It was like my life was a poorly written story. A chaotic directed movie that had rubbish actors and an even more dramatic storyline. Heck, even the acting would be mediocre.

I pushed off Nate's lap, momentarily taken aback that he allowed me to do with no fuss. I watched him carefully as he analysed my reaction, his eyes fleeting across my face. Like dropping such a bon shell information would cause an unknown reaction for me and he wanted to be prepared.

But damn it, I was ashamed to admit the sheer relief that coursed through my veins was what knocked me off my feet. I stumbled a bit back, my knees somehow becoming unable to hold the weight of my body anymore.

Nate quickly jumped off the bench and managed to grab me just before I met the ground. "I'm sorry."

I frowned at his apology. Sorry? For what?

A smile cracked through my face. A bubble of laughter built in my chest until I couldn't hold it in anymore. I let the hysterical laughter bellow out of me until I had to use Nate's long arm holding me to double over.

"Are you serious?" I managed to wheeze out. I had some sort of mind to know to fix up when I heard how crazy I sounded. I pushed out of Nate's hold once again and straightened my back.

I cleared my throat, straightened my blouse, and asked, "What happened?"

If I could take a picture of what a bewildered look, Nate's face would be snapped right now. His eyes were slightly wide- as wide as I have ever seen them, and he had his head tilted towards me ever so slightly. "Come again?"

"Come again what?" I repeated

Nate took a step back and surveyed my stance. "What the fuck was that reaction about?"

I shook my head at him. "What did you presume?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes at him. "That I had a loving relationship with him? I'm glad that bastard is dead."

"Why?"

Before I could debate whether it was wise to tell him or not, my mouth opened on its own accord and out flew whatever the heck it allowed to let out. "His wandering hands deserve to be in hell. If I didn't have Lorna with me every night, we knew him to be at my house, I would have long ago lost something too precious." I took in a deep breath, ignoring the wild hammering of my heart in between my chest. "Lord knows he has come close."

Nate went dead silent. Even though we were out in an open space, with several pedestrians walking all through their day, several cars driving by the road a short distance away, it was still as quiet as the dead. "Did he touch you?"

I crossed my arm across my chest, wanting nothing but to go into a ball. I knew damn well I suppressed my feelings and I had given myself no other choice. Having the slightest chance of outliving this world meant knowing when a breakdown was looming and doing everything in your power to not let it happen. Vultures flew above my head every day and piranhas swam below my feet every day. They were waiting for the slightest weakness I allowed to creep out my defences and then pounce.

Saliva pooled in my mouth and a prickling sensation dance through my whole body. My mind froze at articulate any of my words. Like whatever I had suppressed in the darkest corner of my mind could possibly never come to the front.

Nate stepped closer, grabbing my chin in his two slender fingers. His touch centred me, and I tried to calm my erratic heart by focusing on the dip just above his full lips. "Breathe." His lips formed the words – he probably voiced it as well my I couldn't seem to hear anything.

"Breathe, Ellie." I slowly heard his voice sink into my mind, but it was although it was being said from distance.

"Lorna protected me a lot." I whispered.

Nate's eyes darkened and he swiftly shook his head. "Not here."

His hand dropped from my chin only to clasp around my fingers.

One pivotal thing crossed my mind then. "How do you know this?" I asked him. This guy was someone I had only seen at midnight ever before. We have exchanged names and other than giving subtle explanations of what my life was at home, there was nothing and no one he can pinpoint onto me. He shouldn't know what family I come from. He shouldn't know the dynamics of anything private that was mine. He shouldn't know who my uncle was.

And he should not be knowing about killing and deaths. That was my world. Not his.

Nate ignored my question and started to drag me across the street. We were walking back towards where I initially bumped into him and as we neared towards the takeaway shop, I could still see Shar in there. He was pacing in front of the counter, running his hands through his hair, and looking equally shocked and angry.

I looked at Nate's broad back as he led the way

"What's going on Nate?" I asked, digging my heels into the ground. Nate halted when he felt my body had stopped cooperating.

He looked over his shoulder and down at me. "It's best we don't talk in public?"

I reared my head back. "What the heck, Nate? What is going on."

I pointed inside the shop at Shar. "Did he just get something as well?"

Nate glanced in the shop. "Probably." He stated when he watched Shar's pacing continue.

"I need to go inside to him." I pulled out of his grasp. I firmly believed that because he didn't expect me to go inside, is how I managed to get out of his grip. It was not long lasting though. I had just opened the door, the bell sounding ringing above my head before Nate snaked his arm across my waist and pulled me back inside. "Nate." I warned in my low voice, regaining awareness of where I was. And that was still in public.

"I know all of this because it is in the news. And newsflash, darling, you have told me about him. That is why I am come to see you."

I met his eye and saw the pure sincerity shown back at me there. "What news outlet?" I asked him, still so unsure of him. His intentions could be hidden from me, and I had had fell for the biggest scam in the book. This should have never gone over my head.

Nate pulled me further away from the entrance door until he had my back against some brick wall. "It's all over the internet. Google it yourself right now." Nate shrugged, nonchalantly.

And because I was Ellie and thoroughness was bred in my blood and bones the second, I could walk, I dug in my bag and fished for my phone. When my hands finally wrapped around the stupid device, I searched up my uncle's name and floods of news outlets came up. The word dead was in bold everywhere. "Oh."

"Yes. Oh."

I skimmed my eyes through a few articles and saw that the found his body in a five-star hotel, down in main street. Everything else was still under heavy investigation.

I could already see what the next few days would entail. I could see my dad throwing me along with a specialist team to dig deep and find any loopholes. His estates. Anything that would implicate my father in this mess would fall heavily on my shoulders.

"Again, why did you react like that? As if knowing about your family is the worst thing on this earth." Nate's question dragged me out my train of thoughts - a train that was close to crashing into a wall.

"I don't know." I muttered. "I just don't want you to ever be aware of how fucked u my family is and can get."

Nate frowned at that. My focus suddenly just zoomed into his face. He looked so hard yet young. He looked scary in some way but so approachable in the other. He was so far removed from the realities of my life, that it just added to his allure. What does he do in free time?

"I think we all have fucked up families. Some are just better at hiding it."

"There is fucked up families," I scoffed. "And there is mine."

Nate moved a bit closer. I could smell him again. His fascinating scent overpowered all my senses. "Hey, it's all good." He said in a low voice, that rumbled in my ears.

"I just don't ever want you to know about it. It's not a proud subject for me. For a second there, you scared me. I thought you were pretending to be an undercover spy or some shit and all these times you were talking to me to get intel." I started chuckling towards the end and saw that humour danced in Nate's eyes as well.

"I think you must remember the initial time we met. That was anything but planned. You could never plan for something so messed up."

That was beyond true. The night we met, would probably be engraved in my mind for the rest of my time.