Harry lets out a quiet sigh as he stares at Celia's sleeping body. Ever since he started the terms of the divorce that were set by Aurelia, he's been feeling a mixture of emotions that he hasn't felt in a long time. He still fairly sure that he wants to go through with everything, but something's holding him back. He's noticed lately that all he ever seems to do when he's with Celia is have sex with her. He doesn't necessarily have a problem with it, but he's also noticed how that's all she really wants.

When the affair first started, Celia had agreed to go on 'dates' with Harry, but they've been happening less and less. She seems more interested in having sex than spending time with him, and he's not sure how to feel about that now. He was so excited when this affair first started, he absolutely loved the attention that he got. He couldn't believe that someone like Celia wanted to be with him. He absolutely adored how small and thin her body was, as well as how well she responded to him.

As things progressed, he felt himself getting more more excited every time he saw Celia. It reminded him of the beginning of his relationship with Aurelia. It felt like he was young again, he felt like he could do anything. It was a weird feeling, and he misses that. If only he could turn back time and go back to how things were at the beginning of the affair, back when Celia was willing to go out with him and allow him to treat her to dinner or a movie. The only way he can really get her to go out with him on a date is if he promises to take her shopping or buy her something.

Sighing, Harry climbs out of the bed and put his clothes on. It's almost time for him to go to the penthouse and back to his broken family. Part of him is looking forward to it, but another part is scared. He's becoming very attached to his old life, right when he was so sure that he wanted to leave it behind. It's almost as if he's beginning to regret everything he's done, but he still sure that he wants to be with Celia. He loves her, not Aurelia--even though he's having doubts. The relationship with his secretary has gone from an emotional one to a physical one and he's not sure what to do about it.

"Harry?" Celia asks as she slowly begins to wake up. "Where are you going?"

"Home," Harry replies as he pulls his slacks on. "Don't give me that look," he says impatiently.

"I miss having you with me all the time," she pouts.

"Tough shit, Celia," he says harshly. "You have to suck it up if you want me to divorce my wife. These are her terms and I have to deal with it."

"I just feel like she's taking you away from me," Celia frowns. "You used to hold me after sex, but now you just lie beside me. I have to make the first move." Harry rolls his eyes at her obvious attempt to guilt trip him into staying.

"Look, do you want to be with me?" he asks impatiently.

"Yes, of course I do, but-"

"Then you need to deal with the fact that I have to spend time with my wife before I divorce her. This isn't for me or Aurelia. It's for our son so he doesn't get distracted from his exams," Harry interrupts. "I am leaving my family for you because I like you. Why isn't that enough for you now? What else could you possibly want from me?"

"I'm sorry," Celia sighs. "I just miss you."

"You miss my dick, not me," Harry mutters under his breath. It's quiet enough that she doesn't hear what he said, and the two fall silent. Harry reluctantly kisses Celia's forehead goodbye before leaving the apartment. His drive over to the penthouse is long because of the traffic, and when he finally gets there, he sees his wife and son fast asleep on the couch.

Fynn's head is resting in the crook of Aurelia's neck. Their hands are intertwined and Harry stares at the sight, suddenly feeling very sad. The feeling grows when he sees the mugs of hot chocolate. It's clear that whatever he missed when he was with Celia was another family bonding moment. He can see dried tear streaks on Fynn's cheek and sighs quietly. He picks up the empty mugs and carries them into the kitchen.

He officially feels like a stranger in his own home, but he knows he only has himself to blame for that. If he hadn't been so focused on spending time with Celia, he would have noticed that his family is slowly slipping away from him. He knows it's his fault, he knows that he's losing his son, and that's because of what he's done. He deserves all the blame in this, and he had always expected this to happen, but he hadn't expected it to hurt as much as it does right now. After he finishes washing the mugs, his phone buzzes, signaling that he has a new text.

Liam Payne: Styles!

Liam Payne: Cheryl and I are in New York and we'd love to see you and Aurelia. Are you two free tomorrow night?

Harry sighs quietly before thinking of a reply. He knows that if he refuses or says no, then those two will know that something's wrong. They're the couple that Aurelia and Harry would go on double dates with. They're pretty good friends, but they have no clue about what's going on.

Harry Styles: Yes, we should be free. I'll double check with Aurelia.

Harry Styles: Where were you thinking of eating?

Liam Payne: Jean Georges?

Harry Styles: No

Liam Payne: What? Why not?

Harry Styles: It's in Trump Tower, remember? There's no way in hell that we are eating there.

Liam Payne: You're right.

Liam Payne: What about Gramercy Tavern?

Harry Styles: Way better. We'll meet you two there at six thirty?

Liam Payne: Yes! We'll see you tomorrow night.

Harry puts his phone away and walks back out to where Aurelia and Fynn are. He sees his wife's eyes slowly open and he's surprised to see her smile ever so slightly. She carefully adjusts Fynn so he's lying on the couch and slowly gets up. She walks over to Harry and wraps her arms around his torso. He stiffens in surprise, not knowing what to do. Why is she suddenly hugging him?

"So uh, Liam and Cheryl have invited us to go eat with them tomorrow night," Harry says awkwardly.

"Oh, are they business partners of yours?" Aurelia asks as she pulls away.

"No, they're close friends of ours," Harry says with furrowed eyebrows. "They've had dinner with us countless times, remember?"

"Do they have a son?" Aurelia asks, trying to remember who these people are. "He was named something dumb, right?"

"Well, if you count 'Bear' as a dumb name, then yes," Harry says with a slight smile. "We're going to eat at Gramercy Tavern, we've been there a few times as well."

"Oh!" Aurelia exclaims. "I remember that restaurant. It's where you said that you were eating at for a 'business dinner' when in reality, you were out with Celia."

"Wait, how do you know that?"

"When Fynn was sick I decided to get some food and I saw you two there when I picked up the order," Aurelia says with a shrug as she begins to walk up the stairs. Harry watches with furrowed eyebrows as she misses several steps and collapses. He immediately rushes up to help her but she pushes him away. "I'm really sorry about that," she laughs nervously.

"Aurelia, what's going-"

"Oh right, I need to wake up Fynn. He'll have a sore back if he sleeps on the couch," Aurelia mutters to herself as she tries to stand. She nearly collapses again as her left leg refuses to move in any way. She struggles to keep her panic in check.

"I can go wake him up," Harry says hesitantly as he watches Aurelia struggle. He feels himself grow more worried as he watches her try to stand.

"That wouldn't be a good idea," she sighs. "Fynn doesn't want to talk to you right now."

"Did you tell him about the divorce?" Harry asks with a raised eyebrow. "I do believe that we agreed on not telling him about it."

"I didn't tell him about that, you can calm down," Aurelia snaps. She tries taking another step and is relieved to find that her body is responding this time. "You can go to bed now. I'll take care of our son, since that's what I've been doing for the past year while you've been fucking your secretary."

**** **** **** ****

"Aurelia, it's wonderful to see you again," Cheryl says with a wide smile as she goes to hug her friend. She immediately notices how Aurelia seems to tense up at her touch, but she doesn't comment on this. "How's Fynn doing?" she asks, deciding to change the subject.

"He's doing well," she replies with a tired smile. "Exams are soon, so he's been studying a lot."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Cheryl says kindly as she sits beside Liam. Her eyes narrow ever so slightly when Aurelia and Harry sit stiffly next to each other. Neither of them are acting in the way they used to and she subtly elbows Liam's side. He looks over at his wife before slowly moving his gaze over to couple sitting across from him.

Liam, like Cheryl, is able to tell that something is very wrong between his friends, but he also decides not to say anything. Instead, he orders a bottle of non-alcoholic sparkling apple cider, knowing all too well that Aurelia can't have any alcohol. The conversation between the two couples remain light and comfortable and while this happens, Harry is slowly warming up to the situation. He's feeling a lot more at ease now and he's beginning to remember what his life was like before everything happened. He's laughing along with whatever Liam is saying and he occasionally looks over and grins at Aurelia. He's oblivious to how she refuses to meet his gaze, or how she's getting more sad with each passing minute. He doesn't see the way she tries moving away whenever he puts his hand on her leg or when he playfully elbows her side like he used to.

While Liam talks with Harry, Cheryl is talking to Aurelia about how Bear's been doing. She continues watching her friend and sees how she's progressively getting more distant. She's actually picked up on how withdrawn Aurelia has become and she's starting to suspect that not everything is perfect in the Styles/Bristow household. Cheryl can't help but wonder if Fynn's been able to pick up on what's happening with his parents. She knows that he's a very perceptive child, so she wouldn't be surprised if he suspects something.

Cheryl wants to ask Aurelia what's going on between her and Harry, but she knows that she shouldn't. If the couple wants to tell them what's going on, they will. She won't force them to answer, and she doesn't want to hear them possibly say 'we're getting a divorce'. When desert comes, Aurelia suddenly begins to shiver, her body temperature goes from warm to very cold. She drops her spoon abruptly and quickly puts her thin coat on. It takes several long minutes for the feeling to pass and she relaxes ever so slightly.

"So, we haven't really asked, but how've you two been?" Liam asks, finally deciding to ask the question that's been on his and Cheryl's mind. Both Aurelia and Harry hesitate before answering.

"We're doing great," Harry says.

"We're getting a divorce, actually," Aurelia interjects before he can say anything else. Almost immediately, Harry, Liam and Cheryl stare at her with wide eyes. "Sorry, I just didn't really feel like beating around the bush."

"You...what?" Cheryl asks as she covers her mouth with her hands. She had really hoped that nothing was wrong between Aurelia and Harry, or, they were just having an innocent fight.

"Due to...irreconcilable differences, we have agreed to get a divorce," Aurelia says, ignoring the look that Harry's giving her. "It's not ideal, but shit happens."

"What about Fynn?" Liam asks, feeling a rush of sadness. It takes Aurelia a few moments to realise that he's referring to custody, and she hesitates before answering.

"That's something we haven't decided yet."

"We are not really sure if we'll actually go through with the divorce though," Harry says hastily, causing Aurelia to glare at him.

"Well, I know that I want the divorce," she snaps. "Don't you dare back out of this now that you've finally decided to grow a heart."

"Excuse-"

"Check please!" Cheryl and Liam say at the same time. They raise their hands up to get the waiter's attention and the other couple shut their mouths, determined to not fight until they get home. Liam and Cheryl say goodbye to their friends, feeling a little uncomfortable. As they sit in their car, they both take in a collective breath. It absolutely breaks Cheryl's heart to know that her two friends are getting divorced. She was so sure that if any couple could make it, it would be them.

Harry and Aurelia were so in love, and she would never have expected them to break up. She can remember when The two of them would look at each other with nothing but love in their eyes. She doesn't know what went wrong, but she has a feeling that it had something to do with Harry, because of the way Aurelia was interacting with him earlier. While Cheryl contemplates what went wrong, Liam's quietly drives home feeling sad. The selfish part of him hopes that he'll still be able to see both Harry and Aurelia, but deep down he knows that he'll have to choose one. Even though he was Harry's friend first, he would probably choose to spend his time with Aurelia because of her personality and just because of how kind she is.

When Liam and Cheryl get home they both go to the nursery where they see Bear sleeping in his crib. The babysitter that they hired is sitting nearby in an armchair. She looks up and smiles at them and leave a few minutes later after she gets paid. The two holder baby tightly, and hopes that nothing goes wrong with them. They only wish that they knew what had happened, so they wouldn't make the same mistakes.

**** **** **** ****

"What the actual fuck was that?!" Harry asks once he gets home with Aurelia. "Why the fuck would you tell them that we were getting divorced?" She turns to look at him with a cold expression.

"Because it's the truth," she replies. "You wanted the divorce, so I'm giving it to you."

"Yeah, well, maybe..."

"Don't you dare start having second thoughts," Arelia snaps. "You don't get to have that luxury, not when you started all of this. You are the one who wanted to have the divorce, you are the one that decided to cheat."

"Stop-"

"I'm not the piece of shit that decided to stick his dick inside a young girl because his wife was sick. I'm not the one who decided to throw everything away for a few quick fucks," she seethes. "Since I couldn't convince you to change your mind about the divorce, you don't get to change mine. I want this, and it will happen. You don't need me anymore, just as I don't need you."

"When did I say I didn't need you?" Harry scoffs. "I never said that." Aurelia lets out a quiet snicker before turning around and walking into the kitchen. He follows after her feeling annoyed.

"You said you didn't need my money, dumbass," she says as she pours herself a glass of water. "That also means you don't need me anymore. Which is quite shitty considering how you needed my money eighteen years ago. Yes, I helped you because I wanted to, but you seem to have forgotten that without my help, you wouldn't be where you are today. You could still be on the streets, stealing from unsuspecting women. Your family could be dead, you could be dead. You seem to have forgotten everything that I've done for you, and all I've ever asked for was for you to love me. Which I don't think you ever did."

"When are you going to realise that I did love you?" Harry snaps. "I loved you so much, and yes, I cheated, but shit-"

"Don't you fucking dare say shit happens. You didn't just happen to stick your dick in Cecilia. You did on purpose. Fucking own up to what you've done. Be a fucking man and realise that you've ruined this family because you were bored and craved attention."

"Stop yelling, Aurelia," Harry says as he struggles to keep his frustration in check. "I don't want Fynn to hear any-"

"Oh, so now you care about him," Aurelia snarls.

"I don't appreciate what you're implying," Harry says through gritted teeth. "I care about him."

"If you care about him, then why did it take this divorce for you to pay attention to him?" Aurelia says with a raised eyebrow. "You've been pushing him to the side for the past year. You've spent more time with your fucking mistress than him and that's something I'm not sure I can forgive you for. You were even late to his birthday. I don't even care that you missed mine, but your son? How could you do that to him?"

"I said I was sorry," Harry mumbles, ashamed.

"The time will come when a pitiful 'sorry' isn't enough, Harry," Aurelia says coolly. "Work on fixing your relationship with your son because you're running out of time. I've learned to live without you, but he hasn't. If you waste any more time, it will be too late and you'll regret everything you've ever done to him."

"Aurelia-"

"We are getting this divorce, Harry. Nothing you say will convince me to change my mind. You asked for this, and you don't get another chance. You fucked everything up."

[•]•[•]•[•]•[•]

a/n: there are two chapters left (including the epilogue, so buckle up y'all).

Also, I'm pretty sure at this point that I will never love anything as much as I love my dog, and I'm 100% okay with that.