Two weeks have passed and Alec's actually been home every day of the week. Sometimes he gets home a little late from work, but it's never as late as it used to be. He's been spending time with Ember and getting to know the daughter that he practically abandoned for four years, and Mary thinks that things have finally turned a corner.

Today's Friday and Mary's off for the day, so she decides to surprise Alec with lunch because it's been a long time since she's done something like that and she wants to do something nice for him.

She hasn't been trying too hard with her appearance lately because she really wants to make sure that he's in love with her and not the makeup that she puts on her face. Elena's beautiful, she's seen the pictures in his phone more than once and she knows that's part of the reason he was with her in the first place.

Alec's always had a thing for beautiful women and Mary knows that she's not as pretty as she was when she was eighteen, but she should still be pretty in his eyes and he should see that instead of the makeup that she puts on to look nice at work and to boost her confidence.

Today is a little different though and she puts on a little eyeliner and mascara before she heads out the door. She doesn't want to show up at his work looking like she just got out of bed, even though she did spend a few hours in bed reading a book and listening to some soft music.

While she's in the car, she blasts her music and sings off key, dancing every now and then and singing along with the instruments when there's a break in vocals. This is the first day off that she's had where she's actually having fun and not just sulking around the house and crying over romance novels.

It finally feels like she's fixing her marriage and it's the greatest feeling in the world because she's managed to keep something that she thought that she lost. Alec works about forty-five minutes away from home, so she has a lot of time to herself in the car and she's glad that she can enjoy it this time.

The drive feels a whole lot shorter than it actually is and she's at the restaurant in no time, ordering Alec's favorite thing on the menu and waiting patiently for it to come out of the kitchen. Stella's is a pretty popular place, but it's family owned and Mary loves that about the restaurant. The owners always make it a point to make rounds around the dining room and to chat with customers about their meals and just about anything that comes to mind.

Arabella's around today and when she sees Mary standing up front and waiting on a takeout order she practically runs over. Arabella is Stella's daughter, Stella and Frank own the restaurant and take care of everything while Arabella works as one of the waitresses.

She likes waitressing because she likes talking to people and seeing new faces and Mary is one of her favorite customers. Arabella's about eighteen now and she looks so much different than she did when Mary last saw her four years ago.

Mary remembers the acne that dotted her face and the small gap between her teeth that was still in the process of closing. So much has changed in four years and she feels bad that she hasn't stopped by to see her in any of that time. Arabella considers Mary a close friend and even a role model and she feels like she's let her down.

But she's here now and she's so happy to see the smile on Arabella's face when she makes her way over to where she's standing.

Arabella throws her arms around Mary and holds her tightly, "You're here! Oh, I've missed you so much!"

Mary laughs and hugs her back, "I've missed you too, Arabella. How have you been!?"

She pulls away and Mary's still smiling like she's just won the lottery. It's been so long since they've seen each other and Arabella has so many stories to tell her and she doesn't know where to start.

"I've been great! I graduate this year and there's so much going on, it's crazy! But it's so fun and so exciting! What about you? What have you been up to all this time? How's Ember? I miss seeing that sweet little girl around here!"

Mary smiles and shakes her head, "Not too much, I'm afraid. Alec and I were having a little trouble for a while so I was mostly going to work and taking care of Ember. We're working things out right now and it's going really well, so maybe we'll be in a little more often. Ember's great, she's got a new teacher that she loves and so many friends at school that she hardly ever wants to leave. She's growing up so fast, I really wish she would just slow down, you know?"

Arabella doesn't know what she means first hand because she doesn't have a child of her own, but she understands what she means because her parents went through that with her and tell her all the time that they wish time could just slow down because she's their little girl and now she's all grown up.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I'm glad that things are working out though, you two are so cute together. That's great! I know what you mean, what's she look like now? She was so adorable as a baby and it was always hard to tell who she was going to really take after."

Mary digs her phone out of her purse and pulls up a photograph of her and Harry in class. It's from the day that she won the most enthusiastic award and she's so proud and happy that Mary can't bring herself to delete the photo even though Alec has asked her to because it has Harry in it.

His smile is so nice and he's so cute and Mary can't help but to stare at him while she's showing Arabella what Ember looks like now. She misses him so much, especially at night when she's falling asleep because that's when they used to talk for hours. He's so sweet and she feels bad for thinking about him right now, but she also feels terrible for the position that she's put him in.

But she has to ignore those feelings because Alec's actually trying and she can't have feelings for someone who's not her husband, even though she does and she wants to act on them so badly because she has a feeling that Alec is going to screw up soon.

"Aw, she's so cute! Who's that behind her? Is that her teacher?"

Mary blushes and she hopes that it's hidden by the low lighting and that Arabella doesn't notice. "That's her teacher, his name's Harry. He watches her a little longer for me when we can't pick her up on time."

"Is he single?"

Her question has both of them laughing and Mary shakes her head, "He's a little caught up with someone right now. But, he's too old for you anyway Bella! What would your mother think!?"

She's joking and Arabella shrugs her shoulders, her smile bright. "Can't blame a girl for trying."

Another waitress that she doesn't know brings her food out and Mary frowns because she doesn't want to go just yet. "I've got to get this to Alec before it gets cold, but I promise that I'll come in soon to catch up with you! It was so great to see you again, Bella. Tell your parents that I said hello!"

Arabella hugs her one last time before she leaves, "You too! I will, but only if you tell Ember and Alec that I said hello!"

Mary laughs as she opens the door with one hand, "Will do! Goodbye Bella, I'll see you soon!"

"You too!"

Mary's smiling from ear to ear by the time that she makes it into her car. She can't believe how much Bella's grown up and how much she misses this place. It slipped her mind because of her heartbreak and her constant schedule of take Ember to school, work, and pick up Ember, and she can't wait to go back.

She's practically jumping with excitement when she makes it to Alec's building. She's happy to see him and to surprise him with his favorite food and she's happy because she got to catch up with an old friend.

It takes her a second to get out of the car because she's also a little nervous. Alec used to love it when she brought him surprise lunches, but she feels like she hardly knows who he is anymore and she's not sure that he'll be happy to see her.

Mary's not even halfway up the walkway when she sees them. Her feet stop walking before the thought registers, her lungs give out, and her heart feels like it's just been smashed with a sledgehammer.

She can't breathe and she can't seem to look away either. Tears cloud her vision as she watches Alec make out with Elena and basically dry hump her on the side of the building. She can't believe that she fell for his trap again and she hates herself for it.

A few people inside the building are staring at her but Mary can't seem to make herself move. The little bubble of happiness that she's been in for two weeks has just burst and she feels so much worse because she actually believed him. She actually believed him when he said he ended things with Elena and she actually believed him when he said that he still loved her and that he wanted to try to fix their marriage.

She feels so fucking stupid.

A choked sob leaves her throat as the tears finally fall. She can't watch this anymore, can't be here anymore.

The takeout bag falls from her hand and hits the pavement with a dull smack. Alec and Elena don't hear it, but the sound is loud in Mary's ears, amplified by the pounding of her heart and the screaming of her lungs, telling her to take a breath before they stop functioning.

She practically runs to the car and slams the door. Mary tries to calm down and take deep breaths, but she can't stop her erratic breathing and the pain in her heart only seems to get worse with each growing second.

Mary closes her eyes and leans her head against the steering wheel. Her chest heaves and quiet sobs pass her lips every now and again. The steering wheel is soaked with tears and she's practically gasping for air.

This isn't helping and she knows it, but it's something that she can't help even though she's trying her best to calm down so that she can make the drive home. Twenty minutes pass before she's able to steady her breathing and keep her tears at bay, for the time being anyway.

The drive back feels longer than ever and, as soon as she gets home, Mary heads upstairs and crawls into bed. She's trying so hard not to think about what she saw and she's trying so hard not to cry. The soft blankets are comforting, but they also hurt because she can smell his cologne in the sheets and it's not helping at all.

She used to love the smell, but now she hates it and the man that wears it. After a while it becomes too much for her to handle and she ends up washing the sheets, the blankets, and the pillowcases. It's something to keep her busy and to keep her mind away from crying, but it's also something that she needs to do if she's going to let him go.

While the sheets are being washed, she finds some boxes in the garage and heads back upstairs to start packing Alec's things. Enough is enough and she knows that he's not going to change. He's just going to keep lying to her and letting her down and she's tired of feeling the pain in her chest.

It hurts like hell to pack his things up because he's been her entire world for as long as she can remember, but she meant it when she said one last chance and he blew it all on his own. She's not sure what she's going to tell Ember, but she can't do this anymore and Ember shouldn't have to be in the middle of it either.

She doesn't get everything packed before she has to pick Ember up, but that's okay because she has time to do it later and she's certain that Alec won't be home tonight because she dropped the bag in the middle of the parking lot and he would know that she was there.

On the way over to the school, she makes an appointment with an attorney that Claire recommended when she told her that she found out Alec was cheating on her. It's not for another few days, but that's fine because she needs some time to figure out what to tell her daughter and what she wants out of the divorce.

Harry flashes her a dazzling smile when she walks into the room, but she doesn't have it in her to return a genuine smile even though she wants to. He knows that something's wrong and, even though there are a few other parent's picking up their children and wanting to speak with him, he excuses himself to make sure that she's alright.

Ember's getting her things and it looks like Mary's in a hurry to get out of there. Her eyes are puffy and her hair's a little messy and he knows that she's been crying and he knows that it's because of Alec.

"Hey, what happened?"

She won't meet his eyes because she knows that, if she does, she'll lose it and she refuses to cry in her daughter's classroom.

"I'd rather not talk about it right now." Her eyes are watering as she thinks about it and she just wants to get out of there because she knows that she'll end up crying in front of him and drawing him into her mess of her life again.

She doesn't want to put him in the middle of the divorce, it's better this way, even if he can mend her broken heart.

Harry frowns, but he doesn't push her to talk about it now. If she wants to tell him, she'll tell him eventually and he has to respect that, especially because she hasn't told him that they can talk like they used to, like they're friends.

"Okay. Call me if you need anything, I'll be there if you need me."

Mary nods and wipes her eyes, a soft spoken 'okay' passing her lips before Ember runs over and takes her hand.

"I'm ready to go, mommy!"

Mary smiles and gives Ember's hands a gentle squeeze, "Okay, sweetie. Let's go home."

Ember smiles up at her teacher, "Bye Mr. Styles!"

Harry smiles down at her, dimples disappearing into his cheeks. "Bye Ember, I'll see you on Monday!"

Mary practically runs out of the building and Harry wishes that he could run after her and figure out what's going on because he hates to know that she's upset. But he can't because he's working and there are still eight children in his classroom.

When they get home, Mary makes the beds and tells Ember that she's not feeling too well. Ember gives her a hug and tells her that she'll stay in her room and play with her dolls so that she can hear her and know that she's alright.

Mary kisses her cheek and thanks her, all the while wondering how, when, and what she's going to tell her about her daddy. Ember leaves the room and Mary sinks into the mattress, her eyes staring up at the ceiling.

She's looked at this ceiling so many times and it's never changed a single bit. It's a sad reality as she thinks about it because so much has changed since they bought this house, but the house has always stayed the same. And that's because she listened to Alec. He didn't think it needed to change at all and she agreed with him because she loved him and as long as it was theirs it was perfect.

But it's not perfect and neither are they. She hates the white walls and the dull accents and she hates the lack of life that she's put into her home.

As she lays there and stares at her plain ceiling, she starts thinking about Harry and how she pushed him away earlier and when Alec started to pretend like he was trying. She misses him so much and she's tired of staying away from him because he's her friend, even if he does have feelings for her and she has feelings for him.

Mary's done pushing him away and she decides to send him a message in hopes that he'll want to talk to her too.

Harry: I'm sorry about earlier, and everything really. Can we talk?

Not even a minute passes before he's calling her. A small smile teases her lips as she answers.

"I miss you."

They say at the same exact time and Mary smiles while Harry chuckles lightly. He doesn't say anything else because he wants her to speak her mind and it's only polite to let her speak first.

"I'm not happy, Harry. I thought I was for these past two weeks, but he's just been stringing me along again. He's still seeing Elena. I saw them today when I went to surprise him with lunch while he was at work. I feel like such an idiot and what's crazy is that I miss you so much and I've kept you in the friend zone this entire time."

He doesn't know what to say, but he doesn't get a chance to say anything either because Ember's walking into the room and telling her mother that she's hungry.

Mary tells him that she has to go, but she thanks him for listening and says that she'll talk to him later. He tells her goodbye and that he hopes that she feels better. Mary puts on a brave face for Ember and makes her dinner and helps her with her homework.

Ember's excited because her birthday is coming up and she's overjoyed because her mommy said that she can have a party and whatever she wants. She talks about all of the people she wants to invite, what she wants to have at her party, the theme that she wants, and the presents that she's hoping to get. And, for a moment, Mary's happy and she totally forgets about Alec and the divorce that she's getting ready for. Everything is fine for a moment because Ember is happy and that's all she wants for her daughter.

But, once Ember goes to bed, that happiness fades into heartbreak again and Mary doesn't know what to do with herself. Alec doesn't make it home by the time that he told her he got off of work and she knows that he's with Elena and that he's probably not coming home tonight.

And she doesn't want him to either. She doesn't want to see him, doesn't want to tell him that she's kicking him out and that she's going to file for divorce.

She's fine sitting in the silence for a while, reflecting on her thoughts and figuring out what she's going to do when she makes Alec leave. It feels good to come up with this great speech in her head, to make a plan to stick it to him and make him realize that she means it this time, that it's over between them for good.

But then the sadness creeps back in and she can't hold in how she feels anymore, even though she hates crying so much over a man that doesn't even love her.

She lays down on her bedroom floor. It feels like she's broken somewhere in her brain. The chemicals that control her love don't seem to be working anymore. She's tried her best to mend what she didn't break, but it hurts her chest.

She's drowning in her tears, drowning in lost love, and she's suffocating. Claire is right, she's done this to herself, but how can she give up on someone that used to easily make her heart melt? How can she step away from twelve years of both the best and the worst times of her life? How can she take away her daughter's father?

And now she's sobbing with her knees held to her chest and her hand covering her mouth because she's made it to the cliff and she wants to jump to alleviate the pain. Ember is down the hall, sleeping soundly in her bed and Mary hopes that she doesn't wake and join her instead.

There's a bottle of red wine and a bottle of antidepressants beside her. Her hands tremble and her body shakes. She's terrified of her thoughts, terrified that she'll do something wrong and do more harm than good, terrified that she'll harm the man that's done everything wrong.

Everyone is asleep and she's in the middle of the floor, wondering if it's worth it anymore. Her sun has gone and gotten lost behind the clouds, and her star isn't bright anymore because she knows that the moon isn't as high as it used to be.

She wonders if she deserves this. If, maybe, she's done something wrong. Maybe she didn't give him enough attention. Maybe she didn't tell him that she loved him as much as she should have. Maybe she just wasn't enough even though he was always enough for her.

It hurt to breathe whenever he was around and if she didn't get out soon she would asphyxiate and her little star would quickly fade into the night in her wake.

The phone vibrates on the dresser. She's afraid to read the note on her screen because she knows its him. It's always him this late at night and she knows that he isn't coming home. He's with her and he's giving away the love that's supposed to be meant for her.

Her fingers tremble as she pulls them from over her mouth and gently pulls the charger toward herself. The phone tumbles from the table and hits the carpeted floor with a dull thud. Mary wipes her eyes and holds her breath as she retrieves the device and unlocks the screen. She knows what's coming, but she can't help the fact that her heart is still attached to its source of misery.

Alec: Won't be home tonight, something's come up at work.

She doesn't know why he bothers to lie to her anymore, doesn't understand it really. Maybe some part of him still cares for her and he wants to tape her heart together instead of shattering it completely. Or maybe he just doesn't want to feel guilty and, if he tells her lies that he can make himself believe are true, he won't feel even half of what she's going through.

Her fingers hover over the keypad, desperate to say something but not knowing at all what to say. There are so many things that she wants to say to him, so many things that she'd already said aloud and that she'd talked herself into saying to make sure he knew how much he'd hurt her, how much he was still hurting her. But it was pointless. He doesn't want to listen and he hardly even cares. She's just wasting her breath like he's wasting her time.

Mary exits the screen and is brought back to her text screen. She stops there and stares at Harry's contact until her eyes start to blur again. He told her to call him if she ever needed anything or wanted to talk, but she'd never taken up that offer. It had been months since he walked right into her life and, even though they'd spent a lot of time together, she doesn't know if it's alright to bother him with her broken marriage and her shattered heart.

Her heart knows what it wants though and it has her fingers clicking his contact and pressing call before she can change her mind.

The line rings four times. Harry is sound asleep and it takes him a moment to wake up enough to answer his phone. The bright light burns his eyes, but the name on the screen soothes his lonely heart. Mary has never called him before and he knows that it's because she thinks that she talks too much and because she doesn't want to talk about her relationship with her husband around him.

He's glad that she's called, but he's worried because it means that something is wrong. His heart sinks the moment he answers the phone and places it to his ear. She's sniffling and trying to stifle her sobs.

He wants to ask what's wrong, but Mary speaks before he gets the chance to, "I can't do this anymore."

Harry stumbles out of bed and starts pulling on random clothes, "I'll be there in ten minutes."

Mary can't make herself speak and she nods as the sobs continue to wrack her body. She hangs up and curls further into herself as she waits for Harry to get there.

He's there in seven minutes because he sped to get to her. Harry lets himself in and rushes upstairs. He finds her on the floor and lifts her into his arms and sits her on the bed with him.

Mary's clinging to him and burying her face in his neck, mumbling things about how much she hates Alec and how much she hates herself.

Harry knows not to say anything just yet and he holds her close to him and lets her vent. They stay like this for hours until she calms down enough for him to feel comfortable saying something.

"You'll get through this Mary, you're a strong woman with a good heart. And I'll be here for you, whenever you need me."

He shifts a little to grab the blanket and pull it over them, but Mary thinks that he's leaving and she holds on to him a little tighter.

"Please don't go."

Harry smiles softly as he pulls the blanket up and lies back in bed with her cuddled close to him, "I'm not going anywhere."

He kisses her forehead and reaches his hand out to turn out the lights, "Get some sleep sweetheart."

Mary closes her eyes and cuddles just a little bit closer to him, "What do I tell Ember when he comes back?"

Harry closes his eyes and sinks a little further into the mattress, "We'll figure it out, but right now you need to sleep so that you can be there for her too."

Mary hums and lets her worries slip away and sleep overtake her. Tomorrow won't be a great day at all, and she knows that, but Harry's there to help her through it and that's enough for her to let it go for a little while.

Harry kisses the top of her head, "Sweet dreams, Mary."

Author's Note: Sorry that I left you all waiting so long for an update! I've been editing my longest work (Aurelia) and that's taken up a lot of my time. Once that's done, my focus will be on this, Dream, and Fairy Tale so updates won't take as long! Thanks for reading, voting, and commenting! I hope everyone is doing well!