As Evelyn saw Rayna off to her car a couple of hours later, Rayna turned to her with a serious expression. "If you ask me, Evelyn, I think instead of just sitting back and waiting for Derek to handle Sandra and Michael, you should be more proactive. Are you really going to relax when you know they're fighting you? You should stand up and fight back. Give them blow for blow," she said, and Evelyn sighed.

"Do you think I haven't thought about it, or that I don't want to? I would like to, but I have to think about Samantha."

"You're hiding behind Samantha, Evelyn," Rayna said, and Evelyn frowned.

"Yes, but—"

"Where is the Evelyn who poured wine on Sandra at the party? Of all you told me today, that was the most impressive part. I liked that you didn't stand there helplessly crying and trying to defend yourself. I liked that you acted like the bitch who tried to paint you as such. Can you imagine how shocked she must have been when you did that?" Rayna asked, and Evelyn smiled, remembering the shock on Sandra's face.

"She did look really shocked," Evelyn said, and Rayna giggled.

"Exactly! That's what I think you should do, Ev. Stop being the calm and mature girl. It's annoying and irritating. Fight back! Use Derek. Take him from her. Let her know that you have Derek in your power, and he is yours. Let her know how it feels to be on the receiving end," Rayna said passionately as they stood by her car. "Samantha is your hidden card, Ev. She's not a disadvantage; she's an advantage. Apart from Derek's interest in you, Samantha is the edge you have over Sandra. Your daughter is your strength. Do you think anyone could use that against you? The story that you were with a lover will become useless when everyone knows it was Derek."

"But I don't want my business out there that way," Evelyn said, and Rayna groaned in exasperation.

"You're frustrating me, Evelyn! In life, you have to fight for what you want. Life isn't going to just throw handouts at you. You want Derek? Then don't let Sandra have him. Show Derek that you want him. Stop pushing him away. If he's fighting for both of you, the least you can do is be more receptive to his feelings, especially since you feel the same way," Rayna said, and Evelyn sighed as she contemplated Rayna's words.

"Do you really think it's right? I mean, my being with Michael's cousin!" she asked, and Rayna rolled her eyes.

"Do you think it's right that Michael is with your step-sister? You haven't done anything wrong. You haven't done anything to be ashamed of. I think you should throw out that 'good and mature' Evelyn and be as brazen as Sandra is. Don't just avoid trouble by being on the defensive anymore. You should be on the offensive now. Be the bad bitch!" Rayna said, and Evelyn giggled.

"You're a bad influence, Ray," Evelyn said, and Rayna nodded.

"Yep. The exact kind of influence you need to deal with Sandra. She's gotten away with her nonsense for long enough. It's time for you to give her a taste of her own medicine. I get that you haven't told your parents about it yet because you don't have any evidence, but you won't have any evidence if you keep minding your business this way. Join forces with Derek," Rayna advised.

"Ray, why are you talking about this now? I mean, we were indoors for over four hours talking and watching TV, but you didn't say any of this," Evelyn said, and Rayna nodded.

"I was thinking about it the whole time, and I was also scared that I might raise my voice and Samantha would hear us," she explained. "Listen, Ev, for Samantha's sake, you need to fight Sandra head-on. Do you have any idea how much damage Sandra can do to your reputation if she finds out about Samantha before you reveal her yourself? Don't give that snake anything to use against you."

"Alright. I've heard you. I will think about all you've said," Evelyn promised.

"You had better. I'll keep an eye on the snake, don't worry," Rayna promised, embracing Evelyn before getting into her car.

Evelyn stood there, smiling and waving at Rayna until her car disappeared from view, and then Evelyn sighed deeply as she returned inside. Evelyn had never felt more relieved in the past six years than she felt now that she knew she could lean on someone as dependable as Rayna. For the rest of the day, all Evelyn could think about was the need to be on the offensive now. Kayna had advised her to be more proactive. She had been calm long enough. To protect Samantha

Later, ready to go to bed after tucking Samantha in, her phone rang, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw it was Derek. She smiled. "Why do you think so?"

"You sound so… happy. Did something good happen?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Sort of. How are you doing?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Did you just ask how I'm doing? Or were you trying to ask why I called?" Derek asked in disbelief.

This time, Evelyn laughed softly, amused by Derek's reaction to her easygoing demeanor.

"I don't know what happened to brighten your mood, but I hope whatever it is happens every day going forward," he said, and she rolled her eyes playfully.

"I guess you're fine then," she noted.

"Yeah. How was your day? Did you go out?" Derek asked conversationally.

"No. I was indoors all day. Rayna visited, and we just hung out," Evelyn said, and Derek smiled, enjoying the flow of the conversation.

"Talking about Rayna, Ethan told me he ran into her yesterday. She owns a bakery," Derek said, and Evelyn giggled.

"Yeah. You should ask him to calm down, though. Ray made an honest mistake. He shouldn't hate her for it. And the least he can do is give her a chance to apologize," Evelyn said, and Derek sighed.

"Sure. I'll let him know. And I didn't call to talk about them," he said, and Evelyn smiled.

"Why did you call then? Called to tell me about another date with Sandra?" She asked, and Derek scowled.

"I wanted to see you yesterday. I missed you so much and wanted to see you. But you won't believe what happened," he said, and she raised an eyebrow.

"What happened?" she asked, suspecting that he wanted to tell her about Samantha.

"I decided to hang around the park in your area, and luckily, I reconnected with a little friend of mine. Can you believe it!" Derek exclaimed.

"What little friend?"

"Her name is Sam. Samantha. She's the cutest, smartest, and sweetest kid I've ever met," Derek said, and Evelyn's heart fluttered.

He really thought Samantha was all of that? She mused.

"You must adore her," Evelyn said, and Derek chuckled.

"Absolutely. I had no idea how much I missed her until I saw her yesterday. I'll introduce you to her one of these days. We agreed to meet on Saturdays when I'm free," he said, and Evelyn winced when she heard how excited he sounded.

"I don't think her parents are going to want strangers meeting up with their kid," Evelyn said, wanting to prepare his mind for the disappointment ahead.

She knew that, following Rayna's advice, she was supposed to tell Derek about Samantha. But now was not the time. She was not ready yet, and even if she was, it wasn't going to be a phone conversation.

"Well, she did say her mom knows about me. So, I don't think I will be considered a stranger. I miss you, Evelyn," Derek suddenly said, causing butterflies to flutter in her belly.

"I know you miss me too, even though you won't say it," Derek said when she didn't say anything.

"I miss you, too," Evelyn whispered, and before Derek could respond or react, she quickly hung up.