The day ended on a good note. I had a good chat with my friends and I received a lot of baby stuff as gifts. And to top it off, my beef with Mrs Princely and Marilyn was squashed and it was as if it was never there.

But despite it all, there's still an insignificant voice at the back of my head telling me that I shouldn't trust those two. But I keep silencing it because maybe I'm just being paranoid.

What if Vincent is just bias towards his mother's behaviour because they don't get along?

What if whatever happened between them was a one-time thing and it never happened again?

I have so many 'what if' questions that can only be answered by one person. Vincent.

"What's running through that pretty head of yours?" I turned to look down at Tino. "Nothing," I murmured.

I really didn't want to give Tino the impression that I was still hung up on past beef and that I'm being unreasonable with my 'what if' questions and my 'there's something going on' theories. Theories that don't make sense if you ask me.

"Tell me." He sat up against the headboard next to me. "What's picking at your brain?" He wraps his arm around me and kisses my forehead before I lean my head on his shoulder.

"It's stupid," suddenly I was shy about how paranoid I was being. Why would someone that has mutual hatred towards you just flip their attitude towards you like a switch? Wouldn't that raise alarms in your head?

"I highly doubt it, babe. Tell me. I want to be here for you but you have to let me." I let out a heavy sigh and lifted my head from his shoulder.

"What are your mother and Marilyn up to, Tino?" I finally asked the question that's been eating at me. Tino turned to look at me with a confused face. "What do you mean?"

I bit the inside of my bottom lip before I spoke again. "Don't you think it's weird that they were hating on me the last time we saw them and now it's kumbaya all of a sudden?" I elucidate. Tino narrowed his eyes at me for a split second.

"It is a bit weird," he slowly answered. I wasn't necessarily expecting him to agree with me but I'm glad he sees my point. "But why would that make you think that they're up to something?"

"Because it's shady, Tino. You can't just be throwing living snakes at each other one moment and then hosting a kumbaya celebration party the next," I retorted. Just when I thought he was seeing my point of view.

"Isn't that how wars end, Harley? You're fighting one moment and hugging the next?" He really wasn't seeing what I was seeing, but how could he? In his eyes he was seeing the people he cared most about, being civilised with the person he loved. It was all sunshine and rainbows in his eyes.

I wanted to help him understand my worry further but I knew very well that this conversation wasn't going far.

"You see, Valentino? I told you it's stupid," I concluded to end this conversation.

Maybe it was stupid. Thinking they were out to get me because they didn't hate me anymore did sound like paranoia.

"Harley, why do I feel like there's more to this thought than you're letting on?" He narrowed his eyes at me. I furrowed my eyebrows feeling a little confused. What am I leaving out.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I honestly didn't.

"Let me spell it out for you. It's more than just their behaviour that's got you questioning, isn't it?" I furrowed my eyes for a moment. I didn't want to say anything about Vincent but maybe he knew something about it.

"Why is Vincent always in Italy? He wasn't around for Thanksgiving and by the looks of it, your mother wasn't planning on including him," my tone was a lot more accusatory than I'd expected. I meant to ask him like I was curious not like I knew something was up and I planned to grill him until he spilled.

"I honestly don't know. Ever since Vince told my mother he was gay, they're relationship just went downhill from there on. I think something might've happened between the two because things seemed to only have get worse over the years and until Vince eventually went to Italy. From there on he just rarely visited but I'd like to say that I see him more than my mother does," he explained. It seems like Tino didn't know about the hot war between his mother and his brother.

It almost seemed like Tino was oblivious to the type of person his mother could sometimes be.

"Do you by chance think that your mother did something really bad to Vincent?" I had to ask. Maybe he wasn't so oblivious to how horrible his mother could be.

"My mother can be a bitch," her started and I felt like murmuring 'no shit' but chose not to, "but I don't think that she did something so unimaginable to Vincent that could label her as evil. Maybe she didn't support Vincent's homosexuality and that put distance between them? I don't know." I just nodded because I didn't know what else to say.

"I'm going to sleep. I love you," I quickly pecked his lips but he wasn't having it as he locked my lips onto his for a longer, slower, tender kiss.

"I love you more," he murmured against my lips and kissed me a gain.

With that we went to sleep with me wrapped around him like he's my human pillow—which he is.

---×

I woke up to the sound of someone banging on my penthouse door. Turning slightly, I realised that the other side of the bed was cold.

I forced my eyes open and yelled, "I. AM. COMING." Because that banging was starting to make my head bang.

With the strength gained to hop off the bed, I pulled on a black silky robe and walked into my sleepers before making my way to the door.

I swang the door with a mean force giving the unwanted guest an even meaner look.

"Morning, sweetheart," Marilyn greeted with a bright smile.

This is weird.

"What are you doing here, Marilyn?" I practically grunted. "Taking you to the pregnancy photoshoot." I raised an eyebrow at her.

"You forgot?" She chuckled a bit. "I don't think you mentioned anything like that yesterday," I leaned against the door frame.

"Well, shoot. I forgot. Pregnancy brain," she briefly laughed at herself but I didn't laugh with her. "I meant to tell you at the baby shower that I managed to get one of my favourite photographers to fly in from Abu Dhabi to come and do our pregnancy photoshoot."

I didn't want to be mean and shut her down just because she came on short notice. And since I'm on maternity leave, I had nothing better to do. Plus, she flew this guy in from Abu Dhabi. So why be rude? She was clearly trying.

With a small grunt, I let her in and headed to the kitchen while she followed close behind.

"Aren't these types of things usually taken with the baby daddy present–if you guys are still on good terms?" I opened the fridge and started whipping up a quick breakfast. "Have you eaten?" I ask because it's the very least I can do.

She shakes her head and I start making a fruit salad with an omelette on the side.

Marilyn does all the talking while I make and eat the food. I wasn't familiar with Marilyn so her verbal diarrhoea came as a shock to me. I swear the woman nearly talked the ear off.

I quickly took a shower and dressed in tights and an oversize sweater because it's not like it was warm outside anyways.

"Let's go," I forced the words out.

I just hope I don't regret agreeing to this.