"I found out you were on the database again the night of Debbie's wedding." Will said disrupting the silence that had settled between us. "When I walked into that boardroom months ago and saw you sitting there, I thought fate was definitely mocking me."

"That makes two of us." I murmured.

"But I'd missed you. It had been so long it felt like a dream. That was my first thought."

Understanding the meaning his words implied, I was taken back to Chicago and the night he said he'd never once hated me. The night I'd been curious about what his first thought was, after seeing me again for the first time in years, but couldn't bear to know. I was so wary then. I took it all in like air now.

"You despised me on site," a small smile played on his lips, "and given how I ended things, I expected nothing less. I decided I could work with it, make you hate me more till it eventually drove you away. Surprisingly, you were as determined as I was."

"I needed the money." My gaze was back on the rug. "Even if it meant working with my jerk of an ex."

"I couldn't properly apologise before. I can now. I'm sorry for being an asshole too many times. From seven years ago, to three months ago to last Saturday and everything in between. I'm sorry for constantly trying to drive you away. I kept thinking, 'the further, the safer'. Erin says I'm a colossal idiot."

"You are," I nodded although my eyes watered a little.

"I know." His smile was wry. "That night when I found out you were on that fucked up list again, I got scared Ophelia but I shouldn't have said any of that shit. It wasn't a mistake. Nothing about you or us has a ever been a mistake. I'd do everything all over again, and I mean from running into you with my coffee, if it didn't have to put you in danger." He finished and that damn sincerity surrounded me once more. I avoided his eyes.

"I—I wish you didn't leave. I wish I'd known about what was happening. I now know your intentions were good, it really was more than us in the end but it doesn't really take the hurt away. I loved you and you leaving like that, all that love turned to hate and loathing. When I finally got over everything, I didn't care much again. One bad breakup on my sleeve. Seeing you after so many years though, I wasn't as indifferent as I wanted to be. I started remembering everything, from the hurt when you left to all those feelings you first made me feel. I hated it."

His eyes softened and I looked away feeling awkward from all I just verbally expressed.

"Do you think you would you have stayed or taken me back?" His voice was quiet. I thought about it too. It was all in the past now but I still couldn't help wishing I'd known it all then. If I eventually had though, would we have been able to survive the brunt together? Murders, gangs and threats were really a whole new territory. It was insane enough even now that William seemed to have the capacity to fight them. Back then? I could only imagine.

Love couldn't solve everything afterall.

"Who knows? I could have run for the hills or we could've been married with three kids now." I chuckled softly.

His smile froze and his gaze fell to my belly. Shit. My laughter seized with a cough. The elephant was so large there was hardly any space for us in the room anymore.

"Um, so you're pregnant?" He cleared his throat loudly.

"Yes and I'm keeping it by the way." I was resolute.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He suddenly smiled.

I coughed again.

"This Runo guy has been keeping tabs on you?" My question was really meant to steer us off our current talk but it was also something to be worried about.

His eyes took on that hard glint again.

"I want you to see something."

We left his room and ended up in the study. He headed to the desk while I took a seat on one of the sofas. Will returned with his laptop and sat beside me. Placing it on the coffee table, the screen showed a bunch of codes and programs. I minored in Computer Science in college and knew enough to know he was trying to hack into something.

"Is there some kind of firewall behind there?"

"The firewall for Runo's company's website. They talked about it a couple of times while I was tied up in the warehouse. He keeps records of everything on it, drug deals, who killed who, all the crimes they've done."

"He keeps a record of his crimes? And on the company website? Isn't that, I don't know, risky?" I was dumbfounded.

"The website is more like a private network and records like these are like a two way street. He's got other people's info on there too. Stuff he could easily use against them. It's like a little black book. He has one of the best tech teams in the country too, he's confident no one will ever get this information."

"But you are." Viewing the screen again, I could now understand some of the codes better. He was hacking the website.

"That's what Mark and I, along with a small team were trying to do for a while, bring down the firewall of the website. We finally made a lot of progress, we were almost there," he ran a hand through his hair, "then two months ago, half our progress was lost and a message was waiting for us on the site."

"He found out." I said and he nodded in affirmation.

"He knew I'd climbed up the corporate ladder, hard not to,"

That was definitely bragging.

"But he didn't know I was unto him, not until then. That's likely when he started keeping tabs on me. Although when Elise Lynette was killed I thought they had been targeting you." He said and the hairs on my arm stood. "Our work wasn't lost until about a week later though. They were intentional about her."

"She worked for them."

He seemed surprised even as he nodded. "How do you know that? And about the database?"

"The Detective on the case called and told me they caught the murderer but found pictures of me, recently and from nearly seven years ago."

"Finally, a half useful cop." He muttered.

"Do you know why they killed her?"

"I have a theory. She was Twain Yanus' girlfriend."

"Twain Yanus? Who's that?"

He clicked on a folder and a picture of a man, mid-twenties most likely, popped up on the screen.

"I remember him." I pointed.

It was the man who made the last product for Dieter & Leona before they went under. I remembered him because he had a rather unique face.

The day of the disastrous meeting months ago when my pants tore, flashing everyone in the room my underwear. Before the catastrophe, we'd been talking about the last product D&L put out before they went into near bankruptcy. It was a sim card but before it could reach the markets, the man behind it died in a boating accident and his family discontinued the production of the sim.

"What does he have to do with everything?"

"Well, it wasn't an ordinary boating accident that killed Twain."

"Oh my God. They killed him too?"

"Mmhm. He was with FMG at first but last year October switched to D&L. I think he may have found or heard something at FMG because months later he's dead and D&L is near bankruptcy."

"They also had a hand in D&L's bankruptcy?" I asked still stunned by all the information I was getting and he nodded.

"Whatever it is Twain found, Elise Lynette must have known about it too."

I pondered.

"Why did they only wipe out half of your progress though? Why not everything?"

"Runo is a sick bastard, he likes games."

"But would he really risk his website? It's basically his Achilles heel right now, isn't it?"

His face took on a thoughtful look. "I've considered it."

"The detective, detective Shaun, maybe you should talk to him, he could help."

He immediately shook his head. "I've gone to the police before and they were useless."

"You just called him useful."

"Half."

"Then what do you plan to do when you finally crack the firewall? Don't you need the police to arrest Runo? Unless you plan to..."

"No I don't plan to kill him." He smiled, "death will be merciful."

"Don't make any hasty decisions."

"I won't." he said but I wasn't convinced. "I'm sorry you're in danger again because of me. They may have caught the assassin but I know Runo. I'll have bodyguards subtly follow you from tomorrow."

"Do you have bodyguards following you? You should."

"Jay." He nodded and another quiet settled but it didn't last long. "Can I, um, feel?" Will was staring at my belly again.

"There's literally nothing to feel. I'm just about a month in." I laughed. "It'll be a while before I significantly start showing, thank God." I ran a hand down my flat tummy. His scratched his head and smiled sheepishly in response.

"I want to help." I said when he reclined back.

"It's dangerous Ophelia." He was quick to counter.

"So you what? You want to push me away again?"

"No," he looked like I just slapped him. A bit of guilt built in the center of my chest. "I won't ever do that again, I promise you. I want you to be aware of everything now but to directly get involved, that's what I've been trying to avoid for years, it's too dangerous."

"I'm already in the crossfire Will."

He sighed. "Can we talk about it more tomorrow? It's getting late, let me take you home now."

"You're deflecting but fine. Mom and Cece will be wondering where I am anyway." I looked through my purse seeing I forgot to carry my phone along.

He let his laptop sleep then we left for downstairs. Mark was really watching TV when we reached the living room and seemed to be quite into the show. I thought of what Will said about his brother. My heart went out to him. He was always so jovial I never thought he'd suffered that kind of trauma. With people, you just never really knew.

"You okay?" He asked and I nodded with a small smile.

"I am, are you?"

"I'm cool." He smiled back.

The drive to my apartment was silent. Every now and then, I stole glances at Will who was seemingly concentrated on the road ahead.

I'd labelled him as the villian for so long. I despised him and what he did to us. Then the doubts started creeping in and the narrative I was accustomed to, slowly started changing and even without knowing the full truth, my feelings started to change as well. Knowing the entire truth now, I was at a loss on what to do next. I think I still needed to really grasp everything. William was battling a mafia don. Yup, still sounded crazy.

On a deeper hand, I kept wishing. Wishing he'd told me everything then, wishing he didn't shoulder it all alone, wishing he never left me and broke us. But this was Will. Will, who spent most of his childhood to teenage years being uncaring to have less emotional attachments and avoid grief. He'd worked hard to break away from it but nearly reverted back. Only, it wasn't to protect himself alone this time around, but to protect everyone else. Glancing at him again, my heart swelled a bit.

***