Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my imagination.

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I really appreciate them =] I'll try to make my chapters longer. // I'm sort of unhappy with how this chapter turned out...I'm not entirely sure. It's a bit meh. But anyways, enjoy. xo

"If you ever tell Haley, I'll kill you."

A sharp stabbing pain coursed throughout her body. She bit down violently on her bottom lip to stop from screaming as she scraped desperately for air. Her lungs betrayed her, lulling her mind into darkness.

The wind was harsh against her torn skin.

The pavement was bitter against her naked stomach.

The bright street lights unsympathetic on her bloodshot eyes.

--

"Lucas wait!"

The petite brunette chased her enraged friend as he paced towards his car.

"Please!"

Lucas stopped in his tracks, breath hitched, fists clenched. "Luke, you can't do anything! Please!" Brooke pleaded. He spun on his heals, eyes blazing. "And why not? Why the hell not? That bastard hurt her and you expect me to sit back and do nothing! He raped and beat her and…he…" he swallowed, trying to control his emotions. "He killed my unborn child Brooke." His words were venomous, each syllable filled with hatred and spite. "I know. I'm just as excruciatingly furious and livid as you are… but please Luke, just wait." The two stared each other down, willing the other to give in. "Give me one good reason."

The brunette took in a deep breathe, stabilizing her emotions. "Haley." His tense demeanor crumbled. His fist unclenched. Gaze fell. Breathing slowed. "Peyton's been trying to tell her, but thing's just keep getting in the way. And you killing Haley's husband isn't going to move the process along any quicker."

Silence engulfed the pair, pulling them into an unbearably tense atmosphere. His heavy lids sheltered his baby blues from the world as he willed himself to maintain composed. Her deep hazels pleaded for acceptance, longing to take his pain away. Lucas rubbed his forehead, releasing a deep breath. "I'll ring Haley and we'll tell her now. All three of us." Brooke simply nodded in agreement.

--

If you ever tell Haley I'll kill you. She shivered as she remembered his venomous statement. She'd never felt so nervous in her life. Her entire body was shaking, fingertips trembling, lips quivering. She pried apart her recently scared lips, in hope of speech, but quickly decided against it. The petite brunette woman across from her carried a look of confusion and worry. Her best friend and her fiancé sat to the side, willing her to continue.

She had to do this now.

"Hayls…I…just please don't hate me for this." Haley shot her trembling friend a bewildered gaze. "Why would I hate you?" Peyton swallowed harshly, biting ruthlessly into her bottom lip. With a deep breath and tightly shut eyes she ensued. "N…Na…Nathan was the one who attacked me…" Her eyes flickered open, falling upon Haley's disbelieving stare. "I'm so sorry Hayls. I really am."

For several minutes they sat in silence. No-one moving, no-one speaking. Total obliterating silence. "I don't believe you."

The words took them all by surprise. They twisted through the room, knocking the wind from each and every soul. Peyton nodded, choking back tears as she pressed her lips tightly together. She could feel her heart crushing into a million pieces. "I…he…he would never do that. I'm sorry, you must be mistaken." She simply nodded again, peeling herself from the couch and dragging her feet towards her bedroom, each step sending her further backwards into the devastatingly depressed state that consumed her two weeks earlier. She pulled the bedroom door closed behind her, allowing herself to fall backwards against the cool wooden barricade. If you ever tell Haley I'll kill you. The words played over and over in her mind, eating away at every remaining sense of security. She clung to her own skin in sheer desperation for safety, comfort…refuge.

--

"Haley, I know this is hard to believe, but think back, where was Nathan on the night Peyton was attacked?" Brooke questioned.

Another silence tore through the room. Lucas paced nervously in front of Peyton's door, unsure of whether to enter and comfort his fiancé, or leave her be. Brooke gazed nervously at Haley as she processed everything that she'd just been told and asked. Her eyes were fixed firmly on the coffee table infront of her, her hands were tightly intwined, her teeth burrowing into her crimson lip. Her eyes flickered upwards, finding Brookes. Her mouth fell agape in silence realization. "It was Nathan…He…he did it. He came home drunk and his clothes were torn and…he told me he'd got into a fight at the bar. I…I…" she stuttered upon her words, unsure of what to say as realization sunk through her soul.

"Now can I kill him?" Lucas's word's rung through the room, pulling both girls gaze towards him. With nods from both girls, he flung himself towards the door and ran from the house, encasing the room in silence.