Daniella

"Go for a walk, Michael." I step in front of Michael, setting my tea down on the counter beside him.

"No!" He moves around me towards Calum. "Everything I do is scrutinized by the public! Everything. And I hate to break it to you, but you're a celebrity too. That means it's going to happen to you too. Might not be every day but it's sure as hell going to be a lot more than normal people's privacy getting invaded. Plus, it's not like this news breaking is going to ruin your relationship or anything? Just have our manager put out a post announcing it. Then you can reclaim it."

Zoe enters the house, breaking up the tension a bit. She stares at all of us. "I guess people know we are engaged now." She laughs, touching her hair. "I don't think the fans like me much."

"What happened?" Calum asks. "I was out shopping and I got mobbed." She shrugs. "I didn't even wear my ring to the store so people wouldn't know. Daniella taught me that." She smiles sadly. "It was crazy."

Calum goes to her. "I'm so sorry." He hugs her.

She shrugs. "Welcome to the life of being a celebrity's girlfriend I guess." She laughs. I can tell she is trying to hide how uncomfortable she is by laughing it off. I want to hug her so badly and tell her everything is going to be okay but something tells me now is not the time.

"No." Calum shakes his head. "This is not how it should be. This kind of thing never happens to Daniella." He says with a bitterness in his voice that hurts me. He is angry with me. What have I done to him?

"Leave her the fuck out of this, Calum." Michael shouts, defending me.

I turn on my heels and make my way for the back door. I can not stand here and listen to this anymore. I need some fresh air.

I shut the door behind me and wait to see if anyone has followed.

Nope.

I guess they are all too busy arguing to notice I am gone. Whatever. I will go in a nice walk around the neighborhood and when I come back, hopefully they will have calmed down.

"Hey Dani!" Our neighbor, Gloria, waves at me from her lawn. She waves at me excitedly while watering her flowers. "Lovely weather we are having today!"

"Absolutely!" I call back to her. "Have a nice day." I try to keep the conversation short. I am in no mood to socialize after the morning I have just had.

Am I really that big of a problem for them? Does Calum really think those things about me? Does he think I've never had an issue with the media? Or that I have never been mobbed? He'd be wildly incorrect about both things if that is what he thinks. But I do not blame anyone for that happening. I know it comes with the territory unfortunately.

I cross the street to the other side when I see someone ahead of me on a walk of their own. They wave politely and continue on their way on the opposite side. I wave back and keep walking, angry and confused thought swirling in my head.

"Hey, wait up!" They cross the street to be on my side.

"Oh sorry, I'm just on a walk." I smile, hoping they are not a fan who wants a picture or something. I really do not feel like it.

"I'll join you." He walks up beside me.

I get a good look at him. "Oh my g-"

"Don't scream." He pulls his shirt up slightly to reveal a gun in the belt of his pants.

I nod. "I'm just out for some fresh air." I say as if that is something completely normal to say to someone who has just showed you they have a loaded gun on them.

"It's a beautiful day." He takes a deep breath. "Go on. We are on a walk, right?" He asks. I nod. "So walk."

"When did you- how did you get out of jail?" I ask, making a weird bit of small talk with the man that killed my fiancés family.

"Little Mikey never showed up to testify at my trial. The prosecution had no case without him." He shrugs. "They let me off on a technicality."

I nod, trying to keep calm even though I am absolutely terrified of what this simple conversation is going to turn into. I do not want to scare him into doing something we can not reverse.

"Mikey didn't let me talk to you when he came to visit me in jail. Tell me about yourself. Tell me about my son."

I take a big breath of air. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything." He smiles. "I've missed out on almost everything in his life. I want to get to know him."

"Well, he's in a very popular band-"

"Yes!" He exclaims, grabbing my arm. I flinch at his touch. "Five hundred summers or something! I've heard of them." He grins, almost proud that he knows something before I have to say it.

"They are pretty popular." I nod, not bothering to correct him

My phone rings. I ignore it. Knowing it is probably Michael and it will just lead to issues with his step-father.

"Keep going. How did you two meet." He smiles, seemingly liking the fact that I ignored the phone.

"I was hired to help his image." I tell him the truth, not knowing what he will do to me if he knows I am lying. "But we fell in love and now we are going to get married."

"That's precious." He grins. "You know, Michael's mother and I ..."

My phone rings again. I know I can not answer it.

I drown him out and think of a plan to get myself out of this. I am on a walk with a mass murderer. He could strike at any moment and take my life. If he is going to kill me, or even kidnap me and hold me for ransom, or something, I need everyone to know who did it.

Where are the paparazzi when you need them? If I can get photographed with him, the press will no doubt post the pictures of my "new man" and Michael will be sure to see them. He will know things are not good.

I start leading him down to places where I might run into someone with a camera; somewhere a little more public than our neighborhood. It is my only shot.

I see a group of people ahead. I pay silently that they may be paparazzi.

"Wait, okay. I'm sorry." I interrupt his story. "I know you have all the power here and I'm just nobody in this situation but what are we doing here?" I ask.

He laughs at me, grabbing my arm tight enough that I know he does not plan on letting me go. "You're not nobody, Dani. You're my ticket."

"Ticket?"

"You're going to help me get my family back."