Something was wrong.

Something was definitely wrong with Grace and of course she wasn't telling me.

Why would she?

And I should be fine with that. There was no reason I should even care about what she was hiding from me. Her business wasn't mine.

Yet I was still helping her.

I leaned my head back against the seat, stopping the car at the red traffic signal. I hadn't slept the entire night and not just because I was the one driving.

No, it was because of her. She was right beside me.

How was I even supposed to think straight when she was right here? I didn't even know why I was helping her. I didn't even know what I was doing. I wasn't supposed to care for her anymore.

I didn't care about her.

She had left two years ago. She was going to leave again and this, any of this, shouldn't concern me.

"We're in Philadelphia, aren't we?" Grace asked, looking out of the window.

I couldn't help but glance at her again. Her soft blonde hair reaching past her shoulders. Her eyes looking around with clear interest.

I frowned and looked away. "Yeah."

"And how are we supposed to meet...Chase?" She asked, looking at me this time.

Once again, I found myself thinking why she was even looking for Chase in the first place. What was it that she needed to know so badly?

A murder.

I knew her parents were somehow involved in this—I knew that because of Wes. Wesley Montero.

"There's an auction tonight. He's going to be there." I spoke up. "We'll have to look for a hotel to stay in."

She nodded, continuing to look out of the window. Meanwhile, I remembered back to the conversation I had with Wes, when I had gone to see him in the prison.

"Why are you here, Jackson? You want yourself dead?" Wes glared at me from behind the metal bars.

I glanced over at the guards pacing around the area. I knew how little time I had before I'd have to leave.

"Not now, Wes." I spoke up. "What is it that you know about Grace? Grace Collins?"

Wes smirked at that. "I knew you would ask me about that girl."

"Speak, Montero." I glared at him.

He let out a short laugh, but spoke up anyway. "I've heard the Collins name a lot around Chase. I don't know anything about that girl. But that bastard, her father, he's hiding shit."

I tried not to show the surprise on my face.

"He'll pay for it." Wes added. Then almost immediately, he let out another laugh. "Actually, he is paying for it."

•••••

"There's only one room available, sir." The receptionist girl spoke up, looking at me with raised brows.

One room.

What the fuck did my life have against me?

"One room's fine." I said, urging myself not to groan out loud. Grace was somewhere behind me, sitting on one of the couches in the waiting area. She looked sick. Not the type of sick she looked when she woke up this morning.

Carsick.

I knew I was bad at a lot of things. I knew that things between us weren't the same anymore. But I clearly knew when she lied. And she was lying when she went alone with that stupid excuse.

Dragging a hand up my face, I took the room key from the receptionist and went over towards Grace. She looked at me and stood up almost immediately.

"You got the rooms?" She asked.

"Room." I corrected her before walking off towards the elevator. "There was just one available." I didn't see her reaction. I didn't want to. Mainly because I was questioning my own life right at that moment.

"Lucius?" She spoke up behind me. I inwardly cringed at that name.

Could she make this more worse?

Instead, I just looked at her with a straight face. She blinked and looked around. "Is there any payphone here? I needed to–"

The exact moment, the elevator doors opened. Grace frowned slightly before heading inside. I followed right behind her. There were three more people besides us, which was more than fine.

I blew out a tired sigh, once again thinking as to what I was really doing right now, right here. Ryder had no idea that I was here and he most definitely wouldn't be happy when he finds out.

When the elevator doors opened, I got out and Grace followed behind me. I repeated her words back in my head when we hadn't been in the elevator.

The room key in one hand, I took out my phone from my back pocket and gave it to her. "Here."

She looked down at my phone in surprise. Like always, sometimes she forgot to hide her emotions, and that just made her seem more real.

More like the Grace I knew.

"I can–"

"Take it, Rose. I don't think there are any payphones around here." I raised a brow at her. She slowly reached out her hand and took the phone.

"Thanks." Just a small whisper.

I turned around and opened the wooden door.

Room 247

The door opened and I went inside, aware of Grace's presence behind me. Thankfully, the room was big enough, harsh sunlight coming from the big glass windows.

And just one bed.

Guess I'd be sleeping on the couch tonight.

Grace went ahead and walked towards the window, dialing someone's number. Part of me wanted to know who she was calling. Her parents?

I placed the room key on the side table when I heard her speak, "Fraser?"

I stiffened in response.

She needed to call him? Him out of all the fucking people out there?

Inhaling sharply, I tried blocking out her voice and whatever she was talking about. I didn't need to hear it. I didn't need to know whatever that was going on between them both.

I had seen them both outside her house last night. I had seen him walking her to her house. And she had seemed happy with him.

Standing up, I walked outside, closing the door behind me.

For once, I was glad not to care.

_______________________________________________________________________

Make sure to click the ★ below ↓ if you liked this chapter.

Xoxo,

Crystal 🌿