Jackson had gone with Mrs. Jones to drop her off, and he might not come back, she did hope he didn't, it would be better to talk to her and try clearing the misunderstanding. The truth always found ways to out, but not like this. Not when she was sick, weak, and helpless and the only place she knew to draw strength from turned out to be nonexistent, an imaginary build-up. Maria tried putting herself in Mrs. Jones' position, she'd be torn too, and she would crack, even though their intentions were pure, just as she said, a lie was still a lie. There was no sugarcoating it. Maria relived standing in the middle of the room with Mrs. Jones penetrating gaze grazing her skin, with nothing to say, no explanation. She had stared like an idiot, it was excruciating. Maria had never been so clueless, the only woman whom she had grown to respect in the whole of the universe now presented her, but she was in love with his son. Pathetic. It made no sense, her life wasn't a movie. It made no sense

Don't fret. Don't show fear, he has nothing on you. All he has are bits and pieces, just speculations. Nothing original. Do not let him get to you.The voice in her has chanted. If he had nothing on her, if all that he said didn't matter, why was she trembling? Why were his supposedly empty threats sending her thoughts to shatter? Why was it gnawing at her stability!?"Sit, mi Amor," he wasn't asking, he pointed to the chair before him. Maria eyed the chair, that voice kept chanting for her to walk out, for her to not lose to him but the part of her that feared the consequences far outweighed the unafraid fragments. She sat. Maria was good at hiding it. If she could hold it together a little more, her facade wouldn't slip. "Let's get down to discussing, shall we?" He smiled, biting his bottom lips as his eyes rummaged her entire body like it were a book he desperately needed to study. His looks were demeaning and awfully uncomfortable, she could feel herself choke up. How much more

After confronting Andrew today, Maria decided to tell Jackson. No matter how messy the truth came out, she had to make him understand, if Andrew reached him before she did, then everything was at stake, their relationship was at stake. Maria was seated on the couch, shaking her feet and gnawing at her fingernails as she waited for Jackson to be back. The anxiety was overwhelming and her every attempt to make a speech or a sample scenario in her head ended terribly. Was she confident? No.Was she having doubts? Yes, a whole lot of them. It wasn't the right time to table the matter, not with the situation with his mother, he was already disoriented, and as hard as he tried to hide it, she knew. Maria could only hope that things go well with Jackson and his mother, that at least, he'd feel a bit of happiness before she ruined it by mentioning Andrew.It was late evening already and he'd be home soon, he replied after she texted him earlier and gave her an estimated time at which he'd

This was the easiest her heart had gone in a while, her fears had begun to liven right before her eyes. She watched him stare confused at his screen as he asked that question. Maria was bummed. What did he say? Most importantly, what had Andrew done?"W-what? No, I mean yes, but that's- that's what I was trying to explain, it is messy...but why? Why do you ask?" His hands were shaking, and so was every other thing she'd laid on the line for this."There's a weird...picture of you and..." His stare grew more intent, "I don't understand what's going on, Maria..." He flashed the screen before her face, "there's something weird about this...I got an attachment from an email address and it contains pictures of you and Andrew...my double....there's also an audio file."Maria looked at the screen, one of the pictures was of her and Andrew at woodscreak, it was taken from behind her where she sat before him and his hand was on her hair. It must have been from the brief moment he tried to touc

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm sorry I keep doing this, phew. So, I figured I should make this chapter Harry's. I have never done this but it's the only way I can truly voice his feelings. Thank you for reading! ~~I heard him the first time, but I wasn't sure if I heard right. Sister? Where was coming from? It was hard to comprehend, I was already bumped by the fact that she was around. No, she had been snooping around trying to find me, the security officials that patrol my area had shown the CCTV footage of an elderly lady loitering before my apartment, almost every day. She would have been arrested and interrogated, or worse if I hadn't confirmed known her— or so I think. I had been shocked beyond reason while watching that footage. I wasn't going crazy after all when I told Maria I saw her. Her presence had been a heavy weight sitting on my shoulder. Why was she back? It's been so long already, why now? Her presence in my life overall had been seasonal, a sight here, an absence there. I'v