Silas gets up from his sitting position  and walks toward me. Maxi watches him as he leaves her at the table, her face cold. I, however, have no idea what to do with my body. Should I walk over to him to? Do I stay where I am? Do I book it and run? These are too many questions for my hoarding mind to handle, so I try my hardest to block each of them out.

Felix and Ashley frolic next to us, both playfully pushing and wrestling one another. They actually remind me of the dogs at the dog park near my house. I used to walk pass there all the time, but for some reason, I don't get out as much as I used to. I guess dogs and puppies now give me nothing but sadness.

Felix's glasses soon slip off the rim of his nose and land on the ground, and he pauses the fighting, "Wait, where the hell did my glasses go?"

"Dude, you really need to get yourself a damn pair of contacts," retorts Ashley.

Felix soon retrieves them and the two of them resume their fighting stance as Maxi continues to sit silently and roll her eyes.

I turn my attention back to Silas, who smiles after his friends recommence their pointless fight. His grey eyes then meet mine and I lose my words. "Hey, Hewitt," he says. I'm grateful that he is the first to speak.

"Hey," I echo back.

Ashley almost bumps into Silas and he lets out a little chuckle for his friend, "Do you wanna talk somewhere quieter?"

"Yeah, sure."

He nods and then leads me back around the corner of the diner. Both of us are now standing in the parking lot. I can see in his eyes that he's as nervous as I am, which I guess is a comforting feeling. This time, I'm determined to be the first one to speak.

Silas' hands are in his jean pockets. Although his attention is on me, his focus is already far away. His eyes concentrate on something other than my own, probably on the large tree just standing just behind me. "Listen, Rowen-"

"No," I cut him off sharply, "Silas, I just need to get this out." He remains still, but his face speaks a million words. "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry... for what happened between us. You were just trying to help me and I was nothing but an asshole to you. I overreacted and I didn't mean the things I said. And when you left, I thought I was never gonna get the chance to say that I'm sorry. Okay, I was way out of line and... I'm just sorry."

At first, I expected him to be completely furious with me. But to my surprize, I instead see a small smile pulling at the frames of his lips, "Did you really think that I would still be angry?"

"To be completely honest, I thought that you would be more than angry at me," I confess, my nervousness beginning to peek through my voice, but I try my best to shelter it with a transparent smile.

Silas' smile widens and he laughs, "Rowen, it was just a fight. It was no big deal."

"But you-"

"Okay, Hewitt," he comes closer to me and looks me straight in the eye, "If it will make you feel better, I already forgave you awhile ago."

I twist my face into a guilty expression, "Really?" I ask uncertainly.

"Yes, really. I promise that you're off the hook. Besides, I've said things in the past that were a lot worse. Just ask my dad." For a brief moment, I feel as if my lungs would collapse from holding in so much air. I've been holding my breath without even realizing it, just waiting for his answer. Now that I have it, my  conscience has one less piece of guilt to worry about. I suddenly realize that I've been quiet for an awfully long time when Silas addresses the matter, "You okay? You look kinda pale," he asks me.

Snapping back into reality, I say, "Yeah, I'm good. I just didn't think it would be that easy."

"Well I'm not the type to hold a grudge," he says.

"Yeah, clearly." Besides Olivia.

From the corner of my eye, I spot Ashley round the corner of the diner as he stops out in the open. Silas notices too and both of us turn our attention to him, "Are you two lover-birds done over there?" He taunts.

I turn away awkwardly as Silas replies, "Yeah, you know, you're real funny. But yeah, we'll be there in just a sec." He eyes me again as Ash turns to leave, and I don't even notice that I'm drawing my lip between my teeth, "Sorry 'bout that. It's just that Ash doesn't know when to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT!" He yells so that Ashley can hear him.

Laughing, I say, "Is he always like that?"

"Arrogant? Clueless? A complete douche? Yup, that pretty much sums him up." From around the corner, I hear bustling laughter from both Ashley and Felix. As for Maxi, it's like she's not even there. "We should get back there before he brings up anymore questionable topics."

"That would probably be wise."

We both exit the parking lot and walk back to the section of weathered tables and chairs. Felix has his laptop equipment set up on the table and Ashley watches him from behind. Maxi just sits there with her eyes glued to her phone, not caring about the activity going on around her.

I look at the laptop and my eyes trail along the black wire that connects the computer to the wall of the diner and look at it with confusion. "How can you even get connection out here?"

Felix looks up from his laptop, though continues to type. "This place has some pretty high-speed internet connections, which is why we mainly meet here whenever something comes up." He then types something else. The screen of laptop reflects off of his glasses, but the only thing I can make out is a blue screen.

"Can you please just tell us why we're now?" Maxi groans.

"I can if you shut up," retorts Felix. Ashley chuckles and Maxi throws him a glare, shutting him up instantly. "Okay," Felix begins, "Let me start off by saying that I am freaking genius and you all better bow to me after we're done here because this equipment cost me an arm and a leg."

Maxi scoffs. "In your dreams."

"Can we just please skip to the part when you tell us why we're here," Silas pleads.

Felix nods. "Yes, on that note, ladies and gentlemen, I think I may have uncovered a little something about our beloved she-devil."

"Wait, you actually found something on Olivia?" I ask shockingly.

"Well don't sound too surprised or you'll give it away," he says to me, "And yes, I did." He rotates the laptop around so all of us can see it.

Ashley looks at the screen like it's a foreign object, "What exactly am I looking at?"

"This, my friend," Felix gestures to the laptop, "Is footage of emails being sent back and forth between Olivia and Darian. And as you can see, they're having a pretty intense conversation."

OLIVIA: I REALLY NEED TO TALK TO YOU.

DARIAN: RLY? BECAUSE YOU MADE IT QUITE CLEAR THAT WE BROKE UP, REMEMBER?

"Wait, when the hell did they break things off?" Maxi asks.

"Keep reading and you'll find out. Trust me, it gets better," Felix says.

OLIVIA: NVM WHAT HAPPENED. WHAT MATTERS IS THAT WE STILL HAVE FEELINGS FOR EACHOTHER.

DARIAN: EVEN AFTER WHAT I TOLD YOU? YOU STILL WANNA MAKE THINGS WORK?

OLIVIA: OF COURSE BABE.

OLIVIA: AND DON'T TRY TO DENY IT. I KNOW YOU STILL LOVE ME TOO.

DARIAN: THAT SHIP HAS SAILED. IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON.

OLIVIA: OH C'MON BABE. I KNOW YOU STILL WANT ME.

OLIVIA: TELL YOU WHAT. I'LL MAKE YOU A DEAL. ADMIT THAT YOU MISS ME AND MAYBE I CAN...  REWARD YOU ;)

I almost puke in my mouth, and by everyone else's reactions, I can tell that they are thinking the same thing.

Ashley soon speaks up, "Okay, dude, if this is gonna turn into a sexting match, I'm not interested."

"What's wrong, Ash. Can't take the heat?" Maxi mocks, playfully elevating her eyebrows.

"Are you two finished?" asks Silas. Both shut their mouths and place their sights back onto the screen.

DARIAN: AS TEMPTING AS THAT SOUNDS, I'M NOT INTERESTED IN YOUR SHIT, LIV.

OLIVIA: OH DARI. WOULDN'T WANT YOUR LITTLE SECRET TO COME OUT, WOULD YOU? ;)

DARIAN: WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT???

OLIVIA: YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT ;) ;) ;)

My breath gets caught in my throat, and for a second, I forget how to breathe.

DARIAN: YOU WOULDN'T DARE, LIV.

OLIVIA: HMMMM NOW YOU'RE INTERESTED IN WHAT I HAVE TO SAY.

OLIVIA: LET'S MAKE ANOTHER DEAL. IF YOU DON'T ACCEPT MY LITTLE... INVITATION, I TELL EVERYONE ABOUT YOUR LITTLE HOOK-UP WITH YOUR PERSONAL BABY FACTORY.

My heart skips over a dozen beats but I don't react. I don't know what to do or how to stop this from happening. The panic begins to cluster in my abdomen. My head grows in tension as every thought and memory rapidly spins out of control until I can barely think. Breath after breath gets twisted in my lungs, only for them to come out as silent yet hammering gasps. Without another moment's haste, my arms reach out and I slam the laptop shut, hoping that nothing broke.

Everyone lets out sudden gasps but Maxi is the first to complain, "What the fuck was that?!" she yells directly to me.

"Yeah, Rowen, you could've broken it, you know," Felix adds.

"I know, and I'm sorry, I just... don't think that we should be doing this," I explain.

Maxi practically jumps out of her seat, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"This just... doesn't feel right. It feels like an invasion of privacy."

Silas is the next to question my actions and my explanation for them as his asks, "Rowen, what are you talking about?" His voice is more gentle than everyone else's at this point, but it doesn't lessen the amount of panic that I feel.

I turn my body toward Silas so that I'm speaking right to him, "Silas, this whole thing just feels wrong. Not to mention the fact that it's completely illegal!"

"Screw legality!" Ashley shouts, "You didn't give us any shit when we first started this little operation."

Silas nods and says to me, "Yeah, Ash is right, Rowen. Why are you making such a big deal out of it? This is a good thing."

"Speaking of which, what are we gonna do with this very dirty secret of his?" asks Maxi.

"Use it against him, obviously. He's just as much apart of this as Olivia is," Felix replies.

Ash chimes in, along with one of his blank expressions, "Hold up. Who's the unlucky chick that Darian fucked without safety?"

I groan, "Does any of this even matter? How does exposing Darian's... secret expose Olivia as well?"

"Take the king away from the queen and she doesn't have much left," Felix states, "If we use this information against Darian, it will clearly hurt his reputation. Rumors would spread about him and his mystery mistress and those would soon lead to rumors about Olivia. Trust me when I say that this will completely ruin them both."

A headache begins to pound in my head and I feel like I need to sit down. My hands clutch the back of my neck as I slump my head backwards, my eyes meeting with the blue sky. As I slump it back into place, I say, "So we're gonna blackmail him."

"Yup, that's pretty much the idea," Felix says back not two seconds later.

He then reopens his laptop to reveal the haunting emails between Darian and Olivia, and I glue my irises to the screen. The emails go on for what seems like an eternity when it has only been a few minutes. They don't stop. They just keep coming, each new one grasping at my emotions and twisting them into an obscene amount of angst until I can no longer watch. "I can't- I can't do this," I say, breaking the silence in the group. My voice is brittle and flat, but I don't wait for a response. I walk away from the table and round the corner to the front of the diner, leaving Silas and the others behind. 

I slowly nudge myself into the diner and I'm automatically greeted with the air-conditioner, which is placed right next to the door. I shiver a bit before bringing myself further into the area. Hints of pancakes, toast, and bacon enter my nose, which is weird because it's the middle of the afternoon.

Looking around, everything is basically painted it a shiny coat. The floors are black and white in a checkerboard pattern, though some squares are more weary than others. White tables are places along the wall, each one having from two to six chairs. There's a large booth with red bar stools placed all along the booth. This place definitely reads 60s.

I take a seat at the booth in one of the bar stools and bring my eyes to the counter. Right now, they have no idea who Darian's secret lover is, or was, and if they find out, it would be the end. I remember that night as if it were yesterday; the night I've regretted since that damn pregnancy test read positive. I was ashamed of myself for not being more responsible and I still am today. No one would understand and everyone, including Silas, would think I'm a whore. After all, Darian saw it that way, even though it was his baby I was carrying.

A / N :

What exactly is Olivia planning?
Are Rowen and Silas falling for each other??
Be sure to comment your theories down below!

And the mysterious father of Rowen's baby is revealed! Was anyone expecting it? Welp, that's one of your questions answered 😉😉😉

Just to be clear, this is NOT the end of the book. I've decided to split the mid-chapter and the final chapter into two parts, just to shake things up a bit. This means that chapter nineteen will be split in two and chapter thirty-eight with be split in two. Yes, this book will be a total of thirty-eight chapters. You're welcome 😂😂😂

Anyways, be sure to VOTE if you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to leave FEEDBACK as well! I love hearing from other readers!

XOXO