Allen was shaking with an unpleasant mixture of shock and rage. Rachel wasn't one to dive into a confrontation and the last thing he expected was for her to explode like that. But he was also replaying her last words to him. So he was stuck-up and arrogant and egotistical was he?

Yes a voice said. Your mother and sister have told you enough times.

That was true. His family had always been there to knock him down a peg when he got too big for his boots.

But another voice argued, stubbornly, Rachel knew what you were like so isn't it her own fault? If she didn't like you being you then she shouldn't have stuck around for so long.

They had been together for about half a year, and that was a long time to stay in a relationship that was making you unhappy. Still, she had gone now hadn't she? She hadn't said the words 'it's over' but her goodbye had seemed final enough.

The idea suddenly caused a stab of pain through Allen's heart. He didn't really want to push Rachel away. He had had several girlfriends in the past and none of them had lasted very long. They were all bitchy or easily upset too. One of the things he liked about Rachel was that she could stand her ground. Sure he had managed to intimidate her once or twice, but at least she didn't get physically violent, or dissolve into tears.

She sure looked upset when he suggested she sleep around. Truthfully, Allen regretted that the most. He didn't want Rachel to sleep around. He didn't want any of the other guys to have her. Besides, Rod was taken, Soseki was at least ten years older than her, and Neil was even worse than Allen in the loving-someone department.

Even more so, Allen privately thought Rachel was too good for any of them. She worked so hard, though he had never told her that, and no one else had revived a town single-handedly, himself included. Soseki was too lazy, and Neil and Rod's animal shops didn't have a big enough market. Allen's salon was doing well...but there was a big jump between being successful and reviving an entire town.

Would it have killed you to have told her that? Allen suddenly thought. No. It would have made her happy. He could picture the scene: he told Rachel he was impressed with her work and a big grin would light up her face. He suddenly felt a second stab of pain as he realised it had been a while since he made Rachel smile like that. It had probably been the Starry Night Festival when she had last smiled properly, the same time as when they had last had sex.

Rachel had a beautiful smile. Her whole face lit up, her eyes sparkled, and she showed off her straight, pearly white teeth. She wasn't the prettiest girl on the island. Felicity was beautiful, and Iroha was very attractive in an exotic way. And yet, it had been Rachel who had drawn Allen in. She was always happy and it was pleasant being around her. She always made Allen feel relaxed and when he watched her he wanted to smile.

That is, except for the last season. Why had everything changed? Or, a better question, why hadn't Allen ever told Rachel any of this?

Because I'm an arrogant cock Allen thought to himself. I'm too in love with myself to notice anyone else. And suddenly, he was ashamed.

He buried his face in his hands, feeling sick. What was wrong with him? He had been so lucky to have Rachel and he hadn't even noticed her until she wasn't there. How could he have been so stupid?

He remembered something else Rachel had said: that he didn't like kissing and cuddling in public. That was simple enough: he simply wasn't a fan of public displays of affection. He wasn't the only one, was he? Would Rachel understand that? Alright, hand holding wasn't so bad, perhaps he could try that. Maybe Rachel holding his arm was a bit too old-fashioned.

Go to Rachel's tomorrow and apologise properly he told himself. Maybe you haven't lost her forever just yet. Tell her you can change for her.

I can change for her if she wants Allen thought to himself as he drifted into an uneasy sleep. For her...

It didn't matter anyway. As he was having breakfast, there was a knock at his salon door. He opened it and was surprised to see Dunhill standing there.

"Good morning," he said. Dunhill grunted, which was even more of a surprise. Dunhill was kind to everyone.

"Not much good about it," Dunhill muttered. "Let me in, I want to talk to you."

Allen had a bad feeling as he stepped aside and let Dunhill in. They walked up to the flat and Dunhill sat at the table. Allen slid into the chair opposite, uneasily.

Dunhill looked him in the eye. "You've treated Rachel badly."

Allen swallowed. "I know."

Dunhill raised an eyebrow. "You know? Did you know it all along or did Rachel have to tell you that when you were arguing last night?"

Allen blinked. "You heard that?"

"No. Rachel came straight to my house afterwards and told me everything. She was very upset. She's had a lot on her mind and she's wanted to talk about them with you for a while. Trouble is, she didn't think you'd be interested."

Allen pictured not being able to talk to the person who was supposed to listen to you and found himself having to swallow back tears. Why had he let Rachel suffer?

"She's left town."

"Wait, what?" Allen was caught by surprise. It distracted him from the pain in his heart.

"She's moved out." Dunhill's voice was cold. "She packed her bags and moved back home. Me, Neil and Rod will be taking over farm work until we can find a replacement farmer. Bet they won't be as good as Rachel..." Dunhill's voice drifted off for a minute then he glared back at Allen again.

"She didn't feel like she could stand being around you anymore, Allen. She didn't want to be reminded of you because you hurt her so badly."

It was like a slap in the face. Allen couldn't do anything except whisper "I didn't mean to hurt her."

"Well that's just fantastic, because you've single-handedly lost us our best resident," Dunhill growled. "This town was making a comeback. So many hopes were on Rachel and her farm. Looks like we're failing once again because Rachel sure as hell isn't coming back."

Allen shook his head weakly. "I don't believe you."

Dunhill grunted. "You should check out her farmhouse then." He left the salon.

Instantly, Allen was up, out the salon and walking down to the farm. Everything still looked the same: the barn was still there, crops were still growing. He would open the door and find the house fully furnished, and Rachel would be there, and he would go down on his knees and beg for forgiveness if he had to...

The house was empty. Just the basic furniture was still standing. All Rachel's personal possessions were gone. Allen slumped against the wall. "How could you?" he whispered hoarsely.

He felt numb as he moved around the empty house, checking each room. He knew it was pointless, but he had to. Just to be completely sure.

The bedroom hurt the most. The bed had been stripped of its sheets, leaving the bare mattress. The wardrobe door was ajar and Allen could see from here it was empty. As he stepped forward, something crunched underfoot. It was glass. The photo frame lay on the floor, a little way away from the bed. Allen knew that Rachel had picked it up from the bedside table and thrown it, causing the glass to smash. He knew what the photo was.

Iroha had taken it during the Snow Festival of the previous winter. The two of them were bundled up in coats and scarves and gloves. Snow was falling around them, they had flakes in their hair. Their cheeks and noses were red from cold. But they were both smiling. Allen looked smug, it was true, but it was a real smile nonetheless. He had one arm around Rachel's shoulders, the other around her waist as he hugged her close, probably the only time he had ever been so affectionate in public. Rachel was snuggled into his side, that beautiful smile on her face. She had smiled a lot back then.

Finally, the full extent of the situation crashed down upon Allen. His own vanity had cost him the most precious thing he had ever had: the girlfriend he loved. He slumped onto the floor, amid the pieces of broken glass, held the photo to his heart, and cried.