An entire night filled with talking and crying could really exhaust a person, and I was living proof of that.

After waking up to find the bed empty and the kitchen wafting scents crafted from heaven above, I discerned that a certain someone was up and cooking the two of us breakfast.

I was more than surprised, however, to find two familiar faces seated at the nook in the kitchen while Emmett slaved away on the stove. I wrapped the tie of the robe a little tighter around my waist as I came upon Lucas and Reed seated in Emmett's kitchen as if nothing had changed and I was still living in Texas and everything was the same as it had once been, but that was the farthest thing from the truth.

I ran my hands over the sticky imprints that my heart monitor had left on my skin and shuddered as I remembered how close I'd been to death, even at such a young age, and it hadn't been from the risky situations that I'd been putting myself in.

I couldn't put my family or Emmett through what would happen if I really did become irreparable.

"Well well well, look what the cat dragged in", my brother announced and everyone's eyes turned my way.

An easy smile settled on my face as I looked over the small little family I'd grown so used to in the past.

"Just like old times," Reed noticed and I couldn't help but agree with him.

He spent the entirety of breakfast gushing over his new boyfriend and congratulating Emmett profusely on his success. This was our last day together before he had to be back on the football circuit and while I knew he still kept up with his workouts, it wasn't like he was dedicating almost all of his time to his career like he would need to do from that day on out.

I'd return to classes full time, work even harder on the case concerning Christian and things would go back to 'normal' once the doctors gave me medicine and told me just exactly what was wrong with me, which would happen the next day at my follow up appointment, but for a few moments I pretended everything was fine and there was nothing wrong with me while I conversed with Lucas and Reed.

"So why are you in town?"

Reed put his hand on his heart like he was offended at the question.

"You're not happy that I'm in town?"

I laughed at his misunderstanding even though I could tell that he was being sarcastic. He adjusted the glasses atop the bridge of his nose and the smell of coffee infiltrated my senses.

I gratefully accepted a cup of the steaming caffeinated goodness and took a greedy sip before I spoke again.

"Oh no, I'm not happy that you're in town at all," I said with sarcasm dripping from every word that fell out of my mouth.

We all laughed and joked around together and the familiarity that struck me almost made me melancholic from the memories that swirled around in my brain.

Reed was in town for a conference that Lucas' business was hosting. He worked part time while still going to school at MIT and Reed wasn't going to miss out on another science convention, especially not one that offered a consultation with some of the biggest names in tech since Elon Musk.

"Alright well I hate to cut this short, but I've got to meet with a classmate and get started on some work for school that I've missed out on. Reed, it's been awesome seeing you again."

We said our goodbyes and Emmett pulled me in for a lingering hug that made the guys wiggle their eyebrows at them but I didn't pay too much attention to the teasing that they were giving him as I quite enjoyed teasing him myself.

I got dressed and called Malcolm to meet me at the library to begin our analyzation of the rest of the case and said goodbye to the guys once more as I had to stride through the kitchen to get to the foyer.

"You'll be back before it gets dark? And you promise you won't try and walk back?"

I playfully rolled my eyes at his over protectiveness, discreetly happy that he was so cautious about me.

"Of course I won't try and walk back," I said, lifting my body up on my tiptoes to lay a gentle kiss against his lips and a flutter erupted in my stomach. Would that ever get old?

He smiled against my lips and I ignored the sly grins from the other guys as I walked to the door.

"You guys gonna be back or is this goodbye Reed?"

"I'll be in town for a few more days."

"Good, we need to catch up!"

"For sure."

And with that, I took off and was in the library in no time, going over copious notes with Malcolm about our case.

"I still don't think the guy you have been talking about did this. I mean, there's no way he could have skipped town while on house arrest."

I agreed partly with Malcolm. There was no way any normal person could have skipped town while on house arrest, but Christian certainly could have. He was not only a master manipulator, but his father would make sure he would get away with anything-even murder. My case was enough to prove that to me, I just needed to prove it to everyone else, too.

"Alright then let's start looking at some other angles. Motive, opportunity...would the defendant our professor is currently representing fit all of those categories, and here's why I think this."

I explained in detail everything wrong with the case against the current suspect while Malcolm patiently waited until I was through and by then his argument didn't have a leg to stand on.

"I see your point, but a lack of evidence on the side of the defendant doesn't necessarily indicate guilt on someone you clearly have a vendetta against."

I scoffed.

"I do not have a vendetta against this person, I just think-"

"Oh I know what you think, and far be it from me to keep you from those opinions, but you're incorrect in your observation that I am trying to pin this on someone innocent simply because they'd wronged me in the past."

I hardly ever spoke so formal but Malcolm brought out the angry soon to be lawyer in me.

He furrowed his dark blonde eyebrows at me in half anger and half contempt.

"Look- just because you got wronged by some guy doesn't mean that you can just accuse him unjustly of some crime that he definitely couldn't have committed!"

I was distracted by my phone going off over and over in my pocket to react to his words. They just brought me back to the times of everyone telling me that Christian was innocent and had never hurt me or assaulted me at all. I was frozen, rooted in my place by his words.

He didn't mean anything harmful towards me by it, he thought he was talking some sense into me but in reality he was doing more harm than good.

Like a robot, I pulled my phone out and answered as I held up a finger to Malcolm as if to say that this conversation wasn't over.

"Hello?"

"So you're the fancy new girlfriend. I figured if he wouldn't come to me, I'd come to him."

"I'm sorry, who is this?"

The gruff voice with a deep southern accent grunted on the other end of the line and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. My phone kept receiving text messages while it was up against my ear but I ignored them.

"Wonder if he's even told you yet. I'm his uncle."

"His uncle?"

And then after the tens of thousands of texts seemingly dropped on my phone all at once, the phone call ended and I was left staring at the black screen of my phone which had inevitably died.

"What was that all about?"

I glanced back at Malcolm, ready to be rid of his presence after the night had turned sour.

"Nobody. Look I've got to get home, can you drop me off at my apartment? I need to see Amalia."

"Sure. No Emmett tonight?"

I blinked. He hadn't told me he had other family, but then again he had just told me about his past. I knew there were more secrets and they'd come in time. I'd call him and tell him as soon as my phone turned back on.

"Maybe, I just need some things from my place first is all."

"Okay. We'll pick this up tomorrow? No more crazy theories about guys from your past being the killer?"

None that I'd express outwardly to him. No, it would have to be a project that I'd work out on my own.

"All done," I said, my tone dripping with saccharine sweetness that was more fake than a spray on tan.

"Good. Let's go."

There was a sinking feeling in my gut, though. It was a premonition that screamed, sang and whispered in my ear all at once that something was wrong. Emmett's uncle's voice had sounded far too much like the predators I'd encountered, and the myriad of texts I'd received during the call and hadn't gotten the chance to read had been ominous.

Something was brewing, and I was terrified that it was going to change everything.