Aiden was heartbroken. He walked over to where Ken was sitting. Ken had Khloe in his arms, and he was running his hands through her hair and kissing her forehead. "Khloe," he cried. "Hold on. Stay with us."

Aiden punched Ken in the face and took Khloe from him. He touched her face and whispered her name over and over again as tears streamed from his eyes.

​​

Khloe tried to open her eyes so that she could look at Aiden and she said, "Aiden, I am sorry... I am no good... I never was…"

"Don't say that," Aiden cried. "You'll be fine. I already called 9-1-1. They're on their way."

Ken had temporarily lost consciousness when Aiden punched him, and as he came to, he was frantic. He looked into Khloe's bloodshot horrified eyes, at the bloody pool that was forming in her lap, and then he stood up, turned, and ran.

Stephen walked over to where Aiden and Khloe were sitting. He hunkered down and took Khloe's hand. He gave it a light squeeze and said, "Stay with us. You will be okay."

When Khloe spoke next, blood came up with her words, and they could tell how difficult it was for her to speak. The blood bubbled, popped, and splattered on her lips. From the exertion it must have taken to speak, they could tell that whatever she had to say was very important to her, so they paid close attention. "The girl in the video wasn't me," she gasped. "It's my body, but Ken drugged me. I would never have behaved in such a way…"

"I'm sorry that I ever doubted you," Aiden cried. "If I get a second chance, I will treat you so much better."

"Before I die," Khloe moaned, "please tell me the truth. Who do you love more, Kylie or me?"

Aiden turned his head and looked at Kylie, who was being guarded by Ethan. He did love Khloe, but he loved Kylie more. Normally he would have lied to her, but if knowing the truth was her dying wish, he felt like he owed it to her to tell the truth. That being said, if she was dying, he wanted her to go out peacefully. Just watching the distress in his eyes, though, she understood.

Kylie lowered her voice so that only Aiden could hear her. "It's alright," she said. "Anyways, the person who saved you was Kylie. I'm sorry that I lied to you..."

Before Aiden could reply, Khloe turned her head and vomited up a mixture of dark red vomit and a black charcoal-like substance – and then her body began to shake. It was what the old folk called 'Death's Rattle,' and it was frightening.

As she shook, her body released the contents of her bladder and bowels, and, by the time the ambulance arrived, she was dead.

Meanwhile, in the background, the DVD played on…

***

Ethan, Kylie, Aiden, Nate, and Matthew sat around the police station sullenly while they waited to give their statements. It had been a suicide, but they had all been witnesses. The only person that was missing was Ken, and even though he was only wanted for questioning, a warrant had been put out for his arrest. The reality was that he'd fled the scene of a crime, and that was illegal. What the police were most interested in knowing was who'd been responsible for the DVD. "Whoever set that up," one officer explained, "could face manslaughter charges."

So far, Ken was the only suspect that they had. After all, he was the other person that had been in the video.

When they were alone again, Stephen asked Kylie if she'd told Laurence yet. "If not," he added, "you should. By all rights, he should be here…"

Kylie sighed and admitted that she hadn't. She knew that she should have, but she hadn't found the courage yet. Khloe was the biological daughter of Laurence. After some thought, she said, "I can't do it, I will have the police inform Linda, and she can break the news to him."

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Nate turned to Stephen and said, "I heard that you moved into a new apartment. I would love to come over and have a look!"

"Everyone is tired today," Stephen replied. "Some other day, okay?"

Nate nodded. "Do you keep a mistress in your love nest?" he wondered.

Stephen frowned. "This is hardly the time to talk about such things," he said.

"Come on!" Nate begged. "We need just such a distraction from all of this, so you may as well be the one to distract us. Tell us! Tell us!"

"Shut up," Stephen grumbled. "You aren't as funny as you think you are."

Nate held his peace for about three minutes, and then he turned to Kylie. "How about Fannie?" he wondered. "Does she make trouble for you?"

Kylie glanced at Stephen and then turned to look at Nate. She smiled and said, "You live with her under one roof. You are her brother. Why don't you ask her yourself?"

"She never tells me anything," Nate replied. "Never mind, though. If you don't tell me, I will find someone who will!"

Kylie shrugged. "She doesn't make any trouble for me," she said. "She gets on well with her colleagues, and seems always to have at least one or two men chasing after her."

Stephen looked out the window and smiled. He found Kylie's ability to come up with lies, on the spot, quite admirable. The only male college that Fannie had anything to do with was Lucas. Nate, though, had no idea that he was being played, and his face turned white. "Exactly how many men are we talking about?" he wondered.

"Who could say," Kylie chuckled as she rolled her eyes. "There is always some man at her side to carry her books, take her out for lunch, or pay for her coffee."

"Oh…" Nate sighed as he looked into his lap dismally.

Stephen coughed and gave Kylie a look that might have said, "That is enough now."

Kylie nodded so that he'd know that she'd gotten his point. Nate and Fanny were brother and sister, and she knew that no man would want a whore for a sister, so she said, "Look, Nate, perhaps I am exaggerating, and, if you'd like, I'm sure that Ethan could find a respectable man for her."

Nate looked at Ethan hopefully, and Ethan nodded. "No problem."

"Let me try to help her first, though," Nate said. "This should be a brother's duty, and it suddenly occurs to me that I have neglected my duty to her…"

"Are you sure you don't need my immediate help?" Ethan wondered. "I know a lot of people. It would be no problem."

Suddenly, anger rose up in Nate that no one had expected. He looked at the group of them and said, "This is bullshit, and you all know it. I doubt my sister has an entourage of men following her around. Even if I might eventually need some help, I don't need anyone to insinuate that I am incompetent to take care of my own sister. Since I have already given my statement, I'm out of here!"

The room fell silent as Nate took off out the front door. Cursing under his breath, he slammed the door behind him.