Julian was left shunned and speechless. Devin’s shocking words had hit him totally off guard. He couldn’t believe what he heard. ‘He called me father.’ Julian thought to himself as he looked down and carefully studied the face of the young man lying next to him sleeping peacefully in the bed. Two hours earlier, Julian decided that he was going to give Devin a chance to explain things to him, so he brought him to one of the Crane cabins on the estate, and they had been there ever since.

Julian hesitantly reached down and placed his hand on top of Devin’s head. He moved a little of Devin’s still damp hair out of his face, and looked at him more closely. And that’s when he saw it… the resemblance between Devin and Eve. The way he looked when he slept was the same look that Eve had the night before.

“Oh my god…” Julian barely managed to say before he broke down in tears.

Eve was in her office sitting behind her desk doing some paperwork with an ace bandage around her right hand and a small bandage on the side of her right eye. Today was just not her day as she finished up the rest of her work, leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. ‘Damn, it hurts to write.’ She thought as a scowl appeared on her face. First she found out that Pierce was murdered last night, then that Devin was the prime suspect in his murder and that Julian believed he did it. It was just too much. And then to top things off, she thought back to the reason why she had this ace bandage around her right hand in the first place.

{Flashback}

Eve left shortly after she and Julian had the argument about Devin. It was somewhat resolved but not completely. Afterwards, she didn't want to go to work today but she knew she had to. Pulling into the parking lot of the hospital, Eve had just got out of her car and turned around when suddenly she went reeling back into the car door.

"What the hell?!" Eve looked to see who or what had knocked her back into the car door, and stopped when she saw it was.

"You bitch! You're the reason that my brother is dead!"

"Liz, now calm down." Eve said to try and calm Liz down.

"Calm down… my brother is dead because of you!" Liz shouted.

"Just because I hated Pierce, that doesn't give you the right to accuse me of his death!" Eve fired back.

"I know you're responsible!"

"Say whatever you want Liz, but I'm leaving." Eve said then walked away. She was almost to the back entrance of the hospital when Liz violently grabbed her by the arm, turned her around and slapped her across the face.

"Don't you dare walk away from me you sl*t!" Liz shouted after the slap.

Liz never saw it coming, as Eve's fist connected with her jaw as she stumbled back a bit.

"Don't you ever touch me again!" Eve shouted back to Liz.

Liz regained her balanced then ran up on Eve. It was on now as the two of them came to blows. First Liz with a punch, and then Eve with one of her own. The fight went on for about five minutes... that is until Eve got fed up with this nonsense and punched Liz so hard that she knocked her out cold and sprained her right wrist in the process.

{End of Flashback}

A light tapping on her office door and a loud gasp, cause Eve to open her eyes and see who it was that entered.

“Mom? Oh my god what happened?!” Whitney shrieked as she walked up to her mother’s desk.

“I got into a fight earlier…with Liz.” Eve said as she got up from her chair and walked in front of her desk.

“It looks like she got a few hits in.”

“She did, but as you can see, I’m the last one standing not her.” Eve smiled.

“Mom, I heard about Pierce on the radio today.” Whitney said then watched as her mother’s face scrunch up.

“He didn’t do it Whitney. I know he didn’t do it.” Eve said seriously.

“I wasn’t going to ask you if he did it mom. It’s just that, I don’t understand how Pierce could’ve been found in his apartment the way he was.”

“I don’t either. You know, Julian and I had an argument about Devin too earlier. He thought that Devin did it, but I told him he was wrong. I know Devin… he’s no killer.” Eve said looking Whitney in the eye.

“I believe you mom.” Whitney said then gave Eve a quick hug. “I told daddy about what happened between you and Pierce when you were younger. I even told him about Liz. And do you know what he did?”

Eve shook her head.

“He said that I was lying, that I was trying to make you into the victim and not Liz. Mom I felt so hurt and so betrayed when he didn’t believe me, that I just packed up my things and moved out.”

“That bastard! He thinks he’s always right! How dare he not believe you?! Damn him!” Eve spat then banged her right hand on the desk. “Ouch! Oh sh*t!”

Whitney was taken back by her mother’s choice of words, but that was instantly forgotten as she noticed Eve grimacing in pain.

“Mom?!”

“It’s…ok Whitney,… I’m fine.” Eve said in between grimaces.

“Are you sure?”

Eve lied, then nodded.

“Ok. I gotta run, I’ll call you later on.”

“Love you.” Eve said kissing Whitney on her cheek while still grimacing in pain but forced her grimace into a fake smile.

“Love you too mom.”

The rest of the day went by uneventful for Eve as she left the hospital and drove back home to the mansion. When she arrived, she immediately went up to her room, stripped and headed to the bathroom. She needed to clear her troubled mind and sooth her throbbing wrist. Little did she know that once she entered into the shower, someone walked in behind her and watched her as the water aimlessly cascaded down her body.

Julian never left Devin’s side as he slept soundly. He thought that if he left then it would be all a dream and that Devin wouldn’t be his long lost son. So he stayed and watched. He had just closed his eyes for a split second when Devin suddenly moaned out loud. Opening his eyes quickly, his looked and came into contact with another set of brown eyes.

“Where…am I?” Devin groaned out.

“On the estate in one of the cabins. How are you feeling?” Julian said softly.

“I feel like hell.”

“That’s to be expected after being shot and not having your wound treated.”

“You know I couldn’t get it treated. I’m a wanted man.” Devin whispered as he blinked his eyes a few times.

Julian turned his head a bit.

“So… are you still gonna turn me in, if I come in contact with my mother?” Devin asked curiously.

“No. I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Don’t be. You were just protecting her.” Devin smiled softly.

“I want to know if you meant what you said earlier. Am I really your father Devin and is Eve really your mother?” Julian asked as he watched Devin try to sit up. “Don’t move, you’ll hurt yourself.”

Devin nodded slowly.

“Why didn’t you just tell me when we first met?” Julian asked in a somber voice.

“I didn’t know you were my father back then. I just found out last week.”

“But you knew Eve was your mother?”

“Yes. I’ve always knew she was my mother. I was raised to believe that she left my father and I because of you. I found out recently that that was a lie too. My whole life has been a lie.” Devin said as tears started falling from his eyes.

“Tell me.” Julian said as he wiped the tears away from Devin’s face.

“I’m gonna tell you everything that I’ve learned in the last two weeks and I swear to you, that it’s the truth.”

Julian took a deep breath then spoke. “Alright… I’m ready.”