Avery set his phone down and went back to bed.

Her mind sank into chaos as she discovered that though Elliot had promised her that he would not acknowledge the child as his, his best friend was trying to take the child away from Ruby in private.

"How ironic," she thought. "it's a shame that Ruby doesn't want to hand the child over. I wonder if she would cave if it was Elliot doing the asking."

Avery's heart felt as though it had been pricked by countless needles. She had thought that she and Elliot had overcome all difficulties, and hand in hand, they would not break no matter what lay ahead. She had not imagined that it was all just an illusion and that they were dreaming of different things.

Avery could not sleep. She lay awake and stared out the window until the ink-dark sky slowly turned white. Her eyes felt sore, but the ache in her heart had not subsided. She closed her eyes and forced herself to go back to sleep.

At seven in the morning, Elliot woke up and glanced at Avery