"She's getting better." I wasn't lying. I checked.

"I know, but still." She didn't seem interested.

"If you don't want to go anywhere with me, you could just say it," I blurted out.

"But it's not you, It's me and…I don't know," she said.

"Why not tell me then?" I asked.

She was silent.

"Tell me what's going on and why you can't," I requested. "Remember you promised to tell me what was bothering you."

"And you promise to be patient," she reminded me. "I just can't go anywhere in Chicago."

"Why?"

"I just can't, okay?!" She raised her voice to say, "Not when you are around me."

"What's that even supposed to mean?" I asked, clearly confused.

"It's nothing," she said and looked away.

"Fine then," I sighed. "I'm sorry I forced you. I'll still wait. But sooner or later, you need to tell me. Let me know more about your past. I want to know if anything happened to the woman from the bar from two years ago."

"Okay, thank you," she said softly. "I'm sorry for raising my voice."

I accepted her apology. There was no need to rush her. Whenever she was ready, she would tell me. I just needed to trust her.

Olivia

"And this is all because you called him a client." I tried to shift the blame to my sick aunt.

"What did I even do?" she asked.

"He's been asking questions. Questions that I'm not sure I want to answer yet," I explained.

"You still haven't told him?" she asked. "He doesn't seem like the kind of guy that would hate you."

"You don't know that," I said.

"I don't?" she asked. "What do you think about him?"

"What?"

"What do you think about him?" she repeated.

"He's grumpy, Smart, cunning, quiet sometimes, a good lover, and an excellent listener," I listed his traits.

"So, you think someone who has all those things would actually hate you for what you've done in the past and moved on from?" she asked.

"No," I answered.

"Then tell him," she advised me. "He wants to be able to help you if there's anything that comes up. And trust me, he won't be bothered if you tell him. You only be bothered if he hears it from someone else, and he has nothing to say to defend or support you."

Jane said something similar, but it was easier said than done.

"Also, I'll need you to return to Richmond soon," she added. "You have been doing well there. Now that I'm much better, you have to go back and continue proving that you can achieve your goals through your hard work. Just like you've done so far."