There was evil in this room right now, and Brittany was staring him straight in the face.

She couldn't move. She felt paralyzed, completely frozen and still, that her fear almost made her feel numb. From seeing Jeanette and Eleanor both tied to chairs, to seeing her ex-boyfriend inside her house with her newborn daughter is his arms, there was enough agony and pain to make Brittany want to fall to her knees and scream. But she didn't, because she couldn't take her eyes off of Kyle's, as if secretly begging and wondering why the hell he was doing this.

Her sisters were quietly crying beside her, and Brittany had to bite down hard on her tongue to prevent herself from screaming, because the only thing that mattered to her right now, was her daughter. And Brittany wouldn't dare do anything to anger Kyle while Melody was in his arms.

Kyle saw the expression in Brittany's face, and he let out a low chuckle. "Speechless, Brittany? That's a first, isn't it."

"Let go of my daughter," she got the words out as fast as she could, and she was desperate. "Please, Kyle, I'll do anything, I'll tell you anything you want to know, but please don't hurt her."

"You don't have to worry about that," a sick, sly smile appeared on his face as he continued to cradle the innocent baby in his arms.

"Brittany, we're so sorry, we tried running away, but he threatened to hurt Melody if we didn't give her to him! I swear, we tried to protect her! We would never let anything hurt her, but he didn't let us go until he had her!" Eleanor cried.

"It's okay, I understand," Brittany reassured her, still keeping her eyes on Kyle and her daughter. "Kyle, l-listen to me. I know you, and I know that this isn't you. You would never hurt a soul. B-But please, give me my daughter. Please give her to me."

At this point, Brittany was begging. There was anger boiling up inside her. Seeing her ex-boyfriend with hers and Alvin's daughter made her sick to her stomach. She wanted to scream and run over there and grab her child and beat the living shit out of Kyle, but she knew she had to remain as calm as possible, in case that sick bastard had something else up his sleeve.

"In a moment," he answered, before taking a short glance at Jeanette and Eleanor. He returned his gaze to Brittany and said, "I'm not going to hurt anybody, Brittany. Not your sisters, and not your daughter, but you and I are gonna have a little chat, understand?"

His voice was cold, and Brittany's breath was trembling. But she nodded her head, because that was the only fucking thing she could do. "Kyle, if you wanted to talk to me, then you could've just called me. Breaking into my house and tying my sisters up in a chair isn't the solution."

"You wouldn't have answered," he fired.

Silence swept the entire room for what seemed to be the longest minute of their lives. Brittany's eyes were filled with tears, but she wasn't crying. She was just angry, scared and downright disgusted. She glared at Kyle, and her heart was racing against her chest.

"What do you want, Kyle? I-Is this because of what happened the last time we saw each other?" asked Brittany.

As much as she didn't want to think back to that dreadful day, it was suddenly all she could think about. She could remember the heartbreak and sheer anger that she had felt, when Kyle decided to show up at her door, asking if there was a possibility that the baby could be his. There was obviously no way in hell that could be possible, but Alvin overheard, and started having doubts, which resulted in one of the worst fights that they have ever had. Those few weeks were nothing but torture, because she couldn't believe Alvin was stupid enough to even doubt their child, but she was heartbroken because he was hurt, and for the first time, she cared about him more than she cared about herself.

"It's part of it," he replied.

"God, Kyle! If you're angry at me, then be angry at me," she exclaimed. "I'm sorry that you're hurt, I get it. That's the last thing I want for you, but you and I were no longer together at that point. It wasn't as if I cheated on you!"

"But it felt like it, Brittany," his voice was filled with poison. "I mean, we were only broken up for a few months before I found out about you. Imagine how I felt, hearing that my ex-girlfriend got pregnant by a guy who has a reputation of sleeping with pretty much every girl in the city? It doesn't make sense, Brittany, and it looks bad on you. It also made me look like shit because, damn, we were together for 3 years, and the moment we break up, you're suddenly knocked up? Not just that, but with Alvin Seville's kid?"

"But we weren't together anymore," Brittany said again.

"But you went from dating me, to having a baby with Alvin Seville. The guy is a player, Brittany. Everyone knows that! I wouldn't be surprised if he has another kid somewhere out there that he doesn't know about," Kyle scoffed.

"Do not talk about him like that. I know his past wasn't the greatest, believe me, I've had to deal with that for so long, but he has changed. Even though Alvin and I didn't start off as friends, this whole thing changed him. So don't you dare talk about him like that, because you don't know him," said Brittany.

"Oh, and you do?" Kyle asked. "Don't be stupid, Brittany. Just because I don't know the guy personally, doesn't mean that I haven't heard things. Most of those things came from you, remember?"

Brittany didn't say anything at first, but he was right, and it made her guilty. Back when she and Alvin weren't friends, in that dark period where they spent a whole year not talking to one another because they hated each other so much, Brittany would talk so much shit about Alvin, trying to do whatever it took to worsen the reputation of her former friend. The guilt burned her deeply.

"Like I said, Alvin is a different person now. He's a better person, so I'm not going to let you talk about him like that, because he has never, ever done anything to you!" Brittany fired.

"A better person," Kyle laughed. "He's clearly a better person, which is why he's in prison right now, right?"

Brittany's eyebrows furrowed and her heart grew cold. "How...how do you know about Alvin?" she asked him.

Kyle scoffed, his gaze never left hers. "We don't need to get into that."

Brittany felt her heart drop, because for some reason, that just didn't sit right with her. She and Kyle had dated for 3 years, whereas she has known Alvin for over a decade. When she and Kyle were together, there was never one instance where he and Alvin interacted with one another. Of course, within those 3 years, that was during that period of time where she and Alvin were no longer friends, where they were nothing more than former friends who live across the street from one another. Every time Brittany and Kyle went to a party or some social gathering that Alvin Seville himself was at as well, there was never a time where the two have talked. They didn't even know one another, other than their names, probably, so why did this just seem so wrong and suspicious all of a sudden?

"What...How the hell do you know about Alvin?" Brittany said again. Her voice was getting louder. "What did you do?"

Kyle laughed. "I didn't do anything. Like I said, word gets around, and your baby daddy is more popular than you think, Brittany. Let's just say he was at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Brittany felt like screaming, but she had to hold herself back. There was a deep pit in her stomach that told her that there was something going on, something more to Alvin's wrongful arrest than she had expected. She was ready to kill Kyle on the spot. None of this felt real.

"I swear to god, if you had something to do with it..." Brittany's voice trembled.

"Again, I did nothing. And we're gonna make sure it stays that way, understand?" he smiled that dark smile one more time.

What the hell did that even mean? The bastard was sick, and Brittany wanted to rip him to shreds. The air around her seemed thinner. Maybe it was the anger or anxiety, but she couldn't breathe. "Jesus christ, Kyle! I get it, I know, and I get why you're mad. You have every reason to, but please leave Alvin out of this. He's done nothing!"

"Alright, sure," he said, and she was surprised that he saw it with such ease. "If that's what you really want."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

The room fell silent, and the tension grew thicker. It was unbearable. Kyle stared at Brittany, before that same, sick smile appeared on his face. "If you really want to me to leave Alvin out of this, then break it off with him, and get back together with me."

Brittany heard Jeanette and Eleanor gasp beside her. There are no words to describe the utter heartbreak that Brittany felt in that moment, the second Kyle finished saying Alvin's name. It was as if she had to process his words over and over again, until she realized that she had no other choice. Her daughter and sisters are in danger, and they will continue to be in danger until Brittany says yes.

"What?" she gasped.

"You've given me no choice, Brittany," he said. "Unless you want something to happen to your sisters and daughter."

"What? What's gotten into you, Kyle? Seriously! This isn't you!" she exclaimed.

"None of this would've happened if you hadn't decided to get with Alvin Seville," he fired.

Brittany looked at him in disbelief. "Is this what this is about? Is this about Alvin? I hope you realize that Alvin and I were never together. Not once!"

"That's hard to believe," he scoffed. "So you're telling me that you and Alvin went from hating one another, to deciding to have a child together, overnight? After all those years of you telling me how much you hated him, after telling me all those stories of you guys as kids, how you used to be friends until he grew up to be the douchebag he is today, how you wished you've never met him in the first place? Really, Brittany, you gotta come up with a better lie than that."

"Are you serious?" Brittany exclaimed. "I'm not lying. And I don't get what Alvin has to do with anything! This is about you and me, right now. Leave him out of it!"

Kyle laughed, and shook his head. "Wow, Brittany Miller is really defending Alvin Seville. Never thought I would see the day."

"What is wrong with you?" she fired. There was just too much going on, and Brittany had enough. "Why are you doing this, Kyle?"

"Because I'm angry, Brittany! I'm hurt! I've been hurt the moment we broke up, because I didn't understand why we broke up in the first place!" he exclaimed. He finally popped off; all the anger that he had been holding off was starting to leak through.

There was pain in his voice, and Brittany tried her best not to feel bad for him, but a part of her couldn't help it, because he was right. The main reason why they broke up is because they felt like they were falling apart. Their relationship didn't seem as strong as it had been, they stopped hanging out with each other everyday, stopped calling each other everyday, until they realized that whatever connection they once had was now gone. There was no bad blood between them when they broke up, there never was. However, 3 years of loving someone doesn't just disappear overnight. Of course, Brittany was miserable when they broke up, and Kyle was too. She understands why Kyle was hurt, because just a few months after they broke things off, Brittany became pregnant with another guy's kid.

"Kyle, I know you're upset, and I'm sorry, but-"

"I'm not done talking," he fired. "I've been wanting to say this since the day we broke up, Brittany, so you're going to let me talk."

Melody started to fuss about in his arms, and Brittany's eyes widened as she started to worry for her daughter. She took a step towards him and said, "I'll listen, I swear, but I need you to give her to me. Please."

Kyle laughed, and it was almost insulting. "Damn, look at you, being all motherly and such. Thought I'd see it someday with our child, Brittany, but never did I imagine you would get so protective over the child of Alvin Seville."

Hearing his name again, especially hearing Kyle say it with so much hatred, made the pain in her chest burn a bit more. "Kyle, please, I told you I would listen to everything you say. But don't bring him into this, please. He has nothing to do with this. Whatever anger you have towards Alvin, should be thrown at me. Be angry at me."

"I am, don't worry," he said, before he scoffed again. "Shit, Brittany, we were together for 3 years, almost 4. We broke up because we felt that our connection was falling apart, but we easily could have fixed it. We could have taken a break for a few months, and got back together. We were good together, Brittany, and I was willing to do whatever it would've taken to fix what was wrong."

"I know, and I'm sorry," she said. "I don't want you to think that our relationship meant nothing to me, because it did, more than you would ever know."

"That's bullshit," said Kyle. "If it meant something, then why did you end up pregnant a few months after we broke up, huh? Our relationship clearly didn't mean shit to you, if you were able to sleep with another guy after we broke up. And I'm not talking about some random guy, Brittany. I'm talking about Alvin Seville. Didn't you use to hate the guy? You've told me, thousands of times, how you hate him, but then you decide to sleep with him? What the hell does that say about me?"

"You don't know what happened," Brittany said, and the tears started to stream down her face. Again, she wasn't crying out of sadness, but she was just downright angry and upset, and truly terrified for her daughter. "You don't even know half the damn story. I was drunk when I became pregnant. Alvin and I were both drunk at a party when this all happened. Do you think I knew what was going on when that happened? Did you think, at that time, I wanted to hook up with Alvin Seville? No, of course not, Kyle! You and I had freshly broken up, and of course I was hurt, but I was stupid and used alcohol and partying to make me want to forget, because I was so damn broken when we called it off! It didn't happen on purpose to hurt you, or anyone, I swear."

"But you decided to keep the kid," he said.

"Yes, because she's my kid, and it was my choice," Brittany exclaimed. "Do you think I wanted to keep the baby at first? Especially when I realized who the father is? No, of course not. I was going back and forth between abortion and adoption for so long, and it kept me up at night for months. But at the end, it was my choice, and I decided to keep her. Even if Alvin didn't want anything to do with the baby, I still would've kept her because she's mine."

"No, you kept her because you fell in love with him, didn't you," he said.

Brittany didn't say anything at first, she didn't dare to. But Kyle was right. Brittany nor Alvin would've ever expected to develop feelings for each other at all. Her pregnancy started with so much hatred, with them promising to never talk about what happened between them the night of the party because it was nothing more than a stupid mistake, with Brittany claiming that she does not want Alvin to be a part of this child's life at all, whether or not she decides to keep it.

It was crazy how things changed so quickly.

They fell in love without even realizing that they fell in love. Although their relationship was never official, it all happened so naturally, and everything just fell into place. It felt so right. They went from being lifelong enemies, to acquaintances, to former friends, to two people who realized they have never been truly in love until the damn universe brought them back together.

At one point, it all seemed so perfect. Life was really on their side.

"N-No, that's not it," she said.

"Jesus christ, Brittany. I hope you realized that I really did love you when we were together," he said.

"I know you did. And I loved you too," she said truthfully, and it hurt her because she knew how badly she had hurt him. She never wanted it to come down to this. "But this...this just isn't the answer, Kyle. You have the right to be mad at me, but threatening my sisters and my daughter isn't the answer at all. And if you did love me, you would leave me alone."

"If only things were that easy, huh," he said.

Brittany was now getting frustrated, on top of the other million emotions that were running through her veins. She was near her breaking point, and she just wanted to wake up from this damn nightmare. "God, are you serious right now, Kyle? You got what you wanted, you came to my house, threatened my family, and hurt me, so just leave me alone, please!" she exclaimed tearfully. "What more do you want from me?"

"You know the answer to that," he told her.

Brittany tried her best to stop herself from crying, but the tears just kept falling. "What, so you want me to stop talking to Alvin? You want me to never see him again, and get back together with you? Is that what you want?"

"Yes, because it should've been us at the end, Brittany. We never should've broken up," he said.

"If this is about us, then Alvin doesn't need to be a part of it," she fired.

Kyle stared at her for a moment. "You're always worried about him, aren't you. You're always the first one to defend that asshole, so let me ask you this."

Brittany wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and for some reason, she was terrified to death at what Kyle was going to say next. The look in his eyes were so dark, yet satisfied, as if he knew that he had won. And knowing that, knowing that she had no other choice than to surrender, because she desperately needed her sisters and daughter to be safe, completely broke her heart and she will never forgive herself for it.

"Are you in love with him?" he asked her.

His voice was ice cold. The words broke her, completely tore her apart. She knew she couldn't tell the truth, to protect Alvin, to save Alvin, because she loves him more than her broken heart could handle. She loves him in more ways than one, in ways she never thought she could love. And she'll be damned if she said anything that would ever harm him.

"No," she lied.

"You're lying," he said.

"I'm not. He's nothing more than the father of my daughter, that's all," Brittany forced the words out of herself. "I have never been in love with him."

Kyle looked at her for a moment, as if waiting for her to crack under pressure.

"Good," he said. "Because you're going to let him know."

"...What?"

"If you want your sisters and daughter to be safe, then you're going to visit him in prison and tell him that you don't want to see him ever again, and that you don't want him near your daughter," he said. "You're going to end it all."

Brittany gasped. That was the last thing she could have expected, and it was far too much, even for him. That was worse than heartbreak, because she knows how much Alvin wants to meet Melody, how excited he is to meet their daughter the moment he is released. It was unfathomable, and Brittany would rather die than hurt Alvin like that.

"No, I-I can't do that. I'll tell him that I don't want to see him, but please leave my daughter out of this," she begged.

"Has Alvin even met the baby yet?" Kyle asked her.

"...No," she said, and it hurt her more than she had expected. Knowing that Alvin has yet to meet his daughter, and knowing that he may not get that chance anymore, set Brittany's heart on fire.

"Then he'll get over it," Kyle said. His voice was dark.

"Kyle, you...you can't do this," Brittany pleaded.

"I'm not giving you another choice," he said. "Either you do what I say, or you'll face consequences, Brittany. And trust me, I don't want to have to do that, and I promise I won't hurt Jeanette, Eleanor or the baby, only if you follow my orders. Now, do you understand?"

She turned to her sisters, who both had tears in their eyes after witnessing and hearing everything that played out in front of them. She could tell, by the looks in Jeanette and Eleanor's eyes, that they wanted Brittany to fight for herself, to fight for Alvin, but unfortunately, there was no way in doing that. Kyle got what he wanted, and Brittany needed to save them all before it was too late.

"...Yes."

"Good. Oh, and one more thing. Tell Alvin not to look for you when he gets out," said Kyle. "Because if he does, prison is going to welcome him back with open arms."


Day 40.

He didn't know what day of the week it was, or even what time it was, but he has been counting every damn day since he stepped foot in here, and he's currently on day 40. Which means he has 50 days left until he's out of here, 50 days left until he can return home, 50 days left until he can meet his daughter for the first time, and 50 days left until he can finally tell Brittany that he loves her.

It was the same routine every single day. Wake up, wash up, eat, and sleep. He was lucky if he got some workouts in between. This shit was tiring, and he was damn bored. He shouldn't even be in here, and it's starting to fuck him up a bit in the head, especially after talking to Brittany and realizing how much he has missed out on ever since their daughter was born. Luckily, since his 'crimes' weren't exactly considered a high threat, he had his own cell, which was nice, but shit, he would give anything to be home in his own room.

He was lying on his back, with his eyes closed, when he heard loud knocks against his cell door.

"Seville, get up. You have company."

Alvin's eyes flew open and he sat up right away. He raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what?"

"Yeah, we're granting you visitation rights, now hurry up."

Moments later, Alvin was led down a long hallway, and into a room with nothing more than a chair, and a transparent plastic wall in front. Beside the chair, was a black phone that was connected to the other side of the wall, where there was an empty chair waiting.

"You get 10 minutes. Everything you say will be monitored," the cop said. "Your visitor will be sitting on the other side of the wall, and you can only communicate through that phone, got it?"

"...Yeah."

The cop left, and Alvin sat down, allowing pure silence to fill the room for a few minutes. He felt sick to his stomach, and nervous as hell because he didn't know what was going on, or what to expect. Moments later, he saw a shadow move from the other side of the transparent wall, and in walked a figure. He watched as the person walked in, and Alvin couldn't take his eyes off of her, as if he was seeing her for the first time in his life. Slowly, the person sat down in front of him, on the other side of the wall, and kept her gaze down to her lap and took a deep breath, as if she was preparing herself to look at him, before finally looking up to meet his gaze.

And when they did, time stood still.

They just stared at each other for a moment, as if taking each other in, as if they couldn't believe that the other person was really there. The feeling felt unreal, beautiful, and so, so painful. Alvin felt breathless when he saw her, a happiness in his chest he hasn't felt since the first time he kissed her.

But there was nothing but heartbreak in her eyes.

She moved her hand, ever so delicately, towards the phone on her side of the wall, and Alvin mimicked her actions. She put the phone to her ear, but she didn't say anything. She didn't know how. She couldn't find the strength to find the words she was ordered to say, the words that will shatter his heart.

"Brittany," he finally said, shattering the silence around them.

She wanted to cry. The sound of her name on his lips pierced her heart because it was so beautiful, and she yearned to hear his voice again and again. He was right there in front of her, he was so close. She just wanted to reach out and pull him and kiss him and wrap her arms around him and never let go. She just wanted to feel him again, to be around him again, and hold herself to him until this nightmare ended. But she couldn't. For his sake.

She still couldn't speak up, because she was afraid she might lose it in front of him. Oh, why did it have to end up like this. She wasn't ready to say goodbye. But because she loves him, and needs him to be safe, she had to. This may be the last time she will ever get to see him, and the thought of it absolutely killed her.

"...Alvin."


holy hell. that was one of the craziest chapters I have ever written.

So what do you guys think will happen next? What's gonna happen, now that Kyle is back? And what's gonna happen with Alvin and Brittany now? Is she really gonna go through with what Kyle told her to do? How is Alvin going to react?

I hope you guys are staying safe out there. I hope this pandemic ends soon, because the world is truly turning upside down. I will try and get these chapters out sooner, because I know most of us are stuck at home and need something to take our minds off things.

Thank you so much for reading this chapter, and I can't wait to read some feedback so please REVIEW! Let's try and hit 890 reviews until the next one! Maybe even make it to 900? That would be insane!

Anyway, see you guys in the next one!