"Astrid? You look..." he trailed off, breathless.

She looked stunning in a floor length charcoal dress with intricate beading detailing everywhere. It has a silk belt, and she'd left her new short hair in curls. Raymond couldn't believe that she'd cut her hair. He'd forbidden her from doing it, but now that he was staring at her, he wouldn't deny that he loved the change.

"Thank you," she said, her tone void of emotion.

He cleared his throat, reaching out to give her the bouquet of flowers. "I, uh, I didn't think you would come."

"Who do you think cleared the restaurant out?" she asked, accepting the flowers.

He frowned. "Why would you do that?"

"Oh, I don't know. I woke up to be told that you wanted to have dinner with me. Given the state of our marriage, I didn't want to confront you in a restaurant full of people," she replied.

"I wasn't aware that this was a confrontation," he commented.

She smiled a little, sitting on the chair and crossing her legs, before looking up at him. "Pray tell what this is Mr Watson. I'm all ears."

Raymond thought he felt nervous on his way to the restaurant, but it was nothing compared to what he felt in that moment. She was taunting him, and he was well aware of it. What he didn't know was how to respond to this side of her.

He'd never faced it before.

"I just wanted to take my wife out for dinner," he finally spoke after a moment of awkward silence.

The smile grew into a full on smirk as she grabbed the wine glass in front of her. She took a long sip, dragging the tension in the room as he silently watched her. She placed the glass back on the table before signalling him to continue.

"What do you want me to say?" he questioned.

She refrained from laughing. "What's the occasion Raymond? Why are we here?"

"Can't a man take his wife out for dinner?" he asked.

She scoffed. "The media isn't around, so you don't have to pretend. Try again."

He sighed and squatted at her legs, taking her hands in his. "I want to spend time with you. Is that so wrong?"

"What brought about this change? The last time you willingly spent time with me was when we found out that I couldn't have children, and I distinctly remember the last words you said to me on that day being 'so much for marrying the trophy wife'. Do share what's different now," she responded icily.

"Why did you go to Palm Springs?" he asked.

She grabbed her hands from his, glaring at him. "So that's what this is really about."

"I'm not mad Astrid. I just want to know," he said deceptively softly.

"Why? What difference will my answer make?" she countered.

He reached out to caress her cheek, only to have her move away, resulting in him sighing. "Why did you go to Palm Springs Astrid?"

"I wasn't aware that I wasn't allowed to," she retorted.

He was growing irritated with her.

"I didn't say that either. I just want to know why you went," he stressed.

She rolled her eyes. "So you're the only one allowed to go on vacation then?"

"So this is about my going on vacation with Vienna," he commented.

She scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself. I saw an opportunity to actually enjoy myself in your absence, so I took it."

He wouldn't audibly admit how much her words hurt him.

"Who are the people you went with?" he redirected.

"My best friends," she replied simply.

"I thought your best friends were Stacy and Meghan. Why don't I know these best friends of yours?" he asked in confusion.

"The fact that you think I'm friends with those snakes just goes to show how much you know about me in the first place," she responded, just as confused.

She'd stopped being friends with those women from the moment they'd come back from their honeymoon.

He sighed and stood up, before sitting back in the chair. "Ok, we're clearly not getting anywhere, so I'll ask a different question. Why did you come?"

"Curiosity got the best of me, but I also knew that you'd hunt me down if I hadn't," she said knowingly.

She wasn't wrong.

"You dressed up," he commented.

"I'm always dressed up," she said in a bored tone.

He hit the table, making her jump at the unexpected move. "Damnit Astrid! I'm trying to be civil here!"

She laughed humourlessly. "And I'm trying to understand why. Weren't you and your slut lover supposed to still be on vacation? What made you come back early?"

It was at that moment that Raymond realized that she knew why he'd come back early. She wanted him to say it out loud, and he understood then more than ever that if he didn't, he would lose her for sure.

"You," he said simply.

She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "I was doing just fine without you. You didn't have to worry about little old me. It's not like you have for the past five years."

"Are you really doing this when I'm trying to make amends?" he questioned.

"If this is you making amends, then you clearly have no idea just how great the damage is," she replied.

"I messed up Astrid, I know that, bu-"

"Except you don't know Raymond! You made your relationship with that fucking whore public and made me look like an even bigger idiot, and now you want to sit there without even a percent of the guilt you should be really feeling, and tell me that you know just how much you messed up. You know fuck all!"

"Where are you going?" he asked when she stood up.

"I thought I could do this, simply because I thought you were actually going to be a man about this. I thought I would see even a sliver of the man I fell in love with, but instead I'm faced with the same bully and coward of a man. Don't come anywhere near me until you're ready to either fix this or let me go," she said before walking out.

He ran after her. "You can't just leave. We're supposed to be having a romantic dinner."

"You lost the romance Raymond, or did it all end up in your whore's vagina?" she clapped back.

He wasn't going to take her words to heart because she was visibly upset.

Instead he grabbed her arm. "Where will you go?"

"Let go of me," she said lowly.

"Where will you go Astrid? You're nothing without me," he reminded, gripping her arm tighter.

"You haven't failed to remind me of that. Thank you very much," she snapped.

Just as he was about to reply, a black SUV pulled up and the passenger door opened. "Get in."

Astrid couldn't believe her luck as she quickly jumped in before the SUV drove away, leaving a fuming Raymond in its dust.

"How did you know where I was?" she asked him.

"I didn't follow you if that's what you think. This is purely a coincidence," he replied.

And it was.

Thor and Scott had arrived in their new apartments and spent the day settling in, except Thor was starting to feel cramped in by all the boxes, so he went out to get dinner for him and Scott. He just happened to be driving back to his place when he spotted the familiar figure in trouble.

And he did the one thing he'd promised Scott he wouldn't do.

He saved her.

"Well thanks for saving me," she said quietly.

Silence overtook the car. She didn't say where she wanted to be taken, and he didn't bother asking. He just continued on the route to his place as it started drizzling outside. They were stuck in a little bit of traffic caused by an accident, so he took the opportunity to pierce the silence.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"I had them hold the bill in Palm Springs until after my best friends and I left. I woke up to my helper telling me that Raymond wanted to have dinner with me. I was actually naive enough to think that he wanted to make our marriage work," she said, ending on a whisper.

"You want to make the marriage work?" he asked, confused.

"I once loved the man," she said, simultaneously ending the conversation.

Thor felt the stirrings of a rage he knew he could only work out at the gym. He couldn't understand why this wonderful woman couldn't see herself through his eyes. He wanted to give her the world, to show her what she's truly worth.

Everything.

They quietly continued their way to his apartment and he parked in his designated parking spot when they arrived. He went around to let her out, and was surprised when she accepted his hand. It only served to spark the electricity between them.

Because before she knew it, her back was against the cool car.

She took him in, taking in new things about him. She noted then that he's taller than her husband, being significantly taller than her even though she was in heels, and he was definitely way more built. For the first time, she noticed the tattoo on his neck. It wasn't big, just a small paw. Her eyes moved to the scar beside it, and she realized that it wasn't the only scar he had.

He watched her as she analyzed him, itching to know what was going on in her head. She reached out to touch the scar on his neck and he closed his eyes, breathing in deeply at the memory that was enacted in his mind at her touch.

She didn't know how, but she knew that the scar had a painful story behind it. Her thoughts were confirmed when she watched a single tear drop down his cheek. She couldn't have been any more curious about him than she was in that moment.

"I need to take you home," he said lowly, his eyes still closed.

She reached up to wipe the fallen tear away. "Do you want to?"

"I need to," he whispered.

There was pain there, and that much she couldn't miss. She leaned on her already tipped toes and kissed him softly. He pulled her in, deepening the kiss as he held onto her like she was his very lifeline.

She was spinning.

There was just something about this man that intoxicated her every senses. He ignited sensations in her that she didn't even know she had. He kissed her like a starved man, and she responded as though he were her last meal on earth.

"You need to take me home," she said breathlessly.

"Will he be there?" he asked.

"We live in the same house if that's what you're asking," she replied.

He traced his thumb on her cheek and she leaned into his touch. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with letting you go there."

"Even if you didn't, I would eventually have to go back," she pointed out.

"To make the marriage work?" he asked.

She didn't say anything, but he got his answer from the look in her eyes. He let her go and opened the passenger door to let her back in. He told her to put the address into the GPS while he took Scott's food up.

He wanted to avoid having to talk to her as much as he could.

"You left to get food around the corner almost an hour ago, and you come back with lipstick on you. What the hell?" Scott questioned.

"I'll be back," Thor said before heading back downstairs without explanation.

He entered the SUV and the GPS started giving him directions as a pregnant silence settled over them once more. They were both wondering what the other was thinking, even if they didn't want to.

Astrid wasn't exactly sure what it was that she was doing. She knew that she couldn't be with this man, but a big part of her wanted to. She didn't understand why she was trying to fool herself into thinking that she could truly make things with Raymond work.

They arrived at Raymond's mansion and she could see his car in the driveway. She knew that he'd been trying to reach her without a doubt, but she couldn't bring herself to actually care. Instead, she was worried about the tension she was leaving behind with her fantasy man.

"Well, your husband must be waiting," he said coldly.

"Don't be like that," she said lowly.

"Don't be like what Annalise?" he asked plainly.

"Please," she whispered, tears clouding her vision.

He sighed and went around to let her out of the car, well aware of the security team that was watching them. "Be safe Annalise. Don't let him kill you any more than he has. If you truly want to give him another chance, I would hope that you at least make him work for it. You deserve that much."

She was about to say something, but he silenced her with a kiss to her forehead. Her words died in her throat at the thought of that being a kiss goodbye. He lingered before reluctantly stepping away from her and getting back into the SUV.

She watched as the car drove away, standing there still as it disappeared from their street. She felt like a part of her had left with him, but deep down, she knew that he was a fantasy and would have to remain there.

She would have to face her reality inside the mansion.

She didn't expect to walk into the mansion and find candles lit everywhere. There were rose petals on the floor and soft music playing in the background. She could hear Raymond shouting and followed his voice to the lounge.

"What do you mean you can't find her? Can't you track the son of a bitch?" he shouted into the phone.

"Would you stop shouting at whoever you're shouting at? I'm here," she said blankly.

He turned to her, relief clear in his features. "Never mind. She's here."

"Someone was confident I'd come back," she commented once he'd hung up as she looked around the room.

"I was hopeful," he admitted.

She nodded slightly before walking over to him. He was sitting on the couch, anxious about what she was about to do. He didn't expect her to raise her dress so that she could straddle him. His hands went to her thighs as she looked him dead in the eyes. He thought she was trying to read him.

Instead she was thinking about how wrong it felt to be like this with him.

She couldn't help the comparisons. She didn't feel safe with him. She wasn't turned on. She didn't feel wanted, and she knew that if she wanted this to work, she would have to submit to this dullness for the rest of her life.

"Let's get one thing clear above all," she told him.

He nodded. "I'm listening."

"You and I are not sleeping together until I say so, and if you so much as blink in Vienna's direction, or any other woman's way for that matter, I will leave. I would rather die than put myself through the kind of life I've lived for the past five years. Do we have an understanding?" she asked.

"We do," he agreed.

"Good," she said before kissing him.

The fire just wasn't there, and for the following two months, she'd come to accept it. He had completely changed and was once again the man that she'd fallen in love with, except the truth had dawned on her a week into their new arrangement.

She just didn't love him anymore.

What she enjoyed was seeing Glenda's annoyed face every time she went by the office to see Raymond. It pleased her even more knowing that Raymond had told the woman that all her calls were to be taken immediately, no matter the circumstances.

"I'm not going to lie and say I understand why you're still with him, especially since you feel this way," CJ pointed out as she shaped Astrid's nails.

It was after hours and the two of them were chilling with Cree. Joe was out getting them food, and Raymond was at a late business meeting. However, she'd been allowed to see her friends at any time, and Raymond even accepted them as her official stylists and hairdressers.

When she told them that she was giving her marriage another go, Joe was as supportive as he'd promised to be, but Cree and CJ just weren't on board. They refused to believe that she would be that stupid.

"I just, I don't know. The fire isn't there anymore, but other than that, he's great," Astrid defended.

"But girl, what's a relationship without fire? Y'all may just as well be friends who live together," Cree pointed out.

"That's a bit drastic don't you think? I'm married to the man," Astrid said.

"And yet you've only slept with him once since this new arrangement," CJ argued.

Astrid hadn't bothered to clarify when she'd told them that she slept with Raymond the night he returned.

"You guys don't understand," Astrid said for the millionth time.

"And we never will," Cree agreed.

Joe arrived with their food and they ate while avoiding the topic of Raymond completely. Instead, Joe told them all about his meeting with some architect who was going to build him the perfect restaurant.

Astrid was truly interested since she wanted Joe's dream to come true. Apparently some guy by the name of Thor was designing the new place, and Joe couldn't understand it, but the man had offered to do it for free.

"For free?" CJ asked sceptically.

Joe nodded. "Trust me, I was just as sceptical, so he came up with a contract for me to sign, stating that he was doing it for free and that I owed him nothing."

"Well count yourself lucky Joseph. The cosmos clearly agree with your restaurant idea, despite how we're sure you're going to kill a couple of people," Cree teased, making them laugh.

Astrid left the salon late and arrived before Raymond. She knew that he would've had dinner at his meeting, so she didn't bother making anything. Instead she poured him a glass of wine, while making herself a cup of tea.

She squealed when she was unexpectedly picked up and spun around. "Let's adopt!"

"What?" she said breathlessly.

"We can't have kids of our own, so let's adopt. There are plenty of kids out there who need a home right?" he said excitedly.

She giggled. "Ray, calm down! What are you high on?"

"Come on babe. Think about it. Don't you want to be a mom?" he asked.

"I mean yeah, but are you sure? Adoption is a big deal," she pointed out.

"I'm married to the love of my life, and now that I have her back, I want to get our dream back on track. Let's get ourselves a baby Astrid," he said, pleading.

She laughed disbelievingly. "Ok."

He beamed. "Really?"

"Really," she giggled before he kissed her.

She broke the dry spell between them by allowing him one night. She hated that a part of her already knew that she wouldn't enjoy it, but a small part of her was satisfied by him being satisfied. It had been a while since she'd seen him truly that happy.

She woke up alone the following morning and she was actually smiling. A paper crunched beneath her and she pulled it out to find that it was from Raymond telling her that he was headed to an early meeting, but would be taking her out that evening to a masquerade ball.

She loves masquerade balls.

She was about to rejoice when she felt her stomach churn. She tried to ignore the feeling, until she felt a burning in her chest. She made it over the edge of the bed quickly enough to hurl the previous night's dinner into the trashcan.

"Astrid, are you ok?" Yuna asked her, rushing into the room.

She couldn't respond since she was still vomiting. She was hunched over the bed for the longest time and Yuna managed to get her a cool cloth, which she thankfully put on her forehead when it was safe to sit up. Yuna then gave her a glass of water, which she gulped down.

"I'm calling your best friends over," Yuna told her.

She didn't even have the energy to argue.

Joe and CJ travelled together from the salon, while Cree drove from her classes. She made a pit stop on the way before getting to the mansion. Yuna let them in and led them to the main bedroom, where Astrid wasn't looking all that great. Yuna excused herself, leaving the four there.

"Miss Thang, you look like death. You were fine just last night," Joe commented.

"I think it's food poisoning," Astrid replied.

"We all ate the same thing and we're fine," CJ argued.

"Maybe I'm reacting to something then," Astrid said.

"Or maybe you're pregnant," Cree suggested.

The three of them shot her a look. "It's not possible."

"Maybe, but there's no harm in finding out, right?" Cree said, pulling the pregnancy test out of her bag.

"You went and bought a test?" CJ asked, deadpan.

"Hey, when Yuna called, I thought of everything," Cree defended.

Astrid sighed. "I'm not taking the test when I know what it's going to say."

"But you don't know what it's going to say," Cree said.

"I've come to terms with my reality Cree. Let it go," Astrid warned.

"If you've come to terms with your reality, then you shouldn't have a problem with taking the test right? Especially since you're so convinced that it couldn't possibly say that you're pregnant," Cree pushed.

"For the love of all things! If I take the stupid test, will you let it go? I don't want to deal with this," Astrid snapped.

"Yes cranky woman, I'll let it go," Cree said.

Astrid grabbed the test and headed to the bathroom to pee. The test said that she had to wait ten minutes, so she decided to brush her teeth while she waited. When the ten minutes was up, her eyes bulged at what she was seeing.

"Girl, are you ok in there?" CJ asked her. She opened the door and walked out slowly.

"It's positive," she whispered in disbelief.

The friends sat in silence, looking at the pregnancy stick in her hand. They were all thinking the same thing without having to discuss it, but they knew that one of them had to be brave enough to broach the lingering subject.

"Miss Thang, didn't you tell us that you couldn't have kids?" Joe bravely pierced the silence.

"He said I couldn't have kids," Astrid said lowly, still shocked.

"Did you actually see the results? Did you speak to the doctor?" Cree asked. She shook her head and Cree shared a knowing look with CJ.

"He lied to you, and given the fact that he still doesn't have kids from all his affairs, I'm guessing the problem is with him," CJ said knowingly.

"Well at least he's broken the spell," Joe commented, and that's when it settled on Astrid.

"What am I going to do?" Astrid panicked.

"You're going to tell him?" they said unsurely.

"You don't understand. I'm pregnant," she said breathlessly.

"We know," CJ said, confused.

"No, you don't. I'm pregnant, but it's not my husband's baby," Astrid informed.

They were equally mystified. "What? Didn't you say he spent the night with you when he came back from the Bahamas?"

Astrid violently shook her head. "We slept in the same bed, but I wouldn't let him touch me; not when he'd just been with Vienna."

"So whose baby are you carrying?" they asked.

And that's when the world tilted for Astrid.

"I don't know his name."