Daniel dawned in his office, the door still closed as the children left for school. Fortunately, Susan had refused to leave that night. She stayed in Ethan's room with the children, not coming out, but the screams were still heard. She had to contain Naomi and Jonathan, who were startled by their father's harsh voice.
She knew him, she knew her brother very well. All that wall of cement and ice that made up his armor was nothing more than a defense for him, inside he would break into pieces. Before they left for school, she tried to knock on his door again, but there was no answer.
He would stay there until he had no choice but to face reality again. Silence would once again fill the house, but this time it would feel heavier and more closed in. In the living room, the pieces of the device and the ring had been left on the floor. Susan picked them up and put them away, they were symbols that Deanna would no longer be there.
Ethan had chosen silence and severity, Naomi was noticeably sad, but the little boy was the one who was most shocked. And Daniel knew that sooner or later he would have to face them, face their judging and blaming eyes.
If only she knew that his mistake was nothing more than a lapse of judgment, that he was lost in his grief at that moment, that he only reacted because she was on his mind, that his hands burned to touch her again and that he didn't want the body in his grasp. It was there, who was to believe him? He had given in to the impulses anyway.
He should have told her, explained everything to her, instead of holding it back out of fear. Admitted his guilt and accepted the punishment. He had done the same as Harry: denied her the right to decide. Maybe she would have forgiven him if he had opened his heart and confessed, but now she wouldn't.
Harry was furious with Daniel; instead of taking care of her and appreciating her as Deanna deserved, he had done the opposite. So many times he had accused him of hurting her! And there he was, the miserable bastard, having his way with another woman! He would never have done it in his place, he would have begged and begged and cried for her. He would have crawled instead of acting like an automaton. In his place, he would have built her a castle where he could worship her as the woman she was.
- Daniel, please open the door... - Susan asked him when she returned from dropping the children off at school.
- Brother, open the door. You can't stay there forever... Daniel... -
He finally opened the door and let her in.
He looked terrible. His hair was all tousled, his face streaked with tears, his eyes dry and dull. He fell back into his chair.
- What have I done, Susan? - Even his voice was a whisper.
- What you've done is hopeless, Daniel, and I don't know if it's forgivable. But staying here won't solve anything. You have to go to her and ask for her forgiveness... -
- Nothing happened with Beverly, nothing... Only that, and I regret it... I regret it... I should have told her -
- You shouldn't have done it in the first place -
- I let myself be blinded by the need I felt for her because she was gone... -
Daniel broke down again and Susan couldn't help but hug him. He clung to his sister like a child and cried.
But Harry wouldn't be so understanding. He had given up Deanna to take care of his family, he had given her up because she was in love with Daniel, because Daniel was supposedly in love with her. He came to his house with one purpose: to kill him.
- You're a fucking bastard! - He yelled at him from the doorway.
He didn't care that Susan was there or that Daniel was falling apart again.
- Harry, please! - Susan begged him.
- Please what, Susan?! I'd have to kill you, you jerk! Is that why you took her away from me?! –
- What can you tell me, you coward! You had her in front of you for so many years and you were not able to tell her how you felt! -
- And you have her and you despise her for Beverly! Don't you realize what she is?! You'll never have another woman like her! You don't deserve her! -
- Stop it, Harry! He's sorry enough as it is... -
- He'll regret it for the rest of his life!... I know I will too...
- He can still get her back...
- Don't be naive, sister. She'll never forgive him and I hope she never will! -
- And you're enjoying it! - Daniel accused him.
- I told her! I told her! I told her that in the end you'd do something to scare her off! And she, stubborn because she loved you, yelled at me that you weren't like that! She defended you even though you were acting like an idiot! For that? You can't be more of a fool! -
- Enough Harry! How much longer are you going to torture him?! You gain nothing by telling him all these things... -
- She's not coming back...
- No, Daniel, she's not coming back. Give her up, you never deserved her...
For Harry it was a fact, he knew what Deanna was like.
- She left with Reed, Susan - Daniel said.
- You don't know that, Daniel, don't jump to conclusions.
- Dean would never go with a guy like that, there must be a reason why he would bring her -
- What reason could there be? -
- I don't know! Deanna's not like that... –
Not only had she left him, she had replaced him with Leonard. The idea that this man could ever touch her, ever kiss her, ever have her, drove another thorn right through her heart.
Someone called her room at the hotel. She was still awake, she had spent the night looking out the window and remembering. But she couldn't cry. She had all that pain bottled up inside and couldn't get it out. She opened the door and found a boy and breakfast.
- I didn't order anything," she told him.
- Mr. Reed ordered it for this room.
Deanna let him in. The tray was piled high with food and sweets, but she just took the cup of coffee and went to sit in the same place she had spent the night, by the window.
The video played in her head like a loop. Watching it just once was enough to get it stuck in her head. It was the same desk where they had been together the night of the party, the same dark wood. Apparently, she hadn't been the only one. He had confessed to her that he used to bring women into his office. She had never believed that he would still do it, even though he was married to her.
She felt more naive than ever, not even when she found out about Frank had she had to face those feelings. Daniel's betrayal had forced her to evaluate herself. How much she had given herself for nothing each time. They were right: she was deluded, believing that love was rosy and that they would love her with the same impetus with which she loved.
Now she had to figure out what to do with her life. All the things she had put on hold to be with him had to be taken up again if she was to survive this wound. There was nothing else for her to do. A new semester at the university was just around the corner, she was unemployed, and the only place she could go back to was her mother's house. Her small apartment was rented and all her belongings were Philippa's. She didn't even have her clothes, just a few things she took from the house.
She had to start from scratch and leave everything behind for good.