"You surely did a lot more than talking," Zoey said bitterly. "Don't tell me this was a complete accident. I watched security footage from the gym. You and Peter had been flirting long before this began. You could have turned to other friends, but you didn't."
"Zoey... I don't have other friends." She said. "At least, no one who I would talk to about my sex life with my husband. All of my friends that I do have know Julian better than me." She sighed as she rubbed her face. "I know I flirted with him... I was in the wrong. I... I didn't think I would lead to anything like it did... I miscalculated..." She looked down as she struggled to not shut down and turn this into a logical thing. What she did wasn't logical and she felt terrible for doing it to Julian. "Zoey... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take it this far... It happened and I let it happen. I should have stopped it or say no... I just..." She closed her eyes. "I wanted to feel loved again, and Peter gave me that feeling, even if it felt cheap... please... I won't ask you to forgive me, I don't deserve it."
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"No, you don't," Zoey muttered. Then Julian stood up.
"Zoey, that's enough." She looked at him and crossed her arms.
"Enough? Julian, I-" She fell silent when he pulled her into a hug.
"I know this is painful for you especially, but this isn't your fight," he said softly. "Alicia and I are going to try to work through this. We've talked a lot over the past few days. I love you, and I appreciate you looking out for me. But you have to let this go now. She's sorry for lying to you. The rest is not your business." Zoey silently hugged him back, crying softly.
"...I've been worried sick these past few days," she murmured. "The kids kept asking me when you'd come back and I had to smile and say 'soon', but I didn't even know if that was true... I had to lie to them. I knew where you were but I kept telling them you were in California together..." She sniffled. "Don't ever put me through that again."
"I promise," Julian said softly, stroking her hair. "Thank you for picking up our pieces on the home front. We owe you."
Alicia looked at her feet. Even if she knew that it was true, it still hurt to have Zoey say it. She didn't deserve to be forgiven.. she didn't deserve pity... she deserved nothing. She rubbed her eyes as she tried to prevent herself from crying as Julian stood up to hold his sister and to talk her down. She chewed on her lip. She didn't mean for Zoey to have to lie to the kids. She looked up finally and nodded. "Yes. We owe you big time. I'm sorry to have put you in this situation. That night... took us all by surprise."
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"What on earth happened?" Zoey asked softly as Julian released her. She looked at Alicia's injured arm. "Did you really get shot?"
Alicia looked at Julian. Might as well try out their story with Zoey. She's a lawyer... she would see through the cracks first. "Yes... I was shot... I was at Peter's house when he picked up a cell phone that was in my bag. I had just come out of the shower and I recognized it. It was one that Julian had received a couple weeks ago... from the Phantom Assassin. I panicked and ran, taking Peter with me because I thought that the phantom was going to come after me in some twisted game to manipulate Julian. I dropped Peter off and I tried to head out of town. But I was stopped by this gang. They blocked the road and I ran right into them." She gestured to some of the scratches and fading bruises from the accident. "I took the guns from the glove box and I tried to fight my way out. But they got the drop on me and I was knocked out. When I came too, they were interrogating me about Julian. I escaped but not without a fight... I barely made it out." She gestured to her shot up arm. "Julian arrived somewhere in there and I passed out. When I woke up, I was in the hospital."
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Zoey covered her mouth again as she resumed crying. She looked at Julian, who nodded slowly. She clenched a fist and seemed to fight with herself for a moment before sobbing and going over to Alicia, pulling her into a hug. "...Thank god you're alive," she murmured, holding her tightly for a couple of moments before pulling away to wipe her eyes. "I-I'm still mad at you, but... damn, I... I'm sorry. That sounds like a very rough night," she murmured.
Alicia was a bit surprised as Zoey hugged her but she accepted the hug anyways. She held her tightly before letting go as she pulled away. "Yeah... That's one word for it..." She murmured. "We don't want the kids to worry so please don't tell them about me being shot. We can play it off like I was just in the car accident."
Zoey hesitated, not looking forward to having to lie to the kids again. However, she knew it was in their best interest. So she nodded. "Okay... Will you tell them that this accident happened in California?"
She hesitated before nodding. "Yes. It will be far better then to have them worry every time we drive here in town."
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