When Brooke heard the key turn in the lock she didn't feel fear or anxiousness. She wasn't angry or tearful. Instead she felt an amazing calm, a serenity she hadn't experienced in ages. So she sat there in silence waiting like a tree planted by the waterside.

"Home sweet home!" she heard him gleefully call out.

She sat there, not moving, not speaking.

"There you are, doll. Boy, have I missed you! Work was treacherous today! You would not believe it. I really could have used you and your charm and expertise. Those clowns over in Marketing are worthless. Everyone knows you have to spend money in order to make money. That's the law of the land, right sweet face?"

"Right, Felix", she replied in a calm voice.

"I have something for you", he said, reaching around the back of the sofa and placing a gentle kiss on her neck.

The very contact made her want to throw up.

"Beautiful roses for a beautiful woman…and this."

She stared at the bouquet and the velvet black box that was rectangular in shape. She opened it slowly, the dazzle and beauty of its contents almost blinding her. Inside was a gorgeous diamond necklace.

"It kind of sparkles, doesn't it?" he grinned smugly. "Let me help you put it on."

He reached around to fasten the clamp behind her neck but she put up her hands to stop him.

"What?" he asked.

"Felix, I can't accept this?"

"The necklace?"

"You mean, the leash?"

"Brooke, what are you saying?" Felix asked, taken aback. "Is everything okay?"

"No everything is not okay", she said, her voice dripping with venom. "You lied to me, Felix."

"I never lied to you, Brooke…"

"Where do I begin? Before or after you switched Mrs. Patterson, or shall I say Kate McDonald's cell phone?"

He looked at her and could barely believe the rage that burned deep within her soul.

"Brooke, I…"

"What? You're gonna say sorry?"

"Yes. Yes, I am sorry. I never meant…"

The sound of her open hand landing hard against his face temporarily halted him mid sentence.

"…I…never meant to hurt you, Brooke."

"Oh of course you didn't. Lying to me, betraying my trust, taking advantage of my vulnerability, drugging me, causing me to almost lose my kid and everything else I have. Yeah, I'd say your intentions were pretty saintly!"

"It wasn't like that. It wasn't my fault. It…"

"Let me guess, my good old father in law, right?"

"Yes. Brooke, do you think I wanted to hurt you? To do those bad things to you?"

"Oh come off it! Even if you didn't how can I ever believe another word that comes out of your mouth?"

"Because it's the truth…"

"How dare you!"

"I was going to tell you the truth."

"I don't fucking believe you! You don't know how to tell the truth."

"Brooke…"

"I thought we were friends. I thought you cared about me. I trusted you, Felix. I actually let you in."

"That part of it was real. Yes, I had to lie and do Dan's dirty work but what we shared was always the truth."

"Liar!"

"Brooke, please hear me out."

"I don't want to hear you out. You don't deserve it and I sure as hell don't owe you anything. I'm out of here and when I leave I never, ever want to see your evil, despicable, deceitful face ever again."

"Please. Please don't go."

"Felix!"

"Brooke…"

"Stop it! Don't you…"

"Can I just say again everything I have been saying and trying to say to you for the last few months? Can I just tell you what's in my heart?"

"Don't make me vomit."

"I know I was wrong, okay? But Dan is crazy and he's dangerous and he was blackmailing me and I was afraid if I didn't do his will then he might do something to hurt you. At first, I just went along with him. I thought the dude was just blowing smoke. Brooke, I never dreamed in a million years it would ever go this far. I swear to you. And the whole thing with Harmony was his idea. I just went along with it but after he got what he wanted and you and I were together, I was going to help you get your baby back, I swear…"

"Get my baby back? After you're the reason I lost her in the first place? Get real! And you and I being together? That was never, never going to happen, Felix!"

"I felt so bad. It killed me to look in those beautiful eyes everyday and see all the pain I caused you."

"But you still managed to do it, didn't you?"

"I was wrong. I was wrong and I accept full responsibility but I'm sorry, Brooke. You have to believe that. Just like you have to believe that I really fell in love with you because I did. And I know you felt something too. The way you looked at me…God, it felt so good to be looked at like that again."

"Shut up."

"You saw the real me, Brooke. Just like I saw the real you. And we both liked that."

"I don't even know who you are anymore", she sneered. "I guess I really never did. Don't give me your sob story and don't you dare tell me you care about me."

"I can't not say it because it's true and I'm tired of hiding it. My feelings for you and Harmony were always real."

"Don't! Don't you ever speak her name again! You have no right, not today or any other day of the rest of your miserable life! You know something, you almost killed me, Felix. You took everything away. You ruined my whole life. But even after that, I could still manage, I could find a way to deal with the betrayal. But you crossed the line when you brought my daughter into this. Damn you! What if something had happened to her when she was in that house alone? And putting her in the middle of a custody battle? All this? All this, for what? A few dollars and Dan Scott's warped sense of reality?"

"I…I just want you to know that I love you Brooke and that I never took you for granted. Not once."

Exploding with anger and emotion, she picked up his most expensive vase and hurled it across the room, the bits and pieces barely missing his head.

"Damn you, Felix Colwell! Damn you for hurting me."

She wiped her eyes and walked towards the door.

"Brooke, wait. Please…", he said reaching, grabbing, begging her not to leave him all alone.

She jerked away, glaring at the evil being she had once trusted.

"Just walk away, Felix. Walk away from me and the City and the job and life as we all know it. Because right now I hated you with a hatred I never thought possible and God forbid I ever see you again, it will take everything I have not to physically rip your heart out the way you literally ripped out mine."

With that she opened the door where an equally angry Lucas was waiting for her on the other side.

"If she goes back to you it will only be for the kid, man. You can't make her happy like I can."

Lucas just looked at the pathetic creature on his knees and shook his head. Felix made it to a standing position face to face with Lucas. Luke looked at the man who had hurt him, hurt Brooke and jeopardized his daughter. It was all too much. He felt like tossing him right over that luxurious penthouse balcony. Instead, he clenched his jaw and his fist and let a vicious left sock Felix Colwell right in the eye. He fell backwards, writhing around in pain on the floor.

"That asshole, was for my daughter", Lucas said, spitting on the broken heap of a man. "If you wanted to battle me, that was fine but you fucked up when you hurt my family."

Brooke gave him one final glance before following Luke out the door.

"I hate him. I hate him so much I could kill him with my bare hands. After all he's done, we just let him walk away?"

"Exactly", Lucas stated. "I'll make some calls and see what I can do about his little funds situation. Get his precious money and assets tied up in so many knots and so many accounts that it will be impossible to touch anything. Then let the Feds know about his little embezzlement deal and his sorry ass will be forced to leave the country. It's not nearly enough payback for what he did but the bastard will get what's coming."

"What about the other two bastards?"

"Judith or Kate or whoever the hell she is might want to get used to the idea of being in the slammer again. And that other bastard?"

"You mean your dear old Dad? They say what goes around comes around and that every dog has his day."

"Yeah? Well he's such a good little dog he might get two or three."