[AVA] I paced back and forth in Brian’s penthouse living room, gnawing on my nails. It had been two days since Beau’s arrest, and I’d spent most of that time with my parents, trying to support them both. I couldn’t shake the guilt I felt for not understanding my mom sooner. How had I missed such a huge thing? I used to blame her for being self-centered, but now I knew that I had played an equal part in driving us apart. I’d been so caught up in my own life that I hadn’t noticed the pain she was going through. And I hate myself for it. I hate myself more than anything. Just like any of us, Max was barely keeping it together after he learned about what had happened. He was furious, to say the least. Max even went to the station to confront Beau and ended up punching him in front of everyo

