast is to my best friends who helped me achieve my dreams and to announce I've been asked to star in this series called Jolting clocks which sounds amazing from what I've been told!"

This caused a series of screams between my friends and I annoying Delton to great lengths. He hated when we screamed but we didn't care. They both congratulated me and we drank our wine celebrating my victories but it felt like someone was missing. My phone started ringing and I pressed a finger to my lips as I answered it.

"Hello," I said and I was answered by a voice that made my heart stop.

"Hey Grace, I need to see you," he said making everything around me stop. I couldn't believe it, how the hell had Jack gotten my number.

"I don't want to see you," I snapped when I found my voice and my courage.

"I want to move on with my life as well, please let me just apologize," he begged and I found myself crying and shaking my head despite him not being able to see him.

"I can't," I whispered and he seemed to get the hint because he just mumbled an okay and hung up.

"What's wrong?" my friends asked and I didn't reply but instead just instructed the driver to leave me at my hotel. As soon as I arrived in my room I changed out of the dress I was wearing and slipped into yoga pants and a hoodie. Making sure I tied my hair into a pony tail and I wore comfortable shoes, tackies to be exact I ran out ignoring everyone who kept asking what was wrong with me.

I called Jack before asking him to meet me in the park that was a short distance from the hotel. I ran all the way there with my hoodie on my face so as to not attract any unnecessary attention and when I reached there I saw Jack sitting on one of the benches looking quite nervous.

"Hey," I mumbled to get his attention and he waved before scooting so that we could both fit.

"You came," he whispered with a smile and I shrugged.

"I wanted answers and I guess I need the closure."

He nodded while he played around with his fingers and I just stared into oblivion.

"My dad died when I was ten," he began and I decided not to interrupt him. "I grew up with my mother and my twin sister. Growing I was expected to take up the role of a father, be responsible and be the man everyone wanted and needed. Before my dad died he abused my mom and whenever I messed up my mom would compare me to that monster. It made me so mad that she'd compare to that abusive creature but I never really acted on it. I bottled it up inside and acted like everything was okay but one day something in me snapped.

"I'd missed curfew that night and my mom yelled at me saying I was beginning to be like my father who never came home on time. I yelled at her and I said things, bad things that I regret more than anything. She didn't reply me, she just walked out and headed to the kitchen and I ran to my room and locked myself in. The next morning I woke up and I saw her lying on the kitchen floor covered in blood and unconscious. My sister and I, we rushed her to the hospital and she managed to survive.

"She had spent the whole night contemplating on whether to kill herself or not and early in the morning she went through with killing herself. You know when I thought she was going to die I was angry at myself. I hated myself and I hated to be living. I thought I didn't deserve to live because I'd said things to my own mother that had pushed her to her suicide. Imagine having your own mother want to kill herself because of you; that kills you on the inside.

"I was always furious and mad those days. I was mostly mad at myself and I hated myself for what I'd done. When we met I was already going through that phase but somehow I could conceal it well. My anger became me; I became a subject to my own anger. When I started abusing you, I felt better about myself. Every time I inflicted pain on you I felt like I was less mad at myself. It made me feel better about myself. I don't even know why it did but I just felt like I hated myself less.

"Knowing how much you'd begin to hate yourself and blame yourself for being abused made me feel like I wasn't alone. The thought of not being alone in the cold dark world that was my life made me feel accomplished. I'm sorry Grace, now that I've gotten help I understand how wrong I was. What I did is unforgivable and I understand that. I don't expect you to ever forgive me but I hope you'll try. I am so sorry for what I did to you. I ruined your life. What was meant to be a high school cliché romance story turned into something ugly by me and I regret it every single day of my existence. I'm sorry Grace."

I stared at him and I just sighed before wiping the tears that were on my cheeks. I couldn't believe it; my whole life had been ruined by a man who just wanted me to feel like he did. How sad and miserable was that?

"You're sad Jack," I managed to whisper while I tried to stop crying. "Who does that, what you did to me? You hurt me in unimaginable ways, you've ripped me of everything I had and you're just going to say sorry? No, you can't just say sorry! It's your fault that I can't love my own husband. You ruined me Jack and yeah I will never ever forgive you. If it was up to me, that time, I would have killed you and I wish I had."

I glared at him before getting up to leave but he held my hand to stop me. "Let me go," I muttered through gritted teeth and he let me go reluctantly with a sad expression which made me furious. He had absolutely no right to be sad.

"I regret what I did Grace which is why I want us to start an organization together."

I stopped walking and I turned to look at him incredulously.

"What organization?" I questioned crossing my arms against my chest.

"I want you and me to work together to help women and men who are in our situation. We raise awareness and we also help those people out of those situations. Men like me would get help, on us and the women would also get help plus and a small amount to start their new lives. I get that you don't want to forgive me but let's work together on this. We could change a few lives. We've both been there before but we survived it because of the help we got; let's help others as well," he said.

As he was talking I felt the need to help others who were in my situation. Luca had helped me and it was about time I became someone's savior as well. It was about time I did something to help others, maybe that would fill the empty void in my heart.

"Let's do it. I want to help all the women who've been through what I've been through find themselves," I replied and he smiled before we shook hands and began walking back to my hotel room.

"Do you hate me?" Jack asked me as we neared the hotel.

"Of course I do," I replied glancing at him and he chuckled but I didn't miss the way he flinched before chuckling.

"I'm sorry," he said and I shook my head.

"I can't ever forgive Jack but I can suppress my hate for you just so that we work together and help other women and men out there. I know we can make a difference together and that's just what I want us to do. Besides that, I absolutely hate you and I wish you were dead, everyday."     

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