The penthouse was cool. The door leading to the terrace was slightly open, letting the soft breeze float through the living room and make its way to the kitchen. Beck knew that Jade couldn't stand the heat, so he assumed she was responsible for it. Usually he didn't mind the cool air, but for some reason he had the chills.

He instantly thought back to the first time he laid eyes on the penthouse. It was larger than life, intimidating. Everything was so perfect and polished. A priceless Monet painting hung above the couch, Italian marble covered the kitchen, a crystal chandelier here, expensive vase there. He didn't want to touch anything in fear of breaking. But then he got comfortable, and it didn't take long for the penthouse to feel like a second home. He spent most of his time there, hanging out with Jade, having dinner with her family, sneaking out of her bedroom in the early hours of the morning.

He spent most of his time in the penthouse, he didn't know why being here suddenly made him so nervous. He thought he left things on good terms with Jade the last time they interacted. He bought her pizza, they talked, he tended to her wrist. They were good, right?

Speaking of that, his eyes flickered to the limb, noting that Jade had it wrapped in a bandage.

"How's your wrist feeling?" He asked, breaking the tension. He and Jade been staring at each other for the past 5 minutes.

"It's fine." Jade replied, shrugging. "It's healing."

"Good."

And just like that, they were back in silence.

"Look Jade, you called me over here for something, and I doubt it was because you wanted to stare at me all day."

"You're right." Jade sighed heavily as she plopped down dramatically on the couch across from Beck. "You know, the mere sight of you used to make me crazy. I didn't know if I wanted to kiss you, burst into tears, or hit you. You dumping me really, really threw me for a tailspin."

"Jade, hurting you is really the last thing I'd ever want to do."

"I know it wasn't intentional, but that doesn't mean it hurts any less."

"I'm sorry. I am so sorry. And I've been wracking my brain for the past few days-"

"About what?"

"I think I made a mistake." Beck confessed. "Breaking up with you was a mistake."

Jade didn't say anything for a long time. She just stared at Beck, trying to keep her emotions at bay.

"I thought I was making the right decision at the time, but now I just realize that I miss you like crazy. I love you, the thought of us not being together or you being with someone else drives me crazy."

"This is about Chris." Jade surmised, scoffing. "You're jealous. Let me say this once, and one time only. I'm single. Completely and totally single. I'm not dating, I'm not sleeping with anyone, I'm not interested in anyone. So if that's the only reason you want to get back together with me, save it."

A wave of relief flooded through Beck's body upon hearing that. "Okay. But I love you, and I want you back, regardless. Its not about Chris."

Jade looked him in the eye, her huge blue eyes piercing into his with such intensity, it made Beck squirm. Jade could tell he wasn't lying. He could fool everyone else with his cool facade, but she knew him too well.

"I believe you."

"So does that mean you'd be open to getting back together?"

"No."

Beck's heart dropped to his stomach. If this was a movie, surely there'd be the sound of shattering hearts and a sad violin playing in the background. His entire body went rigid and cold, as if he had been dumped into a tub of ice water.

That was not what he was expecting her to say.

"W...what?"

"No. Not like this. You only want me back because you thought I was out of reach. You thought I had been snatched up by another guy. You panicked. Who's to say you won't feel different a few weeks from now when the adrenaline wears off and you dump me, again?"

"I wouldn't do that."

"I didn't think you would do it a first time." Jade pointed out. She still loved Beck. Hell, she was still in love with him. As easy as it would be for her to just completely fall apart and take him back, she wanted to hold firm on this. "Have your feelings changed? You don't think we were codependent? That we had no life outside of each other? You aren't freaking out over that anymore?"

Beck opened his mouth to argue but quickly closed it when he realized that Jade had a point.

"I've actually done things that I wouldn't do all because of this breakup. I've made new friends, hung out with my family more, I actually have a job that I'm surprisingly good at. If I'm being honest, I kind of like being single. I like not having to be available for someone, not having to answer to anyone, being able to just do things, without you on the forefront of my mind. I've learned things about myself through this entire experience. Have you?"

Beck stayed silent. Jade was right. He broke up with her because he wanted to learn things about himself, find his own interests, and build a life outside of her. But he didn't want to do that without her in his life.

"No, but-"

"Okay, so you need to do that. It was so important to you and you wanted to be on this path to individuality and self realization, so you should fucking do it. Because all of this shit shouldn't be for nothing, ya know? I shouldn't have had my heart stomped on by you on a fucking whim."

"Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense."

"I'll be your friend." Jade offered, and Beck could hear the slight twinge of optimism in her voice. "You wanted to be friends and I shut you down before because I thought it'd be too hard, but I really think we can do it this time around."

Beck nodded, and even though he should feel happy about the prospect of having Jade back in his life, it wasn't enough. He selfishly wanted all of her. She once said that they had to be all or nothing, and he was agreeing with that sentiment more and more.

But at the same time, this was the girl he loved. There was a part of him that was genuinely happy for her and her growth. There was nothing Jade could do that didn't make him want to burst with pride.

"I'm starving." Jade said after a moment of silence. "You want to go downstairs and have breakfast? Gemma just left, so I have time. We can split a stack of waffles."

"No thanks. I should get home, it's early and I'm still pretty tired."

"Okay. I'll see you at school on Monday then."

"Definitely." Beck stood up and Jade followed suit. "See you then."

Beck reached out and wrapped Jade in a bone crushing hug. Her arms stayed at her sides for a few seconds before she hugged him back.

When Beck returned home, he was greeted by a lot of noise. Music was playing, he could hear his parents chatting excitedly, and he could smell food cooking in the kitchen. So he followed the trail.

"Oh, Beck darling, you're back!" Nora greeted, a big smile adorning her face. "Guess which brilliant, awesome, amazing, ass kicking surgeon-slash-department head has a week off from work? Me! And I'm making French toast. How many pieces do you want?"

Any other time, Beck would be ecstatic that his mom and dad were both home. With their crazy schedules, it was rare to get them in the same place at the same time. But he wasn't in the best mood and he couldn't even fake like he was.

Instead, he just said nothing and started his trek to the third floor of the house.

James frowned. "Well that was rude."

"Mom, can I have his French toast?" Nick asked. The youngest Oliver child wasn't going to miss his opportunity for more food.

"I'm gonna go see what's up with your brother, and then I'll make you as much French toast as your stomach can hold. Does that sound like a plan?"

"Yeah!"

"Great." Nora wiped her hands on a paper towel and quickly discarded it before leaving the kitchen and walking upstairs. Usually any other time, she'd knock on Beck's door, but since he didn't have any manners, why should she extend the same curtesy? Beck was sitting on his bed, staring at the floor.

"You've been my child for 17 years, Beckett James Oliver. When did it become okay to walk into this house and not greet your parents? And to ignore me when I'm talking to you?"

"Sorry." Beck said, quietly.

"Look at me when we talk." Nora ordered. Beck locked eyes with her and she noticed his eyes were huge and glossy, like he was about to cry.

She shut the door. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Beck answered, running a hand over his face, in hopes that it would quickly pull him together. The last thing he wanted to do was have a complete breakdown in front of his mom. "I'm fine."

"You obviously aren't. I'm your mom, I know you better than I know the back of my hand. I know something is wrong, so you should tell me now."

Beck, as sweet and charming as he was, never showed much vulnerability. He was quiet, reserved, he kept everything bottled up. He was a tough nut to crack. Nora hadn't seen him cry since he was in first grade and broke his leg.

"I was at Jade's this morning." He confessed. "And I told her I wanted to get back together, I laid it all on the table. She shut me down. And for the first time, things really really feel permanent, like she's not going to want me back."

Nora stayed silent. Beck never opened up about his breakup with Jade. He never spoke much about the dynamics of the relationship at all.

"I made a mistake. Breaking up with her was a stupid decision and I shouldn't have done it."

"So why'd you do it?" Nora asked.

"Because I didn't want my entire existence to be tied to a relationship. For as long as I can remember, it's been Beck and Jade. I had no identity outside of being her boyfriend. But I miss her. And it's not her fault that people just lump us together."

"That may be true, but I think you did the right thing."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's better you do this now, as opposed to doing it 15 years from now, when marriage and kids and a mortgage and even more feelings are involved."

"What if she doesn't want me back? She's so brilliant and gorgeous, and she's going to go to an Ivy League, and be a CEO and inherit a gazillion dollars one day. What if she finds someone better?"

"Well darling, that's just a gamble you're going to have to take. You don't have the right to upend her life and then decide to take it back because you're ready. That's not how it works."

"You aren't helping me, mom."

"Parenting isn't about coddling you and kissing your ass. Lying and pumping your head up with falsehoods isn't going to help you in the long run."

"But it'd make me feel better." Beck argued.

Nora sighed and ran her hand across Beck's head, smoothing down his hair. Her poor baby was experiencing his first heartbreak, ironically all of his own doing. "You love Jade, and she loves you. And it scares me, because you two are very young, and very intense, but if she's the one, then she's the one. A breakup won't matter. You and Jade will be looking back on this time in 5, 10 years and you'll be laughing."

To a teenager, the prospect of 5 to 10 from now years seemed like forever. But he hoped his mother was right.

"You should focus on you for the time being. Find a club, hang out with your friends, sign up for the SATs, join a sport. Do what you set out to do, which is just be Beck."

"You're right." Beck had been feeling kind of restless since the breakup. Jade his mom were right, he needed to find something to channel his energy into.

"If it's any consolation, no one is better than you. You are smart, and kind, and generous, and sensitive, and charismatic, and funny, and ridiculously handsome—all of which you get from me and my superior genes, by the way. And you have a very generous trust fund set up, so when Dad and I kick the bucket, you'll be rich." Beck laughed at his mom. "You think you're going to be okay?" She asked, nudging Beck softly.

Beck nodded. "I think so."

"Good. I think so too." Nora kissed the side of Beck's head.

"I love you."

"I love you more, baby. Now come downstairs and have a proper breakfast with your family." She turned to the small kitchen across the attic and dismissed it with the flick of a wrist. "Not whatever junk you have over there."

"Yes ma'am."


The following morning was Tori's first day back at school since her suspension. And she felt like the new girl all over again.

The stares in the halls were so intense, Tori thought she could feel them searing into her skull. The murmurs and whispers from her fellow students, were low and continuous, and it felt like she had stumbled into a bee hive with all the buzzing. Was getting suspended really this much of a big deal? She didn't think it was.

"Our favorite troublemaker is back!" André quipped as Tori approached her locker. He and Cat were standing there, waiting for her. "How does it feel to be off of house arrest?"

"I forgot what the sun felt like." Tori half joked.

"Well you have gotten paler since we last saw you."

"But seriously, it does feel good to be back. I'm ready to just start on the right foot and keep my head down for the rest of the year."

"Good luck with that." Cat said, shrugging. "You're still the new girl from Florida, people are going to notice you, regardless."

André nodded in agreement. "She has a point."

"So what do I do?" Tori asked.

"You can still stay low key and not make any waves. But you have to be prepared to still be gossip fodder, especially hanging out with us. It's par for the course."

Tori didn't want to be gossip fodder. She didn't sign up to be some sort of exhibit that people could stare at, analyze, and dissect.

Before she could reply, the bell rang, signaling that passing period had come to an end and it was time to get to class.

"Ooh, yay time for homeroom!" Cat exclaimed, bouncing on the feet excitedly. Before her friends could react, she was gone, a flurry of red hair swirling around in their vision.

Lunch was a completely different beast. Tori had been able to avoid Jade during their shared classes and passing periods, but they sat at the same table. How would she be able to avoid the awkwardness?

Jade forced Ryder and Gemma to sit at the same table as them, so when Tori made it to the table, Jade was too engrossed in a conversation with them to even notice her. Good.

"Jade, why are you showing me Hermès wallets? Is this your way of asking me to buy you one?" Tori heard Ryder ask as she slid into her seat. "Aren't you still on extreme lockdown?"

"No." Jade replied. "Mom and dad feel so bad about what happened at the restaurant, I got my credit and debit cards back instantly. Every once in a while, I grab my wrist and wince obnoxiously just to add onto the guilt."

"Using your injury to guilt trip your parents. You're such a manipulative sociopath." Ryder quipped. "I love it."

"I think she'd actually be a psychopath." André interjected. With his mother being a renowned psychiatrist, André took it upon himself to always diagnose his friends. "Manipulative, lack of empathy, charming, cunning, egotistical, etcetera."

Having no idea what they were rambling about, Tori looked over and noticed Jade did indeed have her wrist bandaged up.

"What happened?" She asked, pointing to Jade's wrist.

"Some perv grabbed me and left my wrist bruised. My dad broke his nose." Jade explained, not wanting to go into details. "It's no big deal, new girl."

Tori instantly got the vibe that Jade wasn't willingly to talk about the incident any further, so she didn't press it. "Okay."

They sat in silence a few more minutes until Beck arrived at their table. He didn't have anything except a plastic container of fruit salad and a coffee cup.

"Hello everyone." He greeted, cheerily. They all mumbled greetings back in reply. Jade moved over slightly, so Beck could sit next to her.

She grabbed his cup, assuming it was his usual order: dark roast coffee, black. Upon taking a sip, she spit it out. "What the fuck is this?"

"It's tea." Beck replied. "Green tea."

"Since when did you start drinking tea?"

"My mom has it at the house it all the time, and I like it." Beck explained, snatching his cup back. "That's what you get for grabbing my cup, West. Besides, coffee stunts your growth."

"I'm five-foot-nine and a D cup, I don't need to do any more growing."

Their friends at the table didn't say anything, instead just looking the former couple in bewilderment. When did Beck and Jade start being nice to each other again?

Ultimately, Ryder was the first to speak out. "What the fuck is this?"

Jade raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

"This!" Ryder flailed his arms wildly, gesturing between the ex-couple. "Are you guys back together?"

"No, we are not!" Jade answered quickly. Beck had to ignore the dull ache in his chest at her words. "But we talked and we're cool now, right?"

Beck nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, we're good."

Ryder casted them a leveled glance. It was no secret that he couldn't stand Beck and thought Jade could do better, but if she wanted to be his friend, Ryder was just going to have to bite the bullet and accept it. "Well...that's nice."

Jade was expecting more snark and sarcasm, so Ryder's lack of words took her by surprise. "Thank you."

Things at the table settled into a nice silence. Cat dramatically told them a story about her older brother, pretty much holding everyone with rapt attention.

But Tori couldn't concentrate. Her brain wouldn't let her move on, and a little voice in her head kept nagging at her, to talk to Jade. They had to move on and find closure, for Tori's peace of mind.

"Hey Jade," Tori turned to the tell brunette, "can we talk?"

Everyone got quiet, wanting to see what was going to happen. Jade stared back at Tori and shrugged. "Sure. Talk."

"In private." Tori added.

Jade didn't say anything. She just got up from her seat, grabbing her cell phone. Tori took it as her cue to follow. They ended up in a secluded corner of the cafeteria, away from prying eyes and listening ears.

"You know, it was one of those rare occasions where I was actually listening to Cat drone on and on about her brother." Jade said. "So whatever you have to say to me better be worth it."

"Are we good?" Tori asked.

"Why wouldn't we be?"

"Because we've been going back and forth since the school year started, playing a really weird game of chicken."

"Well I didn't start it."

"You set me up to throw a party and get in trouble."

Jade scoffed. "I did no such thing. You got yourself in trouble."

Tori stared back at Jade with shock. Was this was gaslighting felt like? "Wow, I have to hand it to you, you're going to go to your grave believing that. I could've been expelled or arrested because of this, and for what? Because I kissed Beck?"

"The lesson you should've taken away from that fiasco was the rightful pecking order around here. I say jump, you're already 5 feet in the air. I say shut the fuck up, you shut the fuck up. I run things with an iron grip, Vega, and the sooner you learn to stay out of my way and not piss me the fuck off—i.e. coming to my house and blatantly disrespecting me—the better. Hypothetically of course, you needed to be reminded you of your place. I do not see how it would be my fault that you freaked out and incriminated yourself, that was all on you."

"But I will admit, I admire the spunk." Jade continued, her eyes boring into Tori's. "You don't go down easily, I respect it."

"So, we're good?" Tori asked, wanting to be crystal clear. "I don't have to worry about any more of these hypothetical lessons?"

"Yeah, we're good. We're even now, clean slate."

"Okay." Tori let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding in. "Okay, that's all I needed to know."


"Where are we going?"

"Karen, you ask too many questions."

"You don't answer enough of them." Karen huffed in reply. Her husband had whisked her away and he wasn't telling her where they were going. After five billion years together, he should know by now that she didn't like surprises.

"I asked one question, and you haven't answered it."

They drove through Beverly Hills, lined with tall palm trees and gorgeous homes. Maybe he was taking her to an early dinner?

"We're going to a friend's house." Richard admitted. "He and his wife just bought the place, and they invited us to dinner."

"A friend? Who?"

"Well, it's an acquaintance at best." Richard clarified.

"Well, how do I look?" Karen asked, instantly pulling down the mirror to check herself out. "Am I dressed appropriately to meet someone for dinner?"

"Karen, you're the most stunning person I know. And your outfit is fine."

"You should've told me, Rich. I would've brought a bottle of wine. You can't go to someone's home empty handed, especially a new home."

Richard chuckled. "You're over-thinking this. Just trust me."

"If you say so."

They pulled up to their destination, a sprawling piece of gated property, and Richard punched in a code, opening the gates.

"Who is this friend of yours?" Karen asked. "He trusts you enough to have the passcode to his front gate?"

"It's a real estate buddy of mine, and yes."

Richard drove his car down the long stretch of driveway and they finally arrived at the house. Karen couldn't get a good look at it, because it was pretty covered, trees obstructing the view. Between that, the driveway and the gate, she respected the lengths the homeowners went to to maintain their privacy.

Richard got out of the car first and made his way over to the passenger side, opening the door for his wife. "Thank you, darling."

"You're welcome."

The couple walked to the front door and Richard called out, "Patrick? Are you here?"

"In the kitchen!"

Making their way to the kitchen, Karen marveled at the cool white and grey aesthetic. The slabs of marble, the stainless steel appliances, the gorgeous built in, wall-to-wall wine cellar. She had to admit that it was stunning.

"Patrick, nice to see you again." Richard greeted, cheerily. "This is my wife, Karen."

Patrick extended his hand, which Karen accepted. "Nice to meet you, Missus West."

"Likewise. This is a gorgeous home."

"Yeah, I agree."

"Where's your wife?" Karen asked.

"She's in Jersey, visiting her sisters."

Karen arched an eyebrow in confusion. "But Richard, you said we'd be having dinner with your friend and his wife."

Richard held his hands up in surrender. "That was a lie I had to quickly make up to get you off of my back, because you're so impatient."

"So what are we doing here?"

Richard dug a key out of his jacket pocket and pressed it into Karen's palm. "Welcome home, baby."

"What?"

"Happy early anniversary."

Patrick awkwardly cleared his throat, getting the couple's attention. "I'll give you two a moment. I'll be right outside if you need me."

Karen's head was spinning, she didn't even register that the real estate agent left them alone in the kitchen. "You bought this house?"

"Guilty." Richard rounded the kitchen island and retrieved a stack of papers, which he gave to his wife. "More specifically, I bought this house for you. It's yours, outright."

"What? This is my house, I get to live here? You're not just joking with me?" She skimmed the papers to verify it for herself.

"Well, I hope you'll let me live here with you." Richard joked. "The kids might want to come over occasionally, our family."

"But, it's in Beverly Hills." For the past twenty years, Karen had been living in Hollywood. Outside of her native New York, and Philadelphia for a few years, it was all she knew.

"Yeah, but it's a perfect fit. Your office is here, we're only 15 minutes away from the hotel, same for Jade's school, and we're actually closer to Tyler. It's almost like we didn't even move. Besides, we've been living in apartments and hotel suites since our college days, my beautiful bride deserves a house."

Karen's eyes widened when she found the cost of the house and she nearly choked. "Richard, you spent $39 million on this house?"

Richard shrugged in indifference. It wasn't a bad deal for 1.5 acres of prime Beverly Hills real estate, equipped with 15,000 square feet, 7 suites, 12 bedrooms, a home theater and gym. "Karen, that's like a drop in the bucket for us."

Of course Karen knew her husband was wealthy, embarrassingly so. And her own personal net worth wasn't too shabby, but she wasn't always comfortable flaunting that fact.

"But-"

"No buts. I know you said you were more than okay with staying in the penthouse, but I've always wanted to buy you a home. And it's yours, if you don't want it you can sell it. Or rent it out. Or burn it down."

Karen didn't realize she was crying until Richard reached out swiped a tear away.

"It's too beautiful to burn down."

"So you like it?"

Karen threw her arms around her husband and kissed him. "Yes, I like it. I love it."

"That's all I needed to hear."

"Now I feel bad because I didn't get you a gift. We agreed on no gifts this year!"

"It's fine, you don't have to get me anything."

"No that's not fair. I'm buying you something amazing. Better than amazing! Spectacular, even!"

"Oh yeah? Well, now I'm intrigued."

"Just you wait, Mister West. I'm going to blow you away."

Richard smirked. "Well darling, I can't wait."

Karen smirked back at him. Now she just had to find the perfect gift, with two weeks to spare. She could do it. How long did it take to finalize the purchase of a small island?

"But seriously Kare Bear, you like the house?"

Karen snapped out of her thoughts and focused back on her husband. He had an anxious look on his face, and she could tell he was worried about if she liked it or not.

"I love it." Karen wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "I love it, I love you. Thank you."

"You're welcome. And I love you more."

"Now are you going to take me on the grand tour or what?"


Later that evening, Tori sat down at the desk in her bedroom, her only light source being the tiny desk lamp on her left. She had been poring over her mom's old journals for the past 3 hours, unable to put them down. She had learned so much. For example, Holly and David previously living in Los Angeles was new information. As far as Tori knew, she entire family had spent their entire lives in Florida. Why was it never brought up before?

Right now in the story, Holly was working as a paralegal working at Pearson, Keen Associates, Trina is 7 months old, and Holly's studying for the bar exam. Pretty uneventful.

Tori flips through the worn pages of the book, reading about the monotony of her mother's earlier years. Until she landed on a page, that said nothing other than:

I'M AWFUL. REALLY, TRULY AWFUL

Tori's eyebrow raised in surprise. Where did that outburst come from? Did she miss an entry or accidentally skip a page?

Looking down, Tori noticed a page of the journal was harshly ripped out, leaving jagged little edges along the binding.

"What happened?" Tori asked softly to herself. Now she was curious. And she wouldn't be able to rest until she knew.

Deciding to read ahead, Tori skipped through a few pages, until she settled on a lengthy entry.

So we're moving back to Florida. I got a call from a really great firm in Miami, and I'm really excited. Apparently, someone left a very glowing review of me. They wanted to remain anonymous, but I already know it was Richard. Who else could it have been? He wants me gone about as much as I want to leave. Win, win situation, right?

It'll be nice to see my family again and raise Trina around all of her aunts, uncles and cousins. And I think a change of pace will be good, for everyone. David and I haven't been in sync since the baby was born, we're both ridiculously overworked and under-appreciated at work, and this city seems to be sucking the life out of us. The people are sucking the life out of us.

I don't think we're cut out for Los Angeles. I don't know why we thought moving here with a newborn was a good idea anyway. I've been making a lot of dumb decisions out here. I'm not myself.

But I'll get it together.

Yikes, Tori thought. That was bleak. If her mom hated it so much in LA, why did they move back?

And who was this Richard guy? Her mom's old boss?

Grabbing her laptop, Tori typed in the name of her mom's old law firm into a search engine, and found their website. After a bit of searching, Tori found their 'About Us' page.

Pearson, Keen Associates is one of the top corporate law firms in Los Angeles. We pride ourselves in being the best and giving our clients top notch legal service. Here at Pearson, Keen Associates, we help a wide variety of clients, ranging from small, self made entrepreneurs to top executives. Our services include, but are not limited to:

Investor Representation

Commercial Contracts and Transactions

Employment Litigation

Finance and Lending

Licensing and Patenting

Mergers and Acquisitions

Real Estate

Scroll down to read testimonials from our previous and current clients.

"PKA helped me when I was first starting out in the real estate business and didn't have a clue. I'd recommend them to anyone." -Allen Page, Page Real Estate, San Diego

"Their lawyers are some of the best and highly educated in the state. You can't beat this firm." -Lisa Carlisle, CarThorpe Pharmaceuticals, Beverly Hills

"This firm has helped my family's company ever since I was a small child. I can't imagine ever using anyone else for legal counsel." Richard West, West International, Hollywood Hills

Tori's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets upon reading Richard's name. Was he the Richard her mother knew? Why was this information never divulged? Why did he help Holly get a new job?

Tori skipped a few pages and landed on a different diary entry.

I can't sleep. I haven't slept in 2 weeks. Not like I was getting much sleep in the first place, with a screaming baby at home, but still. And I think I had an anxiety attack while packing up the nursery this morning. Thank God David wasn't home because I would not have been able to face him. I can barely face him now. And it's killing me.

That didn't make things any clearer. Deciding to go straight to the source, Tori took the journal and left her room, flying into her parent's room.

Her mom was in there, taking off her jewelry. She looked up at her daughter's intrusion. "Hey, baby."

"Hi, mom."

"Work kicked my ass today, and I'm too tired to cook. So I ordered a pizza."

"Where's dad?" Tori asked, stepping fully into the room. She closed the door behind her.

"He's still working." Holly explained. "There was a shooting downtown at a club, so we probably won't see him until tomorrow. But what about you? How was your first day back at school?"

"It was okay, but I need to talk to you about something I found."

"Of course." Tori tossed the journal onto her parents' bed and it landed with a soft thud. Holly's eyes widened when she noticed what it was. "Where'd you find that?"

"In the attic. You made me clean up there, and I found a whole box of those. I didn't know you journaled."

Holly shrugged. "I haven't done it in a long time. Years, actually." Tori didn't respond. "How much have you read?"

"A lot. Why didn't you tell me you lived out here before?"

"It was such a short period of time. A time I'd rather forget, to be honest with you."

"Is that why Jade's dad helped you guys move back to Florida?"

"Jade's dad? Honey, how did you come to that conclusion."

"I was going through your journal and you talked a lot about the firm you worked for while you lived out here. And you also mentioned a guy named Richard, no last name and you only mentioned him once. So I googled them, and one of the testimonials came from Richard West. Did he help you?"

Holly stopped dead in her tracks. She wasn't expecting Tori to confront her so directly. "Yes."

"Is he a family friend? Because when we first moved out here, you and dad acted like you didn't know who he was."

"He employed the services of the firm I worked for. We knew each other in a very loose work capacity, he's not a family friend or a personal friend. And no, your father has never met him."

The wheels in Tori's head started turning. "So you guys didn't work together, he was just a client. Why would he put in a good word for you to get another job? You weren't even his attorney."

"Tori–"

"Did he owe you a favor? Did you kill a guy for him?"

"Don't be silly, Tor."

"You sounded so upset and distraught in your entries, like depressed even. You called yourself an awful human being, and you even ripped out pages in that book. So something huge had to have happened. Richard West doesn't seem like the type of guy who does favors for entry level paralegals all willy nilly. Like what, were you guys sleeping together?" Tori asked, jokingly.

Holly didn't reply. Instead she just looked down at her hands.

Tori noticed her mom's change in demeanor almost instantly. "Mom, come on, it was a joke. Obviously, you wouldn't cheat on dad, right?"

"Victoria, I–"

"Oh my God!" Tori felt a sense of dread fill in the pit of her stomach. "You cheated on dad? That's why you ran off? That's why he helped you run off? So it wouldn't come out?"

"Can we talk about this in the morning? I promise I'll explain everything to you."

"No. I'm asking you pretty basic yes or no questions and you refuse to answer. I'm not giving you any time to formulate a lie. Am I completely off base or not?"

Holly shook her head in disbelief. Was her daughter Olivia fucking Benson or something? How did she put all of this together so fast?

"Yes, Tori, yes! I slept with Richard, he gave me half a million dollars to sign an NDA and leave, so we left! Are you happy now?"

Tori's eyes got wide. It was one thing to suspect something, but to be confronted with the truth felt like a punch to the gut. No, to answer her mother's obviously rhetorical question, she was not happy.

Suddenly, she wished she hadn't gone into that damned attic at all.