Chapter 4 Secrets and Lies

The night air seemed stifling as Lucas and Grace stood in the short alleyway, her phone still securely held onto in her palm. The message from Henry was like a chill settling deep into her bones.

"We both know you're not done with me, Grace. I know things about you, things you haven't told Lucas."

Grace's heart pounded in her chest. She wanted to toss her phone across the street, smash it, to not remember Henry's words and the significance of the implication. But she couldn't. Not now. Not when she was standing on the edge of everything, she thought she knew.

"What is it?" Lucas' voice broke through the tension, harsh and incomprehensible.

Grace paused for a second, shifting her focus from the television to his face. She wasn't sure what to do, but the real picture was right in front of her to see.

She showed him the message.

Lucas' expression dimmed, and his jaw stiffened as he read the words. He said nothing for a long time, his focus fixed on the screen, a small spark of skepticism in it. Grace felt the burden of his silence crushing over her chest, choking her.

Finally, he spoke. His voice was low, edged with something that felt like betrayal, though she knew it was all aimed at Henry.

"What's he talking about?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, but the intensity behind it could cut through glass.

Grace bit her lip. "I-I don't know. I swear to you, Lucas, I've never told Henry anything-"

"Then why would he say that?" he interrupted, the frustration evident in his tone.

Grace breathed nervously, her shields weakening beneath the pressure. She intended to share with him everything, to clarify, but the words were stuck in her mouth.

She couldn't just reveal the true story. Not yet. Not when everything she had built was on the verge of collapsing.

"I don't know," she answered carefully, the truth hanging hard on her lips. "But, I promise, it's not what you expected. Whatever Henry knows... it's something from my past. Something I've tried to leave behind."

Lucas's expression relaxed significantly, but an element of distrust persisted in his gaze. "A past you never shared with me?"

Her stomach tightened. "I did not want you to know. I never intended for you to become caught up in my mess.

Lucas did not reply. It was not necessary for him to. The stillness between them seemed more audible than anything he could utter. The barrier between them had grown, no matter how close they were, and it made her chest throb with a grief she had fought so hard to ignore.

"You ought to have informed me, Grace," Lucas eventually replied, his tone regretful rather than furious. "This whole mess..." "It could have been prevented if you hadn't concealed things from me."

She opened her mouth to make a point, but he interrupted her.

"Come on," he said, nodding his head. "Let's return to the house. We'll talk there."

Grace nodded, too exhausted to argue. She followed him back to the SUV in silence, each step heavy with unspoken words.

The ride back to Lucas's mansion was a blur. Grace couldn't stop thinking about the message, because Grace was unable to get the message out her mind, Henry's comments, and what classified information he kept from her.

She took a glance out through the window, watching the city lights glide by in flashes of gold and silver, but her attention was elsewhere-lost in the jumble of her memories. Her tangled web of lies.

What could Henry know? What had she hidden for so long that it could come back to destroy her now?

By the time they arrived at the mansion, Grace felt like she had been through a lifetime of emotions in just a few hours. Lucas walked her inside, his hand on the small of her back, leading her through the grand entrance to the study.

The room was not well illuminated, with the fireplace's mild glow casting lengthy darkness over the walls. Grace took a seat on one of the leather sofas, but her hands gripped securely in her lap. She could feel Lucas' stare at her, penetrating as he scrutinized her with exasperation and anxiety.

"I need to know, Grace," he interrupted the silence. "What is it that Henry knows about you?"

Her heart leaps a beat. She had been terrified of this moment. Everything she had swept under the carpet for years was about to be revealed.

"I-I have no idea," she replied, her voice shaking. "I did not believe Henry would eventually find out. I thought I had buried everything."

Lucas remained silent; his expression detached. But his eyes were filled with questions and disbelief. Grace could feel the pressure of those eyes on her, pushing her to explain, to finally be honest.

"I was involved in a... business deal a long time ago," Grace began, her voice low and uncertain. "It wasn't anything illegal, but it was... it was complicated. My father was desperate, and I did things I shouldn't have. Things that ended up hurting people."

She stopped, being nervous, and attempting to compose herself before continuing. "One of the people involved in the deal was... Henry. He was my family's business partner at the time. But it was more than that. He was manipulating me. And I-" She shut her eyes for a few seconds, attempting to block out the memories that tried to overwhelm her.

"Go on," Lucas said, his voice surprisingly kind.

"I got too close to him," she whispered. "I trusted him, I believed I was assisting him, but everything was a lie. He was exploiting me the entire time, making me believe I had done the right thing, but I was simply a puppet."

Grace's eyes hurt from tears she refused to weep. She'd lived with the consequences of her errors for years, like a perpetual shadow. But telling Lucas the truth-it felt like she was letting go of something she had held onto for far too long.

"But you didn't know," Lucas said, his voice steady, his eyes hardening. "He used you."

Grace nodded. "I was too naive to see it. Now, it all comes back to resort to me. I'm not sure how much Henry understands, but I can't let him ruin it all. I can't let him use me like this again."

Lucas took from where he'd been leaning against the desk, his expression thoughtful. "Then we'll stop him. Together."

Grace stared up at him, her breath caught in her throat. "What?"

He returned her stare, his eyes softening. "Whatever this is, whatever you're terrified of, we'll deal with it together. I've seen how deadly Henry is capable of, and I'm not about to let him harm you again."

She swallowed, the weight of his words sinking in. Could she really trust him?

Before she could reply, her phone rang in her pocket once more, breaking the silence. Grace pulled it out, already dreading what she might see.

Another message from Henry.

"You know the truth, Grace. And you know what happens when you keep secrets. Tell Lucas everything, or I will."

Her fingers trembled as she showed Lucas the message. He read it silently, his look of frustration with each word.

When he finished, he returned the phone to her.

"Tell me everything, Grace," he whispered calmly, but with such earnestness that there was no space for denial.