Author's Note: I always said this was a breakup story, so you knew this chapter was eventually coming! I already had this written so I figured I'd post it.

Thanks for the reviews. Please keep them coming — they really motivate me to devote time to this side project. I admit that the nastier ones bother me, though I try not to let them get to me. But I do have a little rant so feel free to skip if you want to get to the story: All I'll say to those who hate the characters I've created — beyond the obvious advice of just stop reading — is that if you loved the characters all the time and approved of everything they did, there would be no conflict and there would be no story. Period. Sorry I don't write about perfect people leading perfectly happy lives. Partly cause I have no idea what that's like lol!

On a different note, everyone picked up on Christian's "naïve and misguided" comment :) I wrestled with that one but whenever I imagined his conversations with Elena in the book, I always pictured him to be kind of an ass. He's still loyal and loves Ana fiercely, but let's face it, Christian can be condescending and blunt too. The guy's also been brainwashed and victimized, and he will gradually come to terms with Elena's influence on him later in my story.

To the idiot guest reviewer who said I loved pedophiles — bite me. Then go read EL James's books or some of the other fanfics on here (A Different Shade of Fifty comes to mind) where Christian defends Elena way worse than in my story.

It's always interesting though to see the anger Elena inspires. I'm sure I'll get crucified for this, but I'm going to get on my feminist soapbox a bit here, so feel free to skip this part too, but I wanted to address something that has always bothered me about the Elena response. First off, don't get me wrong. I think Elena is a straight-up pedophile. Jail time. Case closed. But I added the part about the double standards for a reason. Elena inspires such hatred, which she deserves. I only wish the real-life perpetrators who molest and traffick young women inspired the same visceral reaction among the public as Elena inspires in the fanfic world. The human trafficking of girls is a stunningly common problem in this country that gets very little attention, sympathy or funds. Just the other day a 13-year-old girl in my area was stabbed to death by an older man she met online. Her death barely merited two days of airtime on the news.

I realize a fanfiction romance and real life are two very different things, but I take a lot of time to write this story for other people so I figure I can get on my soapbox every once in a while. How many times have we heard of a 15-year-old runaway who gets lured into prostitution by her older boyfriend and probably is forced into doing unspeakable sexual acts? And how many times do people secretly blame the girl or her family for running away, without really demonizing the guy much? It happens.

I'm just saying that I support anti-human trafficking initiatives and if Elena really riles you up, please consider learning more about what happens to millions of underage girls (and boys) around the world. The Polaris Project is a great organization to support, with time, money or even just an online signature.

Enough of my PSA. As Ray said, I'll get off my soapbox. Back to the fantasy world…

Christian came home with a 10-ton albatross around his neck — in the form of his slender ex-lover. He knew he needed to come clean with Ana about Elena's visit but dreaded doing so, fearing it would be the last straw that pushed his stressed-out girlfriend out the door. I'm also so sick of explaining my association with Elena. She'll throw another temper tantrum. How many more times can I say the same thing?

Warily, he plunked his keys, cell phone and mail down on the kitchen counter, searching the living room for Ana before spotting her huddled on the couch reading a novel. She looked as apprehensive as he did.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," she replied. Inwardly, Ana rolled her eyes. Wow, we're really improving on our stellar communication skills.

"How was the econ final?"

"Impossible, but I think I managed to pass."

"That's good. That's good," he said distracted. "Ana," Christian began, nervously rocking on his heels.

Tell her Grey. Just spit it the fuck out.

"Yes?" She looked up expectantly with those soulful eyes that reminded him of a cloudless blue sky and Christian couldn't bear the thought of being the reason those eyes filled with tears all over again. So he did what any brave boyfriend would do. He chickened out.

"Nothing. I'm going to take a quick shower before dinner," he grumbled, vowing to discuss his day with her only after he had ensured that she'd eaten a proper meal. Yeah, a proper meal — that's why you're avoiding the subject Grey. Pussy.

Ana was secretly relieved, Ray's advice still ringing in her ears. I'll talk to him after dinner. Wimp.

After he'd disappeared into the bedroom, Ana wandered over to the kitchen counter to check the mail. As she was perusing the bills that Christian routinely paid, trying to familiarize herself with the grown-up concept of paying bills, his cell phone buzzed. The text message that blinked on the screen attracted her attention. As soon as she skimmed it, her heart began racing — and splintering at the same time.

Elena:

Great to see you today and catch up. I'm glad we could hash things out and don't worry about Ana — I'm sure you two will work it out. Call me if you need anything. I'm still here for you.

The blinding fury that surged through Ana was quickly replaced by resignation — and resolve. He confided in her about us. He violated my trust, yet again. Was he going to tell me? It doesn't really matter at this point. I love this man but clearly I don't know him, or trust him.

She looked up to the ceiling. I get it. I don't need another sign.

Ana numbly walked into the bedroom, blocking out the sound of running water in the bathroom and the visual of a naked Christian lathering himself up. Don't cry Ana or get horny. Keep it together. You can do this. You're a strong woman who needs to put herself first for a change. Get your shit together and don't chicken out. Don't chicken out.

Ana repeated the mantra over and over to herself as she completed the task at hand with razor-sharp focus: packing up what clothes she could and hauling out two large suitcases to her car before returning to the apartment to break her boyfriend's heart.

Christian stepped out of the bedroom dressed in loose-fitting sweats and a blue V-neck t-shirt, the ends of his hair still dripping wet.

"Do you want me to pick up some tacos at that Mexican place you like?" he asked warmly before halting in his tracks when he saw Ana standing rigidly by the door. She was wearing her jacket, her hands clasped solemnly in front of her while the designer purse Christian had bought for her last month dangled off her shoulder. The air crackled with foreboding tension.

Waves of guilt emanated from her and he understood in an instant. She's leaving me.

The bottom dropped out of Christian's world and he sprinted over to her.

"Ana." He could barely find his voice past the ball of fear clogging his throat. "Where … where are you going?"

She looked up at him with tears brimming in her eyes, the unspoken answer weighing heavily between them. Christian's chest began to heave furiously in an effort to fill his lungs with much-needed oxygen, his body now covered in a sheen of perspiration — the recent shower long since forgotten.

"I saw the text from Elena. I know you spoke with her today." Her voice was barely a whisper but it sliced Christian to the bone, making him so dizzy he thought he might genuinely pass out.

"Ana, listen to me. Don't jump to conclusions." He tried to come across as authoritative but the terror in his voice was unmistakable. "I swear I was going to tell you…"

"It doesn't matter," she said sadly, glancing down at Christian's bare feet. Absentmindedly, she thought about how much she'd miss cuddling with him at night, using his feet to keep hers warm and toasty.

She blinked and looked back up. The resignation in her eyes slayed him.

"Ana, she came to see me to make amends for the other night and ask that I not interfere in her friendship with Grace. I agreed. I owe her that much. And I told her to stay out of our lives. I bid her goodbye and good luck. She won't bother us again."

"Yes she will Christian," Ana scoffed. And he thinks I'm the naïve one in this relationship. "She's more than just an occasional nuisance. She's an instigator. She's a constant knife wedged between us who'd like nothing more than to pry us apart."

"Give me an ounce of credit. That won't happen because I won't allow it — ever."

"You already have," Ana said flatly. "You betrayed me by discussing our personal life with her knowing how that would make me feel. You've betrayed your mother as well. You think you're protecting Grace's feelings by keeping this from her, but in fact you're hurting her by allowing her to be best friends with the woman who blatantly lied to her and manipulated her trust to take advantage of her troubled young son. And you're deluding yourself by thinking she had some magical powers that got you where you are today. I've been patient with you because you were the victim but you take Stockholm syndrome to a whole new level. Elena may always be a permanent fixture in your life — and a toxic presence in your mother's — but I'll be damned if she continues to intrude on mine. I refuse to allow that and I'm done putting up with this crap."

"You don't have to Ana. She's not a part of either of our lives," he vowed, rattled by the insinuation that he was betraying his girlfriend and mother, the two most important women in his life. The dull pounding in his head began to fell like a sledgehammer chipping away at his sanity. "I'm not her victim. I'm not her friend. I'm not her anything any more. I only talked with her because…"

"Save it Christian," she cut him off. "I can't stomach any more of your rationalizations about Elena. It's a moot point anyway. I talked with Kate and she wants a roommate for the next semester, so I'm going to stay with her for a bit. It's high time I learn to live on my own and I think we need to be apart for a while."

"No Ana don't do this! Don't you dare do this!" Without thinking, he grasped her shoulders, his fingers digging into the delicate flesh. "What … what the hell do you mean 'a while?' Are you leaving me?"

She shrugged in spite of his strong grip. "I don't want to call this a break because that's so cliché and I can't stop you from moving on since I have no idea how long…"

"NOO!" His agonized scream rippled through the apartment. She idly thought the bulging veins on his forehead might burst at any moment. "I don't want to move on, and I don't want you to either. There will never be anyone else for me. Ever! Please Ana. Don't do this. I'll never keep anything from you as long as I live. You have to believe me."

She eyed him with a mixture of pain and defeat. "That's the problem Christian. I don't believe you any more. I don't trust you and without trust…"

There can be no love, they both thought in unison.

Neither of them spoke. Each of them felt as if their chests had been carved out by a dull spoon — Ana's ripped apart by the stab of his betrayal; Christian's torn open by the stab of abandonment. His hands dropped to his side like two lead weights, paralyzed by the realization that his worst fear was coming true: She was slipping through his grasp.

Free from his embrace, Ana slowly turned toward the door — Christian right behind her, adrenaline coursing through his veins.

"Baby wait. I'm begging you to stay and reconsider. I'll do whatever you want. I'll start seeing Flynn again. I'll never speak to Elena again. I'll get on my hands and knees. I don't care. Please stop," his rambled as he began to kneel in front of her.

Ana wordlessly pulled him back up, battling back tears. "That's not what I want," she said, alluding to the classic submissive stance. I'm not her.

Tamping down on her inner turmoil, Ana summoned all of her courage as she stepped into the corridor and walked down the stairs. Christian raced after her, his frantic breaths blowing down the back of her neck.

"Hold on Ana. Slow down. You're making a rash decision. Just give me a minute to explain," he pleaded as they exited the building. Christian was barefoot and without a jacket but the frigid air barely registered as he ran after Ana.

With tunnel vision, she tuned out his desperate entreaties, dug the keys out of her purse and strode toward her car. As soon as she opened the door, Christian instinctively splayed his hand across the window and slammed it shut, his long body hovering over hers.

"I won't," his voice cracked, an anguished sob escaping him. "I won't let you go. I can't live without you. Please Ana. What do I have to do to make this right? I'll do whatever it takes."

"We both have things to do Christian," she said blankly. "I need to grow up and learn to act like an adult, not as some appendage to my boyfriend who controls every aspect of my life while disregarding my wishes. Faith is one thing. Blind faith is quite another and I've clearly had too much of the latter. You also need to do some growing up and self-reflection. I have no desire for you to do what I want just because you're scared of losing me. That's not a good enough reason. You need to figure out what you really want. We both have a lot to work on, independently of each other. Maybe at the end of that process we'll find each other again, but right now that's not possible."

"Fuck that noise Ana! The only thing I want is you. All the rest is relationship psychobabble bullshit. We can work this out — together. I need you."

"And right now the only thing I need is to go — and you need to let me." Her declaration was monotone and lifeless. Like a tree branch buffeted by gale-force winds, Ana had finally snapped. Christian's heart seized when he recognized how broken she was — how broken they had become.

Ana reopened the door and got into the driver's seat as Christian watched, crippled by an alien feeling of helplessness. He made one last-ditch effort to break through the protective shell Ana had retreated into.

"How can you do this? How can you be so cold and turn your back on me after everything we've been through? You're just giving up without even giving me a chance to explain. You promised Ana. You promised that you would never leave me," he said, his tone unforgiving.

Her accusatory glare reminded him of his own deceit.

"People don't always keep their word, do they Christian?" she said bitterly. "You promised me honesty. Couples don't always keep their promises, do they?"

Her question stole what little air was left in his lungs.

"Please," she implored him, motioning to the door handle he was still holding onto. He numbly complied, staggering backward as she closed the door and started the engine.

Dry heaves wracked Christian's body as he watched his entire life drive away, his knees buckling when her car rounded the corner out of his sight. He collapsed with a loud thud to the ground, impervious to the cold air or hard concrete. Nothing could touch him now, because he was a hollowed-out husk of his former self.