The hour-and-a-half drive from the city to Redwood Village was silent. Lucinda stared out the window while Raif squeezed tightly on the steering wheel, unsure what would happen once they got to her home. In the meantime, he tried to focus on the winding roads as the GPS guided them. The bustle of the city faded as they took the highway out, and skyscrapers turned into trees, and concrete became dirt with plant life. Each town they passed became smaller and smaller, and Raif marveled at the transition from city to wilderness-completely understanding why Lucinda would choose to live so far away from her former job.

Redwood Village may as well have been an Ansel Adams painting with its small stone bridges spreading across creeks and rivers. The main road seemed to have endless paths that turned off from the highway, leading to hidden places. One of those paths was Lucinda's as she finally spoke up and instructed Raif to pull off onto a dirt road. They drove down it for a few minutes until it became a fork, and she told him to turn down another small path that snaked its way into Lucinda's driveway.

When he parked the car, he lowered his sunglasses and stared at the cottage at the end of the driveway. A chimney made of stacked cobblestone was nestled against the rich redwood exterior of the home, and a slate pathway stretched to the front steps where tiny purple flowers bordered it. On the porch was a pile of chopped wood, and to the side of it, a black iron table with two matching seats, waiting for company. Loose dry leaves littered the yard like confetti, adding red and orange shades to the brown grass. Everything was picture perfect, as if it belonged on a postcard.

"Your home is beautiful," Raif said.

"Thanks." Lucinda opened the car door and slid out.

"Wait a sec!" Raif exclaimed, and hopped out to rush to her side, but when he got there, she was already out. "I could've helped you."

"I'm fine, Raif," she replied without looking at him and made her way to the front porch. "I'm not some fragile thing just because I'm pregnant."

"I didn't mean it that way. I know you're not. I just want to be here for you."

"Why?" Lucinda turned, bumping into his chest and putting her hands up with a wince.

"What do you mean, why?"

"Why did you come here? Why did you have to look for me?" She glared, her shaking. "I left. Now you can go and be a happy family with Rachel and Gavin. Just forget about me, ok? I'll be fine."

Turned back around, she jogged uo the steps and unlocked the door to head into the house headed, but Raif wasn't going to make it so easy for her. So he marched in after her, and was right on her heels as she walked past the entry table in the foyer, but then he halted, his breath catching in his throat. Items were strewn all over the floor, and the mirror above the entry table was cracked. An image flashed through his mind of Aaron smashing Lucinda's head into the mirror, and his blood broiled at the thought.

Lucinda proceeded into the living room, where she shrugged off her windbreaker and glanced over her shoulder. "Why are you still here? Please leave. Go back to your family."

"NO," Raif said firmly. "I'm not going anywhere without you, so quit with this cold-hearted act. That's not who you are, and you suck at it."

"Excuse me?" She whipped around.

"You heard me," Raif replied. "I'm not buying this 'you're done with me' crap. I don't know if, on the drive over here, you decided to push me away, but I'm not letting that happen!" He stepped forward, shortening the distance between them, and Lucinda raised her chin defiantly. "I am in love with you, and now we're having a child together, so go ahead, keep this stubborn act up. I don't mind, and I'll still be right here no matter what," he said, pointing to the floor, "I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm letting you go free, Raif." Lucinda looked away. "Why can't you take it? I'm better off alone."

Pushing passed him, she turned left down the hallway, and Raif followed her to the end where the hardwood flooring transitioned into slate tile as she entered the kitchen. If he wasn't stunned before, he was now as he looked around the extensive space, with a breakfast nook on the right and double French doors leading to a terrace. To the left, was an accent wall made of river stone, with a stainless steel, six-burner stove and a double-stacked oven. Surrounding them were maple cabinets that wrapped the walls in a U-shape, and white marble countertops to complete the look.

Suddenly, Raif couldn't blame Lucinda for wanting to return home. The more he saw of the place, the more incredible it became.

As she moved acrossed the kitchen to the refrigerator, his attention flew back to her, and he stood by patiently, wondering what on earth she could pull out that would still edible after months of being away. Then she turned and slapped a frozen pizza box on top of the maple kitchen island.

"Hasn't expired yet..." she said with a huff.

Making his way around the island to her, he pried it from her fingers as she struggled to open the frozen box. However, she didn't protest as he set it back down and tilted her chin to look at him.

"Lucinda, I'll go to the store and buy groceries. By the looks of this kitchen, you're secretly a chef."

"My mother designed this kitchen." she shrugged away. "She was the cook, not me."

"Then I'll fix us something to eat."

"You'll just get lost trying to find the store, let alone be able to find your way back." Lucinda picked up the pizza box again and ripped it open.

"Then I won't go."

Silence followed, so Raif shoved his hands in his pockets, but there wasn't any loose change for him to toy with nervously. Lucinda's gaze darted to his hands for a moment, then flitted back to the box. She already knew that jiggling change in his pockets was his go-to move whenever he was out of sorts or anxious, but there was already too much on her mind. Consoling him was not one of them, so she slid the frozen pizza out of the box, and it sounded like a rock as it hit the counter.

"This might take a while to heat up."

"That's ok," Raif replied. "I'll take care of this, and you can take a bath and relax. It's been quite the day."

Without protest, Lucinda didn't exited the kitchen, and Raif he noticed she was limping. Why didn't he see that before? Abandoning the rock-hard pizza, he decided enough was enough! Aaron had hurt the person he loves, and refused to stand by while she carried the burden of it on her own while pushing him away. He needed to hold her, so he made his way to the hallway, and scooped her up into his arms.

"My ribs, Raif!" she cried in pain.

"Sorry." He set her down gently and held her face in his hands. "Sweetheart, what did he do to you?"

"The doctor said my ribs are a little bruised..."

"What did he do?" Raif repeated.

She shrugged away from him. "It doesn't matter."

"It DOES matter. Lucinda, he physically hurt you and he could've hurt the baby."

"But he didn't, and I already told you that I won't press charges. I can't do that to Merrill's family."

Raif rubbed his temples. "There's no way I can watch you limping around in pain while that asshole gets away with assaulting you!"

"So what are you going to, Raif? Kick his ass? No." Lucinda motioned with her arms in a crisscross. "It's done! This didn't happen to you, it happened to me, and I want to move on."

Raif's eyes watered in fury, his fists clenching at his sides. There was no way he could let it go because he did want to kick Aaron's ass. He wanted to go to his house and call him onto the yard to give him an old-fashioned butt-whooping! But he knew Lucinda would shut him out for good if he did anything so irrational. The woman was dead-set on not pressing charges, and as much as he disagreed, he knew that Lucinda was right. Pressing charges would rip Merrill's family open since it would reveal Aaron's affair. His family was innocent in the matter, and Lucinda loved Merrill too much to create such chaos.

Raif sighed. "Then, let me help you set up your bath?"

"Ok," Lucinda replied quietly.

Together they walked over to her bedroom and the master suite bathroom where a double sink vanity sat against the wall directly before them. The same slate tile from the kitchen covered the bathroom floor, and to the left was a standing shower with tiny mosaic tiles from floor to ceiling. A large clawfoot tub sat beside it, waiting to be climbed into, so Raif reached over and turned the dials with a rush of water pouring out of the spout. He tested the temperature, adjusted the dials, and when he was satisfied with its warmth, he plugged the drain.

Lucinda then began sliding her jogging pants down her legs, revealing the bruises on her hip, and Raif clenched his jaw, knowing fully well how they got there. But his blood pressure rose even higher when Lucinda winced as she pulled her top off, unveiling more bruises scattered in patches all over her skin.

"Please stop looking at them," Lucinda said quietly.

"I'm sorry," his voice cracked. "I just hate seeing what he did to you."

"I know," Lucinda replied, and stepped into the tub with another wince.

The water rippled as she settled inside and immersed herself completely to wet her hair. She remained there for a few seconds with her eyes closed, but when she opened them again, Raif was staring back at her above the surface. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't blink away the last few hours or even the last few days, so she sat back up. The water dripped from her as she wiped her eyes, and other than the sounds of the water splashing, everything was so quiet, especially between her and Raif.

Never had there been so much emotional distance between them, and her heart squeezed as he reached for the loofah and proceeded to lather her exposed skin with body wash. The silence remained, but it didn't feel right. It simply didn't feel right. The wall between them, the one she put up to protect herself, was isolating, and she could no longer bare it.

So, as he dragged the loofah over her back and around to her shoulders, she pressed her face to his hand.

"What's wrong?" he asked, pausing. "Is it the pain?"

"No." She shook her head, and then her face crumpled as a sob released from deep in her chest. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for running away. I didn't know what else to do. I saw Rachel, and I-"

"I know." Raif pulled Lucinda's head into his chest, kissing the top of it, and wrapping her in his arms. "It's my fault. I was stupid for letting her and Gavin sleep over, I didn't want them driving home late in the dark, and I didn't think it through. I should've known that Rachel would look for an opportunity to split us apart. I would never cheat on you, Lucinda. I love you."

"I know you do."

Raif pulled away slightly to look her in the eyes, and wipe her tear stained face. They held each other's gazes, with unspoken apologies exchanging, until the doorbell caused her to flinch back with a yelp.

"Expecting anyone?" Raif glanced over his shoulder, his brows furrowed.

"No.. No one knows I'm back."

"Stay here." Raif sprang up from the edge of the tub and clenched his fists. "I'm handling this."

But before Lucinda could protest, he was already marching away, and prepared to receive whoever stood at her front door. Snatching the nearest towel, she exited the tub, with water splashing out and spilling onto the floor, but she didn't care as she gave herself a quick pat down, then grabbed her robe, and wrapped it around herself.

If Aaron was visiting her again, then the last thing she wanted was a scuffle between him and Raif, so she needed to move fast.