The buzzing of Molly’s phone woke her from her sleep. She was certain it wasn’t morning, but maybe she was wrong. She fumbled around in the dark, trying to grab the glowing, vibrating nuisance. Her hand finally made contact, and she yanked the phone to her.

The clock read 1:15 AM and the name Hank flashed across the screen. Typical. He didn’t think about time the way the rest of the world did, but she knew he was calling about Spencer—and despite how they ended things the day before—she needed to know the truth.

Molly answered the phone. “Hello,” she croaked out, her voice scratchy from only a couple hours of sleep.

“Hey there, Molly. It’s Hank.”

“I know,” she said, trying to keep the testiness out of her voice. “What’s up? Did you get to the bottom of those files? Do you know who sent them?”

“I did. It turns out, the information is fake. It was never sent between the actual two people whose names appear on the email. It was just made to look like it had been with fake accounts and records.”

“Do you know who did it?” Molly asked, sitting up in her bed.

“I think it’s someone he knows. I don’t have a name, but the IP address is registered to a house in Bayfield.”

“Thanks, Hank. I’m going to get back to you in a bit, but I need to call Bernie first.”

“Okay, Molly. Just call me back if you need anything else.”

“Will do,” she said before ending the call.

She quickly clicked the icon for her boss. It rang twice and he picked up. “What is it, Molly?” he asked with a tone that made it clear he wasn’t happy. “This better be good, considering the hour.”

“It is,” she stated emphatically. “Hank was able to figure out the USB drive I was given was faked.”

“Really?” Bernie stated in shock. “I honestly thought the allegations were going to be true. There was so much evidence against Spencer Conrad.”

“It was an intricate ploy. I think someone wanted to frame Spencer to discredit his wins. How did you first get turned onto the allegations against Spencer?”

“I was sent an anonymous tip via email,” he confessed. “It looked legitimate, which is why I sent you to investigate. I figured with your connections to the town, you’d get further than any of my other reporters.”

“I need you to forward me that email, Bernie. I’m going to have Hank look into it. I think whoever sent the email, also put the USB drive in my purse. They were using us to try to get the false accusations published.”

“Be careful, Molly,” Bernie warned. “If that’s the case, this person is really set on burning Spencer Conrad to the ground. People like that are really dangerous.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. When I know more, I’ll get back to you,” she said before hanging up.

As soon as Molly received the email from Bernie, she forwarded it to Hank, asking him to look into to it and see if it was connected to the files on the USB drive.

Molly tried to go back to sleep, but her mind wouldn’t rest. She couldn’t stop thinking about the fact she had destroyed her relationship with Spencer, and she had done it over a bunch of lies.

Guilt cascaded over her, and tears formed in her eyes. Why had she done that? She was scared. She had been scared since the moment she stepped foot back in Bayfield. She didn’t want to get hurt again, and it was easier to ruin their relationship before she could get hurt by it again.

The urge to pray flooded Molly. She folded her hands and spoke out loud to God. “Dear Lord, please help me. I’ve made such a mess of things. I should have trusted Spencer, and I should have trusted You. I’ve made a mess of everything, but You’re capable of fixing anything, God, so I ask You to intervene and make things right between Spencer and me.”

Her phone buzzed, causing Molly to jump slightly. She picked it up off her nightstand and looked at the screen. Hank was calling again.

“Hello,” she said with anxiousness. “So, was I right? Are they connected?”

“Your hunch was correct, Molly. The same person who sent the email, also made all the fake information on the USB drive.”

“Thanks, Hank. I owe you big for this one. You’re helping me save the man I love.” This time, she didn’t want to take back the words. She said them, and she meant them. She loved Spencer Conrad, and she was going to do whatever it took to make things right.

She took in a deep breath, let her finger hover above the screen for a couple of seconds, then pressed the icon for Spencer. The phone rang three times before he answered.

“It’s rather late to be calling,” he said in a cold tone.

“I know, Spencer, and I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t important.”

“Why are you calling? I thought we ended things yesterday.”

“We did, but I need to meet with you. I have some new information I need to share with you.”

There was a long pause on the other side, before he said, “Okay. How about we meet in the morning. Will 8 a.m. work over at the coffee shop?”

“Yes, I’ll see you then.”

Molly tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep with anticipation of the next day. Though she didn’t deserve it, she hoped Spencer would forgive her. Even if he didn’t, she still wanted to help him. He might not want to have a relationship with her anymore, but it didn’t change how she felt about him. Telling him the truth would be her last act of love if he never wanted to see her again.

Spencer was sitting at a table by the window. She made her way right over to him and sat down in the empty seat.

“Thanks for meeting me,” she said as she placed her purse in her lap.

“You said it was important,” Spencer stated matter-of-factly.

“It is. Hank finally got back to me late last night.”

Spencer finally seemed interested in what she was saying. He leaned forward and asked, “What did he find out?”

“That the information on the USB drive was all fake, and the same person who did it also sent the original email accusing you of unethical behavior.”

“That’s good. Is there any way you can get me copies of everything? I’m going to have to turn over the evidence to the police so they can figure out who did it.”

“Hank already knows that too, or rather, he got the address for whoever did it,” she said, pulling it out and handing it over to Spencer.

“Thanks for this,” Spencer said, standing up. “I’ll take care of it from here.”

Molly stood up and reached out to stop him from leaving. “There’s one more thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I need to apologize to you. I was wrong, not only in how I handled things, but by thinking the worst about you. I’ll understand if you can’t forgive me or trust me anymore.”

“I have to admit, you really hurt me yesterday, but the people you care for the deepest are able to hurt you the most. I’m not sure how all of this is going to work out between us, but I never want to live my life with a heart full of unforgiveness. I accept your apology, Molly.”

“Thank you,” she said with a smile. “I still want to help you clear your name. I think we should go to the address together.”

“Since you got me the information, I guess I owe you that much.” He gestured to the table, “Grab your purse. We can take my car.”

Spencer didn’t know what to say on the drive over to the location of the suspect. He wanted to tell Molly he still loved her, but he wondered if it just wasn’t in the cards for them to ever make it work.

They arrived at a small ranch-style house on the outskirts of Bayfield. Both of them got out of Spencer’s car and met in the center of the sidewalk.

“You ready for this?” Molly asked, pushing her blonde hair behind her ear.

“Yes, I’m ready to know who tried to ruin my career.”

They marched up the concrete path and knocked on the front door. A few moments later, the door swung open to reveal Bob Perkins—a tall man with a thick build, brown hair and eyes, and a beard. Spencer was taken aback that they were at the house of the junior public defender. Was he behind the email and files?

“What are you doing here?” Bob asked, his eyes darting from Spencer to Molly.

“We came here to talk to you about a situation,” Spencer explained.

“You should let us in unless you want us to go to the authorities instead,” Molly warned.

Reluctantly, he stepped back and let them come inside. The house was modestly decorated. It was clean and orderly with little personal touches present. The space felt more like a hotel room than a home.

“Bill, we’re aware of what you tried to do. The question is, why did you do it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, crossing his arms defensively.

“You’re going to deny that you created fake documents to try to frame me for unethical dealings with the district attorney? I’d think long and hard before you pretend you don’t know again. What you say and do will determine my next actions,” Spencer informed his co-worker.

“I think you’ve lost your marbles, Spencer. We’ve known each other all our lives. We played football together since we were kids. Why would I do that to you?”

Spencer waffled for a moment. He had wondered the same thing. Though they hadn’t been close, there had never been any bad blood between them. It seemed odd he would go to such lengths to frame him, not to mention he wasn’t the brightest guy to come up with such an elaborate scheme.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I always got the feeling you resented me being the first-string quarterback, but I wouldn’t think that would motivate you to do something like this.”

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” Bob stated with confusion. “Why do you think I’m involved?”

Molly pulled out a set of folded papers and handed them to Bob. “Because these emails are made from fake accounts linked to the IP at this address. We had someone look into it who is an expert at deciphering electronic footprints.”

Bob looked down at the papers and shuffled through them. His face turned white as he shook his head. “I’m not saying another word without an attorney present. It’s time for both of you to leave.”

“If we leave without getting to the bottom of this, we’re going to the police,” Molly warned. “The next time someone brings this up, they will be putting handcuffs on you.”

“We’ll just see about that,” Spencer heard Tiffany’s familiar voice say from behind all of them.

The group spun around to find her standing by the hallway to the back of the house, holding a gun in her hands. She was pointing it at them with a look of anger on her face.

“What are you doing, Tiffany? Why do you have my gun? Why are you pointing it at all of us?” Bob asked in bewilderment.

“I’m not pointing it at you, sweetie, just them,” she said, gesturing towards Molly and Spencer.

“I don’t understand what’s going on,” Bob stated, looking back and forth between everyone.

“It wasn’t supposed to go down like this. The plan was to kill two birds with one stone. I knew the reunion was coming up, and that it would be the perfect time to spring into action,” she said, coming up to Bob and pulling him over to her side. “I was doing all of this to get you the position you deserve. Once you were the senior public defender, we could go public with our relationship and start setting the stage for you to run for political office. I had plans for you to be the governor and for me to be the first lady of Washington.”

“Wait, what are you talking about, Tiffany? Sure, we’ve been dating for six months now, but I had no idea you had any of that in mind.”

Her face scrunched up in irritation. “You don’t think I want to be with a low-level public defender for the rest of my life, do you? I mean, if you’re going to be my second husband, it has to be a step up, not a step down. I knew you couldn’t do it on your own, so I made a plan to remove your competition,” she explained, gesturing to Spencer with the gun. “I figured Molly was the perfect person to send the evidence to by way of her boss. I knew you wouldn’t mind me using your computer to do it. She had a score to settle with Spencer from when we were all in high school. I knew she would be an easy target to convince he was corrupt. Plus, it didn’t hurt that I would be able to stick it to Spencer since he’s treated me so badly over the years.”

“Your plan didn’t work though, Tiffany. I found out the truth,” Molly pointed out. “All you’ve managed to do is bring us closer together.”

“I know,” Tiffany spat out, narrowing her eyes into slits. “I didn’t account for the fact you two might actually reconcile. It derailed my plans, but I had no idea you were smart enough to figure out where the emails came from.”

“Tiffany, it’s time to put down the gun,” Bob said, trying to coax her to comply, “before anyone gets hurt.”

She stepped back and shook her head. “Don’t you get it, Bob? It’s too late for that. They’re going to turn me in, and no one is going to believe I worked alone. Even if they do, this scandal will ruin your career. Neither one of us are going to walk away without being ruined.”

“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Bob said. “You have to turn yourself in, and then we’ll deal with the consequences.”

“No, there’s still a way out,” she said, shaking the gun at Molly and Spencer. “We get rid of them.”

Molly gasped as Spencer stepped in front of her.

Bob looked shocked by her suggestion, then he looked like he was contemplating his options. Finally, a complacent look settled on his face as he said, “I think you’re right, Tiffany. I don’t see any other way. I’ve worked too hard to have my life destroyed.” He reached out and touched the side of her face, “Plus, I love you, so there’s no way I’m letting you go to jail for trying to help me.”

“Ah, I love you too, sweetie,” Tiffany cooed, leaning over and placing a kiss on his lips, “which is why we have to do this. We can still be the king and queen of Washington if we play our cards right.”

Tiffany handed the gun over to Bob, who took it and kept it leveled at Molly and Spencer. He was steady and on high-alert, making it clear to Spencer, now wasn’t the time to try to make a move to disarm him.

“Head over to the far door. It’s time to go,” Bob barked at them. “We’ve got to go somewhere else to finish this. We’ll take my car.”

They both complied, too afraid to fight against Bob when he obviously knew what he was doing with the gun.

As the group stepped into the garage, he moved close to Molly and Spencer, pressing the gun into Spencer’s back.

“Tiffany, you’ll drive with Molly in the front next to you. I’ll sit in the back with Spencer, that way I can keep the gun on both of them.”

Everyone took their positions in Bob’s Ford Fiesta. As Tiffany pulled out of the garage, she asked, “Where are we going?”

“The lake,” Bob ordered. “It’s isolated, and we can dump the bodies in the water.”

“It’s never going to work, Bob. People will find out, and instead of going to jail for a couple of years, you’re going to spend the rest of your life behind bars.”

“Then we can make it look like a murder/suicide. Everyone will believe it since they know about your rocky past.”

A few minutes later, they arrived at the lake. Bob told them to get out of the car as he climbed out himself. Spencer knew if he didn’t do something soon, it would be too late. As he climbed out of the car, he watched for an opportunity to make his move. Silently, he sent up a prayer for God to help him.

“I really hate this, Spencer,” he said, keeping the gun pointed at him. “I’m not a bad guy, but I don’t see any other way out.”

“Stop apologizing to him, Bob. You’ve spent your whole life living in his shadow. Now it’s your turn to shine,” Tiffany coaxed. “We have this one little thing left to do, and then the world is our oyster.”

“You need to shut up, Tiffany,” Molly shouted, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “You’re the most scheming, despicable person I have ever known. What’s worse, is that you destroy everyone you’re with, including both of these men.”

“How dare you talk to me like that,” she screamed back at Molly. “Shoot her first, Bob, so I don’t have to hear another word out of her mouth.”

Bob moved the gun from Spencer to Molly, complying with Tiffany’s demands.

Spencer seized the moment, recognizing his chance to stop them. Like lightning, Spencer rushed towards Bob, tackling him to the ground. The gun went flying, landing in the dirt near the girls.

He knew he couldn’t get to the gun without letting Bob regain his composure, and if that happened, Spencer wouldn’t be able to best him, since he was taller and heavier. Subduing him would be the only way Molly and Spencer could survive this.

They wrestled on the ground for several moments, their positions changing constantly, both trying to get the upper hand. Spencer wildly threw punches, hoping any and all of them would land a crippling blow. He also felt several of Bob’s punches hit him in the ribs, the face, and chest. Spencer blocked out the pain, and focused on ending the fight.

A heartbeat later, Spencer’s fist connected with Bob’s nose. The cracking sound of the bone made it clear that it was broken, but the blood that spurted from the wound confirmed it.

Bob grunted, then slumped over on the ground. The fight had literally been knocked out of him.

Spencer heard commotion beside him, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Tiffany and Molly pushing each other, trying to get control of the gun that was currently in Tiffany’s hands.

Molly pulled back her arm, then let it fly towards Tiffany’s face. Her fist made contact with the other woman’s cheek, causing her to stumble backwards as she gripped the tender flesh with her hand.

“You hit me,” Tiffany shouted in shock, dropping the gun and grabbing her face. “I can’t believe you hit me.”

“It’s been a long time coming,” Molly stated, rushing to pick up the gun from the ground. “I should have done it ten years ago.”

Raising the gun at both Tiffany and Bob, Molly said, “This is over. Both of you, don’t move.”

Spencer stood up, moved over to the car, and leaned his back against it. He pulled out his phone and dialed 9-1-1. When the dispatcher picked up, he explained the situation. She informed him officers were in route.

Ten minutes later, two Bayfield police cars showed up. Four uniformed cops jumped out of the vehicles and made their way over to Molly and Spencer.

They handed the cops the gun, explained the situation, and handed over the evidence. The cops told them they would also send over forensics to collect any evidence at Bob’s house.

“Can we call anyone to come get you?” one of the officers offered.

“No, I can call my parents,” Molly stated, pulling out her phone and placing the call.

As Spencer watched one of the cars haul off Tiffany and Bob, he silently thanked God for protecting Molly and him. If anything had happened to her, he wouldn’t ever have recovered.

Spencer turned to Molly and gave her a relieved grin. “Can you believe it’s all over?”

Molly shook her head. “And to think, this whole time it was Tiffany who was behind the false allegations. I have to give her credit. She’s smarter than I thought.”

“Wickedly smart, and diabolical you mean,” Spencer corrected. “She’s a complete sociopath.”

“I think it’s years of never having any consequences. She got away with so many awful things while I knew her, I doubt it changed over the past ten. That kind of unchecked crazy only gets worse over time.”

“So true. I can’t believe she was seeing Bob this whole time, and no one knew. Not to mention, she got him wrapped around her little finger enough to get him to be okay with murdering two people.”

“Yes, what’s up with that?” Molly asked, with shock. “I mean, just so we’re clear, I’m not killing anyone for you.”

They both chuckled. Spencer wanted to tell Molly how much he cared, and how grateful he was for her help. Before he could get the words out though, Molly’s parents showed up.

“Are you all right?” her mother asked, rushing up to her and placing her hands on either side of her daughter’s arms. “I couldn’t believe what you told me over the phone. I always knew Tiffany was a horrible person because of what she did to you, but this is beyond anything I could ever imagine.”

“I know, Mom, but I’m okay,” she glanced over at Spencer, and added, “We both are.”

“And she didn’t get away with hurting you this time,” Molly’s father said as he came up to join them after talking to the cops. “She will finally get what’s coming to her for all the years of being an abusive bully to everyone around her.” Ken patted Spencer on the back as he added, “Thanks for protecting my little girl this time.”

Spencer shook his head. “It wasn’t me. Your daughter was the one who saved me. Not only out here on the lake, but also by finding out the truth of what Tiffany had been doing.”

“She’s fiercely loyal when she cares about someone,” her mother observed. “You should count yourself lucky she fought so hard for you.”

Molly glanced over at Spencer and a look of sadness crossed her face. “Can you guys take me home now? I’m really tired, and just want to rest.”

Her parents nodded.

“Can we give you a ride home, Spencer?” Molly’s mother offered.

He shook his head. “I texted my friend, Greg. He’s coming to pick me up.”

As Spencer watched Molly walk away, he realized they still had unresolved issues between them. He cared about her, but with everything going on, he hadn’t told her he still wanted to try to make a relationship work between them.

Considering how tired they were, it might be best to have that conversation tomorrow once they both rested. He didn’t want to accidentally do anymore damage by pushing a decision when they both had gone through such a trying ordeal. He would have plenty of time to tell Molly he was still in love with her.