It's been 10 years since Haruhi Fujioka first stumbled upon the third music room and into the grasp of the desirable Ouran Host Club. Although at first disgusted by this pompous, manipulative and shameless league of Casanovas, she grew to befriend each one of them. Of course, what other choice did she have? She was practically taken prisoner after accidentally breaking a very expensive vase. She did get an offer to transfer to Lobelia, an all-girls school that was just as prestigious as Ouran High School, but she turned it down. For a girl of little personality, she garnered a lot of attention from the hearts of the Host Club. Most would say it was her "cuteness" that won them all over; some would say it was her quick wit; others would say it was her exoticness as a commoner that drove the men wild. Whatever the cause, the result was the same. She wooed the "King" of the Host Club, Tamaki Suou, into making him determined to win her affection. Sure, he got a little possessive at times; yes, he hardly let her speak out; and of course, he insisted on calling her "daughter," no matter how much she protested, which actually wasn't much. It wasn't exactly a healthy relationship, but it was love. That's all that mattered, right?

As their high school years flew by, they developed a love for each other, one that is found in fairytales or romance novels. Not long after she entered college, Haruhi and Tamaki were married in a lavish ceremony surrounded by their friends, their families, their friends' families, and their families' friends. Tamaki had made all the arrangements since his blushing bride wasn't into fancy things and had suggested they just get married in court! Tamaki was so happy he hung their marriage certificate on the mantle of the living chambers in their grand mansion. Haruhi finished college to become a successful lawyer and a mother to Tamaki's three children. She had wanted to stop after the first girl, Emiko, was born, but Tamaki insisted they keep going until he was rewarded for his efforts with a male heir. So after another girl, Keiko, they couple was finally blessed with a son, Masashi. Haruhi had her perfect job, with the perfect man, in a perfect house, and with perfect kids. It all seemed like a dream come true, but was she really happy?

Haruhi had just finished tucking in and wishing goodnight to her lovely blonde girls. The oldest one was so much like her dad, which could be a problem at times. Emiko was such a drama queen who always made a racket everywhere she went. She strolled over to wish her son goodnight only to find his bed was empty. She looked around until she heard a rustling noise in the closet. She opened the large fancy doors to find little Masashi rumbling around in his toy chest.

"Masashi, it's getting late. When I was your age, I was in bed by this time." Haruhi instructed.

"Aw, but Mom, I'm on a quest! There's a mermaid who I heard singing a few minutes ago and it came from my toy box! She wants me to follow her so she can lead me to her magical undersea kingdom so she can give me lots of toys and presents and candy and…" The little brunette boy protested.

"I'm sure she can wait until tomorrow." Haruhi said as she picked up her boy and dragged him to his bed.

"But if I don't find her, she'll be all alone and sad! She'll go away forever and she'll never know what love is like and she'll wither away into nothing!" He whined as he struggled to get free of his mother's grip.

"If she's that desperate, perhaps she'll show up in your dreams." Haruhi assured him as she pulled the cover over his body. Masashi sighed in defeat as he crawled under the covers. She kissed him goodnight and turned the lights off before heading to her own bedroom. These hallways were so long; she almost got lost! Did their home have to be this extravagant? A four-roomed home in the country would fit all of them comfortably, and they didn't have to have a maid or cook since she could cook herself. It didn't matter, anyways; Tamaki had chosen this house without even asking her opinion and so far everything was okay.

As she dressed herself for bed, she wondered where in the world her husband was. She sighed as he was probably out drinking again. Things had gotten a little rough between them every since a few years back where Tamaki suggested that she retire from being a lawyer and stay home to be his "cute little housewife." For the first time in a while, she put her foot down in refusal. He was quite shocked by her reaction, but had seemed to give in. However, he brought it up several times since then, and it had really made their relationship go downhill. Couldn't he just accept what she wanted?

Finally, Tamaki practically fluttered into the room completely hammered, much to Haruhi's dismay.

"Tamaki, you're late, again. It would be great if you were at least in the zip code by the time the kids go to bed." Haruhi crossed her arms. He just looked up at her with his drunken eyes and gave an amorous smile.

"Of all you just said, I heard You're…great…in…bed." He slurred as he started to undress for bed. He gave a little chuckle afterwards, but Haruhi was not amused. She rolled her eyes and marched up to him.

"You have three children and spending your nights drinking until you can't take anymore isn't showing a good example for them."

"I drink *hic* because you make me worry so much."

"Oh, how exactly do I do that?"

"You spend all your time *hic* in the courtroom surrounded by a bunch of vicious men who make *hic* a life's work out of harming precious flowers like yourself, and I'm not even there to *hic* protect you!"

"I'm a grown woman; I can take of myself."

"Also, there are other handsome lawyers who would do anything to get their hands on you! How am I supposed to live knowing my precious daughter works with other men?!"

"First of all, I'm not your daughter; I am your wife. Second, I can't believe you don't trust me! I thought you knew I'm not the kind of person who violates her commitments! I trust you even though I know you were quite the womanizer when we met!" Haruhi started to shout as she poked her husband in the chest. Tamaki drew back in shock. She'd never lashed out at him like this before.

"Are…are you saying this is my fault?! What have I done wrong? Is a husband's job not to protect, and love his darling wife? And is it not the wife's job to love and obey her husband?!"

"A marriage is a partnership, Tamaki. It means we love and support each other and our decisions! What you are referring to is absolute submission! Grow up and realize we are in the 21st century! The wife has just as much power as the husband!" Haruhi's face was turning beet red as she lectured her partner. Tamaki tried to cool her down with his soothing words, which had always seemed to work before.

"Look, there's an easy solution to this. You…can leave the law firm…come home and relax…and spend your time in our beautiful home raising our wonderful children. It would be my dream come true to see you as my adorable little housewife! Then, we'd have no more arguments, no more jealousy, and more time for the two of us to do what we do best…each other." Tamaki spoke lovingly as he took Haruhi in his arms and reached for the zipper to her nightgown. However, this did not go as planned.

"No! For the hundredth time, No! I am a woman who represents justice in court! I cannot abandon my duty that is my career just to please your childish fantasies!" She pushed him away as she continued to scold him. Tamaki looked hurt and went silent for a moment as he bowed his head. Then, his face looked a little angry as he raised his head again.

"You say…you cannot abandon your duties as lawyer…but you're willing…to abandon your duties as my wife?" He shot back as if to arise some guilt in her. This plan utterly failed. If she wasn't angry before, she was now.

"How…how DARE you accuse me of not fulfilling my duties as your wife! I've moved into the house of your choice! I gave you three beautiful children, including the male heir you always wanted! I've gone to every dinner party you agreed to us going to even if I already I had plans that evening! I've let you make love to me at least twice a week since the day we were married! I've done everything you've told me to do, except for one little thing! Can't you let me have just one thing, a career?!"

"Ah, but my precious Haruhi, the thing is, this career has made you age. Your skin is no longer as vibrant and glowing as it once was. Your hair, once a lustrous shade of cocoa, is now dull and thinning out. To put it simply, you're not cute anymore! What happened to the adorable little host that charmed everyone with her cuteness?"

"She grew up, and she's making a life for herself. I can't believe it. All this time, our whole relationship…" Haruhi's eyes began to water as she finished her sentence, "was based on appearance?! I knew it…I KNEW IT! You…you don't care about what I want at all!"

"Don't say that." Tamaki ordered as he took a step closer to her.

"All is you care about is yourself and your appearance! You ALWAYS HAVE!!! You treated me like shit before you saw my face, remember?! You were willing to push me around and treat me like a dog because my appearance wasn't up to your standards!"

"That was a long time ago…" Tamaki tried to defend himself, but Haruhi's rage just kept growing, and his began to swell also.

"You are…always were…and always will be…a superficial…narcissistic…rich….BASTARD!!!" Haruhi concluded as tears poured down her hot cheeks.

"SHUT UP!" Tamaki exclaimed as his hand shot up and struck Haruhi across the face. They were both frozen as the large grandfather clock in their bedroom seemed to stop ticking. They looked at each other, horrified at what just happened.

Finally, Haruhi found the energy to move and grabbed her robe as she rushed out the door, her face covered in tears. Tamaki was speechless, and tried to run after her. He called out to her, but before he could catch up to her, she was already in her car driving off. Rain poured down as he tried to chase after the car on foot. This was just like in a storybook romance, right? The handsome knight chases his fair maiden into the night so they can forgive each other and start all over again. No, the curtains had closed on this romance. He had run a good mile and a half before he finally lost sight of the car.

"He hit you…he actually hurt you! What did you promise yourself you'd do if something like this ever happened?" Haruhi spoke to herself as she drove away to the nearest motel. Her mind flashed back to when she was little and her father would give her random love tips all the time. Sometimes, she just ignored him, but this time his words actually peeked her interest.

"My little Haruhi…" She heard his voice whisper into her ear, "…don't ever let a man hit you. If he does, you have to leave him. No matter how much you love him; no matter how long you've been together or how much he apologizes; because if he did it once, he'll do it again. You just have to run." Her father's words had deeply touched her that day, and she made a promise to herself. If a man ever hit her, she would leave, no matter what.

She pulled up into the local inn and rented a room. The bed was very comfortable, but she still couldn't manage to fall asleep. She was contemplating whether or not her decision was right, but when she thought about it logically, she knew she was doing the right thing. Their marriage was over and their love was shattered. She figured she'd go get her things in the morning.