Lex studied the ceiling. Her alarm was still ringing. She let it. All she cared about was if the room would start moving again soon.Her eyes flicked to the built-in closet. She braced herself in case the bed would start shifting under her, but nothing happened. Lex rolled onto her side and reached for her phone. She finally stopped the alarm.

It was 6 AM. She had left the curtains open. The ever-present glow of New York City’s lights filled the room. Lex sighed. The lump in her throat made it hard to swallow.

She didn’t notice she was crying until the salty tears reached her lips. Lex grabbed the pillow next to her, the one Mary had rested her head on, and held it against her chest.

There was only one word for the anguish she was in. She was heartbroken. And she knew she had done most of the breaking. Mary had been right to walk away.

Lex breathed out tiredly. She didn’t want to give in to the tears too much. That would keep her in bed all day and she had things to do. She had a plan to stick to.

After Mary had left last night, Lex had stared out of the window for hours. She had replayed the conversation with her mother numerous times. She had done the same with Mary’s words.

Finally, Lex had come up with a plan. She had decided things needed to change. *She* needed to change. This version of herself wasn’t working for her. Not anymore.

She had been too focused on becoming successful for most of her life. She had been a workaholic. She had been judgemental. And she had been someone who lied when things got uncomfortable.

In essence, she had become everything she had always hated about her father. Still, she wasn’t entirely like him. Lex *had* stood up for Vicky, hadn’t she?

She had paid a hefty price for it. But maybe losing everything was a gift. Perhaps it had set her free to lead a different life. Mary had made her see things in a different light.

Yes, Lex had lost Mary before she had even fully realized what a gift having Mary in her life was. But she hadn’t lost herself. On the contrary, she felt like she was finally discovering who she really was. Or could be.

It sounded strange, even to herself, but Lex had decided she would accept the heartbreak. It was worth it. She would embrace this new life, tears and all.