A/N: I am back and ready to snatch you, you, and you. I am still trying to finish this story with about two chapters left. I planned all the way from chapters 16 all the way to 28 and I wish I had planned more. I think about where I want the ending to go and I have a few ideas but then I over think them and I end up not liking them, so please, if you can give me some ideas I would really love them. You will be credited. Now where did we leave off? That's right! Did Lucas really cheat on Riley? This chapter will tell all. Reviews are a must, just kidding, but they would make my day. I also found out that many of you guys aren't receiving emails when a story has been updated and the same thing has happened to me. Just know that every Friday you get an update from me, unless I say otherwise.

amymayy2003: You and me both.

SGIM: I've been asked that question a reasonable amount of times and the answer is yes. Yes they will get a happy ending...in their own way. So it might not be the happy ending you guys wanted or expect. As for the sequel, I don't know. I have no ideas. So please, if you have some I would love to hear them. Lucas will find out. Their plan does play out, but Riley won't feel the same way about it. Maya and Lucas should talk about what he did to her, but then again Maya wasn't exactly the victim. So who knows? Maybe. Will Riley get pregnant? That's a major answer for a different chapter.

RowanBSelenaG: Oh my...I stan both of them. 3. Well where in the damn juggly hell have you been? I love new readers. And I know. That's Missy's purpose, to intervene and mess with Rucas. We have a love hate relationship. I love that she gives us a good plot, but I hate that it comes at the expense of Rucas. Your two weeks are up...3

naelacy: I think when I was writing that chapter a few months back, I wanted it to feel like Riley and Lucas were saying goodbye and that there was no way they would ever see each other again. That chapter was like supposed to be the one chapter where you just need to know what's going to happen and I hope it felt that way. And yes, Rucas will prevail...and I did enjoy my week off.

JJ: This story is full of twists and turns...also bumps and cliffs...so beware. Breaks are a crucial thing for me. When I take I break from not only posting, I take a break from writing as well. So I am living. I believe in second chances, I believe someone who has made a mistake has good inside. I wouldn't judge or shut anyone out of my life for trying to do good...therefore I respond to your reviews. If I didn't like you I would not let your reviews pass. And do it. If you want to be a writer...go for it. Hey, maybe i'll be the one reviewing your story.

volleyballer82: I hope this chapter is just as good.

ArabellaRoseD: Rucas makes up! And who knows, maybe all the evidence that pointed to Lucas could have been compromised? A big what if.

Marissa Davis: There's a lot of things you say when you are angry that can offend people, and I want people to know that Riley was in that state where she was agitated. And wouldn't it suck if Lucas really did sleep with Missy...again. Know that they have slept with each other, but that was when they dated. He ended things and he is a faithful boyfriend...remember that.

Dangerous Woman

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Lucas stared at the woman in front of him. She was middle aged but spoke greatly. Her hair was brown and full of color, she had blue eyes and a soothing smile that brought comfort to Lucas. She sat on a white leather seat across from him and wrote things down in her notebook.

He had been in this room for quite some time now, visiting her three times a week, wanting to cry in front of her every second in the hour, hoping he'd see the light of day.

He didn't want to admit that she was his therapist, even though that's who she was. But he didn't want to see her as a friend either.

He never intended to see someone for this. His problems were his problems, just like his anger. He's kept it under control...until Riley came along.

The thought of Riley hurt him greatly. The last memory he had of her was what she said to him, "The way you yell, the way you get angry, the way you hold me...pretty soon I'm going to be the one unconscious and you're going to be the one with the blood on your fist."

He wanted to shrivel up and hide from the world, hide from anyone and everything. When all he wanted was to hit something instead of talking to someone about it, Lucas realized something was wrong.

So here he was, talking to his therapist, gulping at what she was writing down.

Dr. Perez looked up at him and smiled, "Last time you were here we ended short. I recall being advised of your early years. Why don't we start from there?"

"What do you wanna know?"

"The move," she answered. "You said you moved to California because of your dad."

"We moved because he would hit her."

"Would there be a reason...for his hostile atrocities?"

"Not that I know of. But ever since I started speaking with you, I...think there might be one."

"Which is?"

Lucas sighed and stared down at his hand, "I think it started after my brother died."

She looked down at her notes and wrote something down, "Your brother, Thomas?"

"He's the only one," he informed.

"And the drinking?"

Lucas shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know."

She set her pen down and closed her book, "You summarily said you kept in contact with your dad..."

"No," he answered, almost immediately. "He somehow managed to find my mom and me, and then he wrote to me."

"Did you ever read his letter? Or write him back?"

"Couldn't."

"Couldn't or wouldn't?"

Lucas shook his head no, "I just didn't know what to say to him. All I wanted to do was-"

"Hit him? Yell at him...wish him out of your life?

He nodded.

"What about school?"

"What about it?"

"You got suspended in the first week of your freshman year, your grades drastically decreased...you got in trouble with the police, I mean these are just some of the things your mom told me about."

"That wasn't a good time in my life."

"Just like now?" she questioned him. "What caused you to take these actions?"

"I blamed myself, okay. For everything. For my parent's divorce, for the move, for my mom having to smile and put up with him. It was my fault."

"Throughout your freshman, sophomore and junior year?"

Lucas nodded and blinked back the tears threatening to surface. "For five years."

"You mentioned a girl," the doctor reminded him. "But you never told me her name. What is it?"

"Riley," the words fell out of his mouth and warmed his heart. "Riley Matthews."

She gave him an encouraging smile, "Who is she to you?"

"My girlfriend," he answered. "Or at least was, I don't know. We haven't really talked."

"Tell me about her."

Lucas smiled and stared at the room, the Dr. had many degrees framed on her wall and to the right of him was her desk with a picture of her family in it.

"She's beautiful," he starts and smiles. "Inside and out. She displays unconditional love to my mom, which is actually really great. She makes me really happy, Riley has changed me in ways I can't even begin with. She is a generous, caring person who...I rely on. She's the first person I've opened up to, besides my friends. I would do anything for her."

"You speak very fondly of her."

Lucas nodded.

"Did something happen?"

He looked away. The last thing he wanted to speak about was finally something he had to speak about. "We got into this argument."

"What couple doesn't?" she smiles.

"It wasn't just 'this argument'" Lucas informed as he ran a hand through his hair. "It was so much more than that."

"Care to explain?"

"Hours before the argument even happened Riley and I were about to have...sex." The therapist nodded and Lucas was somewhat relieved with her expression, normal and calm. "I pushed past her limits and she got scared. When I tried to get her to talk to me, she walked away. I was so disappointed in myself and so disgusted that I did something like that to her. So I tried to forget by going to this stupid party. I got drunk, one thing led to another and I somehow woke up the next day with Riley staring at me and another girl laying next to me in bed, naked."

"I see," she nods.

Lucas only sees this as a gesture to continue. "I chased after her with this massive headache and I tried to get her to stop and talk to me. When she didn't, I yelled and I...scared her...again. I'm just stuck between trying to figure out if I cheated on her or if I'm a bad person for screwing up so many times?"

"Neither," she answered as she closed her notebook.

"Then why do I feel this way? Why do I keep feeling the need to apologize or talk to her about this? Why am I constantly thinking about her? Or why am I only remembering the look she gave me the night we went out on our walk at the park?"

Dr. Perez could finally see tears rolling down his eyes, she knew this was bound to happen and she was proud it was happening. "What look was that, Lucas?"

He sighs and answers her question, "Like she's scared of me. It's as if she's staring at a murderer."

The therapist nods.

"It hurts," he admits. "All I wanna do is protect her, but I can't do that without feeling like I'm the guilty one. Like all I do is put harm in her way."

Dr. Perez nods and places her left knee above her right knee. "Let me ask you this, Lucas. Why are you here now?"

"I don't want to be what she thinks of me. I don't want to be like Peter. I want to be the person she says I am."

"Are you that person?"

Lucas sighs, "She talks about me like that for a reason, right?"

The doctor smiles. "You are a great person."

"Why don't I feel like it?"

"Because you are capable of feeling remorse," she told him."

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Riley stood just a few steps behind Lucas as his hands rested on the railing of the gazebo. His back was facing her as he gazed out into the lampposts ahead. His hands went to his pockets as he was dressed in black jeans and a leather jacket. He looked relaxed and free of worry. She smiled and began to walk towards him. This seemed to be their spot now. They'd come here when they wanted to be alone and embraced by the other.

Lucas felt a warm essence at his side and when he turned to see who caused it, Lucas found himself staring at Riley. She looked beautiful but something was off, her beauty was still the same but something else was missing. He arched a brow and fully turned to her. Then he noticed it, her hair was much shorter. A chestnut brown hair with highlights, cut into a lob that falls down to her shoulders and frames her angelic expression mesmerizes Lucas. "Hey."

"Hi," she said back. She placed her hands on the wooden railings and smiled.

Lucas still can't take his eyes off her. She looks absolutely stunning. He glances at her with a slightly crooked grin that is contagious and she smiles back in return. He pictured this moment in his head many times, he practiced in the mirror, he practiced in his dreams and he even practiced to a drawing he made of her. But suddenly all the words he had in mind, got washed away. This was his one chance to prove his innocence and to win her back. He couldn't screw this up.

"You look absolutely stunning," he compliments.

Although Riley did enjoy that brief moment she knew she was here for one reason only. To hear him out, not fall in love with his charms. "Lucas," she sighs.

"I know," he raises his hands in defense. "I know."

He composed his thoughts and stared at the lampposts again. He rubbed the back of his neck and began, "I'm sorry. For...everything. I never meant to hurt you in any way, Riley," he stopped but figured that wasn't enough to see anything or change her mind. "I went to a party that night and I got drunk. Zay was my ride home and he didn't want to leave so he asked Missy to take me home and she did. That's all we did."

Riley didn't look at him the entire time he spoke. His eyes wouldn't leave hers. There were so many questions she had to ask him, there were so many answers she needed to hear to change the way she was feeling for him right now. "Then how do you explain the trail of clothes?"

He sighed, "I don't know. I don't even know what happened after I kissed her."

"You what?" Riley stepped back.

"It sounds worse than it actually is."

"Right..." she says in a salty manner that makes Lucas wince. He really wants her to believe him.

"It is. I was so drunk I thought she was you. That's all."

"Now it sounds like being drunk is your excuse."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Missy is my ex, Riley. I ended it with her back in March. I only kissed her because without the light, without your warmth, she looked exactly like you. And that's who I needed."

"Me?"

He nodded and went down to grab her hands. "I never meant to scare you. And I never meant to hurt you."

A cold breeze passed them and Lucas stared at Riley, "Do you believe me? Anything?" Lucas wanted an answer faster than the speed of light, he wanted to know so they could return to being with each other. But for some reason, doubt stood in the way.

Riley went back to the day she found him in bed with Missy. She remembered every detail. She ascended the steps but stopped when she found the underwear, as she reached the second floor she found the bra, a very familiar bra. Then it hit her. She raised her brows as she looked at the Lucas.

It was Maya's bra.

Riley opened the door to Lucas room' and she saw that there was a condom on top of his underwear, but when he chased after her, he wasn't naked, Lucas was wearing his underwear. She also didn't see what Missy was wearing over the bra and panties scattered on the floor. The evidence laid out in front of her didn't add up.

"What is it?" Lucas asked.

She sighed, "You weren't naked when you chased after me, but I saw your underwear on the floor. You said you were drunk, and your breath smelled like it when you screamed at me," she ignored the guilt that illuminated through Lucas' features, "You didn't lie."

"I didn't," and she believed him. "I would never."

A big part of Riley wanted to hug him and kiss him, but she couldn't. She wouldn't. Even though she forgave Lucas, Riley also needed a little forgiving too.

"What I said to you-"

He shook his head, "Riley, you don't have too."

"I want to. I have too," she stared deep into his eyes. "It was wrong of me to even bring him up. I thought you cheated but you didn't, I am the one to be blamed for this. Lucas this is my fault."

"No. It's no one's fault. If anything we should be blaming Missy, she orchestrated the whole thing," his hand went to her cheek. "I don't ever want you to blame yourself for this. It was never your fault."

"If I'm honest, that's all I've been feeling," Riley informed. "Lucas you are a really great guy. I used to think of you as this fuck boy who would charm his way into a girls pants," Lucas chuckled but Riley continued. "I was wrong. You are so much more than that."

He really wanted to kiss her.

"Let's start over. What happened between me and Missy never happened, I never yelled at you and you never said those things to me. Can we just forget?"

"I like that."

Lucas' forehead leaned against hers as his hands wrapped around her back. "I like you."

She laughed, "Easy."

Lucas placed his hands on her cheeks and pulled her closer. The kiss was intimate and slowly rushed as they both wanted to embrace the moment.

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Riley was on cloud nine the entire walk home. She was genuinely happy because now she could talk to Lucas and just be with him in general. The weeks she was away from him migrated so slowly she felt like they were angry for centuries. As she closed the door to Maya's house and sauntered towards her room, how dare you mode had been activated. Maya had helped Missy in the scheme they pulled off and Riley was nowhere near happy.

"When did you plan on telling me?" she questioned the blonde.

Maya furrowed her brows and stared at her. She set her pencil down on the paper and stood up, "Plan on telling you what?"

"I know you did it, Maya. I know you helped Missy."

She smirked.

"I'm sorry, is this amusing to you?" she questioned.

"I never said it was."

Riley's blood boiled. She was angry and so disappointed in Maya. "Why?"

"Why?" Maya questioned. "Because someone needed to get things done. You said you wanted to break Lucas, what happened?"

"I'm still working on it," Riley defended. Had she? She didn't know. The reasons she's with Lucas don't even come into mind anymore. She forgets all about it when she's with him or around him.

"Well...no offense, darling...but you aren't doing your job."

"I work at my own pace."

"Then your pace isn't good enough. I'm surprised he hasn't even tried to sleep with someone else."

"So that's why you did it? He wouldn't cheat on me so you wanted to make it look like he did?"

Maya walked out her room and into the kitchen.

"I can't believe you."

"I can't believe you," Maya retaliates. "You've been with Lucas for over a month. And all you've been doing is falling for him this whole damn time."

She shakes her head no. Riley didn't want Maya's words to be true, she didn't want Maya to know.

Maya scoffs. "You're starting to like him."

"Am not."

"Are too," she responds. "And after all this time..." a tear rolls down her cheek, "You know I saw you as my sister. I thought that maybe if you broke his heart it would make our bond stronger, I was wrong."

Riley didn't say anything.

"If you don't like him like you say you do, then start breaking him. It's been a long time, how long does it take Lucas Friar to fall in love?" Maya walked passed Riley and nudged her along the way.

Riley didn't know if she was ready to finally put an end to Lucas. And to be honest with him about the reasons she was with him all this time. Could she do it?

She didn't know.

But instead of asking if she could do it...she should be asking if she would do it.

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A/N: Always let me know what you think. The story is almost coming to an end. I can't wait for you to see how this story unfolds. You guys have plenty to read in the next few chapters...they go up to 4,000+ words. That may not seem like much to you guys, but that's nothing like what I am used to writing. I've also been thinking about doing a Q&A in the next few chapters. So please ask a whole bunch of questions and give me your thoughts. What questions do you have and on the 26th chapter I'll answer all your questions. Plus, the 26th chapter is an important chapter. ;);)

P.S Most of you should know by now that I am a Selena Gomez stan. If you didn't, now you know. Anyways, I just wanted to say: LISTEN TO BAD LIAR. It's out on YouTube, Spotify and iTunes. The second listen is the best.