Malik's POVI watched as she took the message to the guest room to read it in private. I allowed her since it was addressed to her but I would be lying if I said that I was not curious.

Why would anyone be sending her a message from Blackthorn?

To distract myself from the thought, I picked up my phone to call my mother.

"Malik," she greeted after picking up. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good, mother. I just have to ask you some things."

"Things like what?"

I could hear the tension and curiosity in her voice.

"I want to know if you are aware of anything that's going on in Blackthorn," I stated and a shocked sigh fell from her lips.

"Why are you asking about that place?"

"Nothing serious. I just want to know if there have been any new developments."

I intentionally left out anything concerning my house guest. She didn't need to know about that.

"No, there hasn't. I already told you that I have detached from that place and you should too."

"Okay."

"That doesn't sound very convincing, Malik."

"I said okay," I tried to make it sound more believable this time.

"Promise me that you won't do anything stupid like going back there."

"Why can't I go back?"

"Son, just promise me that you won't go back."

"I can't make that promise. Unless you tell me what I'm running from."

She stayed silent. If not for the sound of her breathing, I would have thought that she was no longer on the line.

"I guess I have my answer then," I spat out and cut the call.

When I went into the guest room to talk to Eve, she was no longer there but I noticed something in the trash.

It was the torn pieces of the envelope. I picked them up and tried to make meaning of them.

From what I saw, it looked like some sort of invitation. My attention increased when I saw Dorian's name at the bottom.

I immediately went in search of her and she wasn't hard to find because her scent tended to linger wherever she went.

I found her in the living room with her boy. There was something about him that I couldn't quite place.

It was not just his looks but his scent as well. He still had that childish innocence about him.

"Do you want something to eat?" I asked him and his eyes darted towards his mother as if waiting for her permission.

"Uhmm sure…as long as it's not too much trouble for you."

"No not at all, the butler will take him to the dining area and prepare anything he wants for him."

As if on cue, James appeared and led Danny away. Her eyes followed them as they left and I noticed how red they actually were.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes."

"I saw the invitation."

"You went in the trash?" she asked with the hint of a smile on her flushed face.

"My curiosity got the best of me, I guess."

There were a few moments of silence before she spoke up again

"I can't go back there. I don't even know why I was invited in the first place."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah?"

"What made you leave Blackthorn?"

"I told you already, I just needed a change of environment and…"

Her sentence was cut off by the sound of someone barging into the house.

Morwenna.

"I knew it!" she shrieked as soon as she saw me with Eve.

"Morwenna, this isn't what it looks like at all."

"Oh please, spare me the cliche. It's blatantly obvious that you're cheating."

My eyes went to Eve and she seemed really uncomfortable being in the middle of the discussion.

"You need to stop this. It's not nice at all."

"And you think it's nice for you to have another girl in your home while you have a girlfriend," she yelled. "You haven't even apologized for what you did in the cafe."

"What I did? You were the one who came in, caused an unnecessary scene and almost made Eve lose her job."

"It's crazy how you can easily defend her without even batting an eyelid. You literally just met her and here you are, giving up your entire relationship for her."

Eve, stood up all of a sudden and made to go to the kitchen area. She must be going to get Danny.

"Eve, wait,"

"You have to choose right now. It's either me or her."

"Don't put me on the spot."

"Make your decision now. Me or her."

I took some deep breaths before quietly going after Eve.

She had no one. I knew I had to be there for her. Morwenna, on the other hand, was just being seriously immature. Someone had to put her in her place.

When she saw that I was going after Eve and not her, her whole body went rigid and if I thought that she was angry before, she was lethal right now.

"You will surely regret this," her eyes looked dangerous as she glowered at me.

This was not the first time that she had gotten this mad but right now, there was something behind her anger.

I had no choice but to ignore her and I went into the dining area. Eve was trying to take Danny's meal away while convincing him that it was time to leave.

"Don't go. You just got here."

"Just go after your girl, Malik. I don't want to come between the two of you."

"You're not. She and I are over already."

"You may be over her but she's clearly not over you and I really don't want to be in the middle of the drama."

"I get that but you can't just up and leave. You don't even have anywhere to go."

"I do," she said seriously. "I'm going to go back to Blackthorn."

"I thought you said you didn't…"

"I know what I said," she snapped. "But it's better I go back than stay here and get humiliated every day."

"Well, if you're going then I'm coming along as well."