I never imagined that I would ever be having doubts about Tyler stealing from his own house, and if my brother hadn't conveniently put doubts in my head, I would still assume that he'd replicated the bracelet his mother had.

But now I just couldn't let it go because if Ty had stolen something from his own home, it wasn't nothing.

I dressed up decently and decided to play Sherlock. I wanted to know the truth. While Tyler hadn't given me a reason to believe that he would steal anything, I couldn't forget the day in third grade when he'd casually flicked my Hello-Kitty keychain out of mere revenge because I wouldn't sit beside him for lunch.

So sue me for having these doubts.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that T.J no longer studied in Cold-Bay High. His family had been conveniently plucked out and forced to relocate, all because Ty couldn't tolerate him in the hallways or during the games. Any evidence about Ty taking a hockey stick to T.J's head was wiped clean. The Lockhart's had tons of money to shove it down the throats of all the right people.

Not that I had any particular liking for T.J. He was a grade-A sleazebag who deserved what came for him.

Anyway, back to my current predicament, I drove to the Lockhart's mansion and I didn't tell Archer that I was going there to get answers. He was hell-bent on the idea that Ty stole the bracelet and I wouldn't pass any judgment until I had some valid proof which only his mother would provide.

As I parked in an empty spot designated for the house-guests, my heart began racing. The mansion loomed, dominating the entire premise in its gothic glory. I tried not to feel intimidated by its vastness or the dark and sinister history that preceded everything else that was now. And even though I visited the mansion often, it still took my breath away and scared me in equal measures every time I stepped foot inside.

Two Rottweiler dogs barked in a distance, they were handled by a caretaker who was taking rounds across from the mansion and heading towards the woods.

A shudder ran down my spine as I could see in the far distance, the stones jutting out of the Lockhart's ancestral graveyard.

Tyler, Archer and I used to play silly dares there at night when we were kids because Ty insisted that he saw the ghost of his dead great-great-grandfather who had supposedly died drowning in the lake, and a servant had found him with his head split open. He found great pleasures in scaring us with gory details.

Ty had a sick sense of humor even as a kid.

A maid opened the door and led me inside. Morgan was nowhere in sight, so I asked the maid if I could see Kiara Lockhart and that this was important. She asked me to sit in the receiving room while she went to call upon her mistress.

Mrs. Lockhart had a love-hate relationship with her husband. They were separated to my knowledge but according to Ty, it hadn't stopped the two from "fucking each other to oblivion" his words not mine, and so the couple had a mutual agreement that they would raise their son together regardless of their differences.

I had texted Tyler before visiting his house and knew that he was out for a game of golf with his father. Since Tyler wasn't particularly interested in golf, I only assumed he was playing chaperone, so I had seized that chance and decided it was the best time to speak with his mother in private.

Feeling a little adventurous, I walked towards the kitchen area down the hallway. The kitchen was all marble-covered counter-tops and stainless steel appliances. One would assume this was a set from a cooking show.

Mrs. Lockhart was there, decorating a dish and dressed in a shirt tucked under her denim and looking fresh and fashionable. This woman seemed like she never aged, and I'm pretty sure she never did any Botox treatments. Her wavy chocolate hair had golden highlights and she barely wore any makeup but appeared so radiant. She could pass as Tyler's older sister, no shit.

When she caught my eye, she looked up and beamed at me. "Victoria."

"Mrs. Lockhart, I'm so sorry for intruding."

She laughed, "Don't be so formal honey, it's totally fine. I made an apple pie. Would you like to try some when it's done?" She asked me in her kind, soothing voice. Her cheek had some flour stuck on it.

"Sure." I managed to stutter.

She regarded me for a moment and probably noticed how nervous I was because she said, "Relax, Vicky. As much as the rumors claim that I drink human blood to look younger, it's actually not true. We're not Vampires."

I stared at her for a while and then we both burst into laughter.

"People are seriously ridiculous. Honestly, you are so much nicer than any other normal person I have come across town." I said as I settled down on the stool.

"So you don't consider me normal?" She inquired playfully.

"That's not what I meant."

She waved her hand, "I was just kidding."

I helped her bake the pie since it was natural for me. I helped my mom with pastries and pies all the time so when I offered Mrs. Lockhart my assistance, she seemed thrilled and impressed.

"Where are the cooks?"

"I'm the chef today, actually. The head-chef is on a short vacation, and I sent the other kitchen staff on holiday too. I enjoy cooking so this is a chance for me to cook for my family."

She served me a generous slice of apple pie a while later and as soon as I took a bite, I had to stop myself from moaning. This woman could bake like nobody's business. The pie's in our bakery could rival with hers.

She smiled at me sweetly. "How long have you and Tyler been dating now?"

So Tyler had told her.

"A little over two months," I replied.

She nodded. "Does your mother know?"

"Yes, I told her."

"And did you and your mom have a conversation about it?" She asked.

My mom had been too busy trying to mend her issues with dad to care about my dating life, and I'd successfully avoided the topic altogether.

"She just knows that Tyler picks and drops me off home on the curfew time so she's okay with it."

Mrs. Lockhart had a knowing look in her eyes. "Are you on a pill?"

That question caught me off-guard. And that didn't stop the heat from creeping up my cheeks. And considering my pale skin, I was pretty sure I resembled a bottle of ketchup by now.

She knew. It was now painfully clear that she knew about the fact that Tyler sneaked me into the mansion occasionally around midnight when everyone was off to bed and that I stayed overnight.

Of course, she would know. She was a mother. Mothers always picked up on things faster than any detective would.

"I...well, I..."

She came closer to me and put her hand over mine. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about sweetie, and I'm sorry if what I asked made you feel uncomfortable. I just want to make sure you're careful. I could book an appointment with my personal gynecologist."

I almost cried tears. Almost. My own mother hadn't cared to ask and Ty's mom was doing that job.

"I would do the same with Maya when she's old enough to understand." She said. "If I told you that you're still young for having sex, would you stop?"

I bit my lip and remained silent and that was her answer.

"I understand you wouldn't, and I know my son well enough to know that he would most likely pack and leave just because I said he couldn't let you stay overnight. Since I can't stop you until you're eighteen, I can at least make sure you two are doing what's right."

"Tyler uses condoms," I blurted out finally without meeting her eyes.

She pressed my hand. "Good. But honey, if there's anything you need to talk about, anything at all, you can talk to me freely. I'm like your friend."

But she was Tyler's mom. And now she knew that I was having sex with her son.

Kill me now!

I wanted the ground to have a trap door so I could slip down below and stop the second-hand embarrassment.

Suddenly her bright eyes lost its color as her expressions turned grim. "You're here because it has something to do with Tyler, isn't it? Did he do something?"

I felt guilty for even coming here and giving this woman that painful expression. She was the sweetest person I knew and she didn't deserve what was about to come

I opened my bag, pulled out the bracelet to show it to her.

"I thought I lost it. Did you find it in the woods on your way here?" She asked innocently.

Bullseye!

"Mrs. Lockhart, I'm really sorry if this looks wrong but I swear I didn't know."

She looked anxious, but she still pushed my hair away from my face. "What is it, sweetheart?"

"Tyler gave this bracelet to me as a present, but I think it belongs to you."

If the woman was shocked that her son had stolen from her, she didn't show. She managed to keep a solemn expression on her face while she said, "Since Tyler gave it to you, it's yours."

I shook my head. "But that's wrong, Mrs. Lockhart. He took what belonged to you and gave it to me."

We were still avoiding the word "steal"

"I understand what you're saying, but I want you to have it, sweetie."

I looked at her, trying to understand why she wasn't outraged that he'd taken something that belonged to her. "Does that mean you're not going to ask him about it?"

She shrugged. "I think it's partly my fault he took it. I remember Tyler asking me casually what I was going to do with so much jewelry and I told him that one day I would pass it onto his bride." She curled my fingers around the bracelet.

It was so jarringly obvious that this woman would go to any lengths to defend and protect her son.

"But I'm still not his bride, am I? And I really don't care about expensive things...if he'd bought something cheap and gifted it to me, the significance of it would have been so much greater."

The bracelet looked like it cost some million dollars. I could be rich if I sold it and yet, I wasn't even thinking about any of that. Tyler had betrayed my trust once again.

"Tyler is different, Vicky."

"I know what he is."

"Then I should also tell you that the way he perceives this world is a lot more different than we do."

"That's not an excuse!"

She took both my hands in hers, a pleading look on her face, "Please don't say any of this to Tyler's father. I'm begging you. Jasper will make his life a living hell."

"Mrs. Lockhart, I wouldn't say anything to anyone, I promise. I just wanted you to know that I didn't steal your bracelet."

"And don't say a word to Tyler. It will break his heart."

"Don't say what to me?" The brooding voice came from the doorway.

"Hey mom."

Ty stood there in his golf attire, looking like a runway model, a scowl marring his handsome features. He looked like a dark prince in every sense. He gazed from his mother to me. "What's going on?"

Mrs. Lockhart gave me a look of warning, but she didn't understand that I couldn't let this go. I needed Tyler to understand that stealing was wrong.

"We need to discuss something," I told him.

His jaw was set hard as he excused himself from his mother, pulling me upstairs towards his room. I remained quiet until the bedroom door was closed behind us and only then I decided to question him because I didn't want him to feel humiliated in front of his mom.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed a large snake slithering on the floor and disappearing beneath the humongous bed. It must be the pet snake Archer was talking about. He followed my gaze and muttered, "He's harmless."

"I know that you took the bracelet from your mom."

You should have seen the color drain from his face. I wanted to see him try and come up with excuses for this one.

He recovered a second later, "Yeah, so what? My mom has tons and tons of jewelry, Vicky, I just took one bracelet and gave it to you. She didn't even realize it was missing. Big fucking deal."

"It doesn't change the fact that...

"That I stole it? Is that what you're implying?"

Who was this guy? I couldn't even recognize him anymore. He didn't have the courtesy to look even a little bit guilty or ashamed for that matter. As if pointing out his wrong-doings was my fault.

"Tyler, I've had enough."

"What's your goddamn problem, Victoria? It was a small gift and you didn't need to make a huge deal out of it and try to make me feel like complete dogshit! If there was any other girl in your place, she'd be happy to receive something like that."

"Maybe it's time you found that girl then." I put the bracelet on his bed and started walking towards the door.

"Where the fuck are you going?" He stepped in front of me to block the door, his usual cocksure demeanor dissipating slowly.

"Move out of the way, Ty. I don't want to talk to you. I gave you enough chances to pull your shit together. I can't be with someone who thinks I'm worth stolen things even if it belongs to your mom and I warned you before that if you break my trust again, it's over."

He continued to block my way and stare me down. "You know I didn't mean to say what I said."

"I told you to move." My stance did not waver.

"Stay." His hand shook a little bit.

The fear that I saw in his icy-blue eyes was so apparent, the braggadocio was all an act to hide the true vulnerability he had within. At that moment, he looked everything like a broken rich boy who was on the verge to lose his remaining friend. And his sanity.

While his father had been excessively strict, his mother had coddled him from a very young age, ignoring every mistake and that had encouraged his behavior.

Tyler needed to learn a lesson that you couldn't get away with everything. Money and Power meant nothing when it came to friendships.

"Don't make me repeat myself again," I said softly, and my heart was breaking into a million pieces.

"You'll regret it." His words came out as a cold threat.

He stepped aside and let me leave and I thought that was a little strange considering the fact that I fully expected him to scream and break things and demand why I was leaving. Somehow, his silence scared me even more than his screaming would.

I wanted to help him because I loved him with everything inside me.

I reached the first landing and it was as if my instincts told me that something was not right.

He hadn't even followed me downstairs.

Sensing that something was off, I turned around on my heels and climbed the stairs, skipping two at a time. I pushed the door open and found Tyler lying on the floor with his eyes rolled back into his head and foam oozing out of his mouth, his body convulsing. There were puncture marks on his arm caused by the snake that slithered away.

At that moment, I broke down completely.