All of us, including the rest of the band who has finally shown up, sits on the couches in my father's living room and brainstorm ways we can control the damage that is going to come from Chris' arrest.

I list my phone to read a notification I have just received.

Chris
Do you want to talk about the baby?

I look up from my phone to see him looking directly at me. I type a reply back and set my phone down beside me on the couch. Rolling my eyes, I return myself to the conversation.

Ciara
There is nothing to talk about

I glance at my phone, frustrated that he will not leave me alone.

Chris
You didn't look happy about it

Chris
Is Darren hurting you?

I shoot Chris a look before walking out of the room. A silence falls over the room and I assume everyone watches me leave. I hear the footsteps of someone behind me. Everything inside me hopes the person is anyone but Chris.

"I didn't mean to upset you." He speaks, giving away his identity.

Ugh. Can't anything go my way? Just this once? Apparently not.

I turn around to face him. "You know, one thing you were terrible at before you became a celebrity was figuring out when someone doesn't want to talk to you. As it turns out, you are still just as bad at it." I inform him.

"I just happen to care about you a lot, Ciara. I always have. And I couldn't help but feel my heart break when I saw your reaction to Darren telling everyone you were pregnant. You weren't exactly the happiest person on Earth." He continues.

"No," I laugh. "I'm not the happiest person on Earth. I've got an ex-boyfriend who won't leave me alone, I just bailed my fiancé out of jail, and I don't know what I am going to do about this baby because someone put it in me and I don't want it there even though a baby is one thing I have always wanted!" I speak more than I would like to, feeling an overwhelming amount of emotion pour out of me all at once.

Chris is confused at first. I silently hope he will move on to harassing me and trying to get me to fall back in love with him or something. "The party?" He connects some of the dots in his head. "I-I didn't realize when you called me to look for answers that you had thought you were-" He stops himself. "I didn't realize how serious it was." He shakes his head. He looks disgusted. "You were assaulted?"

I cover my face. "You can't tell anyone. Please. Please. I've had enough things unwillingly revealed today. I can't handle anyone else knowing this right now." Peeling my fingers away from my eyes to see him nodding his head gives me some ease in my brain.

He grabs me at my shoulders and looks me straight in the eyes. "I would never. I've actually been asking around to see if anyone knows what happens at that party. No one is fessing up." I believe him.

"Well of course no one is fessing up. They committed a crime. A crime that I now know for a fact happened as evidence by the child I have been forced to grow inside of me."

Chris shakes his head. "This is all my fault. I was with you at that party. I am the reason you came. I put you in harms way." He thinks of the chain reaction of events and how we got here.

As much as I would love to blame him for everting that has happened to me, I know it is not fair to put all of this guilt on him.

"No, Chris, it's not. It's not your fault. I shouldn't have been drinking." I release him of his guilt. "I should have-"

"No." He shakes his head. "You had like one drink. I should have known it was suspicious how out of it you were after having that little to drink. I failed you. I wasn't paying attention and clearly you got hurt because of it."

"As much as I appreciate you trying to take the blame, I don't blame you for what happened. I blame whoever did that horrible thing. And as much as I might want to hate you for what you did to me all those years ago, I really do not think you are a bad guy. At least not one who would willingly let that happen if you had any clue or idea of what was going to come of it."

I try to smile, letting him know I am going to be okay, but this conversation is just too emotional for me. I lean forward and press my head against his chest and wrap my arms around him, squeezing him as he squeezes me back.

While wrapped up in his arms, I wonder to myself why it felt right for me to hug him in that moment. I wonder why I still feel as safe in his arms as I did at the airport years ago.