Hey guys! Thanks to sabina21, ISana55, GraphicsChyk, savannah123, Aiyoku Saotome, LoveInTheBattleField, jenna zabala and everyone else who reviewed the last chapter and to everyone who is following Ever After. I'm glad that you are enjoying the story. LoveInTheBattleField thanks and I love the new Sailor Moon anime. Can't wait until the next episode airs! Aiyoku Saotome thanks. To answer your questions, definitely maybe and sooner than you think. Right now, I am still establishing the Senshi's individual lives, but events will happen that will reunite the Senshi. savannah123, you're definitely right. I think Serena was more upset because everything happened so fast and she thought Darien intentionally lied to her. Plus, Derrick and Rini are the same age and friends, and she was afraid that they were starting to like one another. GraphicsChyk and ISana55, I hear you guys, lol. jenna zabala and sabina21, here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

Warning: This chapter contains a scene that may or may not be considered rape. Since by definition, rape is any act of sexual intercourse forced upon a person. It's not graphic and it was written as short and tasteful as possible. For those of you, who are uncomfortable with those type of scenes, I highlighted it in bold so that you can skip over it. Also, I will take the opportunity now to warn you that this story will take some dark and crazy turns along the way. So if you choose to continue reading, you have been warned.

Chapter Thirteen

When Things Fall Apart

Darien left out of the room slamming the door behind him causing Serena to jump. Serena motioned to move but something kept her there. She went to bed and fell asleep. She woke up. Darien was not there lying next to her, and she knew that he never came to bed that night.

Darien strolled down the hallways of the hospital like he was lost. He dismissed his interns and told them to find something to do. He hid in the call room on the floor with his knees propped up.

His beeper beeped loudly. He knew it was Dr. Thornton paging him. He walked into Dr. Thornton's office and stood in front of Dr. Thornton's desk. Dr. Thornton looked up at Darien. He could tell the young resident doctor was not himself. "Darien, you missed surgery. I was going to allow you to scrub in for a craniotomy. Your interns said they cannot find you. Your patients haven't seen you today." Dr. Thornton said, "What the hell is going on?"

Darien blurted out in a trance. "Derrick Summers, the eight-year-old patient that was dismissed yesterday is my son. I only found this out the other day. I slept with his mother eight years ago when I thought my girlfriend had cheated on me with someone else. My girlfriend and I cleared the misunderstanding a few days later and we slept together. She became pregnant with my child. I ended up marrying her and she is still my wife. I don't know how she knows but she found out that Derrick is my son. We had an argument and she told me that Katie is not my daughter. She cheated on me."

"Darien…"

"My daughter that I brought into this world, that I held in my hands, and gave her my mother's name is not my daughter." He began to breakdown and cry. Dr. Thornton came around his desk and embraced him as Darien cried on his shoulders. "I felt like my heart was ripped out my chest when she told me that."

Serena stayed in bed all day as she cried. She remembered the heartbroken expression on his face when she told him that Katie was not his. She felt like she lost her husband.

Darien was like a ghost. He did not sleep with her. He slept in his study or in the guest bedroom. He came home when she was asleep and was gone before she woke up. He worked extra shifts at the hospital and sometimes slept there. He did not want to go home. He could not look at his wife or Katie anymore.

At the graveyard for her husband's funeral, Karen dressed in black dress and Derrick dressed handsome in a black suit and tie stood next to the coffin. Only Dr. Thornton and Jenny were there to support them. Derrick cried as he looked at his father's coffin as the pastor dressed in a black robe recited a final prayer. Karen's hand was pressed tightly on Derrick's shoulders as she cried. Jenny placed a comforting hand on her shoulders.

Derrick closed his eyes breaking down in tears as his father's coffin was lowered into the ground. He looked up at the top of the hill and was stunned to see Dr. Shields standing on top of the hill dressed in a black suit. Rini stood next to him with her hair loose and dressed in a pretty black dress. Derrick broke away from his mother. "Derrick!" Derrick raced towards the hills and crashed into Dr. Shields' body startling Darien, who stood still for a moment. He then found himself embracing the child. He knelt down letting go of Rini's hand and embracing the little boy tightly who cried on his shoulders. Karen, Dr. Thornton, and Jenny stood stunned.

Karen sat in the passenger seat in silence as she watched Darien from the corner of her eye. Rini was seating in the backseat holding Derrick's hand as he rested his head in her lap. His blue eyes were red from tears. Darien had offered to drive them home. Karen still had to buy another car since her car was totaled in the wreck. Karen declined his offer but he insisted. She tried to pull Derrick away from Darien but Derrick cried and became belligerent. He did not want to let go of Darien as Darien held him on his arms. Dr. Thornton offered to bring them home, but Darien said he would do it. Dr. Thornton and Darien made eye contact and there was a mutual agreement. Being with Darien seemed to calm her son down. She agreed to let him take them home. She was now sitting in his car.

Rini woke up early in the morning dressed in her pajamas. She saw her father standing in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal leaning against the kitchen counter. She asked, "Dad, can you bring me to Derrick's dad's funeral today?"

Darien looked at the clock and saw that it was three thirty in the morning. "Rini, what are doing up so early?"

Rini said smartly, "Well, it's the only time you're home."

"Watch your tone young lady."

Rini said angrily, "What is going on with you and mom? You're acting weird ever since the day mom took Katie and me to Derrick's house."

Darien stilled for a moment as Rini continued. "Mom blew a gasket when she saw me in Derrick's room talking to him."

"You went to see Derrick?"

Rini nodded. "Yeah, I tell you about him all the time."

"So Derrick is the classmate that is really smart?" Rini nodded. He sounded like a very bright kid and Darien instantly liked him. Come to think about it, Derrick reminded Darien of how he used to be when he was Derrick's age.

"He asked me to come to his dad's funeral. He doesn't really have any family besides his mom and dad. Now, his dad is dead and all he has is his mom."

Darien smiled to himself. He reminded him of himself again at that age. The only difference is that Derrick still had his mom. It dawned on Darien that Derrick still had his dad too. He just did not know it.

"Dad, so can we go?" Darien snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his daughter's voice.

Darien paused. "…I don't know…"

Rini said, "I called the hospital dad. I know you are not working today and you are actually working extra shifts so don't lie to me dad. I'm eight not stupid." Darien snorted. He nodded as Rini smiled then went back to her room and went to back to sleep.

"Darien right here." Darien had zoned out again. He looked around and it dawned on him that Karen lived only a few blocks from his house. For months, his son lived a few blocks away from him and was friends with his daughter and he had no idea.

Karen unlocked the door as Darien scooped a sleeping Derrick in his arms and carried him to his bedroom. Karen's heart warmed at the scene of seeing the father and son together as they looked like the splitting image of one another.

Rini sat on the sofa next to her father in the living room. Karen sat across from them with her legs crossed at her ankles as they sipped tea and ate the remainder of the pie and peach cobbler that Mrs. Thornton made for her a few days ago.

They heard footsteps coming down the stairs. It was Derrick. Rini looked worried at Derrick. He smiled when he saw her. She smiled back at him. Darien and Karen saw this. Derrick sat next to his mom and ate a slice of pie. Rini soon followed him upstairs to his room. He wanted to show her some pictures of his dad.

A few minutes after the children left, Karen said, "Thank you, Darien. Your presence meant a lot to Derrick today."

Darien smiled setting his cup of tea down on the saucer. "It's really Rini that convinced me to come. She said Derrick asked her to come to the funeral a few days ago when my wife went berserk and dragged them out of here."

Karen smiled. "So that's your Serena?"

Darien smiled sadly, "That's my Serena." It used to make him smile to say that. Now, he did not feel like that anymore.

Karen said, "So Rini and Katie are your daughters?"

Darien nodded. Karen gasped when it dawned on her. "Oh my god, that means that they are Derrick's sisters."

Darien snorted. "Just Rini. My perfect wife informed me a couple of days ago when she found out that Derrick was mine. That Katie is not my daughter. Gain a child. Lose a child." She could see the hurt in his eyes even though he tried to be funny.

Karen said, "I'm sorry Darien. This is a huge mess."

Darien said firmly, "It's time we tell Rini and Derrick the truth."

Karen groaned in frustration. "Not today, Darien. I just buried my husband."

"You saw the way they looked at each other. They need to know the truth before they become too close."

Karen snapped, "Not today."

Darien said, "Then when?"

"I don't know! I don't want to think about it now."

"They are half-brother and sister. They need to know."

Karen said in defeat, "Fine tomorrow."

Late Sunday afternoon, Rini and Katie watched as their parents stood in a room in silence not speaking to one another. Darien finally spoke, "I'm taking the kids to the park today." The girls cheered in happiness.

"Fine." Serena walked out of the room not looking at him.

At the park that was a couple of blocks away from their home, Darien played with his daughters as he took turns pushing them on the swings. Karen dressed in skinny jeans and a blue and white plaid shirt smiled as she saw the scene. Derrick stood next to her dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. He was feeling much better especially since Darien stayed with him all day. He left late that night with a sleeping Rini in his arms. She was stunned when he gave her a kiss on the cheek and asked her to meet him at the park tomorrow with Derrick. Karen knew what he was planning, and she knew it was the right thing to do.

Derrick's eyes lit up when he saw Darien and Rini. He raced away from his mother and onto the playground towards them. Karen happily followed. Rini was halfway in the air when she saw Derrick racing towards her. She flipped off the swing and landed on her feet impressing Darien and Karen. Darien had no idea she knew how to do that. He was stunned when Katie did the same thing and landed on her feet racing behind her sister shouting, "Wait up!" Were they coming into their powers?

Rini and Derrick stopped when they were standing face to face. She bent over resting their hands on their knees as they breathed heavily. They laughed as they stood straight. Derrick said, "That was awesome! Rini!"

Rini blushed. "Thanks, Derrick."

Katie stood next to him. Derrick smiled at her. "You were awesome too, Kathy."

Katie corrected. "It's Katie."

Derrick smiled. "Sorry kiddo." Darien came to stand behind his two daughters as Karen came to stand behind Derrick.

Darien said, "Come on guys, there is something that Karen and I have to talk to you about."

The kids sat at a picnic table under a gazebo in the middle of the park. Derrick sat next to his mom, who placed a comforting arm around his shoulder while Darien sat on the opposite side between his daughters. Katie crawled on his lap. He absently minded rapidly his arms around her like he always did.

Darien and Karen stared at one another with worried looks on their faces.

Rini became irritated. She wanted to go back to playing and they had them sitting there in the blazing heat in an awkward silence. "Dad, can you spill it out already? I want to go play with Derrick?"

Derrick looked at his mom and asked, "Mom, what's going out? You and Dr. Shields are freaking us out."

Darien said, "Rini, Derrick…" Rini and Derrick looked at him. "You are half-brother and sister." He turned to his daughter. "Derrick is my son."

Rini opened her mouth to speak, but Derrick interrupted. "That doesn't make sense. My dad is dead and his name was Peter. How can Dr. Shields be my father when I only met him a few days ago?"

Karen was speechless. Darien answered. "Your mother and I knew each other a long time ago."

Karen placed a hand on a confused Derrick's chin turning his head to her. "I knew both of your fathers, Peter and Darien. We all knew each other in college. When Darien and I had a fight, we stopped speaking. I was pregnant with you and Peter who was my friend stepped up to the plate and helped me raise you. We married a few hours before you were born."

Derrick asked confused. "So how can Darien and Peter both be my fathers?"

"I am your biological father. I conceived you with your mother, but Peter was your real dad because he raised you as his own and did dad things with you."

Derrick stared at Darien for a moment. "So that's why we look alike?" Darien smiled.

Derrick turned to Rini. He said amazed, "So we're brother and sister."

Rini smiled sadly concerning Darien. Rini nodded.

Katie looked up at her dad. "So what does that make me? Is Derrick my brother too?"

Karen looked at Darien with anxious eyes as he looked down at the little girl looking up at him with dark blue eyes that matched his own. How could she not be his when she shared his eyes? She was beautiful and he brought her into this world. He could not hate her and his love did not diminish for her. She was still his little angel. At that moment he knew that her blood did not matter to him. She was still his little girl. He said happily, "Yes, my darling, he's your big brother too." Katie smiled happily at him. Karen smiled warmly at Darien.

Derrick said pointing at Rini, "Cool, I am your big brother."

Rini snapped out, "No, you're not. I am still older than you."

Derrick grumbled under his breath. "Only by a few weeks. That's not fair." Karen laughed. She could not believe that was competing on who was the oldest.

Katie asked looking at Karen, "So what do that make you?" Karen did not know how to answer that. She looked up to Darien for guidance. Her blue eyes staring at his blue eyes wondering how did she fit in?

He simply smiled. "A special part of the family." Karen smiled. She held out her hand across the table at Darien and placed a reassuring hand on his.

Serena slapped a pissed off Darien hard across the cheek in their kitchen. He turned his head away from her. They got into a big argument as the girls listened from behind the wall. Serena was upset after Katie let it slipped out that they met at the park with Karen and Derrick and Darien told them they were brother and sister. Serena went insane as they got into a shouting match in front of the children for the first time in their marriage. Darien quickly dismissed the girls telling them to leave.

"How the hell can you do that without me? You had no right to do that."

Darien turned towards Serena as she walked passed him. "I had to. What did you want for Rini to start liking her brother? You're the one that brought it up. I handled it!"

Serena sensed her daughters were listening. She yelled loudly, "Serenity and Katherine Shields, to your rooms now before I punished you!" Katie and Rini looked at one another in shock. They had no idea how their mom knew they were there. They raced to their rooms.

She turned to her husband. "So you don't include your wife?"

Darien said, "You're unbelievable."

"How am I unbelievable?" Serena yelled. "Are you screwing Karen or whatever her name is?"

Darien rolled her eyes. Serena knew exactly what Karen's name was. "You're always thinking I am fucking someone else." He laughed in incredulity of her accusation. "The woman just buried her husband yesterday. Your opinion of me must really be low."

Serena said angrily, "Much lower."

"One day I will have to prove you right and go have sex with someone else."

Serena said, "You already did that when you slept with Karen."

Darien yelled, "It was one time and we were broken up. I screwed up one time in twelve freaking years and I am the bad guy." He did not included the times that Fredrick told him about because he did not remember them, and he only considered actual intercourse cheating. "You're the one who fucked another guy while I was away at work. You cheated on me while we were married. I slept with another woman while we were broken up that I was too drunk to remember. I apologized for it. So you can stop with the holier than thou bullshit because you are no better." He walked out towards the front door.

She yelled, following him "Where are you going?"

Darien said, "Anywhere but here." He slammed the door shut. Serena stared at the door angrily.

Two weeks had passed since that day and Serena and Darien still were not speaking or sleeping together. The thought of touching his wife made Darien's skin crawl. When Darien was not working, he found himself spending time with Derrick. Sometimes they hung out at Karen's house. Sometimes he brought him to the hospital where Darien realized that Derrick had a very curious mind and a keen interest in science. They went the ball park and tossed a baseball or even sat on the sofa and watched sports. It was different at Karen's house. At his house, the girls were not really interested in sports. It's was girl world all the time. Spending time with Karen and Derrick seemed so easy and like a breath of fresh air. His entire marriage with Serena seemed like hard work and they were trying so hard to have a good life together. He realized as he watched Fredrick and his wife or his other married friends that marriage did not have to be hard work. Some of them told him at one time or another that the easiest part of their lives was their marriage.

Darien found himself talking to Karen too. He realized that she was smart and beautiful and more on his level intellectually than Serena. Yet, he never noticed her. He never allowed himself to notice her because he was obsessed with Serena. Now, he realized that his Serena was not the perfect angel he imagined her to be. He could talk to Karen for hours about anything, while Serena found it boring and fell asleep on him.

He knew his marriage was starting to fall apart and neither Serena nor he was trying to keep it together anymore. It was like they were tired of trying. One night he found himself talking to Karen at her place. He fell asleep on the sofa. He worried about how Serena would respond when he came home the next day wearing the same clothes that he had on the day before. She did not care. She did not even notice him. One half of him did not care. One half of him hoped she would.

One night Darien sat at the counter in a local bar getting wasted. His marriage was falling apart, and his wife did not want to make love to him anymore. The most pitiful moment in his marriage was when they were lying in bed two hours ago. She was turned away from him. He found himself fantasizing about Karen and trying hard not to sleep with her since he felt an attraction towards her. He tapped Serena's shoulder and she told him in a harsh tone, "Go fuck someone else. I am not interested." Darien angry and hurt quickly got out of bed. He did not feel like arguing with her anymore. He quickly threw on some clothes and left the house. Serena went back to sleep.

Darien now sat at a bar with his third beer in his hand. Every woman in that bar was checking him out, but he was not interested in any of them. His wife did not want him and Karen showed interest. Yet, he knew if he was slept with Karen, it was the end of his marriage to Serena. He tried to drunk call Karen to allow him to come over. When she realized that he was drunk and slurring over his words, she cursed him out and hung up in his face.

Rick walked in the bar and saw Darien sitting at it. He huffed as he felt a chill move through his body. His eyes turned red for a fleeting moment then swiftly returned to normal. He sat down next to Darien and ordered a beer.

Darien was clearly drunk. Rick smiled. "What's up, Darien?"

Darien said slurring on his words, "My wife doesn't want me anymore. She told me to go fuck someone else and that is exactly what I am going to do."

Rick said, "How long have you been sitting here?" The bartender slid him a beer across the counter. Rick easily caught it and twisted off the cap.

Darien laughed, "About a couple of hours give or take."

Rick took a sip of his beer. "I told you what you need to do."

Darien shook his head. "I could never do that to Serena."

"You need to put her in her place, Darien. You are a god. She should worship the ground that you walk on. Jenny was just as willful as Serena. I put her in place and she obeys me now."

"You want me to break my wife. I don't like meek women like Jenny. No offense." He took a sip of his beer.

"Do you prefer Serena to continue to be a slut? Do you want your daughters to turn as wanton as their mother?" Darien looked confused at Rick's rant sounding more like a Protestant preacher from the Great Awakening era. Rick leaned towards Darien as Darien looked ahead with horror. He saw images of his wife screwing other men while he was at work. Some were at their home. Others were at school. She was letting those college boys feel all over her body. His blood started to boil when he saw her going down on her male students. Everyone in the bar was oblivious to this even the bartender kept walking back and forth through the images as he took customers' orders.

Darien shook his head. "This is not real."

Rick said, "It's real. Jenny saw her." He went on. "It goes further than that." Darien's eyes widen in horror when she saw her having sex with Diamond and enjoying it. "You weren't her first. He was."

Darien said angrily, "You're lying. This is an illusion. Serena would never sleep with a snake like Diamond."

Rick shook his head. "Did she bleed when you made love to her the first time?" Darien froze when he remembered there was no blood. Rick had to be telling the truth. He was not her first and Katie wasn't his.

Rick said spitefully, "Break her. Possess her. Control your whore."

Darien looked at him confused. "What?"

Rick said, "Break your whore. She's not a wife. She doesn't deserve that title. She's a whore, and if you don't do anything about it, she's going to end up on some street corner."

Rick placed a hand on top of Darien's. Darien's felt a dark entity entered his body possessing him, corrupting his heart with contempt for his wife. His eyes glowed red. "Let the beast out." Darien nodded as he turned on his stool and he walked out the bar. Rick grinned as he took a sip of his beer.

Darien stood in the doorway of their bedroom. Serena sat in bed reading an art book with the lamp on next to her. Serena said apathetically not looking up, "What do you want Darien? Finished screwing Karen already?" She added cynically, "How predictable!"

Darien stared at her heatedly. He said quietly, "Look at me." She ignored him as she turned the page infuriating him more. He shouted, "Look at me!"

She looked up at him. She became frightened. He had snapped again. He slowly walked towards her. She placed the book down. She shook her head. "Don't do this, Darien." He stepped into the room breaking the sacred barrier of their bedroom. The door automatically closed and locked.

He ignored her as he continued walking towards her taking off his clothes. He used his power as the covers pulled away from her exposing her. He moved his hand and her pants and panties came off and flew into the corner. His eyes were red not gold. She gasped when ropes came out of nowhere chaining her to the bed and spreading her arms and legs apart. She tried to pull herself free but the ropes were too strong and tight.

He stood at the edge of the bed naked holding his erect groin. She begged yanking the ropes, "Darien, don't do this. Don't take me like this. I am your wife."

He bit out, "You're a whore. A nasty, filthy whore deserves to be punished." That did not sound like Darien. It sounded like something Dr. Thornton would say.

Darien crawled on top of her. She cried trying to reason with him before he did something that he would regret, "Darien, don't do this. This isn't you."

His eyes glowed as an invisible force pushed her head down on the pillow. She felt a tight pressure on her neck like someone was choking her. Her husband crawled on top of her. She cried out in pain as he shoved his groin inside of her. She wanted to scream but a gag ball magically appeared in her mouth. Darien laughed crazily, "Come on, Serena. You don't want to wake up the kids!" He mocked her as he whispered in her ear. She could smell the alcohol on his breath. "How are we going to explain this to the children, Serena?"

He started to pound hard inside of her. She whimpered loudly as a she looked in the corner and saw that Dr. Thornton was standing in the shadows grinning at her. She frowned angrily at him knowing instantly that he was behind this somehow. Darien pounded inside of her harder and faster. Darien cried out Karen's name as he came inside of her. He slowly moved out of her. He laughed as he moved off of her and gathered his clothes off the floor. He stood up dressing himself and looked at the corner where Dr. Thornton stood. He said apathetic fastening up his jeans, "I'm done with her. You can have her now." Darien walked away from her. Serena tried to call out for him but her voice was muffled by the gag ball. Darien ignored her cries, opened the door, and walked out of the room deserting her helplessly alone with Dr. Thornton.

Dr. Thornton stepped out of the shadows. His eyes red like Darien and filled with lust and evil intentions like the satisfied smirk on his twisted face. She could see his arousal for her. He grinned. "I've been waiting for this a long time, Serena." Serena shook her head and frantically tried to yank her arms and legs freed from the ropes. He moved towards her unbuckling his pants. Serena screamed. The gag ball silenced her screams as Dr. Thornton came closer and closer.

She twisted and turned in bed trying to break herself free. She opened her eyes as her heart pounded rapidly and chest heaved heavily. She assessed her surroundings. She was in her bed. The sun was up and she was still in her pajamas and there were no ropes, no Darien, no Dr. Thornton. She sighed in relief that it was only a dream. It felt so real. She breathed heavily. She jumped up in bed not noticing the brown envelope next to her. She heard crying downstairs. She raced downstairs to see her daughters crying.

Serena asked worried embracing them, "Why are you crying?"

Rini said angrily, "Daddy, gone. You drove him away. I hate you." She raced passed her mother to her room slamming her door shut.

Serena asked a crying Katie, "What's going on?"

Katie said, "He told us that he loved us, but he can't live here anymore. He told us that he was sick and he needed to get help so he had to go away."

Serena stood in disbelief. She could not believe that he was gone. She raced upstairs and searched through the closets, the drawers, and bathroom. All his things were gone.

'How could he have done all this while I was asleep?' She wondered.

She found a large brown envelope on her bed. She opened it and dumped the contents on the bed. She became emotional when his wedding ring fell on the bed also. She saw divorce papers with his signature on them. She found a letter written in Darien's neat handwriting. She opened and scanned the contents. It read:

Dear Serena,

You win. Serena. I give up. I give up on you and this marriage. By the time you read this, I will already be gone. I cannot live in the past anymore. Our destinies are no longer intertwined and Crystal Tokyo is not going to happen. All that we had left was Darien and Serena, and now we don't even have that anymore. I knew we were drifting apart when I saw that videotape. But instead of letting things run their course, I tried to save us. I intentionally got you pregnant Serena. I knew exactly what I was doing, and that's why your parents despised me because they saw right through me. It was my desperate attempt to keep you and marry you and trap you so that no other man can possess you. What I did was wrong and selfish and I apologized. Last night as I watched you sleep. Sometimes I do that because when I see you breathe, I know that I am not alone. I realized that I'm obsessed with you because I was afraid of being alone again. You were everything to me for so long that I was afraid to be without you in this world even though you grew up on me and became your own woman. I used to be a man of reason not this lunatic that I have been throughout our marriage so I am going to move on and try to learn how to live in this world without you.

So you are free. I am letting you go to be the person that you are meant to be without me holding you back. I will always love you Serena. You'll always have a special place in my heart because you are always going to be my first love, and the man that takes my place is the luckiest man in the world.

I am not abandoning the girls. Just because things did not work out with us, I am not abandoning them. I need a little time to myself to get back to being the man that I was proud of. I'll send for them and I hope you allow me to spend time with them because you are truly a wonderful mother. Once you sign the divorce papers, I will eventually marry Karen. I don't love her the way that I love you. I don't think I could every love anyone like I love you, but she's a good person and a good mother. So you have your wish Serena Tuskino. I am letting you go. I am granting you your divorce, but always remember that I will always love you. Good-bye my angel.

Love always.

Darien

Serena frantically searched the contents on the bed. She saw the deed to the house, the title to her car, the children's passports, her passport, his keys to the house, and a check from him written out to her for one hundred grand. She did not even know he had a separate bank account.

Serena called the hospital and they told her that he quit. Serena gathered her children and drove to Karen's home. They looked at their mother worried even Rini's anger dissipated as she saw the pathetic state her mother was in. Serena saw a for sale sign. She glanced through the windows and saw that the house was empty. When Serena tried to open the door to go inside, Rini touched her arm stopping her. Rini said sadly, "Mom, he's gone. Dad's gone and he's not coming back." Serena collapsed to her knees and broke down into tears. She could not believe she lost him. Rini embraced her mom. A confused Katie joined in and hugged her. Serena held her daughters tightly as she sobbed uncontrollably causing her daughters to break down into tears. Neighbors came out and watched the sad sight.