Upstairs, the soft tapping of keys filled Victor's study. He was immersed in his work, the world outside his door fading into the background. That was, until Lily entered, her face etched with concern.
"Victor," she began, her voice trembling slightly, "Blair passed out downstairs."
Victor immediately looked up, alarm flashing in his eyes. "What happened?"
Lily took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "She had a panic attack. The girls were arguing, and it overwhelmed her."
Victor stood up, his chair scraping against the floor. "Do you want me to call the doctor?"
Lily hesitated, wringing her hands. "Yes, but Blair will be so angry. Panic attacks were so constant in her life when we were with her dad. Being in closed places alone, being yelled at—anything could trigger it. I wanted her to get a therapist so she could talk and explain how she felt about the whole thing with her dad, but she wouldn't let me. She's stubborn."
Victor offered a small smile, trying to lighten the mood. "Sounds like someone I know," he said, looking at Lily.
She chuckled softly, the tension easing slightly. "The girls are always arguing."
Victor nodded, a smirk playing on his lips. "Welcome to my life as Cassie's dad. So much drama with her girls."
Lily laughed, the sound genuine this time. "It's a little entertaining."
"Yes, it is," Victor agreed, his eyes twinkling.
They both sat down, the atmosphere more relaxed now. As they sipped their coffee, they began reminiscing about the various squabbles and antics that had occurred since Lily and Blair moved into the Quest mansion. Laughter filled the room as they recounted the more humorous moments, the earlier tension forgotten, if only for a while.
---
Downstairs, the tension had settled into silence. The girls sat in awkward stillness, only the faint hum of the kitchen vent filling the air. Maddie glanced toward the stairs, then quietly stood and made her way up to check on Blair.
At the door of Blair's room, she found Caleb sitting by the edge of the bed, eyes watching Blair as she slept.
"Hey," Maddie said softly.
Caleb turned, standing up quickly. "Hey."
"She's still sleeping?" Maddie asked.
Caleb nodded. "Yeah… she needs the rest."
Maddie gave a small nod and was about to turn and head back downstairs when Caleb gently reached out and grabbed her hand.
"Maddie, wait." She turned slowly to look at him. "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. If you just give me a chance to explain… I swear, you'll understand."
Her expression was unreadable. "Caleb… we broke up months ago. You had all the chances to explain. I'm way past that stage in my life. I really don't want to hear it."
She moved to leave, but Caleb's voice, low and raw, stopped her.
"I never stopped loving you."
Maddie froze. Slowly, she turned back to him, her voice shaking. "Then why did you break up with me without saying anything?"
Tears welled in her eyes.
"I was stupid," Caleb said, stepping closer. "I take decisions without thinking. I got scared, Maddie. I was too in love with you. I felt like… if I didn't end it, you would. And that would destroy me. So I did it first."
Maddie's voice cracked. "Why would you ever think I'd break up with you?"
"Because I'm not good enough," Caleb admitted. "There are better guys, Maddie. You're a queen—you deserve to be treated right."
She stepped closer, her hand finding his.
"You treated me better than any guy I've ever met. You were in love with me—completely. If you had told me all this back then… maybe we could've worked things out." Her voice broke. "But instead, you hurt me, Caleb. You slept with Judy the same night we broke up. I was in pain for months."
Tears were sliding down her cheeks now. Caleb pulled her into a hug, gently cradling her head against his chest.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "So sorry."
She let herself cry into his hands, both of them locked in a quiet moment that had been too long coming. As their eyes met again, close enough their lips could brush, Caleb reached up, gently wiping away her tears with the pad of his thumb.
He leaned in, slowly, almost afraid to ruin it.
But then the front door opened downstairs.
James and Andrew's voices echoed faintly up the stairs.
Maddie blinked, stepping back quickly. She wiped her face, composing herself.
"We should go downstairs," she said softly, her voice still shaky.
"Yeah," Caleb said, sighing. But this time, it wasn't a defeated sigh—it was a hopeful one.
They walked downstairs together, something heavy lifted between them.
---
.---
Caleb walked downstairs with Maddie trailing silently behind him, both still processing their emotional conversation. James and Andrew had just walked through the front door, brushing raindrops off their jackets. The tension in the room hit them instantly.
James raised a brow. "What the hell happened?"
Caleb ran a hand through his hair. "A lot."
Andrew looked around. "Where's Blair?"
"She fainted," Caleb said grimly. "Upstairs in my room. I took her there to rest."
James's jaw tensed. "What do you mean she fainted?"
"It was after everything exploded in here," Maddie muttered. "Jazmine brought Blair a bag—said Oliver dropped it off this morning. Apparently, Blair forgot it at his place."
Andrew's eyes widened. "He came here?"
Caleb nodded. "Yeah. And when Blair came in with me, everyone started questioning her—Jazmine accusing her of dating Oliver just to spite her, Cassie calling her selfish, Maddie tried to help but... it got loud. Too loud. Blair started breathing fast, and then she just passed out. I caught her before she hit the ground."
James was already halfway to the stairs before Caleb grabbed his arm. "She's okay. She's resting. Just give her a bit."
James exhaled hard, rubbing his face. "Damn it."
"She was already on edge this morning," Andrew said. "Quiet, distracted. And now this?"
Just then, Jazmine walked into the living room, arms crossed, clearly still simmering with emotion.
"She should've told me she was going out with him," Jazmine said sharply. "I have every right to be mad."
James turned on her. "Are you serious right now?"
"What?"
"Did you see how she looked this morning? Pale. Shaky. She hadn't eaten or slept. And your first instinct was to attack her?" James's voice was rising, sharp and raw.
Jazmine bristled. "I'm your sister, James. Why are you acting like she's the victim and I'm the villain?"
"I'm not acting. I'm seeing. And you—you didn't even ask her what happened."
Victor and Lily descended the stairs, halting as they saw the tension in the room.
"What's going on?" Lily asked quickly.
Andrew stepped in before anyone else could speak. "Oliver tried to force himself on Blair last night."
Lily gasped. "What?"
Andrew nodded solemnly. "I was outside in the rain. She ran straight to me. We took her to the boys' dorm to calm down. That's where she's been since."
Lily covered her mouth, horrified. "My God... Blair..."
Even Jazmine stepped back, her face paling.
"We didn't know," Cassie whispered. "We didn't think—"
"No, you didn't," Caleb said, his tone cutting. "All of you were too busy pointing fingers."
"And Cassie," Maddie added. "You always do this. Jumping to conclusions. Always making Blair feel like she's the problem."
Cassie said nothing, looking down at the floor in shame.
Victor finally spoke, his voice low but stern. "Blair is seventeen. If this is true, we're pressing charges."
"She doesn't want to," Caleb said quietly. "She begged us not to. Said she doesn't want the pity."
"But Oliver's not done," James said. "She hit him with a lamp. He's coming back for revenge. Him showing up this morning confirms it."
Victor frowned. "So what do we do?"
James's eyes narrowed. "Oliver's been selling to minors in Westbridge. I've got pictures—proof. If we turn him in for that, we can put him away without dragging Blair into it."
"That's genius," Andrew said.
James turned back to Jazmine, his expression unreadable. "Now you and I need to talk."
Jazmine swallowed.
"You dated him for two years. You never told us why it ended. Tell me now."
Jazmine sat down slowly, her voice barely a whisper. "The first time we had sex... he forced me. And I stayed because I thought I loved him. I've had three abortions because of him."
The room went silent.
Victor's voice cracked. "Jazmine… why didn't you say anything?"
She looked up, crying. "Because he said he loved me. And I thought if I just kept quiet, it would all be okay."
James walked to her, pulled her into his arms. No one said anything.
Caleb looked around, jaw set. "That guy is definitely going to jail."
---