8 weeks later...

"Well Miss Jones, everything looks well in order here. Your credentials are looking good, and once I have a thorough look through of everything myself, I will get back to you to see if you have got the job."

"Okay, thank you," Mariana said, rising out of her seat and patted down her turquoise business dress. She grabbed her bag off the marble floor and slowly walked out of the great office doors, with her heels clacked against the floor. She quickly left the building and then got out of her car, sighing and sweating as she opened the windows.

These past few weeks, she had been keeping her mind off Micah by looking for jobs around journalism to see if she could further her career. She had sent some emails out to some newspaper companies and was finally accepted an interview which she just had.

She drove to a cafe where she was going to meet Elena. She couldn't stop sweating as she repeatedly wiped her face while driving since this day was very hot.

When she reached the cafe, she parked her car and then went inside. The walls were painted with a pastel yellow, and the scent of lemon floated through the air. A small smile immediately appeared on her lips as she sauntered to the table in the middle, where Elena was seated with Rio in his cage.

"Hey girlie!" Elena cheerfully said to her. She pushed a slice of pie to her with whipped cream.

"Hey," Mariana responded quietly. She took the fork that was laid out on a napkin for her and took a bite. It was quite delicious and the berry taste was like a new experience for her dried-up tongue. She had not been eating normally since had completely lost her appetite, and either ate breakfast really late or have dinner near midnight.

"Thanks for getting me pie," Mariana said and taking small bites so she won't feel sick. She felt like she needed a treat after today.

"No problem. So did you get the job?" Elena asked, eagerly slapping her hands down on the table.

"Well, the interview went quite well and he said he'll get back to me soon so hopefully I got it." She shrugged and tried to remain optimistic about it. But her mind couldn't help rumbling like a thunder cloud on a gloomy day, and she kept thinking that she had failed her interview even though she answered all questions as best as she can.

"I'm sure you got it! You're one of the most hard-working people I know!"

"Heh thanks, even though that is a lie," Mariana said, a faint laugh escaped her lips, the first time she's genuinely felt laughter since the break-up. But inside she was still a broken soul, with a stinging, sharp pain that dominated her chest, making her wince. The thing that made this so unbearable was that she couldn't take any painkillers to relieve herself from it, because it was internal and it seemed like no amount of stitches could ever repair it.

"How are you, Rio?" Mariana rubbed Rio's ears through the metal door. She planned to take him to the vet later on for a checkup so she gave him to Elena to look after while she was at the interview.

Rio tried licking her fingers but she pulled away because she still needed to finish her food.

"Thanks for taking care of him Elena," she said.

"It's okay! I just want you to be happy and besides, he's so adorable!" Elena exclaimed and tickled Rio's cheek. He started purring softly to her touch so she kept rubbing him. "He was a bit naughty though, he kept meowing as he wanted to be let out and he even peed inside of there. The poor baby."

"Oh sorry about that, yeah he hates the cage, he always uses his leg to scratch me if I try to put him in there so I usually put the cage up and then put him in like that."

"That's a good idea." Elena nodded at her. "I let him out for a little bit to clean the mess and it was very difficult to put him back in, I think he almost an away from me, maybe next time, I'll try that."

"Sorry for giving you so much trouble with him." Mariana rubbed the back of her head with embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it, I won't mind babysitting him again if you asked me to!" Elena then took a bite with her slice of pie.

Mariana just put up a fake smile and finished her pie, feeling her good mood quickly diminish into a pit of sorrow, where darkness enclosed her at every corner, with no way out. It was hard putting up a mask to hide her true emotions, sometimes it was exhausting at times, but she didn't want Elena to worry too much, and she didn't want to be bothered with her feelings. She would prefer curling up in bed, crying it out, and eating ice cream.

She wiped her mouth and then got up while grabbing Rio's cage. "Bye Elena and thanks for everything.

"Bye!" Elena got up and squeezed her friend tightly, giving her support. Mariana could feel her love through the tightness of her hug and she really appreciated it.

Mariana came out, greeted with the pleasant touch of the sun, it made her skin feel warm, but it couldn't warm her broken heart, nothing could.

She let herself soak in the sun for a minute, making her tan glow since she decided to keep it for a bit longer. She really wanted to become a better version of herself so she can out of this mess like a shining jewel. She put Rio into the backseat and pulled the seat belt over his cage so it won't be tumbling everywhere.

She got into the car and was on her way. She hoped that she wouldn't have to wait too long until the vet saw Rio because she hoped to take him for a quick walk around the park to get a bit of fresh air before heading home.

She stopped in front of the vet and got Rio out. She could feel him moving inside his cage like he was trying to escape but she gripped onto the handle firmly so that she won't drop him.

Once she got into the waiting area, she walked into the dreary atmosphere of the people and their pets, and she settled Rio down as he scratched against the walls of his cage. She sat down next to a woman and her puppy as she got out her phone to pass the time quicker.

She went on Instagram and even though she knew she shouldn't be doing this, she decided to go on Micah's profile to see if he had been posting anything recently. His page was public and she kept swiping through his page, even though seeing him in pictures and what they used to be was hurting her, but she still stubbornly looking through.

There wasn't anything posted recently except a cocktail that was from three months ago. She sighed and then quickly went off in case she came across something unpleasant that she didn't want to see.

She went through her feed and lately, she's been following accounts that post emotional quotes and it was weird because they came upon her feed the exact time that she was experiencing that stuff. She saw one just now that actually touched her.

"I hope you know that you deserve it all. The best, the most honest, the most beautiful, and purest love in the world. Not only to be loved by others but to be loved by yourself. To look in the mirror and think 'yes, I'm exactly who I want to be.'" You deserve the nicest and most caring people to walk into your life. You deserve it all. The whole world. And you should never forget.

This quote made Mariana sniff violently in her seat. She was trying not to cry, but it felt like someone was sitting next to her, giving her a pat on the back, and telling her that everything will be alright, but when she looked to the side, there was no one.

When it was Rio's turn, she got his cage and then entered the vet's office.

"Hello Miss Jones, how are you and Rio today?" The vet asked a nice lady with a slim figure, with her brunette hair tied back in a ponytail.

"Yes, we're fine thank you." Mariana placed the cage down on the desk and allowed Rio out.

"Wow, he's getting so big." The vet looked around him, feeling impressed.

"Yeah, he's my big baby boy." Mariana smiled proudly at Rio and rubbed down his back.

"Well, let's take a look at him then." She put on some gloves and then gently started examining Rio's fur. "So how is he at home? Are there any changes in behavior? Eating habits?"

"Um so far so good, I've not really noticed anything different."

"Does he usually go outside? And if so, does he come back acting any different?"

"I let him go outside at times and he comes back fine I guess, except when he occasionally brings me a dead mouse," she mumbled the last part and looked down toward the floor.

"Ha okay."

When she started checking Rio's heartbeat, Mariana started thinking about what she was going to do after this. Park was definitely on the list as really felt like relaxing right now, not at home where she would be forced to remain with her thoughts, it would be better to be immersed in nature.

When the vet was all finished with Rio, Mariana put him back in his cage and the vet told her what she currently recommended for him and let her know when the next appointment will be. Mariana thanked her for everything and went out with her little baby.

When she got to her car, she fitted Rio in but opened the cage door to give him a kiss on the forehead. He was the only thing that was keeping her happy at the moment so she certainly didn't want anything to happen to him.

When she got inside her car, she went to a nearby park that had a small lake in an enclosed space. She took Rio out of his cage, and put on his vest harness and attached it to a leash. She put him on the ground and then locked her car.

"Come on Rio." She gently pulled him along as they started walking along the path. Rio's tail was high up, as he walked in front of her like he was royalty. Meanwhile, Mariana felt the cool breeze in her hair, she had a grin on her face as her head bobbed to the side. There weren't that many people there which she liked so she won't be disturbed.

When she reached the secret lake, she sat down in front of it, crossing her legs and cuddling Rio while looking into her reflection. There was no one around and she could hear the leaves of the trees whispering in the wind like they were voices from another world. It had suddenly gone chilly but the coldness that she felt, outweighed the frostiness that had seemed to freeze up any hope or happiness she had left.

Her face looked so dry and she seemed to have lost weight. Her eyes reflected her mental state, they looked like they have had enough and there was nothing for her to look forward to anymore. Her collarbone felt bare and incomplete without her mother's necklace, she seemed naked without it as it always completed her looks, herself, her whole being because she still had a part of her family, with her close to her heart but now that's gone and she doesn't feel like getting a replacement, especially when that necklace was specifically made for her mother.

Mariana looked into the water again, she forced her lips into a smile, hoping they will stay that way. If she just put her heart and mind to this, then she can get over it, it will just take some time and some Ben and Jerry's.

A/N: Hey I hope you enjoyed the chapter! It seems like our baby Mariana is doing pretty well🥰🥰🥰, sorta hehe.