Chasing Tide (A Merman's Tale And The Human Who Desired Him)

SHE KNOWS.

Chapter: 126.
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Gracie's eyebrows furrowed as she shook her head, placing two of her index finger under Maria's chin and lifting it so they were making eye contact. Gracie softened considerably when she spoke again. "Then out with it, tell me the truth, I know you didn't think to drive straight to my house just so you could lie to me I mean look at you, how long have you been crying for, huh?" Wiping her face with two fingers Gracie continued. "I can't believe you drove in this condition, you could have gotten yourself hurt. Whatever it is, Maria, you can tell me," Gracie insisted, her eyes glistening with concern.

And that is Gracie, she won't let go until she has pried the truth from you down to the last detail.

Maria bit her bottom lip hesitantly, thinking back to everything that led her here. When she left her home this morning she was hoping to get some solace in the arms of the man she had suddenly grown so fond of. She doesn't blame him for what he said or how he had treated her, surely she should have known better and he was right, they didn't need to be seen together just when they had plotted a kidnapping which involved her but after the argument, she had with Lina that morning it had somehow clouded her better judgment and she couldn't think of anyone better to console her than him and then he threw her out like that.

"Maria?" Gracie called calmly. "You're lost in your own thoughts again." Her eyes settled back on Gracie's when the woman started to brush strands of hair behind her ears. "Come inside and we can talk about this over a cup of tea, ok?"

Nodding, Maria followed Gracie into the house and made the short walk into the kitchen where she proceeded to sit quietly on one of the bar stools while she waited for the other woman to prepare them a mug. Once Gracie came back to sit across from Maria and take a sip of her drink, Maria opened her mouth.

"Everything seems to be falling apart, Gracie," Maria stated honestly.

Gracie nodded as she set her mug down on the island in front of her. "I'm sure it feels that way now but what happened? What things are falling apart?" Gracie asked.

"It's Lina, that nosy woman who has somehow managed to dig up my dirt. She knows about the fake pregnancy, she knows my secrets Gracie and I'm afraid she might bring it to Michael, that woman never liked me, she is willing to do anything as long as it gets me kicked out of that house, she knows too much, even about Lorenzo." Maria explained, her words beginning to get jumbled up together due to the tears welling in her eyes.

A heavy sigh escaped the older woman's lips and she placed her hand atop Maria's trembling ones. "That witch!" She muttered angrily through gritted teeth. "How did she know about him? I could have sworn only us four knew about your extramarital affairs."

Maria sniffed and wiped her tears away from her cheeks before she looked toward Gracie. "Apparently, she has known for a while now only playing the ignorant fool this entire time..." Her voice drifted off as her mind wandered back to that morning while she relates the entire story to her best friend.

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Lina was getting Allie ready for school when she walked into Allison's bedroom angrily demanding that Lina returned the Platinum Card she was certain she took from her bedroom drawer. Lina has always hated the fact that she could access Michael's money whenever and however she deemed fit and this had caused several uprisings between them over the years but more often than not Michael would shut her down whenever she brought the issue up to him and Maria couldn't be happier that her husband often takes her side against the crazy old hag. Although she has tried multiple times to get Michael to let her go, none has worked. Lina seems to have blinded Michael with her witchery and spells-like fog clogged his eyes. He loves that woman so much it sickens her.

Once she saw she could never win against her she ignored her altogether and went on with her life after all she is the one married to him and not her, no matter how she prides herself she will always be beneath her, Lina the maid.

But lately, she had begun to notice an unusual pattern in Lina's behavior, she tended to provoke her more than usual, Lina seemed to be looking for a reason to push her over the edge, to drag them into a heated argument and Maria has avoided all her tricks until now. She had noticed the Card gone from its usual spot, no one else would take it but Lina and she had been so angry, she didn't bother to wait until her daughter was out of the house, blinded by rage she stormed into Allison's room and began yanking the woman up from her kneeling position where she was fixing the little girl's shoes, dragging her up by the hair and Lina cried out in both pain and anger, she has had enough and it's about damn time she put this wayward woman in her place. As she pried her fingers away from her burning scalp she turned to face Maria who didn't hesitate to land her with a heavy slap and while she tried to register what she had done another slap met the same cheeks, foaming now with rage Lina shoved Maria who stumbled backward with a force that had her back hitting the doors, it stung her back like hell.

The eight-year-old sat there and watched in pure horror as her mother lost her sanity, attacking and yelling profanities at the seemingly helpless old woman. When she couldn't bear it anymore she rushed in between both women with hands spread out to keep them from getting to each other then she met her mother's gaze with tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. "Mommy, stop!" She pleaded but Maria only groaned, and dragged the girl out by the hand. Without an apology, she tore the bedroom door open and pushed the girl out of the bedroom yelling for her to go find her driver to take her to school and shutting the door at her now crying daughter, she faced Lina once again.

"You think you can turn both my husband and daughter against me, huh, you bitch!"

"Look who is speaking of husband. Do you even know you're married or have a daughter, huh? You know what, you are shameless, Maria, you call him your husband yet you dare bring a man into his home to defy his bed!" Lina spat out, her eyes narrowed into slits. Maria took a step back, her eyes began to widen in both shock and fear at what Lina had said. "Why? Cat got your tongue now? Oh, you think I don't know, are you surprised by that, you ungrateful wench!" Lina watched as Maria lost the ability to speak but she wasn't finished with her yet. Years of enduring her have gotten to her last nerves. "I don't understand what Michael saw in you, why he has to marry you but you can fool him and even fool your daughter but you can't fool me!"

Maria stumbled at her feet, with each word came a sword slicing repeatedly at her heart. She tried desperately to think of a response but nothing came to mind, what could she possibly say to counter what the woman had said, Lina looked so confident, Maria knew without a doubt that the woman knows more than she could ever imagine.

"I know you want to know how I found out, I'll tell you."

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