Mal was sitting in her office drinking her morning coffee, which didn't really make her more awake but only made her heart race faster. Her stomach was making weird sounds craving to be filled, but Mal didn't really feel like eating.

She has spent the last few nights with Evie, making herself available as much as possible. She couldn't bear seeing her with someone else again. So she sacrificed her sleep to be with her. Who knew a person could be so addicting?

Mal was conflicted, she knew that having Evie this way was going to end eventually, but she wasn't ready to let go yet. Little did she know, it was about to happen sooner than expected.

She thought it was still too early in the morning but then Uma walked into her office, eyes wild. Maybe Mal had drifted off for a while since her clock was showing it was already 9 am.

"Have you seen this?" Uma walked up to her desk.

"What do you mean?" Mal murmured back, rubbing her eyes. She was just so tired.

The magazine slapped loudly on her desk as Uma leaned to show her the front page. Mal's eyes slowly looked at her finger. There was a picture of Evie on it, standing next to a handsome man. She was suddenly wide awake; her hands snatched the magazine under Uma's hand.

Mal's eyes read a hundred times the title: Designer Evelyn Grimhilde from "Evie's four hearts" tying the knot with model Chad the "Charming".

"Mal?" Uma mumbled after a few minutes of silence.

Mal's green gaze was stuck on the magazine as if she stared long enough a few holes would appear in it. For the first time in a few weeks, her mind was blank. She didn't know if she should be thankful or scared.

"Mal?" the dark-skinned woman tried again. But Mal could only stare at Evie's small smile and the guy who was kissing her cheek in the picture.

"What the fuck?" was the only thing she could mutter as a reply.

"Yeah, did you know?" Uma pulled the magazine out of her friend's grip, leaving Mal staring at the empty space where the paper was.

Mal licked her lips, looking at Uma with conflicted eyes. "I didn't." was all she said.

"Oh, honey," the taller woman exclaimed sympathetically. The words filled Mal with anger and confusion. Suddenly she couldn't breathe, crushed by the uncontrollable waves of emotions that poured onto her.

"She didn't tell me," Mal stated again, standing abruptly up, the anger flowing from her lips like venom. Her hands collided with the desk with impeccable force. Evie lied to her, leading her on and on playing her stupid games. How foolish of Mal to not see it and play along. Mal felt so silly getting caught up in this mess. A mess that she started on her own accord.

"Well, maybe she-" Uma started.

"She what?" Mal snapped back, her eyes sharp and intimidating, forcing the other woman to push her lips together.

"I don't know, maybe she had a reason for it," Uma said calmly, trying not to provoke the blond.

"What, are you on her side now? Trying to defend her just because you are fucking her friend?" Mal's voice rose as the words spilled out of her mouth without further thought.

Uma's face twisted in discomfort at the unexpected bluntness of her friend. It's been a long time since she had seen Mal like this.

"No, Mal. I'm not taking a side in all this, but simply try to reason with you," Uma said coldly. "I know what you are trying to do. But pushing me away now won't work. We've been down this road before. So just stop and think for a second." Uma tried to not show how much the words affected her. She watched as the rage didn't settle in Mal's eyes and she knew her words didn't help at all.

"Well, this is one of those times where I need you to be on my side, Uma." Mal spits back, picking up her coat and bag. Mal knew this protective pattern she had picked up during her childhood, pushing people away. It was one of the reasons that she didn't have a lot of friends, but somehow Uma was just as stubborn as her and never actually left. She loved this about her friend, but now she was so tired and angry that she couldn't care less who she was hurting along the way.

"Mal, please," Uma spoke again, trying to knock some sense into her friend. Mal ignored her and put on her jacket. "Where are you going?"

"To get some answers, because it seems I'm stupid enough to trust people blindly," Mal replied fishing out her car keys out of her bag. She walked past the taller woman stopping at the door and turning around. "Did you know?" she asked, staring intensely at her friend.

"No! Mal, I would have told you," Uma replied instantly.

"Would you?" Mal asked back. "Knowing this is not your secret to tell." The silence settled back and Mal didn't wait another second before disappearing out of the door.

Uma sighed and gazed at the empty door entrance for a few minutes.

-

"What the fuck?" the blond mumbled, the magazine page still fresh in her mind.

Mal drove at high speed too accelerated with anger and too much in her mind to realize the danger she was putting herself into. She still couldn't wrap her mind around the situation. Evie had lied to her and used her. Mal didn't know who she hated more, Evie or herself. She tried to blame Evie, but it never felt right due to how much Mal knew about her. Apparently not much at all. And so she went back and forth trying to blame someone or something for all of her mistakes.

How foolish of her.

Mal parked before the high building taking a few breaths before exiting the vehicle. She tried to concentrate on what she would tell Evie when confronting her, but her mind was too chaotic to come up with something and so she decided to just get some answers instead.

She didn't remember the walk into the building as her body was moving on her own accord, gliding through the halls by memory. She came to her senses only when she was walking into Evie's studio and was greeted by Evie's assistant - Jane.

"Hi, Mal," the shorter one greeted with a smile on her face, despite Mal's irritated demeanor.

"I need to talk to Evie," Mal requested sharply. Jane flinched barely noticeably at the blond's voice but still smiled softly at her, replying:

"I'm sorry, Mal. Evie's not here today,"

"What? Do you know where she is?"

"Sorry, I really don't know," Mal turned around and walked down to the elevator without another word. A new wave of anger washed through her body. This can't be happening, Mal thought. She pulled out her phone and dialed Evie's number knowing damn well that she won't pick up. But hope was a dangerous thing for her to have.

That didn't stop her though. She continued calling the whole ride to her apartment or when she knocked on Evie's apartment door and nobody opened up. At last, Mal was sitting on her bed, the phone next to her ear, when this time the annoying ringing tone was replaced with the phone operator's voice saying that the number is not accessible at the moment.

She wanted to throw her phone on the floor with all the force she could muster but instead, she chose a different number to call. After a few rings, someone picked up.

"De Vil veterinary services, how may I help you?" Carlos' cheerful voice greeted me from the other end.

"Carlos, it's Mal," Mal sighed loudly, rubbing her temples before continuing. "Can you tell me where Evie is?"

Mal could hear Carlos fumbling on the other end, probably going somewhere more secluded to speak to her.

"I'm sorry, Mal. I can't,"

"I need to talk to her, Carlos. It's important, it's about-"

"I know what it is about." he cut her off. "I knew she wouldn't tell you."

Mal felt a fresh set of anger tingling in her body because it seemed like she was the only one that didn't know what was happening. She seemed too insignificant in Evie's life to be told such a secret.

"Where is she? And she better has a good explanation about all of this," Mal asked again, irritation dripping with her words.

"I really can't tell you. But maybe I can explain,"