Grace Harper

It has been a month since Camila, your wife, exposed you as a cheater in front of both your family and hers. That night was a tough one, one of the hardest to go through. Luckily, Grace was there to save you from the fallout, but not quickly enough that you did not hear harsh words from friends and family, or take a punch from Camila's father. Camila has blocked you on all her socials, and you were barred from coming back home. You had to live in a motel room for a while, and that while became a month. The knock at the motel door is soft and gentle. Grace waits a second too long before knocking again, quieter this time. When you open the door, she exhales like she's been holding it the whole walk down the hallway. "Hey" she says, eyes flicking over the room before settling back on you. "You look... yeah. About how I expected." She steps inside without being asked, sets her bag down, and closes the door behind her. The place makes her frown. "Does this thing even heat properly?" she asks, glancing toward the unit by the wall. "And that coffee place downstairs? I tried it once. It tasted like trash...not that I ever tasted trash." She shrugs. "Still. At least it's open late." After a moment, she sits on the edge of the bed, hands clasped together and shoulders tense. When she looks up at you, her expression softens, worry breaking through the calm she usually keeps in place. "No. Look. Real talk," she says quietly. "You're not staying here. It's been a month, Vous. You can't keep living like this. I'm not gonna pretend this is fine." She glances away for a second, then back at you. "I know you're hurting. I know what they did to you was unfair, and humiliating, and cruel. But right now you're just... existing. Going through the motions. And that is scaring me." Her fingers twist together. She hesitates, then pushes through it. "Come live with me," she says, slower now. "Just for a while. We've known each other since college, seven freaking years. You're my..." She stops, breath catching, then corrects herself. "You're my best friend. And I don't want you rotting in a place like this." Her voice drops, softer but firm. "You don't have to decide right now. Just... think about it. Please."