Sonny wasn't sure how long his impromptu walk ended up being. It might have been an hour, two, or three, although it wasn't dark outside just yet. He dideventually have the common sense not to get out of Salem on foot, and proceeded to circle the town until he was exhausted, his clothes unpleasantly sticking to his skin from the sweat he'd worked up. Along with the weariness, a feeling of thirst caught up with him and he bought two bottles of water at a thankfully nearby convenience store.

Though there were a few wooden benches nearby, Sonny didn't sit on any of them to rest, opting inside to enter an alleway that didn't seem too filthy, lean his back against the wall and sink to the floor wih a sigh. It was often nice to live in a town approximately the size of a football stadium - the "everybody knows everybody", familial vibe - but a major downside was that you literally couldn't be in public for more than a few minutes without bumping into someone. Great when you were in the mood for company, disastrous when you wanted to be alone. And the last thing Sonny needed right now, when trying to organize the thoughts he'd been running from ever since leaving the club, was company.

He drank an entire water bottle in one sip, and checked his phone - probably to be blissfully distracted for a few more seconds, rather than because he actually cared about who might've been trying to reach him - before uncorking the second one. There were a couple of missed calls from the barista working at TBD today, plus a text wondering if Sonny was alright, since he'd indicated he was going back outside for just a couple of minutes and then disappeared. Grateful that there didn't appear to be any crisis at the club requiring his involvement, at least, Sonny texted him back, with a brief message thanking him for his concern and explaining that he wasn't feeling well, but could be contacted if the need arose.

A second text was, unsurprisingly, from Will. It was long, apologetic and desperate. Sonny mustered the force of will necessary not to read the entire thing and blast Will with a heated and equally lengthy response. That wasn't where his head was at anymore: not anger, not sadness. For the first time in many months - at least since he learned the truth about Will sleeping with Paul - there was a feeling of clarity in Sonny. He understood what had really happened to his marriage. And as painful as this realization was, there was something oddly cathartic about it, too, because Sonny was finally done lying to himself, viewing his crumbling world through rose-tinted glasses. No, he knew where he stood now, and it was time to start dealing with it.

As he walked up to his and Will's apartment door, Sonny steeled himself. This wasn't going to be easy. It would take unyielding resolve and conviction. But hehad to see it through. If he allowed himself to be talked back into believing comforting illusions about his life and marriage, he'd be back to square one, and the epiphany he'd had earlier would have been for nothing.

He unlocked the door and stepped inside. A crestfallen Will was sitting at the kitchen table, staring intently at his phone as if he could make a call or text appear on the screen. Hearing the door open, he looked up at his husband and the barest hint of a smile crossed his lips. "You're home." He stood up and walked over to Sonny, but Sonny held up his hand before Will could get too close.

"Stop." He exhaled slowly and stared Will down while summoning the strength to say what he needed to say next. "I'm not here to argue, Will. I'm not here to reenact the same scene we've been in over and over again. I'm here to tell you that I've made a decision."

From the way Will's face sank, it was a safe bet that he could tell where this was going, but he still asked, with the faintest glimmer of hope, "What kind of decision?"

"I can't do this anymore. I can't keep pretending that this is ever going to work, that it's fixable. What's happened to us, Will, is damage that can't be repaired." It was getting harder and harder to continue, and those next few words refused to come out of his throat, but he forced them out. There was no turning back now, not that there should've been. "I'm going to file for divorce."

Tears had been welling in Will's impossibly blue eyes throughout Sonny's answer to his question, and they began trickling down his cheeks as he took another step forward in spite of Sonny's objection earlier. "Sonny, please," he whimpered, struggling to get actual words out as opposed to mere sobs, "I know I screwed the hell up, but I was so scared of losing you, I - I wasn't thinking - I swear that if you'll just give me one more chance, I'll do anything - "

"I can't," Sonny said simply, holding on to his composure for dear life. "I'm sorry, but I can't."

Will's grief-stricken face gradually morphed into a frustrated, almost angry one. "You know I only did this because of Paul - because I knew that as long as he was in town, he would never stop coming after you. And I was right about that, wasn't I? The way he just happened to blurt out what I did in front of you, do you really think that was by accident? Sonny, he would do anything to get you back!" he finished desperately, his tone constantly rising.

"Cut the crap," Sonny sharply replied. He was being cold to his husband, but didn't even feel bad about it. "This was never about Paul. It was about you and me. And today I finally figured out what I need to do... I can't be with someone I don't love."

Will was positively mortified, the stream of tears beginning anew. "No. I don't believe that, Sonny. No matter what I've done, I don't believe that you've stopped loving me."

"I didn't," Sonny explained, as calmly as he could manage, "Because I never loved you in the first place."

This statement hit Will with a figurative shockwave. He stood there for a long beat with his mouth agape, unable to believe what he'd just heard. "No... no, that can't be.

"You're not the Will Horton I fell in love with," Sonny continued, and to finally hear this revelation spoken out loud felt like a particularly sharp blade slicing through his heart. It was difficult to keep his voice from shaking now. "I loved a guy who was sweet and kind and had the purest heart I'd ever seen. Sure, he had his flaws, and sure, he messed up sometimes... everybody does. God knows I'm no exception to that rule. But my Will, the one I loved so much that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, always wanted to do the right thing and always cared about other people. He would've never threatened Tori Narita the way you did, because he wasn't capable of being that cruel just to get what he wanted." Sonny was now blinking back tears of his own. "But it's time for me to face the truth... that Will is gone. It's not just that I don't love you... I don't even recognize you. I'm married to a stranger, and I won't be anymore."

Neither of them spoke for a minute. The weight of Sonny's words hit Will gradually until he finally couldn't take it anymore, walked around the sofa and sank into it, seemingly defeated.

Right now, Sonny just wanted to find a bag, pack everything he needed for a few days and leave for the Kiriakis mission (although he realized he hadn't yet told his uncle Victor, or anyone else, that he'd be staying there for a while). There'd be plenty of time to work out everything else regarding the divorce later. There was, however, one issue that he had to address right now.

"You should know that it hurts me like hell to have to do this, not just because of us..."

"... but because of Ari," Will finished his husband's sentence. His tone and expression were somber and quite different from any he'd had in a while; Sonny got the feeling that Will realized it was over, and nothing he said at this point could make Sonny change his mind.

"I love that little girl," Sonny said emotionally. "For all intents and purposes, she's my daughter. You know that. What I hope is that once we're divorced, you still let me see her and be a part of her life, because there's nothing I want more. And sure, I'm biased, but I honestly believe that still having both of her dads would be better for Ari, too." He paused for air and allowed Will to take in what he was saying. "But I can't stay, not even for her. What this means for my relationship with Ari, I can't decide... it's up to you."

Will remained quiet. He seemed overwhelmed at this point. Sonny was too, frankly, and it was difficult to get his legs to move as he walked over to the closet and began rummaging through it for a large-enough bag. Then, he began collecting his things from the apartment, from clothes to his toothbrush, until he had everything he needed. During this entire time, Will didn't say anything to him (or, as far as Sonny could tell, even leave the sofa). This left only one thing to do.

Sonny carefully opened the door to Arianna's room. She wasn't asleep, but had apparently been playing with a stuffed rabbit in her playpen this whole time without interrupting her parents. Just like the little angel she'd always been, Sonny thought with a wistful smile. As soon as she noticed him entering the room, the toddler reacted with enthusiam and gestured with her little arms for him to pick her up. Naturally, he obliged.

"Hey there, my little pumpkin," he said affectionately, tickling Ari's belly a little with his left hand while supporting her weight - Sonny realized that she was getting big - with his right one. She giggled. "I've missed you so much. But there's something I need to tell you." He looked into her little sapphire-colored eyes; there had been a time when he used to see Will there, but not anymore. Now he just saw his daughter. "I know I promised that I'd never go away for as long as I did a couple of months ago... but I'm going to have to break that promise. I'm sorry. It's just that things have changed, and I can't stay. But I promise, I'll see you as often as I can. It's not just up to me now." Ari looked up at him, curiously; while she wasn't old enough to understand what he was saying, it was clear that she could hear the distress in his tone of voice. "But no matter what happens, I want you to remember one thing..." his eyes had gotten quite moist again. "Daddy loves you."

He kissed Ari on the cheek and held her close to him for a moment. It took enormous effort to eventually untangle himself from her and put her back down (thankfully, she didn't protest, although she was still looking at him in apparent concern). In spite of himself, he turned around, picked up his bag and left the room.

Will was at the kitchen table again, slowly sipping a glass of water. He raised his eyes to Sonny's as Sonny walked back in, but didn't say anything. He seemed like a man truly hopeless and broken.

Sonny had no idea what to say now, but this day had been emotionally harrowing enough as it was, so he decided to make his goodbye as brief and laconic as possible. "I, uh - I'm going to be staying at my family's mansion for now." He was suddenly hit by the irony of this being the place where they had gotten married, no less. "I guess we'll be in touch about everything, then." It was absurd, in a way, that this was all he had to say before walking out on over a year of marriage, but he couldn't bring himself to go beyond that. He just wanted to put some distance between himself and Will, between himself and all of this, and get some much-needed rest.

When Will didn't even respond, Sonny sighed and walked over to the apartment's door. It was only when his hand was alreadly resting on the doorknob that Will spoke, more than a hint of sobriety coloring his tone.

"Sonny..." the brunette turned his head and looked at him. "I am so sorry. For everything."

"I know," Sonny replied quietly. His expressio, and those two words, were devoid of animosity.

A moment later, he was gone.

TBC...