Leo awoke from his drunken stupor. The beer from last night was followed with shots of vodka. He now found himself with a dull ache penetrating his head. Slowly, he got up and tried to regain his senses. He walked around to check if Marlene was present. He got to their bedroom.

"Marlene?" he called out.

The house felt strangely empty. 

Leo had an idea and decided to check her closet. As he shoved it open, an empty space was all he saw. Not any of Marlene's clothes were to be found.

In short, she left without saying goodbye.

Leo shut the closet door tightly. His eyes shifted to the dresser top to his left, and found a folded paper. Maybe this was a note. He took hold of it and as he opened it, he recognized his wife's handwriting.

"Leo, I can't wait for the divorce papers anymore. I decided to go away without certainty of coming back. I don't know if we'll still be together at the end of this all or not. But for now, please set me free. Let's think this over without being together.-Marlene"

His fists tightened, crumpling the note and then throwing it on the floor. Leo buried his head in his hands. Anguish filled him. This was all his fault. If only he didn't met Dana, if only he made more effort to fix his marriage, then all of these wouldn't have happened.

Leo loved both of them, but in different ways.

Marlene was his long-time friend and lover. Dana came unexpectedly into his life, and he learned to love her also. She was the warmth that melted the winter in his heart. She made him hope and love again. Yes, he did loved that young girl. But losing her made him realize that their blossoming love is not meant to last for long. He realized what really mattered in his life.

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The next weeks went by in a daze for Leo. Everything felt like routine now: wake up, go to work, eat, breathe, and sleep. He never saw Dana anymore after that fateful day, while Marlene refused to keep in touch with him. He wondered where his wife was, whether she was at a friend's house or drove endlessly to some obscure town somewhere. One thing's for sure, she doesn't want to be reached.

Leo had never felt so alone in his life. It was hard to say goodbye without knowledge of why they left. No, they just deserted him without saying goodbye and a valid reason for leaving. He lost both of them. 

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Leo got drunk by himself on a Friday night. He stayed in an uncrowded pub in a back-alley and drank away until the bartender told him it was closing time. Leo grudgingly gathered himself and left. He walked unsteadily without direction. He just found himself at the usual bus stop where he used to meet Dana.

He slumped on one of the seats underneath the bus shade, his head leaning on a wall. He had never drank a lot since his college days. His whole world was spinning, and he fell asleep all of a sudden.

Later on, he awoke to the feeling of someone nudging him. Leo squinted and tried to know who it was. When his vision got clearer, the sight of Dana beside him, looking at him with concern.

"Leo?"

"Oh..." he mumbled, sitting up straight. "Da... Dana, what brings you here?" He got that drunken headache once again.

"I just came from a friend's party and happened to walk by here, when I caught sight of you," she replied softly. She eyed his drunken condition. "What are you doing with yourself, Leo?" Until now, he still had that hold over her.

Leo couldn't help himself anymore and wept. He spilled everything, from his feelings with Dana, to his wife leaving him. Dana just listened intently and hugged him despite her broken heart and not yet getting over him.

"I'm sorry, this all happened because of me," she said.

"Don't blame yourself," Leo assured her. "Things happen. I think it's my fault. I should have been loyal to my wife, instead of using you as a solution to our marital problems. Falling in love with someone else isn't the answer if you're not in love with your partner anymore."

"But I think you still love Marlene," Dana whispered, stroking his head. "And I accept the fact that we're not meant to last for long. That helped me started the peace I must create between us."

They stayed still for a long time until the wee hours of the morning, just sitting beside each other and not talking. Dana let Leo sleep on her shoulder. Everything was revealed now, and this can start the healing among the three of them.

But first...

"I'll find your wife," Dana suggested as Leo looked up at her.

"I don't even have any idea where she is, what more with you?" he stated doubtfully.

"Trust me," she firmly stated. "Give me your wife's name, and any wild guesses of where she could be."

(To be continued)

A/N: Sorry for the lousy update. Hoped this goes well. Thank you.

Song-"Trying To Say Goodbye" (Neil Sedaka)