After an entire week of being back on campus it's not as bad as I thought it would be. A part of me expected to be miserable like I was before, but now Cameron is mine again, and we talk to each other all the time. After his practice is done with and my shift is over at the clinic we talk to each other all night long. Sometimes I don't get any sleep, but it's definitely worth it.

It's the least I can do for my fiancé.

I still can't get over the fact that I'm technically engaged now. There isn't a ring yet, but I know that will come with time. I don't need a ring. For now I'm happy, and school is almost... enjoyable, which is a word I have never used while being here.

I just got out of chemistry and quickly stop at my dorm to change for my internship. I'm just about to run a brush through my hair again when my phone starts to ring.

Shit.

It's my mom.

Should I answer it? Cam did make a point last week when he told me I should hear her out, and maybe I should. Maybe I should just get this conversation over with so that it isn't eating away at me constantly.

Swiping across the screen to answer, my mom's face appears in seconds, bags underneath her eyes and worry in her expression. "Oh, honey. Thank god." She breathes a sigh of relief. "Are you okay? I've been trying to get ahold of you for almost two weeks!"

"I'm fine." I tell her, still unsure of whether or not she knows about the affair. I really don't want to tell her that piece of information.

She sighs again, blinking away tears. "Your father told me what happened when I noticed you had gone back to school."

"What did he say?" I ask, curious as to whether or not he lied or actually told her the truth.

"Madison..." she trails off and I watch as she walks over to our living room, plopping down into the loveseat. "You have to understand that things between your father and I haven't been the best for quite some time now."

"What?" I ask. "How long has this been going on for?"

She shrugs and takes a sip out of a glass she's holding in her hand. "About four years ago is when I caught him the first time. We did counseling and put in the effort to fix it, but ultimately I just couldn't trust him after that. It ruined our marriage completely."

"But why is this the first time I'm hearing about this, mom? Why are you letting it continue? You're going to let him fuck some blonde bimbo while he's still living under the same roof as us? How messed up is that?"

"Honey." She soothes, pleading desperately for me to try and listen to her. "Your father and I are separated, okay? We have been for years. What he chooses to do on his own time is up to him."

"How long have you been separated? Why was I never told? Does Ethan know? Why were you acting like everything was fine during break?"

So many questions spill out at once, and I'm so angry that I find myself shaking.

"When you have kids you'll understand someday." She tells me and quickly wipes a tear that escapes onto her cheek. "You will do anything to keep them out of harms way. You were both in college achieving your dreams, and you still are. The last thing I wanted was to have you both find out that your parents were splitting up."

"So you just decided to be roommates essentially? Mom, he ruined this family! How can you let him stay there? Sneaking in at three in the morning? Are you kidding? That must be so painful for you."

She keeps wiping away tears until they eventually just start to flow down her cheeks. "I don't want you thinking negatively of your father." She says. "He loves you both more than you'll ever know. Just because things didn't work out with us doesn't mean your relationship has to be ruined too."

"How I choose to view dad is on me, and this says a lot about his character. Obviously I'm not going to view him the same, mom. You're a freaking saint! What is wrong with him? What more could he want?"

She shrugs and wipes away more tears, and I'd give anything to be there right now to hold her. Cameron was right. She needed me to call her.

"So what happens now?" I ask. "I know about it, so can't you both live separately?"

"Ethan doesn't know." She sniffles. "And you can't tell him, honey. You know how emotional he gets. If he finds out about this he'll go into a downward spiral."

"Ethan is grown, mom. It's about time that he moves out anyways and gets a freaking job."

"He has an interview next week for a big insurance firm." She says. "I'm waiting until after. Now that you know there isn't a reason to live with your dad any longer, and I know it sounds absurd, but I don't know if I'm ready for that step yet."

I flop down onto my bed, still in utter disbelief that this is even happening. I thought Ethan would do something different other than follow in my dads footsteps, but I guess he has the connections he needs to get his foot in the door somewhere. He has to start somewhere.

"I mean, that's understandable." I finally say once I realize I haven't replied. "You've lived with him for years. I think it'd be weird if you didn't have a hard time with it."

"I just didn't want to bring all of this on you. I hate that you had to find out the way you did."

"Me too." I whisper and bite onto my lip when the images of the two of them enter back into my head. "Would it help if I told you that he downgraded immensely?"

Finally she laughs, the sound being like music to my ears.

"Actually, yes." She admits. "I do feel slightly better after hearing that."

Glancing at the clock, I realize that it's already noon. I have to get going soon or else I'll be late to the clinic.

"Are you busy?" She asks when she sees me grab my keys. "I didn't mean to bother you. I'm sorry."

"Mom, it's fine. I'm just on my way to my internship. It's no big deal."

Putting my phone between my ear and shoulder, I lock my dorm room behind me and start to head out to the parking lot. It's silent between us for about a minute or so, and finally I let out a sigh and bring my face back into view.

"Do you need me to come back home? I still have clothes and stuff that I forgot to grab. We can have a girls night, and we can-"

"Absolutely not." She says sternly. "You need to focus. This is exactly why I wasn't going to tell you. I can mail you the rest of your things, okay? I'll take it to the post office this week. Just text me what you need."

My phone vibrates, a text from Cam lighting up on the screen.

Heading to practice. He writes. Hope your afternoon is going well, Mrs. Holden.

"I'm assuming things with Cameron are going well." She arches a brow when she sees my smile, and I feel guilty for it. "I'm happy you're happy." She tells me, almost like she can read my mind. "There's nothing I want more than to see both of my kids find their person."

I'm obviously not going to tell her about the engagement, even though a part of me wants to. I know she'd be over the moon about it, but it's definitely not the right time. Not with everything going on with her and my dad.

"I love you, momma. I'm going to call you tonight, alright?"

"You don't have to. I will be fine. Honestly."

"I'm still going to. Bye. Love you."

I hang up before she can come up with some witty reply, typing a final text back out to Cam before I have to head to my internship. He is truly the reason why I even picked up her phone call to begin with.

Just talked to my mom. You were right. So glad you're my fiancé.

👀👀👀👀👀👀

FROM HERE ON OUT THINGS ARE GONNA GET PRETTY CRAZY

BUT ITS OK BC WE WILL GET THROUGH IT TOGETHER