A/N: Hi everyone and happy 8-8! I'm so excited to be back! Writing this series has been so much fun for me and I hope you're all enjoying it. I think there's going to be stuff in this story that you're all really going to like. I'm going to try to update every Sunday like I did last time but I might have to skip some weeks because I'll be busy - it's the end of summer, and soon my senior year of high school is going to start (oh my God guys I'm getting OLD). I don't know if I'll be able to update this Sunday or not because I think I might be out of town that day, but we'll see. And just so you know your feedback and reviews always encourage me to post more!

Oh, and in case you didn't read my sneak peek, the first half of this story will include flashforwards, just like The Revengers. They'll last until Chapter 5. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I am not the creator of Revenge.

February 14, 2017 11:00 p.m.

Southampton, New York

Everyone has secrets.

The party was in full swing around him – dancing, drinking, talking, and laughing. The foyer to Ellis Manor had been adorned with seasonal decorations – strings of heart shaped lights, bouquets of red roses, even pink champagne and rosé to drink. But instead of joining in on the festivities Nolan Ross simply stood by himself, leaning up against the wall, staring dejectedly into his champagne flute. He watched as a random couple smiled at each other, dancing to a Frank Sinatra song, and took another swig of his drink.

Things which they keep locked up inside.

Across the room, Amanda Porter (née Clarke) glanced at him over her shoulder. "We can't tell him," She said, turning back to her husband Jack. "He'll freak."

"Are you sure?" Jack said. "I mean, this concerns him too –"

"I'm sure," Amanda insisted. "This has to stay between us, alright?"

Jack nodded in agreement. "Don't worry – we'll take care of this. I know you – you always have a plan."

Reluctantly, Amanda smiled slightly. "Okay, so I might be coming up with a few possibilities in my head…"

He beamed with pride and took a drink of his champagne. "That's my girl."

She looked over again, her smile fading as she watched Nolan, standing by himself drinking across the room. "He doesn't deserve any of this." She said. "After everything he's been through, he deserves happiness. And I don't want to take that from him…"

"You won't." Jack promised. "He's our best friend - we're not going to let anything happen to him."

When she turned back around, Amanda had a mischievous glint in her eye. "I have a plan."

"Okay, what are we –" He was caught off guard when she kissed him firmly on the mouth. "What was that for?"

"Because I love you." She explained. "And I need to get my mind off this. It is Valentine's Day, after all."

Jack gave her a look. "You hate Valentine's Day. You called it an excuse to sell Hallmark cards."

Amanda shrugged. "It is – but you said you wanted to make me like it." She smirked. "But you know, if you're not confident in your ability to succeed…"

He chuckled at the nature of her challenge and placed his glass down on the nearest table, then took her hand in his. "Fine, you're on."

Threatening to boil over at any moment.

While the couple snuck off like the two crazy high school kids they never got to be together, Nolan's attention was diverted when he caught sight of the woman descending the stairs. Her hair was cascading in loose waves past her shoulders and she wore a body-hugging silver dress, but her appearance did not faze him tonight. She smiled as she approached him. "Hi," She said. "Can I steal you for a dance?" She reached to grab his arm but he yanked it away. He could see the look of confusion cross her face. "What's wrong?"

Nolan shook his head at her, his jaw clenched. "Olivia…" He began, his voice stern. "I know."

This only perplexed her more. "You know what?"

Everyone has secrets, whether they be little white lies they once told, or skeletons in their closets which could possibly ruin lives.

The doorbell rang, effectively distracting them mid-conversation. Louise went to get it, teetering-tottering in her sky-high heels, a drink still in her hand. "Come on in y'all, party's just getting star–" She froze when she saw the people standing outside her front door – definitely not more guests. In a matter of seconds the entire party was suddenly silenced, all gawking at their unexpected visitors.

The two cops took a step forward. "Sorry to bother you ma'am," One said. "But are you Louise Ellis?"

Louise nodded slowly. "Yes…can I help you officers with something?"

"We're sorry to break up your party," The second cop said. "But we have some questions for you – about a murder."

And it's only a matter of time until they get out.

October 12, 2016

Four Months Earlier...

Nolan checked his phone one more time, only to find that none of his messages had been answered. He shrugged off his lack of a response however – perhaps Hailey was still in her afternoon class, or was preoccupied with her studies. So instead he simply texted her to meet him as soon as she was done, then – after using the copy of the key he had made – pushed open the door to the Chamberlain beach house, the place where Olivia and Hailey had spent the beginning of their summer.

Inside, it looked completely dead. All of the furniture was covered in sheets, most of the possessions cleared out. But Nolan couldn't help himself – he just wanted to peruse the house one more time, see if there was something he'd missed before. He searched the living room first, lifting the sheets off the furniture to see if anything lurked underneath. He uprooted all the couch and chair cushions, only to find nothing but lint and loose change. He opened every drawer, and again found nothing useful. He then went upstairs and checked the bathroom medicine cabinet. Inside was only toothpaste, a box of tampons and - ugh - KY jelly, and Nolan gagged as he closed the door. The mental image of the Chamberlains having sex - or worse, Chamberlain and Olivia having sex - was enough to make his stomach churn.

He was beginning to feel stupid now - maybe coming here hadn't been as good an idea as he thought. He walked into the master bedroom, which had been completely stripped except for the mattress on the bed. He plopped down on it dejectedly, plotting his next move. But as his hand brushed past the edge of the mattress he felt...something.

Nolan stood up and flipped the mattress off the bed - it landed on the floor with a loud thud, but Nolan was instead focused on the little book which he now saw discarded beneath it. He picked it up and recognized it immediately - it looked just like the journals of Olivia's that Hailey had shown him. Why had she stuffed it under the mattress? He hesitated for a moment - it felt weird to be read someone else's private thoughts, but he knew he had to. She might have written down something important.

Nolan opened to the first page and saw something strange - out of the whole book, only one page had been written on. And while all of the diaries Hailey had shown him were from years before, this entry had been dated only a few months previously.

As Nolan read the words on the page, they sent him reeling. "Oh my God."

He had to see Olivia.

Charlotte could not conceal her smile as she walked back to her dorm room after class, reading another text message from Drew. I missed having your pretty head on the pillow next to mine this morning. Dinner at six-thirty sound good?

Her grin unfaltering, she texted back that it was a date. Smiling, Charlotte headed down her hallway, already picturing in her mind what she would wear, but she stopped just short of her room.

The door to Hailey's dorm was wide open and the music blasting out of the radio was so powerful it nearly sent Charlotte staggering backwards. "Why are you playing that so loud?" She said, practically having to scream to have herself heard. She walked into the room, hands over her ears, and turned it off forcefully, before her eardrums could burst.

Hailey sat up slowly from where she'd been laying down on the bed. "I was listening to that," She deadpanned, her voice completely devoid of any decipherable emotion.

"Since when do you listen to heavy metal?" Charlotte said – her ears were still ringing. She took in her friend's appearance – her usual, normal clothes replaced with a strapless top, short skirt and high heeled boots, much more revealing than anything she'd seen her wear before. "Why are you dressed like that? And why weren't you in class today?"

"I just didn't want to go," Hailey said. She stood up and walked over to her desk, pawing around for some lipstick in her makeup bag. "And I have plans tonight."

"I thought you were meeting with Nolan – to talk about your mother's appeal."

Hailey turned around to face her, a frown on her face. "What's there to talk about?" She snapped. "It's hopeless."

"Don't say that –" Charlotte began, but they were cut off by the arrival of two unexpected visitors, standing in the open doorway. Charlotte did not recognize either of them – one was a blonde haired, blue-eyed pretty boy, while the other had the tall, dark and handsome thing going for him.

"Sorry," The former said. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, just a sec." Hailey said, grabbing her jacket. Charlotte gave her a look.

"Where are you going now?"

Hailey rolled her eyes. "Easy, Mom." She said sarcastically. "This is Gavin –" The first boy gave a half-wave. "And Cole." The second boy nodded his head. "We're going out."

"Study group," The second boy – Cole – said. He held up his messenger bag, for evidence, and plopped down on the chair while Hailey finished putting on her makeup. "We'd offer to let you join, but we're already full. Sorry."

Charlotte was still not convinced. "And what exactly are you studying?"

"I'm tutoring them," Hailey said quickly – a little too quickly, in Charlotte's opinion. "In calculus."

"Yeah," Gavin laughed. "Cole and I are so hopeless at math - that's why we need Hailey."

Charlotte turned and picked up a book off Hailey's nightstand. "You might want to take your calculus textbook, then."

Hailey blushed and grabbed it. "Thanks. You know what they say - I'd lose my head…"

"Well we gotta go," Cole interjected. "Those functions aren't gonna solve themselves."

"Right," Hailey agreed. "I'll text you later, Char?" She turned to go and the two boys followed her, the three of them heading off together. For a moment, Charlotte thought about going after them, but then decided against it. Hailey was a big girl who could make her own decisions, and things had been hard for her lately - they were probably just going to a party, maybe to have a few beers. She would be a hypocrite to stop Hailey when she'd done the same thing before.

She returned to her dorm room and changed into a cute dress – little, black, and totally sexy – in preparation for her date with Drew that night. She was about to do her hair when she remembered – she'd leant Hailey her curling iron, and forgotten to ask for it back. Charlotte headed back over to her friend's dorm and began to look for it when she noticed something.

There was a guy's hooded sweatshirt thrown over the back of the chair where Cole had been sitting before – he must've forgotten it in their haste. Curiosity getting the best of her, Charlotte walked over and picked it up. She stuck in her hand in the pocket and her fingers came into contact with something strange. She pulled it out and gasped audibly - it was a plastic baggie...full of coke.

"Goddamnit, Hailey." She muttered. "I'm so going to kick your ass." She reached into the other pocket, hoping to find some clue to where Hailey could've possibly gone and not more illegal substances. Sure enough she found a crumpled up flyer, advertising a party at Alpha Tau Omega – happening right now.

She raced back to her room and grabbed her keys, and then hurried out the door.

"Auntie Lulu!"

The Southern belle looked up from packing up her bag after a day of lounging and enjoying the unseasonably nice weather, and grinned as she spotted little Carl Porter running towards her. "Hi, honey bun!" She said, happily accepting the child's offer of a hug. "How are you?"

"Are you going to have dinner with us, Auntie Lulu?" The little boy asked excitably. He absolutely loved Louise and Nolan, and considered them his aunt and uncle even though they shared no biological relation.

"That depends," Louise said teasingly. "Is your mama cooking or your daddy?"

"Daddy is," Carl answered, and then he giggled. "Mommy made the kitchen smoke when she tried to cook."

Louise laughed and bopped him on the nose. "Dinner sounds great – I'll be right inside, okay?" Carl nodded and turned to run back into the beach club, surely to tell his father and stepmother that Auntie Lulu was going to have dinner with them.

She went back to what she had been doing, putting her book back in her bag and pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head, when she heard unfamiliar laughter. "He is so cute," A woman said. She looked older – in her early fifties probably – and was sitting a few lounge chairs down. "Is he your son?"

Louise smiled at her and shook her head. "I wish – I'm friends with his mama and daddy. But he is precious, isn't he?"

The woman nodded. "He reminds me of my son, when he was little…" She trailed off, a faraway look in her eye.

"How old is your son?"

The woman visibly paled. "He was thirty-one...He passed away, unfortunately."

"Oh my Lord," Louise said, a hand over her heart. "I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have asked…"

"It's okay," The woman insisted. "You couldn't have possibly known." She smiled feebly and got up, walking over towards Louise and extending her hand in introduction. "I'm Martha."

Louise smiled and shook her hand. "Louise Ellis. Lovely to meet you."

"Southern girl I see," Martha said. "I'm from Alabama, myself."

"Georgia," Louise said with a smile. "What brings you all the way up to New York?"

"Just a visit – I've decided I'm going to start a charity up here." Martha explained. "In honor of my son." She shook her head. "But I honestly have no idea where to start…"

A thought dawned on Louise and her face lit up, her Southern hospitality kicking into high gear. "Well, I could help!"

Martha shook her head. "Oh no, I don't want your money…"

"It doesn't have to be money, necessarily. I could provide some guidance, or at least get the word out…What do you say?"

Slowly, Martha smiled too. "That's very generous of you, thank you. I'm staying at The South Fork Inn – we could meet for lunch there tomorrow to discuss? Say – twelve o'clock?" Louise nodded while Martha started to head on her way – but then she paused for a moment, deep in thought. "If I can just prevent one child," She told Louise. "One, from taking his life like Lucas did...it will all be worth it."

While Martha gathered up her stuff, Louise's face fell. Did she say...? "I'm sorry," She said. "What did you say your name was again?"

The woman turned to go, and smiled at Louise over her shoulder. "Martha," She said. "Martha Barlow."

"So – how are things with you and Charlotte?"

Drew smiled at the mention of his girlfriend's name, and looked at Spencer across the table. "They're awesome," He answered. "I really like her, man. I don't think I've ever felt this way about...well, anyone."

"That's great," Spencer told him truthfully. "I know how badly you wanted this…"

"It's actually our one month anniversary, so I'm taking her out to dinner." At this, Spencer laughed into his drink. "What's so funny?"

"One month anniversary?" Spencer said. "You are so whipped."

Drew shook his head at him. "Don't act like if you ever got a girlfriend you wouldn't be a million times worse…"

Spencer placed a hand on his chest, feigning hurt. "I'm offended," He said, but he couldn't maintain a straight face. "But okay, yeah you're totally right."

Drew laughed, but then his phone vibrated in his pocket. "That's probably her right now," He said. Spencer took a sip of his beer while Drew checked his phone, but he watched Drew's happy expression turn to one of disappointment.

"What's wrong?" He asked, worried about his best friend's well-being immediately. "Charlotte okay?"

"She cancelled our date tonight," Drew said. "She wants to do it another time…"

"Wow, that sucks. Did she tell you why?"

Drew looked up and shook his head. "She didn't say…"

Spencer rose and motioned for his friend to do the same. "Well, guess you're stuck having dinner with me instead. I'll even cook."

Drew cracked a half-smile. "We better eat here then – I don't want food poisoning."

The two chuckled as they walked over to the beach club's bar. Business was beginning to slow down as it approached the hour that was too late for lunch and still a little early for dinner. Amanda was counting the money in the cash register and Jack was stacking glasses before they went home for the evening. Carl was sitting on one of the bar stools, fascinated by how it swiveled back and forth.

"Do you guys want more drinks?" Amanda asked when she saw them.

"Food, actually." Spencer said. He and Drew sat down at the two stools next to Carl. "Charlotte had to cancel on him."

"Why don't you guys come have dinner with us?" Jack offered. "We have room for two more."

The two guys shared a look and Drew shrugged. "Sure, sounds great."

Louise walked in then – one of the straps of her sundress had slipped down her shoulder and she was carrying her wedge sandals in her hand. "Hey," She said to Amanda and Jack, leaning up against the bar. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," Amanda said. "Oh, and Drew and Spencer are joining us for dinner. You don't mind, do you?"

Louise looked at the two younger men and plastered on her biggest, brightest, most forced smile. "Of course I don't mind! Would you give us a moment alone, darlings? No offense, of course."

"Okay…" Drew said. He turned to Carl. "Do you want to go look at some of the boats, buddy?"

The little boy nodded emphatically. "Okay!" He jumped down from his stool and Drew and Spencer both smiled, then started to follow him out.

As they headed for the door, Spencer clamped a hand on Drew's shoulder. "Who needs Charlotte, right?"

February 14, 2017 11:25 p.m.

The party dispersed after the cops arrived, the officers escorting the five remaining guests into the living room to talk. On the loveseat, Louise sat with her legs crossed. Olivia and Hailey were both on the couch, shoulder to shoulder, while Nolan stood in the corner – it almost looked like he was sulking. The two cops stood in the center of the room and Drew stood back, watching. He took a long sip of his champagne. This night had taken an interesting turn.

Amanda and Jack both slipped into the room then – they'd disappeared at some point during the party. "Todd? Barry?" The latter said, clearly recognizing the two police officers.

The first cop perked up. "Hey – how ya been Porter?" The three men greeted each other warmly, and Drew wasn't exactly sure how they knew each other. It wasn't important, he supposed.

"So," The other cop said. "This is your wife?"

Amanda smiled at him and walked over. "Amanda," She introduced herself. "Hi." Behind her husband's back she tucked in the tail of his shirt – clearly attempting to be discreet - but Drew saw, and from Louise's raised eyebrow it seemed she had too. He took another long swig, not wanting to think about what they must've been doing moments ago.

"I wish I could say we were meeting under better circumstances," The second cop said.

"Yeah," Jack said. "What is this about, exactly?"

The two officers exchanged a look. "We need to ask all of you some questions," The first one explained. "About a murder that happened tonight."

As the officers explained the situation again, Drew turned at the sound of footsteps behind him. "Hey, where have you been? The cops are here."

"Cops?" Charlotte repeated. She walked over to stand next to him and Drew saw her discreetly wipe her nose with her finger.

"You okay?" He asked. She just seemed so...off. She was jittery, her hands were shaking, and her pupils were dilated. It was almost as if…

"Yeah, I'm fine." Charlotte said, quick to dismiss it. She turned to walk away but Drew grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at him.

"Charlotte," He said, his voice low but firm. "Are you high right now?"

"What are you talking about?" She said. She tried to laugh it off, but Drew wasn't fooled – she was physically shaking and she shifted nervously, like she had something to hide.

"You are high." He said. This time, it wasn't a question. "Char..."

Charlotte stepped back, wrenching her arm free. "Just leave me alone, okay?" She snapped. "It's none of your goddamn business. You're not my boyfriend." And then she stormed off the way she came before Drew could say anything more.

October 12, 2016

Louise stood outside the beach club, staring up at the sun as it began its descent across the sky, waiting for Amanda and Jack to turn the bar over to the night manager and come join her. The couple walked out of the beach club a moment later, smiling and laughing about something, his arm around her waist. "So," Amanda said. "You wanted to talk?"

Louise nodded, not sure how to begin. "Do y'all want to take a walk down to the beach before we meet the boys at the dock? This is kinda important." The couple nodded in agreement.

The three of them walked down, shoes being removed as they reached the sand. "Remember what I told y'all," She began. "About how I was trying to get information from Chamberlain?"

"How could we forget?" Jack said. "Why?"

"Well after the Chamberlains realized that I wasn't going to let myself be so easily manipulated," Louise explained. "They...they asked someone to kill me."

"What?" Amanda and Jack both said at the same time. Clearly, this was new information to them.

"How is this the first we're hearing of this?" Amanda asked.

"I'm sorry, I was just so scared after it happened," Louise responded. "I went after the man who tried to kill me, to see what I could find…" She trailed off, then blurted it out: "The man who tried to kill me was Lucas Barlow."

"The Liberator who killed himself?" Jack asked.

Louise nodded. "Only he didn't kill himself," She said. She skimmed her foot across the lapping water of the ocean, and it was cold on her toes. "Nolan and I think...he might've been murdered."

"What?" They gasped – again, unintentionally in almost perfect synchronization.

"Think about it," Louise continued. "Brett and Sonya asked him to get rid of me. If he told them he wouldn't, or they thought he might tell on them...I wouldn't put it past them to have killed him."

"Okay, okay." Amanda said. "So you think the Chamberlains killed Barlow. But why are you telling us this now?"

"Because," Louise said nervously. "Because today at the beach club, I met...Martha Barlow. Lucas's mama."

"His mother?" Jack gasped. "Please tell me you didn't talk to her…"

Louise bit down on her lip. "I did. And I might've promised to help her with her charity…"

"Louise," Amanda said firmly. "This is a bad idea. You have to stay away from her."

"But doesn't she deserve to know her son didn't kill himself?"

"Louise, you don't even know for sure," Jack told her. "How do you know that Lucas didn't feel remorseful for trying to kill you and took his own life as a result? There's no proof that he was murdered."

"His car wasn't there the day he died," Louise explained. "I saw someone drive off in it. And I don't know, I just...I just have a feeling, that Chamberlain hurt him."

"Even if that is the case, Chamberlain is dangerous, Louise. Do you honestly think that he didn't cover his tracks? I mean, the cops ruled it a suicide."

"And I know you feel bad," Amanda added. "But Lucas Barlow was a terrorist too. He wasn't exactly innocent."

Louise looked down, drawing a circle in the sand with her toe. "I guess you're right…" She said.

"Come on," Jack said. "Let's go to the docks…" The couple kept walking, heading back up the beach, but Louise hung back for a second, watching as the waves came in. They rolled in, wetting her toes, and then went back out, wiping away any remnants of the picture she'd drawn moments before.

"Move!" Charlotte ordered, shoving her way through the crowd at the Alpha Tau Omega house. People gave her annoyed looks but she pressed on with determination. The place was jam packed and she scanned the foyer, looking for Hailey.

"Excuse me," piped up a voice. There was an underclassmen standing at the doorway with a clipboard, clearly forced to be the bouncer by his older peers. "Who invited you?"

She glanced over his shoulder, ignoring him as he continually pestered her for a name. Finally, Charlotte spotted Gavin and Cole, laughing together obnoxiously in the next room. "Them," She said, shoving him aside. "I'm with them."

She stormed over, unwavering in her purpose. Gavin and Cole both smirked when they saw her but before they could speak she shoved Cole's sweatshirt back into his arms. "You forgot this at Hailey's," She snapped. "And don't worry – the coke's still there."

The two boys laughed - it was clear they were both insanely drunk. "Thanks, baby doll." Cole said, checking to verify her statement. He pulled out the baggie and Charlotte's fists clenched as he lifted it up, directly in her line of vision. All she could think about was how dependent she used to be on the drug, how it dictated her life…

An excited squeal diverted her attention. "Charlie!" Someone cried and she turned to see Hailey, running towards her with arms outstretched. Her blonde hair was flying uncontrollably and she was missing one of her shoes, causing her to teeter totter and practically fall onto Charlotte, narrowly catching herself and throwing her arms around the other girl. "You came!" She said, dragging her words out so it sounded like you caaaaaaaaaaame. Hailey threw her head back and laughed at nothing. "Oh my God, I'm having so much fun. Are you having so much fun? I'm having so much fun." She giggled and put a hand over her mouth. "Oopsie, I said that already!"

Gavin and Cole both laughed in amusement, while Charlotte reeled back from the pungent smell on her friend's breath. "You got her high?"

"Relax, it's just pot." Gavin laughed. "She's such a lightweight. But we hear you like the good stuff." Beside him, Cole waved the baggie in the air, clearly trying to tempt her.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes at them. "I don't do that anymore – and Hailey doesn't do that period. I'm gonna take her home." She turned to Hailey and placed a hand on her cheek. "Hailey, honey, I'm going to take you back now okay?"

"No!" Hailey whined. "Charlie, I'm having so –" She paused then, her eyes going wide. She looked positively...green. She effectively cut herself off, running towards the bathroom before she could empty the contents of her stomach all over the floor.

Gavin and Cole both chuckled. "Like I said," Gavin told her. "Lightweight." Charlotte rolled her eyes – jerks.

She walked off towards the bathroom. There was a line of girls outside but she made her way to the front despite their protests and knocked on the door. "Hailey?" She said softly. "Hailes, can I come in?" She only heard gagging noises in response. With a sigh, Charlotte pushed open the door and stepped inside.

She found Hailey on her knees, her head in the toilet, puking her guts out. "Oh Hailey…" She said, walking over to pull her friend's hair back so she could vomit. She sat there for a few moments until finally Hailey calmed down, drunkenly pressing her forehead against the cool porcelain of the toilet seat. Charlotte grabbed some toilet paper and instructed the girl to lift her head up, which she did feebly, so Charlotte could wipe off her face. She'd been in this situation herself many times, and she wished she'd had a friend there to look out for her back then.

She sat back down on the floor and Hailey drowsily lowered her head onto Charlotte's lap, curling up into a ball and moaning quietly. Charlotte ran her fingers through her hair, watching her worriedly.

The door opened again and Gavin peeked his head in. "Sorry," He said. "Can I come in?" Charlotte opened her mouth to tell him no but he stepped inside before he could. He had three water bottles. "For you guys," He said. "I'm sorry - we should've known better than to give her so much." He held two bottles of water out, extending them for Charlotte to take.

After a moment's hesitation, Charlotte accepted his peace offering. "Yeah," She said. "You should've." She placed one of them off the side – as Hailey seemed to be if not asleep then close to it – and took the other for herself. She took a sip and – realizing how thirsty she was – followed it up with several more, larger gulps.

As Charlotte continued to drink greedily, the bathroom door opened yet again and Cole stepped inside. He'd put back on the sweatshirt Charlotte had returned to him. "Hey," He said. "She okay?"

Gavin nodded. "She's fine – she puked and now she's passed out."

Cole bopped his head. "Good."

While the two of them started to talk about something, Charlotte – who had drained half of the water bottle now – was feeling strange. Her mouth had this odd...tingling sensation, numbness almost. She felt...druggy. "What did you put in this?" She snapped at Gavin, redirecting the two boys' attention back to her.

They both began to laugh immediately. "Oh," Gavin said. "That's X."

Charlotte's eyes widened. "There's ecstasy in this?" She screeched.

The boys only continued to chuckle. "Well," Gavin told her. "It was supposed to be for me. Whoops."

Laughing, Cole stuck his hands in his pocket. "Hey, since the girl's gonna be okay, why don't we have a little fun?" He pulled out the bag of coke again and Gavin stepped out of the way. Cole began to pour it onto the countertop in lines, while Gavin rolled up a dollar bill.

He gave Cole the honor of the first hit and Charlotte watched in a mixture of horror, disgust and – worst of all – eagerness as he snorted a line. "Well, what do you say?" Cole asked as Gavin took his turn, wiping off his nose. "You want in?" Gavin stood up with a wicked smile on his face and extended the dollar bill to her in offering.

By this point, Charlotte's head was spinning. She be lying if she said she hadn't been tempted on the ride over to pop open Cole's stash and have some. She was an addict – no amount of rehab or length of sobriety would fully kill the urge. Sometimes, she'd still have dreams about it.

Maybe it was that little voice in the back of her head, desperate for a high. Or maybe it was the unspecified amount of ecstasy, its inhibition lowering powers already making their way through her bloodstream. She looked down at Hailey, passed out in her lap, snoring softly through her nose.

Whatever the reason, in that instance – as Gavin extended that rolled up dollar bill to her –she found herself saying "yes".

Nolan didn't know exactly how long he'd been sitting in his car. His knuckles had turned white from clenching the steering wheel by this point, and the sun was in an entirely different place in the sky from where it had been when he pulled into the parking lot. He didn't have much time left – he knew he had to go now.

He got out of his car and walked over to the prison with his hands in his pockets. He stepped inside and was greeted by the usual guard, putting on a happy face as they made idle chitchat during his pat down. Finally he was allowed to be escorted back and he followed, both of his hands clenching the book he held.

Olivia appeared after only a few moments and she frowned as she was seated across from him. "Nolan, what...what are you doing here?" She spat, but her tone didn't sound genuine – it sounded forced. Like she was purposefully trying to be harsh with him – like she wanted him to stay away.

"I know," He said simply.

Olivia's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

With a neutral expression, Nolan pulled out the book. He saw a look of perturbation cross Olivia's features. "There's only one entry in this entire book," He explained. "From right before the bombing."

"Nolan…" Olivia started to say, but he persisted.

"Here, I'll read it to you." Nolan flipped open the book, but he was looking at her as he recited. "I'm hopelessly, irrevocably in love with Nolan Ross. Always have been, always will be."

Across from her, Olivia shrunk down into her seat, as if in shame. "Nolan, I'm sorry..."

"Why did you lie to me?" He asked. "I...I opened my heart to you! I told you exactly how I felt about you, how I feel about you…" He shook his head. "How could you look me in the eye and break my heart? Again?"

Olivia sat up again and lifted her shackled hands onto the table, reaching out as if indication she wanted him to grab her hand. With a moment's hesitation, he touched her fingers. "You're right, I already broke your heart once." She admitted. "That's why...that's why I had to lie to you. I couldn't live with myself if I caused you that kind of pain again."

"Why?"

"No whispering!" The guard ordered from his corner, and Olivia resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"It's true," She said, her voice as low as she could go without being reprimanded. "I do love you…"

"Then why did you tell me you didn't?" Nolan asked. He felt like he might cry, at this point. This was all a lot to take in at once.

"Because Nolan, I'm stuck here." Olivia said. Her voice made it clear that she was emotional as well. "I don't know if I'm ever going to get out! And you don't deserve a life like that Nolan, waiting for someone who's never coming back. You deserve a life, you deserve...a family. I can't give you that. I wish I could."

"But you can," Nolan insisted. "I'm gonna get you out of here, and then it'll be just you, me and Hailey from here on out. We'll leave the Hamptons if you want, okay? We'll go and we'll never come back. We could ask Amanda and Jack to go to Los Angeles with us, or stay at Louise's place in Georgia, we could go back to Massachusetts...Anywhere you want, that's where we'll go. It won't matter as long as we're together."

Olivia smiled forlornly. "I love you for believing that."

Nolan shook his head at her. "I just love you."

They were so close by this point, both of them having leaned in at some point during the conversation. Nolan moved forward slowly and their lips were so close together…

Then the guard appeared by Olivia's side. "We're closing," He chastised, hoisting Olivia to her feet. Nolan knew that probably wasn't true, but attempting to make physical contact was the cardinal sin of prison visits. "Come back tomorrow." Or don't, Nolan knew he was probably thinking.

He rose to his feet, while Olivia was escorted towards the exit. "I promise Olivia," He called after her. "I'm not gonna give up on us!"

It can feel good to confess your secrets out loud.

Olivia looked over her shoulder at him and smiled wearily. "I love you, Nolan." And with that, she was gone again.

February 14, 2017 11:39 p.m.

As the police began their routine questioning – taking them back on an individual basis – Olivia scanned the room from her perch on the couch. Finding Nolan nowhere in sight she got up and walked out of the living room, searching for him intently. After a few moments she stepped out onto the back patio and found him standing there, a drink in his hand, looking out to the sea. "Nolan?" She called, only to receive no answer. "Nolan?"

But sometimes we are oblivious to the true power of our confessions.

When he ignored her once again she walked over indignantly. "Nolan!" The wind was beginning to speed up, blowing her hair around her face, and goosebumps raised on her arms from the chilly temperatures. She grabbed Nolan by the arm and spun him around. He looked at her, expressionless, a dead look in his eyes. "What is wrong with you? You've been giving me the cold shoulder all night!" She trailed off, worried. "…Did I do something to upset you?"

Without a word, Nolan reached into his pocket. He retrieved a piece of paper and extended it to her, not saying anything or giving any indication as to what he was thinking.

Olivia snatched it from him. "What is this?"

Because until we voice our secrets, we can never know the repercussions that will follow.

Nolan looked at her, a frown on his face. "You lied to me."

"What are you –" Olivia began, but then she cut herself off when she saw what she was looking at. "Oh my God." She breathed. "Nolan…how did you get this?"

Until it's too late.