It didn't take long before the storm took off.

"Mummy, Grace won't make me a sandwich."

"I've already made him a sandwich."

"I ate that one."

"That's not my problem."

I smiled, rubbing my belly as I sat, watching my kids argue. In the midst of the madness around us, they brought me a peace that I appreciated. I'd been sitting with them the whole morning after they woke me up to make me breakfast under their father's instructions.

"How about we play some games and have snacks?" I suggested.

They both agreed eagerly, the sandwich forgotten, and we headed to the games room down the hall after prepping our snacks. Finding a game that was appropriate for the three of us was tricky, but picking Pictionary definitely had us all in high spirits from our terrible drawings.

"It looks like a potato," Grace argued.

"It's a mountain," Ethan countered.

"Mom, potato or mountain?"

I wasn't even breathing from how hard I was laughing. I had tears rolling down my face, and yet my kids looked at me like they were glad I was in that state. I fought to keep my guilt from showing when I realized that we really hadn't spent any time together as a family.

We definitely needed to go on a vacation together.

"How come you guys are having a party alone?" my brother asked from the door.

"Uncle Richie!" Ethan shouted before running up to him.

Richard picked him up effortlessly, hoisting him into the air as my son giggled. "Hey little man."

"Aren't you supposed to be at school?" Grace asked him.

He shrugged. "I got bored so I figured I'd come through. Plus, I need to talk to your mom."

"What's happening?" I asked him.

He shot Grace a look, who seemed to read it perfectly. "Hey Ethan, let's go and play with the puppies outside."

"Ooh, mummy can we? Can we give them a bath?" my son questioned excitedly.

I stood up to kiss his chubby cheeks. "Go and have fun."

"Yes!" he cheered before jumping down from Richard's arms.

Once the two of them left, my brother joined me at the bean bags. "These things are super comfortable."

"Tell me about it," I said, sighing as my hands returned to my belly.

"You look good given everything that's happening," he commented.

"Both Oli's warned me against stressing myself out. They said to stay home and not worry about anything. They've got things covered," I told him.

"Both Oli's?" he questioned.

"Olivier Castro, my fiancé's best friend," I clarified.

"I wasn't aware they were on the same side now," he said.

I shrugged. "It's a long story, but they're on the same side again. They even speak the same language when it comes to me and staying put."

"Well, I can't say I'm mad that my brother in law raking is some serious points," he joked, making me smile.

"What's up Richie?" I asked him.

He sunk further into the bean bag, looking like he was dreading what he had to tell me. "Mom's lost it, and Jeffrey is having the time of his life sponsoring her crazy."

I raised an eyebrow. "What does that even mean?"

"Before you ask, I've spoken to Olivier about it, and he warned me against telling you, but I can't keep this from you. Rose, mom's talking to the press, and it's not pretty, especially in the middle of this whole mess with Valerie," he stated.

I sat in silence, taking in his words. It had been three days since that fateful day, and I hadn't quite dealt with it. I didn't know how to, especially alone. Everything happened so quickly after Fabio's words, and the three men told me to stay put and not speak to anyone.

My phone was the only one that had been on, and I was instructed to leave the house phone off the hook. Security had been doubled, and the press has been camped outside the mansion for two days now.

The first thing my fiancé instructed of Fabio as soon as the cops were done in the house, was for him to fetch the kids. He figured I wouldn't want to be alone with them gone, and I couldn't be more grateful. I knew from the moment I saw her, that Grace had questions, and I promised I'd explain things in the best way to her at the right moment.

A moment we hadn't yet received.

Ethan rarely wanted to sleep and my heart broke when Phyllis made me aware of the fact that he's been having nightmares. When I asked him about it, he confessed that he's been scared that Olivier and I don't want him because we haven't spent any time with him.

We really need that family vacation.

"Rosie? Say something," my brother pleaded when I wasn't saying anything.

"What exactly has she said?" I finally asked.

"She suggested that Olivier tricked you into being his, and of course that he probably killed Valerie," he replied.

I rolled my eyes at that. "Of course she did."

"As you can imagine, given his reputation, there are a whole lot of eyes on her because people want to know what she has to say," he pointed out.

"Because everything she's saying discredits him even further," I noted, to which he nodded.

"He doesn't want you anywhere near this, especially while you're still pregnant," he added.

I noticed the change in his expression. "But you don't agree?"

He sighed, leaning forward. "I'll admit that I wasn't entirely sure about your relationship, but he's proven himself over and over. I've never been bothered by his reputation, and the fact that you're with him also means it doesn't bother you too."

"What are you trying to say Richie?" I asked.

"When does it all end? I get that he's got a handful of people that he trusts, and that's all good and well, except where does it end for you guys? For you? For Grace and Ethan? Hell, for Fabio? His reputation is going to follow you all for the rest of your lives, and only he has the power to change that by setting the record straight, but I also know he isn't going to," he said.

I sighed. "What do you want me to do? Talk him into doing it?"

"Fight this fight for him, while taking down mom and Jeffrey."

He was asking me to do something I'd been mulling over for a while now. I wanted to speak out and defend my fiancé. I wanted to speak out and tell everyone the truth. Hell, I was ready to finally meet the great and unstable Daisy.

But he wouldn't want me to.

Or at least I hadn't broached the subject with him yet.

My fiancé is a man who has gotten used to having people have differing, toxic opinions about him, but my brother was right. How long were we meant to just let that be? Especially when none of it is true?

"He may very well kill me. Mom and Jeffrey I can handle, but Oli will lose his mind if I interfere with this, with his reputation," I argued.

"Maybe so, but what's the alternative? This isn't a life to live Rosie, and all of you, Olivier included, need to be free from this shadow," he countered.

"The best I can do is bring it up with him and see where we go from there," I offered.

He shrugged. "I guess that's better than nothing."

Silence washed over us before I spoke again. "I want to reach out to Daisy."

"And why on earth would you want to do that?" he questioned.

"I heard she was looking for me," I replied.

"I know, I was here, but I don't see why you need to see her," he stressed.

"I want to talk to her, woman to woman, and find out what her deal is," I retorted.

He raised an eyebrow. "Her deal is that she hates Olivier but won't let him go. There."

"Richie," I whined.

"I'm sorry Rosie, but I don't see how you talking to her yields positive results in any scenario," he refused.

I had to try another approach. "She's the main reason Oli has the reputation that he has. What if I can get her to tell the truth and clear his name?"

He scoffed. "And taint her own name? There's a lot I've heard about Daisy Black, and I can guarantee you that she wouldn't be so kind."

"Either way, I have to meet her at some point," I reasoned.

He shook his head. "You really don't. She's the one person you could die happily without ever crossing paths with."

And yet I knew that would never happen.

Fabio had mentioned that Daisy never saw Valerie as a threat, and in the same breath, he mentioned that she wanted to know who I am. I am a threat to her most prized possession, and I'm confident that whether I go to her or not, she will find a way to get to me.

I just have to wait.

"Alright fine. I won't reach out to her," I resigned.

My poor brother actually smiled at that. "Good. I almost lost you to one psycho. I'd like to keep that to a total."

I laughed at that. "Aside from all the drama, how are you doing?"

He shrugged. "Same old."

"Come on Richie. Talk to me," I said softly.

"I don't know Rosie. School is okay, we're doing well in the league, and my social life is as much of a rollercoaster as it was in high school," he offered.

"And your love life?" I prodded.

He shot me a side-eye. "What exactly are you asking about dearest sister?"

"I didn't know. I don't think I would've ever known if he hadn't told me. Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"I was going to tell you once everything had settled here. It's why I actually came to visit you that weekend of the exhibit. I just didn't know that it was the beginning of your very busy life," he teased.

"I feel bad now. I'm a terrible sister," I whined.

He chuckled. "Hey, you're really not. Besides, you gave me a new family through your busy life. I can't be mad at that."

"And a boyfriend," I jabbed.

He smiled, shaking his head. "And a boyfriend."

I sat up straight, my lower back starting to hurt. "Wait! I'm right? I thought it was only a crush?"

"He's not officially my boyfriend. He threw the idea out at me, and he's waiting for my answer," he explained.

I smiled. "And you're planning on saying yes?"

"I like him Rosie. I think he's the one who's made everything with your new life that much easier to handle. He's kept me in the loop while taking the time to actually learn about who I am. I even opened up to him about mom and that man, as surprised as I was by that," he told me.

I leaned back into the bean bag chair in incredulity. If ever I needed to know if Richie really liked Fabio, the words he'd just said to me were proof enough. Richard doesn't like talking about our mother, but he for sure hates bringing up our father even more.

"Richie, that's..." I trailed off.

"I know. I didn't think I'd ever open up to anyone else about that after CJ," he confessed.

"CJ..." I trailed off once more.

He nodded. "He was my first, but things didn't work out between us. It was pretty intense, but he promised to always be there for me. He's my best friend, but that's all he'll ever be."

"I, wow. I truly feel clueless now," I admitted.

He moved the bean bag closer so that he could hold my hand. "It's not your fault Rosie. I hid it from you."

"Why?" I whispered, tears unexpectedly springing to my eyes.

"Because then you weren't the same person you are now. You were so angry, and you'd gone through so much with both mom and that man. I just felt that I'd be burdening you with it. Then you moved out and things happened with Jeffrey and I just didn't know when the right time would be. I obviously didn't expect to be outed by someone else, but I'm glad it happened now. Olivier told me you opened up to him about that man, and I can only imagine that it brought you some kind of peace because you look like you no longer carry the weight of what he did. This is my sister. This is the person I wanted to come out to, because this is the person who loves me unconditionally."

The tears were streaming down my face endlessly. I didn't know which emotion to feel over the others. There were so many – sadness, guilt, happiness, pride, love. My pregnancy hormones were definitely letting me feel everything that much more.

"What's going on?"

I ignored my fiancé and instead kept my focus on my little brother. "I am so proud of you Richie, and I'll always be here for you. I love you completely for every part of who you are."

He smiled before leaning in to kiss my forehead. "I know. I love you too Rosie."

"Finally came out to her?" Olivier asked him as he stood up.

Richard chuckled. "I didn't expect that she'd be last person I come out to."

"What? You knew?" I asked my fiancé.

"While I didn't know about Fabio being bi, Richard confided in me during those weeks when we weren't speaking. I didn't tell you because it wasn't my place to," he informed.

I turned to my brother. "He was the enemy then. Why confide in him?"

"Because while you weren't willing to listen to him, I was. I've seen all the evidence with regards to Daisy, and I'm serious when I say I want you nowhere near her as I'm sure Oli will agree. My coming out to him was to solidify our brotherhood. He's not perfect sis, but neither are you. However, I'd like to believe that you're perfect for each other. On that note, I'm going to leave you two and go spend time with my niece and nephew."

He was out of the room before I even had any time to react. "You want to see Daisy?"

I wasn't entirely sure of the direction the conversation would go given the look on his face, but I had to stand my ground.

"Whether I want to is really not the point since I'm pretty sure she's going to make that happen one way or another, but yes, I'd like to meet her," I agreed.

"Why?" he asked, looking genuinely confused as he sat on the bean bag Richard had just vacated.

"She's someone who was important to both you and Grace, and as much as I don't want to admit it, I need to meet her to understand why she has such a hold on you both," I explained.

He grabbed my hand, bringing it up to his lips. "Beautiful, she means nothing to me."

"That's a lie Oli. It's ok that she means something to you. I believe you when you say that you'll never go back to her, but I also believe that she'll always mean something to you. That much history with someone doesn't just vanish into thin air because your heart has moved on to a new love," I pointed out.

"I thought we agreed that we were keeping her far away from our family," he reminded.

I nodded. "That we definitely agreed to, but we can't really move forward without this happening. She's a hurdle we need to face and get over, once and for all."

He didn't say anything for the longest time, until he finally let out a breath. "I have to be present."

"Naturally," I approved.

"And I get to pull the plug if I think she's about to pull something," he added.

I smiled. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

He got off the bean bag to put his hands on either side of me, bending down to give me a kiss. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you even more. Are you back yet?" I asked.

"Castro demanded that I come home and be with you. He said he and Greg will handle things going forward. I'm sorry I'm such a terrible partner. I'm here to make it up to you," he said, offering his hand.

"What about the kids?" I questioned once I was standing.

"They're probably on their way to the airport by now. Richard and Fabio are taking them out of the country for a while. We're dealing with the Valerie thing, your mom, and Daisy once and for all, but not before I spend at least a full week with you to myself."

I thought he was kidding but all his actions suggested otherwise. We were completely disconnected from the world. It was exactly like it was the first time we truly spent time together. The first two days involved pampering me from head to toe. He'd washed my hair, done my nails, massaged me, and entertained me by joining me in a facial.

It wasn't until the morning of the third day that he touched me. I woke up to kisses travelling up my leg, and before I knew it, I was immersed deeply into pleasure as his head disappeared between my thighs.

He'd expressed his unwillingness to touch me since it would be the first time since the drama with Daisy. He didn't feel worthy of me, despite how many times I tried to reassure him that I was past all of that.

He doesn't feel deserving of me at all.

We'd already been through a lot together, and while most people would question my decisions and choices, Richard had pointed out something important – I'm not perfect either. It takes two people to make a relationship work, two people who want to make it work.

I'm not perfect, and neither is he, but we were both present and willing to make it work.

"Good morning," I said happily once we'd both reached our highs.

He leaned in and kissed me softly. "Good morning beautiful."

"I missed that," I confessed, cheeks reddened.

He kissed my shoulder, hands rubbing my belly. "Not as much as I did. Again, I'm sorry for being such a shitty partner. I promise you now that going forward, I'm going to do and be better."

He wasn't looking for a rebuttal, and I wouldn't offer it to him. "Thank you."

"What would you like for breakfast?" he asked.

I bit my lip in hopes of it looking seductive. "I don't know. I'm quite sated."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "I really need to be home more. I've missed this side of you."

We headed downstairs with him in just his pyjama pants, and I in my gown (I wasn't allowed to put on anything else because we weren't "done yet"). As has been routine, I sat at the island while silently watching him cook.

There's a lot to appreciate about the sight, his physique aside.

Olivier moves as though he's already thought of his next three moves. I'm making no sense, but he moves fluidly. He takes charge of the space he's in, and he looks completely comfortable every single time.

I can only imagine it's one of the things that also make him look as intimidating as he does.

"What are you thinking about my future wife?" he questioned, serving me a delectable looking cup of hot chocolate.

We'd had a wonderful breakfast, keeping conversation light. We both knew that we had things we needed to discuss, but we also understood that the discussions weren't the only things that needed to happen. We needed to remind each other what it was like to just be together.

"Many things, but mainly just how happy I am to have you here with me," I admitted. I didn't want to make him feel guilty, but it was true.

I had missed him, terribly.

He sighed, grabbing my hand to kiss it. "I want to be home more, but we need to put out fires and put measures in place before I do that."

He had my absolute full attention. "Measures in place?"

He nodded. "I'll be making some structural changes at the company that are going to ensure that I have less on my plate, and more time to be home. Castro mentioned a merger, and I'm actually considering it. He's got a lot more free time on his hands, and a merger with me also gives him exposure to new business opportunities and sectors he hasn't ventured into yet. In fact, this sounds like it will benefit him more than me."

"You're letting him in the whole way?" I asked.

He nodded once again. "I've learnt a lot in the past two days, and the most important thing is that my best friend will always have my back. I just lost sight of that, but I intend to make things right."

"Then you're wrong about one thing," I said, cupping his cheek.

He scowled. "And that is?"

"You're definitely going to benefit more. He's going to make sure that you still get to do what you love, but you'll have a family to come home to, while fixing a friendship. You're the real winner here," I explained.

He groaned, making me giggle. "This is supposed to be about him, about compensation."

"Trust me, he'll at least know that much. You'll be doing your part in fixing your friendship, but ultimately, you'll be gaining more, and since he's always had your back, he's going to be happy because you'll be happy," I consoled.

He lay down so that his head was on my lap. "I hate that you're right."

"Don't try to do too much at once. Take it slowly. You guys have just reconnected. It won't be sincere if you push it too much," I added.

He turned his face towards my belly. "Babies, you have a really clever mommy. Be sure to take after her."

I laughed at that and let a moment linger before I spoke again. "Richard told me about my mom."

"And how I want you nowhere near that mess," he added knowingly.

I sighed. "She's making things worse for you and it's all because of me. Before you say it, I know you don't care about the lies for as long as the right people know the truth, but it's not right Oli. None of us deserve to live this way because of lies."

"The real reason you want to speak to Daisy," he figured, eyes turning back up to the ceiling.

"Why are you so reluctant to go against her word? I know that it was about Grace for the longest time, but Grace is grown enough to understand that there's something off about the reputation you have. She knows that you're not that kind of man, and is therefore curious about where it all comes from. You need to be honest with her at some point," I claimed.

He sighed. "It's a conversation I know I need to have with her, but I wasn't going to until Daisy was on board."

"I don't understand," I admitted.

"While I still don't quite know why she had to drag my name through the mud like she did, I always told myself that I wouldn't fight her back. Instead, I would let the whole thing go and blow over, and she'd come back and explain to my daughter why she went off the bender like that," he explained.

"Except she's only getting worse," I deduced.

"As you know, I'm a man with many flaws, but when it comes to Daisy, I really did try. I tried to be patient with her, and God knows I tried to give our marriage time, but nothing worked. Instead I was just left confused more than half the time," he said.

I could see that this was a sore subject for him, but I deserved for us to finally have this talk. "Tell me about her."

I was beginning to think he'd shut down when he wasn't saying anything, until he finally broke the silence. "Anyone who knows her will probably tell you that she's charismatic. It's the one thing that just draws everyone in to her. She's a people's person, but she's also got a lethal talent of reading people. She picks up quickly on the type of person you are, and how to use that to her advantage."

"Is that what she did with you?" I asked when he wasn't saying anything.

"I wish I could say yes. Maybe that would make me feel better about being duped the way that I was, but no, that's not how she got me onto her side. If anything, I'm one of the few people she had a hard time reading, which I guess is when her true obsession with getting me began. I wasn't interested in her at first, but she's smart. She played to my intelligence before my emotions, which is how she ultimately won me over. I really did love her, and I'd like to believe that I loved a version of her that had the potential to be a great woman, but it wasn't long into our marriage that I learned that there were many layers to her than I'd ever imagined," he said before taking a pause.

I didn't push him because I was finally sure that we were engaging this topic and that there was no turning back, which he proved right when he continued. "Daisy and Phyllis' parents passed on when Daisy was three, and they were adopted, but Daisy never really formed any kind of bond with their parents. When I first had my suspicions that something may be wrong with her, I called her adoptive mom to ask about any past experiences, and that's when I found out that everything I knew about the woman I'd married was a lie. The only mistake I made was to continue being with her after that."

"You loved her," I said knowingly.

"Love can be a toxic poison, especially when you refuse to acknowledge that it's killing you in some way. I loved her, but nothing I ever did or said was enough for her. Daisy lives for attention, and she wants absolutely everyone to love her. The only good thing to come out of that vanity is her Calista persona. Everything else can't be overlooked or forgiven."

He was fuming, and I reached out to hold his hand. "It's ok love."

"It really isn't. You're the first person I'm talking to about this. I don't know how to process these feelings," he confessed.

I was stunned by that. "I am?"

He nodded. "With Castro and I not speaking, there was no-one else that I felt I could talk to about my marriage. My relationship with Fabio only became stronger long after she'd left, but I couldn't talk to him, not about this. Kris hates her, so she wasn't an option. I don't have that kind of bond with Gail, so that wouldn't have worked out. You've seen first-hand the kind of friendship I had with Michael, so that wasn't an avenue either. The only person who tried was Phyllis, but there was only so much I could tell her about her little sister. She tried to understand, but none of it felt right, so I stopped confiding in her."

"Instead you suffered in silence. When did everything truly change?" I questioned.

"That would be on our return from South Africa after her episode. I tried to get her to see someone, but she brushed the whole thing off like nothing happened. I ignored the signs and continued like nothing was wrong, until she had another episode that involved Grace almost dying," he replied.

My hand instinctively went to my belly as I gasped. "Grace almost died?"

"I don't know if she genuinely doesn't remember the incident or if she doesn't want to talk to me about it. Daisy had her final episode that day and she happened to shove Grace into the pool. Grace couldn't swim then, and had Fabio not been there, my baby girl would've died since that woman just stood there doing nothing. I got home as soon as I could after Fabio reached me, and once I found out that Daisy's episode was brought on by her not being invited to some stupid party, something inside of me snapped. I almost lost my daughter over something so trivial – and it was through that fight that she finally decided to leave."

There was so much tension in the air as I took the time to process his words. He seemed to be in his head as well as the silence descended on us once more. This was a much needed talk, but nothing could've truly prepared me for all that I was hearing.

"When did she start tarnishing your name?" I finally asked.

He scowled. "It was almost immediately. She ran to the police and filed a charge against me, claiming I was abusing her. They investigated and found that she had a baseless case, so the charges were dropped and that's when she headed to the media with her slander. She made up stories about me, and for a while, not many people believed her, so she upped the antics by paying women to say that I did all those things. I tried to defend myself at first, but when three people who have been seen with you before come out with the same story, people start believing you less. Eventually I stopped trying for Grace's sake."

"A part of you thought that things would eventually blow over," I guessed.

He sat back up, hands rubbing his face. "I'll be the first person to admit that I should've had Daisy admitted a long time ago, but not many people would believe me if I told them she's got mental problems. She's too good an actress, something people don't associate with mental illness. If you look and act ok, then there's obviously no way there's anything wrong with you. You throw in the accusation coming from someone she's discredited, and it just makes things worse."

"It would only make you look like you were the monster calling the abused woman crazy," I noted.

"I could've fought harder when she started this whole thing, but I was just so focused on trying to keep things at the company stable with everything she was spewing. I almost went bankrupt, and it took a lot to get where I am, but things have to change," he admitted.

Despite the tension, I was hopeful. "So, you agree with me?"

"I wanted her to be the one to explain herself not only to Grace, but to me too, but I don't think that will ever happen. When we rescued her from the kidnappers, the woman they rescued looked nothing like the Daisy I know. She's a shell of herself, which is probably the only reason why I'm hesitant to go through with you meeting her. I understand your reasoning for it, but knowing the full scope of the situation means that I have to make the best decision for you and our kids. I agree with you Rose, but you need to let me lead on this. That's all I ask of you."

How could I even fight?

I sat forward so that I could pull him in for a kiss. "Thank you for opening up to me about her. I know that couldn't have possibly been easy."

"I've lost a lot in my life Rose, but losing you, losing our family, I could never come back from that," he said lowly.

"I'm not going anywhere. You're in control here love. I will follow your lead because like you said, you know the situation best. I want to meet her, but I only want to do so if you're completely comfortable with your capabilities to handle the situation," I assured.

He pulled me in for another kiss. "I can't wait for everything to be over so that I can finally make you my wife."

"Ditto," I smiled.

"Oh? You're making me your wife?" he teased.

His wonderful laughter filled the room as I smacked his arm. "You know what I meant."

"I love you so much Miss Kidman."

"Ditto Mr Black, ditto."