The Road to Nowhere, and Everywhere - Part 2

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「 ✦ Ongoing ✦ About me ✦ Table of Content✦ 」

Even the brightest beginnings can cast long shadows… and secrets don’t stay buried forever.
Rated M

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Secrets

Grace was born and raised in Del Sol Valley alongside her cousin Braydon Ruiz. The two of them were thick as thieves—menaces as toddlers, inseparable as kids, and partners in crime as teenagers. She was a bright social butterfly with a hunger for life, despite tragically losing her mother at a young age. She would forever be grateful to her aunt, Katlyn Ruiz, who helped fill some of the void left by grief. Not to say that her father didn't play a crucial role in raising her into the fierce woman she became, but those who have truly experienced that type of loss would tell you that very few things in life can be replaced by another— a mother’s love being one those things. Of course, Katlyn’s love and attention couldn’t have been the same as her mother’s, but it was certainly the next best thing.

It was during those tumultuous yet exciting years of self-discovery that she met Jessie, a boy she instantly took a liking to. They dated throughout high school, and their bond remained strong even after graduation. At the time, Grace firmly believed their story would follow the classic cliché of high school sweethearts spending the rest of their lives together. She didn’t mind the stereotype—until that infamous day when she found him under the covers with another woman at a family party.

It all felt like yesterday. She still recalls that moment vividly as both dreadful and shocking. Dreams and aspirations slipped away as the sliding covers revealed the faces of those who betrayed her trust that day: Jessie and her second aunt, Brynn. It was as though her world had been turned upside down, and she struggled to process the tasteless scene she witnessed. It was hard to determine what was more repulsive: the fact that her boyfriend had shared intimacy with someone other than herself, or that he had chosen a married mother of five to fulfill a fantasy. 

There was no coming back from such a monumental betrayal, although Grace genuinely attempted to comprehend Jessie’s hasty explanations. However, none of it mattered at some point—only retribution did.

To this day, she never confided in the rest of the family about Brynn’s adultery, almost as if both she and her aunt had a silent agreement that no good could ever come from such a family scandal. Had she uttered the truth, Grace would have not only damaged the fraternal bond between her father, Katlyn, and Brynn but also the friendship between Braydon and Brynn's children. 

It is true that Grace could have shown greater wisdom by simply walking away and letting it all go. She considered it, until Brynn announced a new bundle of joy shortly after her 'extra-curricular activities.' Deep down, Grace knew the real identity of that child's father, and she also knew her aunt had no intention of facing the consequences of her actions. It wasn't about revenge anymore; it was about righting the disrespect Jessie and Brynn had inflicted upon their loved ones and defending her pride as a woman.

After weighing the collateral damage of exposing secrets, Grace decided her plan for revenge would start with Brynn's husband, Dominique.

Never had she been so determined, manipulative, and cunning in artfully orchestrating the demise of another person's reality. It was, by far, the darkest and lowest moment of her life. And although she may secretly feel proud of the way she took matters into her own hands, everything came at a price.

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