"Max, wait," Jill said, catching her in the lobby.

"Are you following me?" Max asked, turning to face her. "I'm going to be late."

"It's 11."

Max bit her lip before sighing. "I want to get Em early. I'm trying to avoid some people."

"You helped get a killer off the street."

"You don't know them…it's…you don't know. Catching the killer is the easy part in this."

"You've changed."

"And I don't like it. It was easier before," she trailed off, looking down at Lindsay in her arms. "Kenny doesn't get it."

"Get what?"

"Me. I thought he knew me. He's always wanted this…he told me, years ago…I thought he, we, we're so good together, I know that, he's always wanted…he's always wanted a happy homemaker wife. I let it happen."

"Max."

She looked down at Lindsay again. "And I love my kids, being a mom…I love him. I was never who he wanted, he wanted this idealized version he has of me…and I'm not sure I can live like this anymore."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm not really sure."

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"Pregnant?" Jimmy repeated. "She nearly got shot yesterday."

"She took a test the night before, it was negative…it was wrong. She took a few last night…yeah, pregnant."

"She's feeling okay?"

Shocked, he thought, nervous…wants to work. God, I don't want her to work, she belongs home with the kids, why doesn't she realize that? Almost shot. Pregnant. "She's fine. Trust me, Max is always fine."

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Not sitting at the cool Mom table anymore, Max thought to herself, as she leaned back in the SUV. I don't really care…I don't want them to lose their friends over this. Or their Dad and Uncle…why can't I just be happy? With my family, husband, pregnancy? I've loved Kenny for so long.

"Mommy?"

My clone, she thought, smiling at her older daughter. The one that exhausts me, worries me the most because she's exactly like me. "What's up, Monkey Girl?"

"Why can't I play with Madison and Bella?"

Max winced at that. Bella is dead and Madison's mom is going to hate me forever. "I think they're away, Em."

Nate looked up. "I heard Bella was dead."

"Like Josh?" Em asked, staring at him.

Does she remember him? How do I do this? "Nate, stop. Em…do you remember your brother?"

"Daddy is sad because of him."

She ignored the clench in her stomach. She knows, and she's four… "He is, I know. But he loves you guys, and that helps."

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"The blonde hair under Isabella Davidson's nails," Carter said. "The bleached blond hair, with the roots? The DNA is back."

"And?" Kenny pressed.

"Mitchondrial DNA matches. It's her Mom's hair and her hands match the size used to strangle both children."

"She killed them."

Carter nodded. "It's starting to look that way."

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We were happy, Max thought, leaning back on the couch and flipping through the pictures. Young. Partners, equals…best friends. When did that change? I should be happy, my husband loves me, we have a great family, I'm pregnant…I can raise my kids, be there for them every day, what is wrong with me?

"Aunt Maxie?"

She shook off her dark thoughts and looked up at her niece. "I didn't hear you come in."

Samantha plopped down next to her. "Zach said you caught the baby killer."

"I helped."

"And Lindsay said you were pregnant. Or said Mommy is having a baby."

"Your cousin has a big mouth."

"I love babies," Samantha sighed. "Can I baby-sit? I was a brat when you had Lindsay, but I want to baby-sit."

Caro would be so proud, she thought, she's so grown up. "I'll take you up on that. You weren't a brat, there was a lot going on. How is Zach?"

"We haven't, not yet…I want it to be perfect."

"He's a good kid. Your mom would be so proud of you."

"I miss her."

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"Son of a bitch," Kenny said, as they stood in front of the cell. Hung? She hung herself? How…god, I have to tell Max.

"She killed her kids…probably her husband too," Skeeter trailed off. "We don't know he whole story."

"I don't think anyone did."

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"Nat," Max said, opening the door and feeling her stomach drop to her knees. "Hi…what are you doing here? I thought you were still in the hospital."

"No thanks to you," she said. "You know Tom left me? Took the kids? I'm probably going to jail. Are you happy about that? How could you do this?"

"I'm not happy," Max trailed off. "I didn't want…they needed to find her. Her whole family was murdered…I couldn't let that go. Nat, you knew where she was. It didn't have to…I'm not proud of what I did, but I think dead kids are always going to get to me like that. Hey, Tom was cheating on you."

"And I wanted to run off too? That isn't the point."

"I'm a shitty friend, I know. I'm not proud of it, Nat, but I couldn't ignore it. My son was murdered two years ago, and I was a cop for too long to overlook this. Whether or not she…I'm sorry you got hurt. I'm sorry you were involved."

"She wanted to shoot you."

"She wouldn't be the first."

"You're just as miserable as the rest of us. You'll snap too."

"I would never hurt my kids. Whatever the problems in my marriage are, it'll never come to that. You should go."

"This isn't over."

"I know."

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"What?" Max asked, hours later. "She…oh, God."

"Honey," Kenny started, as she paced the length of their living room. "She killed her entire family, we have DNA on it…she did it to avoid prosecution."

"How can you be so cold about it?"

"She was your friend, I get that. She killed her kids, how are you okay with that?"

"I will never will be okay with that…I told Natalie the same thing today. She stopped by. God, I can't…she shouldn't be dead, she had options. If she was that unhappy, she could of…why did this happen?"

"Max," he started. "You're not Ann. Are you that unhappy? Do I make that miserable? The kids? What is it? Just tell me, Honey. We can fix it. We're having a baby, we should be happy right now."

"You're the love of my life, I've loved you for as long as I can remember," Max trailed off. "I wanted to be who you wanted me to be. It isn't about working, not really."

"Then what? Talk to me."

She gulped. "It's the way you treated me, they way you're still treating me. You have me on a pedestal with this wife and mom stuff. It's what you've wanted, you even told me. I thought it was different with us, that you knew me, loved me. Kenny, I can't…I'm not what you want."

"You are exactly who I want. Get this through your thick skull, I love you, Maxine Lacos. And, yeah, I love the loving, nurturing, warm, wife and mother you've become, but I know you're still that tough, strong, impulsive, smart…I know you. I didn't mean…I wanted you to be safe, we have four, soon to be five kids, they need you, I need you…we're all messed up now, aren't we? Lets get away for a few days, just you and me. Honey, please, we can fix it."

She hugged him tightly for a long moment, not wanting to let go. "I think I need some space."

"Max?" he asked, not letting go of her and feeling his heart drop to his knees. "Honey, no, God, no…Look at me. It's you and me. We can work anything out together. I love you, I love you so much. Don't leave, please don't leave."

She hugged him tighter. "I don't want to."

"Stay. I love you. Stay."

"I can't breathe here, I can't think…I love you, I love our family…I need a few days alone."

"Stay, Max, please stay. I need you. You have no idea how much I need you."

"Then give me this. Kenny, I need a few days."

"Where?" he said. I'm losing her, I've lost her.

"I…I don't know. A few days. Kenny, I need this…I don't want to lose you, leave you…you and the kids are everything to me. I need to be alone, and…please understand."

"No, I don't understand. You're about to walk out on us."

"Kenny, if I don't get out of here for a few days…I'm afraid I might snap. That I might want to leave for good. I know I'm pregnant, emotional…I need to clear my head, breathe. I love you. Do you have any idea how much I love you? It terrifies me to know how much I love you, that I can love you that much. I really need this right now. I need you to be okay with it."

He let her go, watching her for a long moment. My Max, the love of my life, she wants to leave. A few days, that's all she's asking… Look at her. She's a wreck. "Will you call me? Let me know you got there safely? You're right, you're pregnant, I'm going to worry."

"You always worry. Of course I'll call…it's just a few days."