It was nearing two o'clock in the morning when Olivia made it back home, and upon her arrival she noticed that there was an unfamiliar black vehicle parked in her driveway. As she collected her bags from the driver, she had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach but she went inside her home anyway with her phone in her hand, ready to dial 9-1-1 if need be.

Everything seemed to be still intact so she ruled out a robbery taking place with a sigh of relief. Then, she noticed two glasses of wine on the center table in her living room and that uneasy feeling immediately returned with intensity as things began to run through her mind. As she quietly made her way upstairs, the sound of moaning could be heard and they only became louder and clearer as she neared her bedroom door. Unable to stop herself, Olivia crept through the threshold of her bedroom to find Jake on all fours while another man took him from behind.

In total shock, Olivia stood there with her mouth wide-opened and unable to move her feet. All this time she knew Jake was seeing someone else, but this...this was not what she expected at all. "Jake!" She shouted. Because they obviously still had not noticed her standing there. "What the fuck!"

"Olivia...Liv, wait! Let me explain!" Jake yelled as he jumped up from the bed and scrabbled to grab his boxers, but it was too late, Olivia had seen enough and made a dash for the door. She rushed downstairs, grabbing her own car keys and bags. She didn't stop running until she made it to her car and got in. She drove to her mother's house with tears streaming down her face as she thought about what she had just witnessed.

"No! No! What the fuck!" She shouted, banging her hand against the steering wheel.

She might've been able to handle Jake sleeping with another woman but with a man? Hell to the no! She was not prepared for that.

Olivia didn't just leave because she was devastated and angry, she left for her own safety as well. She'd binge watched plenty episodes of "Fatal Attractions" and a particular episode that came to mind was the one she'd been really invested in.

It had been about a young woman who had found sexual messages between her boyfriend and his so-called best-friend. The girl confronted her boyfriend about the messages, then the girl suddenly went "missing". The boyfriend claimed that she had left their house after they had an argument and he hadn't seen her since, but Olivia called bullshit. She knew the boyfriend had done something to the woman because she found out his biggest kept secret— that he was bisexual.

Olivia wasn't sure if the man Jake was with or if even Jake was willing to harm her to keep her quiet, but she knew better than to stick around to find out.

Once she arrived at her mother's house, she stepped out of her vehicle then made a dash for the bushes, she puked and puked until she dry-heaved. As she made her way to the front door she knew that her mother and sons would be asleep so she used her spare key to get inside. She quietly got herself settled in and didn't even bother waking her mother to let her know that she was there or to ask for advice, Olivia knew that she needed time alone to process all of this madness for herself.

After rinsing her mouth in the guest bathroom downstairs, she laid on the couch and cried until a migraine came on full force. The only person she wanted was Fitz. God, she wanted him so badly, but all she could think about was how he didn't want anything to do with her. It felt like her world was falling apart before her eyes and she had no way of stopping it and gaining control.

Jake was blowing up her phone with calls and messages so she blocked his number. And after some time, she finally managed to cry herself to sleep after she'd taken some medication to ease the thunderclap headache she had worked up.

She know sleeping was the best way to escape the pain she felt inside...Without doing something crazy she'd later regret.

X

Maya woke up early the next morning to find her daughter sleeping on her couch which she found alarming considering the fact that Olivia told her that she'd be back in a few days and it had only been a few hours since she waved her goodbye.

Maya knew that Olivia didn't go on a trip for some "voice workshop" as she claimed. She knew she had actually gone to see Fitzgerald. But now, her concern was why was her daughter back two days early and sleeping on her couch with dried up tear stains?

Usually Maya didn't involve herself with her children's drama, but she needed answers. She knew that she had to intervene this time. Her motherly instincts told her so.

"Olivia? Livia, honey, wake up," Maya said, gently tapping her daughter until she answered her. "Mom, I'm not sleep. I just want to lay here and relax. Please."

"No. I need you to get up before you ruin my good couch, and go wash the tears from your face before your sons come downstairs and start asking you questions."

Olivia sighed, but she got up. "Then, you and I are going to have us a longggg talk, missy." Maya added as Olivia grabbed her suitcase, taking it into the bathroom with her. She took a long, hot shower then got dressed in a tank top with sweatpants, she didn't even bother to do her makeup or her hair. After she finished, she went back downstairs to find her boys and mom sitting at the table eating breakfast.

"Hey, mom! Good morning, mom!" Her boys greeted her with their pearly white smiles.

"Good morning, boys." She kissed their foreheads then turned to her mother and smiled weakly, "Good morning, mama."

"Good morning, baby. Sit down and eat."

"Mom, what are you doing back so soon? I thought you weren't coming back until like three days," Nolan asked, before stuffing his mouth with his grandma's cooking and scrolling on his phone.

"Well, that had been the plan, but I decided to end my trip a little early." Olivia answered somberly as her orbs became moist. She quickly blinked her eyelids, forcing away her tears before anyone could even notice.

She was determined not to cry in front of her children.

X

After breakfast, Olivia took Nolan and Asher over to their friends house then she went back to her mother's house. She also had told her sister Clara to meet her there. Olivia knew that Clara was the only sister that was mature enough for the conversation she wanted to have. She was not in the mood for the jokes and judgy looks from her other sisters.

"So Liv, what's up," Clara asked as she and their mom waited. Olivia exhaled, "Ok, well, before I tell you, you guys have to promise me that you won't judge me or tell anyone else?"

"I promise. I promise." Maya and Clara answered in unison with nods.

Olivia inhaled sharply and exhaled deeply, then she began to explain everything that had transpired since the night she and Fitz first rekindled their relationship and how they'd been sharing many days/nights together at each other's houses since. The tears began to fall as guilt ate at her, she knew what they had been doing was so wrong. But, she continued with retelling her story, making sure to leave nothing out as her mother and sister gave her their undivided attention.

It was clear to them that this was something she needed to get off her chest.

Olivia cleared her throat, taking a breath, then she switched gears telling them how she and Fitz had a huge fall out which prompted her to return home sooner than planned. She explained the uneasiness she felt the moment she made it home last night and the reason for her being at Maya's house today. "Well, when I got home I found Jake in bed with someone else...he was in bed with another man." Olivia concluded. She watched as her mother and sister's mouths both fell open in complete shock.

"What?!" Maya exclaimed as she jumped up from her seat and Clara gasped. "Olivia, did you just say that he was in bed with another man? Is- is that what you said? You've got to be joking!"

Olivia scoffed with a chuckle. "I wish I were!" Then, she shook her head as tears welled up. "I walked through the door and there they were– in my damn bed."

"Oh my god, baby. I am so sorry," Maya said, grabbing her daughter's hand. "Honestly, I think I would've rather had him cheat on me with another woman rather than a man! How am I going to explain this to Nolan and Asher?" Olivia cried looking between her mother and sister for some advice. Her heart was broken for more than one reason, it seemed like she just couldn't catch a break.

"You don't. You let him do it. He made that bed now he's gonna have to lay it, and then you let them decide if they want a relationship with him or not," Maya answered passionately. "But you know what you need to do."

Olivia nodded with a sigh. "I do. This is just going to break my babies heart, mom. I never wanted my kids to feel how I felt when you and daddy divorced, and I feel like I'm being punished for sleeping around with Fitz."

"Now you can divorce Jake and marry my already considered bother-in-law! All's well that ends well." Clara said which made Olivia giggle as she wiped away her tears.

Maya shook her head at her daughter as she pondered on what to say to Olivia. She's always kept it real with her all her daughters so she wasn't about to start sugar coating anything now. "I have to admit that I am not pleased with your actions, Olivia. You know how I feel about cheating. It's what broke your father and I up. And you as a married woman should've conducted yourself better than that. If you weren't happy in your marriage then you should've just gotten a divorce, baby."

"Mom, I know!" Olivia expressed with a sigh. "I'm not proud of that either but I've only stayed in my marriage because of Nolan and Asher. Like I said before, I didn't want them to feel the pain that we felt when you and daddy split up, but now I guess...I guess that really doesn't matter." Olivia shrugged.

"You do what's best for you and my grandchildren, but honestly? I wouldn't mind having Fitz as a son-in-law anyhow." Maya teased, trying to ease the heaviness in the room and make her daughter laugh.

"Look who's talking now, but you were shaking your head at what I said!" Clara pointed out and they shared another hearty laugh.

"Everything's going to work out, honey. This too shall pass," Maya said as she got up and kissed Olivia's forehead. Then, she went into the kitchen to start preparing a quick and easy lunch, leaving Olivia and Clara alone in the living room.

"Ok, so now that mommy is gone, tell me what's the sex like. Is Fitz good," Clara asked, showing way too much excitement as she turned her body towards Olivia and leaned in.

"Oh my gosh! Clare, no! I am not discussing that with you!" Olivia exclaimed making her nose crinkle as she laughed and shook her head. She would've expected a question like that from Alice or Grace, and definitely Tamia, but not Clara!

"Please, Liv! Pleaseee!"

"Oh my god! You are so silly." Olivia laughed, then she pondered on what she could say without saying too much. "Hmm, it's like a kid being in a candy store."

"What? Olivia, that doesn't make any sense! Be serious!" Clara pouted.

"How? That makes prefect sense! Just think about it," Olivia said which made Clara gave her a look that had her giggling. "Ok! Ok! Calm down! The sex is...amazing. Each time we made love he took my body to a new level, making me feel things that I didn't know was possible. Fitz knows my body better than any other man I've been with. Hell, he even knows it better than I do!" She giggled. "He's a gentle and passionate lover, he takes his time pleasing me, he makes sure that I'm comfortable, and he makes sure that I'm always the one to reach the peek first. But don't get me wrong, our quickies have been just as good!" Olivia said, making herself have a flashback then she softly blushed. "Sex with Fitz is like getting your hair washed and the beautician finally scratches the spot that's been itching like hell."

"Wait. Now, that is a good way to describe some good sex! Liv, you are a freak, girl!" Clara laughed.

"You remember a few weeks back when we had dinner here at mom's and Fitz and his daughter were there," Olivia asked making Clara nod her head. "Well, Fitz and I did it in mommy's guesthouse that day."

Clara gasped making Olivia laugh. "You little slut! That's why you guys took so long...and that's why you were walking funny," Clara said, connecting the dots. Olivia smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes as she shrugged. "Yeah, well, I have entirely too much on my plate to even reminisce about any of that or him. I'm not going to lie, Clare I'm not sure if I even want to do music anymore. I am falling out of love with it as well as everything else."

"You can't be serious, Livia? You love doing music."

Olivia shook her head. "See, no, I used to but now it's like I don't have a reason to do it. I certainly don't have the motivation anymore. The person that could motivate me and get me out of this funk is Fitz. When we work together, it's like magic and everything just clicks, and now he doesn't want anything to do with me, so I'm done. This is the second time we've gone through this, so maybe it's a sign." Olivia sighed as she folded her arms across her chest and leaned her head back on the couch, she allowed her eyes to close and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Everything will be ok, Livia. You'll see," Clara said softly, trying to reassure her big sister. Olivia sighed, swiping away her tears. "I hope you're right, Clara."

"Do you miss him?"

"Him who? Fitz?"

Clara nodded. "Yeah, Fitz.."

"This may sound ridiculous, but yes. I wanted to call him last night and just ball my eyes out to him, but he made it pretty clear that he was done with me," Olivia said.

Clara could hear the sadness in her sister's voice and see the pain all over her face, and to see her sister hurting really hurt her. "I don't think you and Fitz can ever be 'done', sis. Now is just the time for both of you to get your acts together and make some tough decisions. You both either need to be willing to put in the hard work it takes with being with each other or you set a boundary and just walk away for good."

Olivia nodded, letting her sister know that she'd heard her. "You're right. But right now I just can't focus on him because it hurts so much, Clara. I found my husband cheating on me last night..with another damn man, but that doesn't even come close to the pain I felt when Fitz shut me out. Don't get me wrong now, I am still shocked, still lost and still very hurt, but he is not who I love…not who I am in love with, so in a way, it's less painful to be betrayed by him. And, though I never told anyone, I already knew something was going on with Jake. But with Fitz I was all in, ready to take on the world with him, and he instead took my love..my heart and tossed it like I didn't matter."

"Liv, Fitz is-"

"Clara, please… I can't take anymore," Olivia said, rubbing her temples in slow circles. She appreciated her sister's advice and advocating for Fitz, but they'd talked enough about him for today. Fitz was the least of her worries. She had a divorce on the horizon and most importantly her sons to think about.

A beat later, Maya called out that the food was ready. The three women sat at the table quietly eating. "Olivia, I think it was destined by the most high for you and Fitz to have that argument just so you could come home and find out the truth to what was going on under your roof," Maya said. Olivia smiled weakly. She wanted to believe that so badly, maybe what happened between her and Fitz wasn't in vain. Like her mom said, maybe it was meant to happen.

"That's a good way to put it, mom. I hope everything works out for you, Lib. You deserve to be happy," Clara said making Olivia genuinely smile.

"Thank you."

Once they finished eating and the dishes were washed, Clara said her goodbyes and went home. Maya went to watch a little tv, and since Olivia's thoughts were everywhere, she wanted nothing more than to take a nap and just forget about all her problems.

X

"Do you need anything, honey," Maya asked as she saw Olivia heading for the stairs.

Olivia shook her head, walking over to join her mother on the couch. "No. I'm fine, mom. I'm just gonna go lie down for a while."

Maya nodded her head. She felt so sorry for her daughter. She knew firsthand that divorces weren't easy and she knew how determined Olivia had been to stay married. But Olivia and Jake had both been living in a lie, so this...this was bound to happen.

"I know I was hard on you earlier, but I love you very much, my sweet Livie girl, and I am very proud of you. Whatever you decide to do I am going to support you," Maya said, gesturing for Olivia to lie her head on her lap. Once she did, Maya raked her fingers through her daughter's hair, just like she'd done for years when Olivia was a little girl with a head full of bushy curls.

"Mom, you've always kept it real and I expected nothing less, so thank you and I love you too." Olivia smiled.

After being petted and pampered by her mother, Olivia sat up and kissed her mother's cheek. "I'm gonna go take that nap now," she said. Maya smiled and nodded her head, then she watched Olivia disappear upstairs.

"Gosh, I hope things work out for her.." Maya mumbled to herself. Then, she thought about giving Fitz a call, but she quickly shook that thought from her head. Fitz and Olivia were adults. They had to figure this thing out on their own.