Chapter 605: Being Honest

Olivia pretended to believe the story that she was told about Mina having an obsessed fan, but none of that explained Dom or any of the other guards that once flanked the woman. It did not explain the secure and private apartment, it did not explain her sometimes days long disappearances, and it certainly did not explain that terrible lie of being shot during a movie film.

The more Olivia thought about it, the more she realized that Mina was her friend on the surface, but something entirely different underneath. She did not doubt the woman's sincerity toward her, but she definitely could no longer believe that the woman she had grown to love as a sister was just another girl. She planned to ask Mina about it after everything calmed, and she hoped that the woman trusted her enough to be honest.

"I have to take Mina to file a police report," Dom lied. "We don't want you involved. Are you okay enough to have your cousin send you home?" Olivia tensed. She was not sure she wanted Cylus to know where she lived, but she could tell from the expression Dom wore that his hands were tied.

"Will you come back tonight?" She asked, hoping that Dom would give her a clear answer, but all he said was that he would try his best.

Cylus watched the interaction between his cousin and the man called Dom and could not tell if it was friendly or romantic. They both looked at each other as if they were something more, but there was an invisible wall between them. He knew that Olivia had been sneaking around with someone but he doubted it was Dom because she had quite literally chosen that person over her family.

"Olivia will be fine. You see to Mina; I will stay with her until you-"

"If that is what she wants," Dom aggressively interrupted. "She may be willing to forgive you, but I'm not."

"And who are you?" Cylus asked, hoping to get clarification on the relationship.

"One of the people who has been taking care of Olivia when you weren't." Cylus felt the sentence like a punch to the gut, but he knew he deserved it. He had stood back and watched his father make a mockery of his little cousin, even going as far as to sue her for embezzling from Rouge to start her business with Willow. Had it not been for Mina's meticulous records, bookkeeping, and detailed records listing out investors and even private loans, Cylus had no doubt that his father would have won his case against her.

Olivia was the living embodiment of a woman who broke away from her family and did what she wanted to do, and the courts were disgusted by her. They had even tried to use rumors about her private life to sabotage her career, but Mina kept sinking money into the woman until her work spoke for itself, and for that, Cylus would be forever grateful.

"Dom don't argue," Olivia said in a calming tone that the man nodded to before kissing her forehead.

----

Peter had seen what was going on at the back of the venue, but he did not interfere. He watched CEO Rue and Olivia's husband exchange tense words before the man walked the woman to her cousin's car and helped her inside. A smile crossed his face as he watched the same man get into another car with Mina and drive away.

"What are you doing?" Matthew asked. He gestured for the woman who was trailing him to leave, but Peter avoided his question. "Peter, please leave the girl alone. You had your chance, and you blew it."

"Yes, but how did I blow it?" the man responded. "She started to ignore me before I saw her with Chance. Something happened in between, I just don't know what."

"Maybe she wanted something more? Maybe she met someone else? It doesn't matter, she is taken and it's not like you were going to marry her." Peter looked at Matthew in a way that made his friend's brow crease. "Don't make that face, you weren't going to propose to Olivia after just a few months of sleeping together when it took Mary years to get you to remain faithful to her."

"Why do people keep bringing that woman up? I haven't seen her since..." Peter paused as his face flashed an animated expression.

"What? What happened?" Matthew looked behind himself, but there was no one except the woman who was waiting for him.

"The last time I saw Mary was when she drunkenly snuck into my apartment." Matthew made a face as if he were expecting more information. "Olivia was supposed to come over that night, but I…" Peter paused, rubbing his face as if he were a complete idiot for not realizing it sooner.

"You what?" Matthew asked anxiously.

"I lied. I texted her that something urgent came up."

"Okay and so?"

"Do you remember what Mina said about changing locks?" A look of understanding crossed Matthew's face and he patted his friend's shoulder.

"Well, now that you know you can move on." Peter rolled his eyes.

"The same way you moved on from Jay?" He asked, pointing back at the woman who had similar features to the girl who Matthew claimed not to like.

----

Cylus walked Olivia to her apartment and was shocked when she invited him inside. He sat on the sofa, looking around at the neat environment before asking her who she lived with. He was shocked to hear the male name in the group of women, but he did not say anything. His cousin was an adult, just as Mina had said, and all he needed to do was be there for her if something went wrong.

"Do you and Dom share a room?" Olivia chuckled at her cousin, shaking her head at his poorly concealed attempt to ask her about her relationship with Dom. In reality, Olivia herself did not know how she felt about the man. All she knew was that she felt guilty about whatever was happening between them.

"Let me show you my room," Olivia said. She had made up her mind during their drive that she missed him, and wanted him to know the truth. Cylus stood to follow her; obviously confused as to why she wanted to show him where she slept.

As soon as Cylus entered the room, he spun to face his cousin, unsure of how to react with what she showed him. The room was a decent size, decorated in light colors, with a comfortable looking bed in it, but that was not what had called his attention.

To the left of the bed was what looked like a bassinet for an infant. Although it was clear what he was looking at, Cylus could not understand what he was seeing. He watched his cousin remove her jacket and lift the front of her blouse, revealing the swelling that represented a new life. Tears welled in his eyes as he reached forward and touched the small protrusion.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered, clearly emotional about the situation.

"Because I didn't know, and now that I've confided in you, I hope you can understand why I cannot go back home." Cylus looked up at his cousin, completely aware of how terrible life was going to be for her.

"Is it Dom's?" Olivia shook her head. "Then whose?" Cylus asked, now understanding why there seemed to be something that was keeping her and the man apart.

"I don't know," Olivia lied. "And that is why it has to stay a secret. I can't do this alone, and while Mina is great, literally the best, you are my family." Cylus rubbed at his face, unsure how to proceed. His cousin was not asking him to hide a boyfriend; she was asking him to hide an entire new life.

"How far along are you?" He asked as his way of agreeing to her silent plea.

"About five months, but because I don't know the exact date of conception, I'm not certain."

"Haven't you been to the doctor? What did they tell you?" Olivia stepped closer to her cousin, who she could tell was worried.

"Mina has been taking really good care of us." Olivia said, referring to herself and her unborn child. "I do not know why you let her go, but that woman is not deserved by anyone. I am up to date on all of my appointments, my meals are all home cooked, and the only thing I need you for is additional emotional support."

"But-" Olivia cut her cousin off.

"No Cylus; I don't need you to get involved. We have done well in keeping this a secret, and I want it to stay that way until I'm too big to hide it."

"You are worth so much more than this," Cylus said, hating that he had not said those words to his cousin in the first place. She was better than sneaking around, she was better than not knowing who the father of her child was, and he felt like it was his fault she did not know her worth.

"And I still am. I just stumbled a bit down the road, but look at how far I have come. If it were not for him, I'd still be…" Olivia cut herself off before she could mention Peter. The truth was that if it were not for the baby she was carrying, she would not have had the strength to prove to the man that she did not need him. "He makes me stronger."

"It's a boy?" Cylus asked, once again touching his cousin's belly. He felt bitter, but he was excited for her.

"I don't know yet, but Mina thinks it is." Olivia watched her cousin smile down at the little bump and she felt relieved by the expression. "Will you come to the baby shower? It's going to be held on my birthday."

----

Ellie paced back and forth outside of her mother's ward. Her injuries were serious; a fractured leg, a broken rib, and the doctors were worried about the possibility of a contusion. This was happening all on top of the fact that her mother had only just found out she had adult-onset diabetes, which was the main cause of her fatigue and even her memory loss. She did not want to tell Ian, because the disorder could be controlled through dietary and lifestyle changes, but Ellie felt like everything that was happening was her fault.

Ellie had been distracted in the car because she was arguing with her mother about what role she planned to take within the Lee family. Her mother wanted her to take over as the household manager, but Ellie did not want to settle down. If she had not been so stubborn and just gone home to train for the position, her mother would not have been skipping meals and neglecting her health, and maybe, just maybe, they would not have been bickering about it in the car.

"How is she?" Luna asked as she jogged up to the room, and Ellie squeezed her into a hug.

"She isn't waking up," Ellie cried, and Luna let out a whimper of her own.

"How are you? Where is Uncle Ben?"

"Dad is mobilizing with Drax. Cam sent people to guard the hospital and I don't know where Ian is."

Luna patted Ellie's back. If Ian hadn't arrived yet, that meant that he caught someone alive, and that meant that he would be busy until he caught every one that was involved. She consoled her little sister, who had started to blame herself for everything that went wrong, from her mother's health to her current injuries. The hug between sisters did not end until they were interrupted by Zane, who completely ignored Luna and went straight to inspect Ellie's injuries.