Might be my fav chapter so far, hope you enjoy it!

•••

"The fuck is happening here?" A voice exclaimed. I shifted at the sound but was held down by weights on my legs and back. With my stomach pressed into the bed, I opened one eye to find Dylan staring at us through narrowed eyes.

"What is it?" I mumbled groggily into my pillow, my eye fluttering shut. I hadn't slept that well in a while now, and I definitely wanted to go back to sleep.

"Why's Isaac sleeping–"

"Shut up," He groaned from beside me. "I wanna sleep, man."

With all the noise around me, I was now gaining consciousness. I opened my eyes and glanced up at Dylan. His nose was scrunched up into a disgusted expression as he stared at the both of us. What was up with him and the boys I surrounded myself with?

"You could've slept in your guest room," Dylan replied with a pointed look.

I've slept in the same bed with Isaac enough times to know he had a leg over mine in a flamingo position while his arm snaked itself around my torso. I, on the other hand, was sleeping on my stomach, my arms wrapped around the pillow my head rested on. We always somehow resorted to that position, and it was very comfortable.

"What do you want, Dyl?" I muttered, my voice heavy with sleep.

My older brother blinked, "I want to know why the fuck Isaac's shirtless."

"It got hot at night," He replied. He sounded wide awake at this point. "The winters here are pathetic."

Dylan pinched the skin between his eyebrows, "Please tell me that both of you are fully clothed beneath those covers."

"Wouldn't you like to know–" Isaac started, tone playful, like he was trying to piss him off. Dylan's eyes widened in alarm and he looked just about ready to pounce on Isaac.

I reached my hand back and slapped him on the chest to shut him up, "Yes, Dylan," I said, moving to sit up. Isaac, just suddenly remembering he had limbs, retracted his arms and legs from atop my body. I hooked a thumb under the hem of my shorts and pulled them, "See? Shorts."

Dylan released a relieved sigh, "Thank fuck."

"I mean," Isaac sang. "You never know. Maybe we just got dressed–"

"I will kick you out of my house," Dylan seethed, cutting him off. Isaac raised two hands in mock surrender and went to sit up as well. "Why the fuck aren't you in the bedroom I showed you?"

I yawned and pulled my hair out of its messy bun, "I didn't want to get a nightmare," I informed him, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. "I asked him to stay."

My brother's stiff figure instantly relaxed at the explanation. He nodded in understanding, "Oh."

"You can't keep going apeshit when it comes to me and guys," I said, giving him a look of genuine bafflement. He always blew shit like this out of proportion.

"I can and I will," He huffed. "Anyways, I came here to wake you up for the meeting you have with Dante."

"I had an alarm set and everything," I whined, looking around the room to try and find my phone. He woke me up when I could've had a few more minutes of heavenly sleep? I haven't had a nightmare in a while now, but I also hadn't slept that good for what felt like years. It was nice.

Dylan tossed my phone onto my bed, "I'm sure it would've been more useful if you had it up here with you and not downstairs in the kitchen."

"Isaac would've woken me up," I added, patting his back while shooting him a grin. "He's like my personal alarm clock."

He winked in my direction, snuggling into his pillow, and Dylan pretended to gag, "Put your shirt on and go change." My brother ordered, crinkling his nose in disgust.

"You're just salty your body isn't built like mine is," Isaac said, sitting up and leaning over to get the bunched up shirt from the foot of the bed. The muscles on his back flexed as he pulled it over his body. "I can show you some workouts if you like."

"I'm genuinely considering throwing you out of my house," Dylan muttered, glaring at him. "Get out of my sister's room."

"Yes, Mr. Amity, sir," Isaac conceded wryly, nodding his head in an overexaggerated manner. I watched as he walked out of my room, and before he could step out of the room, he looked at me, expression soft. "I'll wait for you downstairs."

"Okay," I grinned with a nod. He smiled and shot us a mock salute before walking down the hallway. I tore my gaze away from the door and to Dylan, who was now sporting a scowl. "What are you going to do when Antoine starts dating?"

Dylan blinked, horror flashing through his eyes before he smirked, "I think the talk I gave him was enough to steer him away from the idea of relationships. I've got a few years until anybody starts dating." He chipped. "The kids, including Leo, are already dressed for camp. Get ready– we're waiting for you to have breakfast."

"What about Isaac?" I asked as he started towards the door.

"The kid can go to hell," He replied over his shoulder before walking out of my room and closing the door.

•••

After breakfast, Rose had to leave for the hospital and Dylan went to drop off the kids at summer camp. Antoine was particularly excited because having Leo join meant him sitting in the passenger's seat rather than in the back with the rest of his siblings. That left me with Isaac, who was chugging on a bottle of water as I ordered a taxi to take us to Dante's office.

I hadn't been there since papa died and I wasn't necessarily excited to see the office again. Isaac didn't have to come, but he said that he'd rather come with me than visit Nick and Alexandre. If Isaac came within Nick's proximity, the latter wouldn't leave him alone until he managed to sneak out. Isaac also wanted to gain a 'deeper understanding' of the trial proceedings, and who was I to say no? I brought him along for a reason.

I didn't normally rely on other people to keep me grounded, but when a billion thoughts were racing through my mind, I knew I needed somebody with me. Isaac was there for me for the past four years– he knew me better than anyone and I wanted him right by my side.

According to the GPS on the taxi driver's dashboard, we were five minutes away from the office. My phone buzzed, and a small smile crept onto my face at the texts.

"That Dante?" Isaac asked, watching as I typed in a reply.

"Dean," I informed him before turning off my phone. I glanced at Isaac from the corner of my eye to find him staring at me with a surprised expression. "What?"

"You guys all buddy-buddy now?" He questioned incredulously, eyebrows raising up to his forehead. "Weren't you the one who said that he could suck your dick for all you care?"

I caught the driver glaring at Isaac through the rearview mirror. I rolled my eyes, "We had a long talk about shit. He explained why he left and I forgave him."

"Hm," He hummed, leaning back into his seat. I looked at him and quirked an eyebrow, silently asking him to elaborate. "What? I'm just surprised you actually listened to him. Last I remember, he was stalking you."

I shrugged and gazed out the window to find that we were nearing the building, "I was tired of being angry," I explained, pulling out my wallet so I could pay the driver. "His explanation made sense, and I saw things from his perspective. So, I forgave him."

The driver pulled up to the building, and before I could even hand him the money, Isaac pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket and slipped it into the driver's hand. He thanked him profusely before jumping out of the taxi. I blinked, surprised by what just happened, and the next thing I know, the door next to me was being opened by Isaac. I thanked the driver and stepped out of the car. Isaac closed the door and followed me into the building, waving goodbye to the taxi.

"I could've paid," I mumbled, walking to the elevators. Dante had texted me where his office was and said I could come right up.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," He said, pushing the button that called the elevators. "What did the ex say?"

I furrowed my eyebrows and glanced up at him in confusion, "Why are you so interested in what he had to say?" I asked, pushing the button to the third floor. "Do you have a crush on him or something? I can ask if you want, but I don't think he swings that way."

"Can I not take an interest in your love life?" He questioned rhetorically.

"Don't have one," I replied almost instantly. "We agreed to stay friends."

The doors opened to the third floor, and before Isaac could comment, I shut him up with the same look I used on Leo. He dramatically zipped his mouth shut and followed me down the hallway. I informed the secretary of who we were, and after checking Dante's schedule, she let us through with a smile. I knocked on the familiar door before walking into the even-more familiar office. There, sitting behind his desk, was my lawyer, waiting for us with two folders organized in front of him.

He greeted the two of us with a big smile and a handshake, "I'm so glad the both of you could make it."

"Of course," I replied, taking a seat on the same chair I sat in all those years ago. "Thanks for all your help, Dante. I'd be a mess if it weren't for you."

"Ain't that the truth," Isaac muttered from beside me. I quickly kicked him in the shin, effectively gaining a sharp gasp from him.

Dante chuckled at our antics, but maintained his smile none the less, "I've got good news for you, Amber."

I instantly sat up in my seat, desperate for any good news right now. The custody battle did nothing but stress me out, "Yeah?" I breathed out.

He nodded and opened one of the two folders he had in front of him. I caught sight of an 'Adam Hindley, Evidence' written on a tag on the cover of the folder, "The chances that Mr. Hindley would win are extremely low. All signs point to him losing the trial."

"Really?" Isaac asked, a hint of optimism in his voice.

Dante slid the folder towards us. I picked up the papers and sorted through each of them, my eyes skimming through the information. They were official documents pertaining to Adam's personal life. Where he lived; his job; his monthly salary; his criminal record. With wide eyes and an open jaw, I read through the highlighted parts before handing them to Isaac, who unlike me, leaned back into his seat to properly read through everything.

"How–" I stuttered, glancing between the folder and Dante. "How did you get these?"

"Easy," He shrugged, the smile still on his face, almost like he knew he already won before he did. "I subpoenaed him and the police department back where you used to live. He was obligated, under law, to give me these documents so I could present them as evidence that he'd be an unfit guardian."

"This guy's criminal record can be made into a novel," Isaac commented, reading through all the shit Adam's done. I grimaced at the thought that I used to date a con artist. "They're not good robbers, are they?"

"No," Dante sighed with disappointment, shaking his head. "They don't appear to be good criminals."

I watched as Isaac returned the documents back into the folder, "Okay," I started. "What now?"

"According to the meeting we had with Mr. Moore, we know that Adam found out about Leo through magazines. That means that they'll probably use images of you in the public eye to try and convince the judge that your lifestyle is unsafe for your son," He explained, pulling out a notepad. "We're at an advantage here, Amber, because you work in that industry. You'd know what articles regarding yourself were published on social media and magazines. Do you think you can list them for me so we can build an argument against them in the event that they bring them up– which they probably will."

Dante's words made a sense of hope wash over me. Adam didn't have a stable job, he had a track record for being deceiving and wouldn't be able to support Leo. The documents alone made me feel more confident in winning the case. Despite the fact that thoughts of losing still rushed around my head, I knew I could support my own child– I've been doing it for years now. What did Adam have against me that would make him think he'd be able to get custody.

"There haven't been many," I replied honestly, trying to remember the magazines and online posts I've seen. "There's a lot speculating that Isaac and I are dating–"

"And just to confirm, you're not?" Dante asked, eyes flickering between the two of us.

"Nope," I popped the p with a shake of my head. He wrote that down and waited for me to continue. "There's also one of me and Isaac at a club in Paris, it's called Étoile."

"I presume you didn't take Leo with you," He said, just to confirm. The thought of taking Leo out that late at night was absurd to me. "Who did you leave him with?"

"Dylan and Rose were in Paris," I informed him, drumming my fingers against the table. "They volunteered to take care of him while Isaac and I were out."

"Anything else?" He asked, glancing between Isaac and me.

Just as I was about to shake my head, Isaac piped up, "There's a video of her cursing at the paparazzi in front of her workplace."

I blinked, not knowing that that existed. There was a day where the paparazzi were beginning to frighten Leo– somebody had even shoved a camera so close to his face, the flash blinded the both of us. Naturally, I got really angry at the guy and shoved him away before yelling a bunch of obscenities at him. The security then came and handled the situation.

"I didn't know that existed," I voiced out my thoughts, looking at him.

He smirked, "I've got a video if you want to see– your face was hilarious."

"Send it to me," Dante intervened, voice serious. "I'm going to have to review it in case they do bring it up."

Isaac's smile faded and he nodded quickly before pulling his phone out to scroll through his camera roll. I swallowed thickly– could they use these against me? Would they somehow twist these to make it seem as if I was a really shitty mother? My fingers started drumming against the table faster as I felt my anxiety slowly intensify.

Dante said that all signs point to me winning, but that was without him knowing about all these articles. I wanted to bang my head against the table and cry at the thought that the judge would take one look at the pictures or videos and decide that Adam deserved custody over my kid.

Leo was my child. I carried him for six months, I almost died delivering him, I raised him in a safe environment. He was safe, and he lived a good life thanks to my job. He didn't deserve to have to call Adam his father– he deserved better.

Isaac rubbed my shoulder with his palm, "Hey," He whispered, making me glance at him. "Remember what Dante said? All signs point to you winning."

"What if the judge doesn't agree with us, though?" I replied in a hushed tone.

"She will," Dante assured me with a short nod. "This is all about who can provide Leo with a good life, and Adam can't. He won't be able to get custody thanks to his past and present."

Isaac's hand traveled down the length of my arm before he gripped my hand in his, "The video was of you protecting your child, Amber. That's all you've done for the past three years. Leo is the safest with you. Everybody knows that, and the judge will too."

"If what Isaac said is right," Dante started, looking me directly in the eyes. "There's no doubt in my mind that the judge will see that Mr. Hindley cannot take care of Leo."

I inhaled a deep breath of air to try and calm myself down while squeezing Isaac's hand, "Okay," I said, in an attempt to reassure myself that everything will be alright. This was Dante, who was hired by papa, who hired nobody but the best. If papa trusted him, that meant that I had to trust him and everything he said. "Okay."

"Great," Isaac grinned before looking at a smiling Dante. "What's going to happen now?"

"I'm going to need Amber to practice responses to some questions that might come up," He replied, glancing at me.

I wiped the hand that wasn't in Isaac's on my thigh, "Let's do this."

I was determined to make sure that fucker left the private trial feeling embarrassed for even considering he could win the lawsuit he filed. If there was a possibility I'd go down, I had to make sure I went down swinging.

•••

THREE DAYS LATER

After meeting up with Dante to review all the facts and evidence, and so that he could brief me on how the trial would proceed, we were set for the private trial set for tomorrow. I spent the past three days updating Dylan and Rose on everything while making sure I gave Leo my undivided attention. I explained that I'd be leaving for a few days, and he put up a fight at first, but slowly understood that I wouldn't leave him unless it was over something serious.

Leo tried to sneak into the car Isaac stole from Nick as I bade goodbye to everybody, but after another long talk with him, he promised me he'd be a good boy and that he wouldn't make it hard for Dylan and Rose to take care of him. I, in return, had to promise to call him all the time.

After a two-hour road trip with Isaac, one filled with both our music and banter, we reached the hotel we'd be staying at. Dante said he'd arrived a few hours earlier and told me to relax for the night. The trial was tomorrow in the afternoon, and he told me I had nothing to worry about. I studied all the copies of the documents he gave me enough times to know I had this in the bag.

Hopefully.

Isaac checked into his room and I checked into mine. The two rooms were separated by a wall and a door that joined the two together. I changed into an oversized shirt and shorts and laid down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. Despite the fact I'd prepared myself for tomorrow, I hadn't mentally prepared myself for seeing Adam again, let alone be stuck in the same room with him.

Feeling fed up with my thoughts, I got up from the bed and walked towards the adjoining door. I opened mine and knocked on Isaac's, waiting for him to open it. As soon as he opened his door, a blast of cold hit me, making my shiver. I walked past him and into the room before jumping into his bed.

I tucked my legs beneath my ass as I glanced at him, "I'm super bored, Zachy." I whined.

He rolled his eyes before making his way to the desk in the corner of the room, "I was about to order room service," He informed me, tossing the book in my direction. "You wanna join?"

"Sure," I agreed, opening the book to look for something to eat. Isaac lay down across the foot of the bed, his hands on his bare chest as he watched me look for something to eat. After a few minutes of silence, I decided on something, "I'll get the Pilly Cheesesteak." I said, handing him the menu.

He took the book from me and flipped himself onto his stomach to look through the menu. Isaac was always picky when it came to ordering food. He always chalked it up to his dietary requirements though. He had to have a specific amount of protein, carbs, and fat which meant it took him a long time to order things. He usually googled a restaurant in advance and would look through the menu before we arrived, so he knew what to order as soon as we got there. But if it was a situation like this, Isaac took a long time to decide on what he wanted.

When he couldn't find something that sounded good to him, he always grew antsy. I could tell that was happening right now by the way he was scratching his stubble as he flipped through the pages. I decided to lay down beside him and glance at the page he was on– pizzas.

"That one looks good," I said, pointing towards the seafood pizza's description.

Isaac stared at it before shaking his head, "I don't want a pizza."

I blinked, "Okay," I said, pulling the menu away from him so it sat between us. "How about a steak with a side of a salad?"

He went quiet for a bit and pursed his lips, "No," He muttered flipping away from the steaks section.

"Oh!" I exclaimed excitedly, slapping his hand away before opening the selection of salads. "What if you get a grilled chicken salad? The thing says they serve it in a very big bowl– that's enough protein for you, yeah?"

He stared at the page quietly while I looked at the side of his face. His lips were tugged down into a frown as he pulled on his hair. It was rare for Isaac to be this iffy when it came to ordering food, but I've seen it enough times to know not to push him to order something he didn't want to. I just usually helped him decide what type of food he wanted and he narrowed it down from there.

"I'll get the shrimp avocado salad," He decided before slamming the book shut. "Extra shrimp."

I nodded with a soft grin as he picked up the phone to put in our orders, "Sounds good."

After he hung up on room service, Isaac lay down beside me. While I was on my stomach, my head propped up with my hands, he lay on his back. We sat in silence for a while, him staring up at the ceiling while thoughts of the trial rushed through my head.

"I'm sorry for taking too long," His voice cut through the silence as he stared up at the ceiling. "I'm having an off day."

"What's that?" I asked, tilting my head to the side as I looked at him.

"Sometimes, the thought of eating makes me feel uneasy," He explained, his gaze firm on the light fixture. "So, it's hard to motivate myself to eat something because it'll just throw me off."

Isaac and I have never spoken about his battle with anorexia or his time at rehab. I just knew that he stuck to a rigid diet that he followed religiously. He's never explained why he had trouble ordering food.

I nudged his shoulder with my elbow, "You don't have to apologize for feeling the way you do, Zachy," I smiled when he glanced at me. "I know we've never spoken about this before, but I'm really proud of you for going to rehab to try and get better."

He snorted, shaking his head as he averted his gaze back up to the ceiling, "I didn't want to go. In fact, I put up a fucking fight against Nick and mom when they offered it." He said a faint smile on his face. "I was hell-bent on staying at home. I somehow convinced myself that what I was doing was normal and that I didn't need help. Nick, though, didn't give a shit. He said that I was still a minor and that he was going to admit me to the facility. He said he wanted me to get better, and neither he nor mom knew how to help me."

My breath hitched as I listened to Isaac's recollection of the events. The way Nick told it, Isaac willingly agreed to go, I never knew he didn't want to.

"One day, mom said that we should take a family vacation to forget about the events. Little did I know that the vacation was in Paris," He explained, eyes clouding over. "They never told me about where the rehabilitation facility was, so guess how surprised I was to walk into a building only to find out I'd be living there for however long it took for me to get better."

"They just... left you there?" I asked in a small voice, scared that this might make his off day worse.

"Yeah," He shrugged, voice not wavering for a second. "Nick and mom were crying while I kept yelling at them as the security tried to restrain me. I was fucking livid that they'd admit me to rehab despite the fact that I didn't want to go. I refused to talk to them for a good five months before my therapist helped me realize that they did it because they cared. I refused to acknowledge that I had a problem, but they knew I had one, and they wanted to help me. This was the only way they knew how. Sure, they could've gone about it a different way, but when I found out that Nick was now living in Paris to be close to me, I realized that refusing to admit I had a problem was just making everything worse. I was surrounded by people who cared about me. The only person who didn't care about me was... me."

My breath caught in my throat, "Can I ask why?" I trailed off. "Unless you're uncomfortable with talking about it, then you don't have to."

"It helps to talk about it when I have an off day," He replied, giving me a reassuring smile. "Nobody chooses to have anorexia, it was a subconscious thing. I was part of a football team outside of school, and we had health check-ins every two months. The coach always commented on my body fat percentage, and I never cared until he told me mine was the highest amongst the entire team."

"Suddenly, I couldn't look at myself without thinking of how fat I was compared to everyone in my team. It became an obsessive thought– how many calories was I consuming? How often was I exercising? I had to reduce my percentage body fat, and I did it by starving myself unless I necessarily had to eat, and by exercising until my body couldn't take it anymore. I just wanted to be the best, and I convinced myself that that meant being the leanest."

"Nick never noticed because he was in university, and mom was always at work since she had to keep up with our bills. So I continued– one meal every other day and exercise until everything hurt. Even when my percentage of body fat went down, I still wasn't happy. I was convinced it was still high, and, one day, I pushed myself too hard. I hadn't eaten in a good week, and I was running on the treadmill at some gym. Nick had come to surprise me with a day out and as soon as he caught sight of me, I passed out from exhaustion and malnourishment."

My eyes shone with tears at his story. Isaac always appeared strong, what with his muscular body and his personality. Isaac wasn't one to take shit from random people. He was always happy and optimistic. He tried his best to make the people around him laugh, and he always succeeded in comforting me during hard times.

"Don't cry," He whispered, a small smile on his face. "I've come a long way from where I used to be."

You could have died, I wanted to say, but decided against it. He was alive and well, and that was all that mattered.

I coughed out a laugh to try and rid myself of the lump in my throat, "I'm super proud of you, Zachy."

"You better be," He teased, sitting up when there was a knock at the door. "I'm super proud of myself too."

With that he got up from the bed, ruffling my hair as he passed by to get to the door. I sat up on his bed, wiping my tears away as he wheeled in the room service cart. I crossed my legs over each other and sat in the middle of the bed, watching him open the compartment to bring our food out.

"Shit, that's hot," He yelped when he went to take my sandwich out of the cart. "The fuck did you order? A plate of lava?"

I chuckled at his dramatics. He pulled out his salad and made his way towards me. He dropped the plate onto the sheets in front of me while he took a seat at the headboard, his back leaning against it. He removed the saran wrap from around the bowl and lifted a fork to take a bite out of his salad. I did the same and carefully picked up my sandwich as to not let anything drop out of it and onto his bed.

We sat in silence for as we ate on his bed, the only sound that could be heard was his fork hitting the side of the ceramic bowl, or the sound of bread tearing every time I took a bite out of my sandwich. I caught Isaac eyeing it a few times.

"Do you want some?" I asked, pushing the plate towards him. "I didn't expect it to be this fucking big. I can only eat half of it."

He hesitated, "Are you sure?" He questioned setting the bowl of salad down on his lap.

"Yeah," I nodded enthusiastically. "I kind of wanna try your salad."

After giving it a bit of thought, he agreed and handed me the bowl before taking my sandwich. I looked down at the bowl to find it empty, "There's barely anything in this," I whined, staring at the half a shrimp and few vegetables sitting at the bottom of the bowl. "You tricked me."

He shrugged, taking a dramatic bite out of the sandwich, "You're such a baby." He said through a mouthful of beef, cheese, and bread. His eyes gleamed with amusement as he watched me stab at the bottom of the bowl with a scowl. "You want me to order another one just for you?"

I glared at him through narrowed eyes, "No thanks, Zachy," I sang, smilingly at him. "Can I have my sandwich back instead?"

"No," He replied through a snort. I shrugged, just happy he was willingly eating something. I finished his salad and set the bowl down in my lap as he continued munching on the sandwich.

"Hey, Zachy," I started, my tone inquisitive. He glanced up at me, cheeks rounded as he chewed on his food. "Wanna know what I just realized?"

"Hm?" He hummed, eyebrows quirked as he waited for me to tell him. He seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say.

"You let me call you Zachy now!" I exclaimed excitedly, a grin spread wide on my face. The fork clanked against the bowl on my lep when I bounced slightly.

Like Nick, Isaac hated his nickname. The only people allowed to call him Zachy were his mom, who gave it to him in the first place, and Leo. I've been shoved into many walls, and the occasional group of people, whenever I called him that. Now that I thought about it, though, he hadn't told me to stop calling him that in a while.

He swallowed his food as he rolled his eyes, "I can only tell you to stop so many times, my love." Was his reply.

"Or maybe," I sang, shimmying my shoulders. "You secretly like the nickname."

"Maybe," He said vaguely, taking another bite of the sandwich as his eyes twinkled. I grinned at his response.

"Can I have a bite of my sandwich, Zachy?" I asked, leaning forward so he could give it back to me.

"No," He snorted, putting his palm on my forehead to push me away.

•••

– 27/07/20

I LOVE THIS CHAPTER WAY TOO MUCH

Sometimes, it feels like I'm writing a completely new book lmao.

Anyways, any thoughts??