As the first light crept into their bedroom, Billie lay still, watching the way the morning sun illuminated Mars's face. Even in her sleep, Mars seemed tense; her usually relaxed features were pulled into a slight frown, brows furrowed as though she were fighting some invisible battle.

Billie sighed softly. Mars had come home from New York two days ago, visibly shaken, but she hadn't offered much of an explanation. When Billie had asked, Mars brushed it off with a quick, "Work stuff. Nothing to worry about." But Billie wasn't convinced. She knew Mars too well to believe that everything was fine. Something was eating at her, and whatever it was, Mars was determined to keep it buried.

As Mars continued to sleep, Billie reached for her phone on the nightstand, scrolling through her messages. A restless curiosity tugged at her; maybe Janice knew something. She hesitated before typing out a quick text to Janice, careful to keep her questions subtle. She didn't want to pry too hard, but she needed to understand what was happening.

A few minutes passed, and just as she was about to give up, her phone buzzed with a reply. She glanced at the screen, her eyes widening as she read Janice's response:

"I really shouldn't be telling you this, but Zaine's mom is alive and she blackmailed Mars into giving her five million dollars. She met Mars at a college party when Mars was doing small shows and wasn't that big. They hooked up, she fell pregnant, and didn't tell Mars. Turns out, she had this whole plan to sue Mars for child support 18 years later."

Billie's heart dropped. She read the message again, her mind reeling. She'd always thought Zaine's mother had passed away—that was what Mars had told her, or at least implied. But this? This was on another level.

"That's messed up," Billie whispered, her voice barely audible in the quiet room. She glanced over at Mars, still sleeping soundly beside her, and felt a pang of sympathy. No wonder Mars had come back looking like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. She'd been blindsided by the mother of her child—a woman Billie hadn't even known existed until now.

Trying to process the information, Billie slipped out of bed as quietly as she could, padding into the kitchen to make some coffee for Mars. The familiar ritual of grinding beans, filling the pot, and waiting for the brew to finish helped her calm down, though the knot of tension in her chest didn't fully dissipate. She had so many questions. What did this woman want now, beyond the five million? Did she plan on showing up in Zaine's life again? And most importantly, why hadn't Mars told her about it?

As she waited for the coffee to finish, Billie's thoughts drifted to Zaine. The little boy was everything to Mars, and, in recent months, Billie had grown to love him as if he were her own. The idea of someone threatening his stability, his sense of family, felt deeply personal. She could only imagine how betrayed Mars must have felt when Alexis showed up out of the blue, demanding money and spewing lies.

The sound of footsteps jolted Billie from her thoughts. She looked up to see Mars standing in the doorway, looking slightly disheveled but very much awake. Her eyes were heavy with sleep, but they softened when they landed on Billie.

"Hey, babe," Mars murmured, her voice rough from sleep. "Couldn't sleep?"

Billie offered a small smile, trying to mask the whirlwind of emotions inside her. "Yeah, just... had a lot on my mind." She poured a mug of coffee and held it out to Mars, who accepted it with a grateful nod.

Mars took a sip, her gaze lingering on Billie. There was a flicker of hesitation, and for a brief moment, Billie thought Mars might open up. But then, as if closing herself off, Mars looked down at her mug, the vulnerability slipping away.

"I know something's been bothering you," Billie said softly, breaking the silence. "You don't have to hide it from me, Mars."

Mars sighed, running a hand through her short curls. She glanced at Billie, her eyes filled with a mixture of guilt and something else—maybe fear. "I... didn't want to worry you. It's complicated."

Billie put her own mug down, reaching out to place a gentle hand on Mars's arm. "We're a team, Mars. Whatever this is, you don't have to handle it alone."

Mars closed her eyes for a moment, as if gathering her thoughts. When she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper. "Zaine's mom... Alexis. She's... she's alive." She let out a shaky breath, watching Billie's reaction.

Billie nodded slowly, her expression calm but her mind racing. "I know. Janice told me."

Mars's eyes widened in surprise, then softened. "I didn't want you to find out like that," she murmured. "It's just... I didn't know how to tell you."

Billie gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. "Tell me what happened, Mars. Start from the beginning."

Mars nodded, taking a deep breath as she set her mug down on the counter. "Alexis and I met in college, back before everything blew up with my career. It was casual at first, nothing serious. But she... she got pregnant and didn't tell me. I had no idea until her parents showed up with Zaine." She paused, her voice thick with emotion. "They told me she had overdosed, that she was gone. And I believed them."

Billie felt a pang in her chest, imagining how gut-wrenching that revelation must have been for Mars. She reached for Mars's hand, intertwining their fingers as a way of offering silent support.

"But now she's back," Mars continued, her voice tinged with anger and disbelief. "She didn't come to reconnect with Zaine or try to be a mother to him. She only wants money. Five million dollars, Billie. And if I don't give it to her, she's threatening to go to the press and ruin everything."

Billie's brow furrowed, a mixture of anger and sadness bubbling within her. "That's horrible, Mars. She has no right to do that to you—or to Zaine."

Mars nodded, her grip tightening around Billie's hand. "I didn't have a choice. I agreed to pay her just to get her out of our lives. But even after she takes the money, I don't trust her. I'm afraid she'll come back, or that she'll find another way to mess with Zaine."

Billie's heart ached at the raw vulnerability in Mars's eyes. She reached up, cupping Mars's face in her hands. "We'll get through this together, Mars. Zaine doesn't need her, and neither do you. Whatever happens, we'll face it as a family."

Mars leaned into Billie's touch, closing her eyes as if drawing strength from her words. "I'm just... I'm scared, Billie. Scared that all this will hurt Zaine. He's been through enough already. He doesn't deserve any of this."

Billie wrapped her arms around Mars, pulling her into a tight embrace. "We'll protect him, Mars. No matter what. We won't let her hurt him."

Mars exhaled, her tense muscles finally relaxing in Billie's embrace. For a moment, they stood there in the quiet of the kitchen, simply holding each other. The weight of the situation still lingered, but Billie's presence grounded Mars, reminding her that she wasn't alone in this.

After a long silence, Mars pulled back slightly, looking down at Billie with a soft smile. "Thank you," she whispered. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Billie smiled back, a gentle warmth filling her chest. "Good thing you'll never have to find out, huh?"

They both chuckled, the shared laughter breaking through the tension like a ray of sunlight. For the first time in days, Mars felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe, with Billie by her side, she could face whatever came next. Maybe, despite Alexis's threats, they could protect Zaine and build the stable, loving family he deserved.

As they stood there, holding each other in the early morning light, Billie knew one thing for sure—no matter what happened, she was ready to fight for Mars and Zaine with everything she had.