The fall had been harsh. Swift. Brutal.
Liz had thought she could still pull one last string – one final manipulation to turn things around. She tried to bribe a former employee if Maria's, attempted to plant a fake story online, even staged a "chance" encounter near Maria's residence.
But everything failed.
Maria had anticipated her every move. Nothing got past her anymore.
One evening, in a fit of desperation, Liz broke into Maria's office building, sobbing and muttering, calling it "a peace talk". But Maria wasn't there – only Sara, who had already alerted security.
Liz collapsed on the office floor, clinging to a chair leg as if it were the last anchor to a world that had long rejected her.
"I loved her," she whispered to no one. "I really did... I ruined it... I ruined everything..."
By the time police arrived, Sara had stopped them.
"She's not a criminal. Just broken."
That night, Maria finally let herself cry. Alone in her room, staring at a photo her daughter drew of the two of them.
| "Everything I did... all the planning, the fear, the strength – it was for her. For her future. For me. I can't change the past... but I can protect our tomorrow." |
Months later
In a cramped apartment that smelled of old ambition and forgotten success, Liz lay curled up on the cold tiled floor of her assistant's living room. She've lost some weight due to lack of appetite. Her hair was unkept. Her eyes were hollow.
Her assistant, Mark , sat on the edge of the couch, the weight of watching his once-powerful boss fall pressing heavily on him.
"Look," he finally said, "I've supported you. Stood by you. Cleaned up messes. But you've got nothing left here. You're done. And I have my career to think about."
"I have an offer. You might not like it but it's the only thing keeping you from sinking lower." he added.
Liz mockingly scoffs. "Lower than rock bottom? Impressive."
"Leave. Start over. Somewhere no one knows you, like a new continent. I have connections overseas. You won't get your old life back, but you might get a new one."
Liz stared at the ceiling. "If I leave... do you think she's miss me?"
Mark looked away. His silence was the answer.
But then he said it anyway. "No. She won't."
She closed her eyes tightly. A silent tear slipped out.
"Then help me leave. Please."
Two weeks later...
A one-way ticket. A forged name. A change of identity. No glory. No glamour.
Mark stood with her in front of his helicopter. "Are you ready?"
Liz nodded. "New town. New life. No more second chances. Goodbye Mark. Thanks for everything, take care"
As she sat inside, her heart heavy, the world blurry from unshed tears, she whispered under her breath:
| "Maybe this is what starting over really means...not for her...not for the world...but maybe...for me." |
At night – Lila bedroom.
Maria sat by her daughter's bedside, brushing a lock of hair from her face. Lila stirred in her sleep and whispered, "Momma?"
"I'm here baby," Maria said gently.
"I love you."
Maria kissed her forehead. "I love you more baby."
And in the quiet of the night, for the first time in years... Maria finally felt at peace.