Danielle walked into her house drenched from the rain that was still pouring. Seems like reality was out to punish her for the wrong choice she made. Just after she drove out of the birthday party, her Audi 360 broke down on the highway. Danielle had no choice but to walk home since she had no money on her to board a taxi.

"So much for a five years anniversary," Danielle muttered, her eyes scanning the entire house, from the cold dinner to the decorations that laid there waiting for the happy moments.

Danielle exhaled deeply, slumping into the sofa. The house was quiet, not that it had been any lively, but now, Danielle finally understood why. Ronnie was busy cheating on her, starting a family with someone else while she worked two jobs just to support him.

"Just go home ... we will talk about this when I get home," a tear dropped from Danielle's eyes as Ronnie's words echoed in her head.

"Home???" She wasn't sure if she could call her house a home anymore. Up until an hour ago, it was a home she had always wanted, but now it looks more like a dungeon she had to get away from as soon as possible before it consumes her.

Danielle reached for her phone, clicking on her favorite contact list. Ronnie's number was the first and, of course, the most called. She stared at it for a while before dialing the second number.

"How fast can you process a divorce?" Danielle asked immediately the call connected. The other person on the phone seemed to have said something positive as Danielle nodded her head in approval.

"That's great, I want it in my doorstep first thing in the morning before 6 am," Danielle said and quickly ended the call without waiting to hear a response.

With that, Danielle went into the bedroom and began packing her bags.

The next morning, Danielle woke up early, her bags all packed and ready to go. Just as she had requested, the divorce papers were delivered even earlier than she thought.

Ronnie and his family arrived right on time, just before Danielle could leave the house.

"What was the meaning of that?" Ronnie hoarse voice echoed in the house immediately he walked in.

Danielle turned to look at him and then to his family, who stood behind him like an army.

"Meaning of what, you have to be more specific?" Danielle said nonchalantly. For some reason, after bawling her eyes out and finally sleeping off to the sound of her own tears, Danielle woke up finally more alive than she had felt in a long time. The pain she felt finding out about Ronnie's fidelity was gone and was replaced with a feeling she couldn't place it.

"I should be more specific?" Ronnie was stunned, his eyes fixed on her and then to the three packed bags behind her.

"What's with the bags?" He asked, taking notice of them.

"And why is the house in such a mess? Hump, you can't even do a good job as a housewife," Frances snapped, rolling her eyes at Danielle.

"What do you think, mother? She is just a lazy thing, leaving off my brothers wealth," Nancy snapped.

Danielle scoffed, her eyes shifting from Ronnie to his mother Frances, to his father David, to his younger sister Nancy, and then to his younger brother James. The Heck family was almost complete with just Jessica, the eldest daughter absent. Probably in her husband's house frustrating the poor man

"I'm leaving...." Danielle said. The entire family burst into laughter as if she had just cracked the joke of the century.

"To where? To find yourself another rich man to wreck?" James asked mockingly.

"Guess my brothers money isn't enough for you anymore. Oh, that's true, he is in love with someone else," Nancy added mockingly

Danielle scoffed. She couldn't understand why the Heck family kept emphasizing that she was a gold digger as if Ronnie was rich when they met. He was just a frustrated man who was tired of getting job rejections and decided to open his own business but was on the verge of bankruptcy, making to take two minal job just to pay off his loans that kept piling up with interest. Ronnie was nothing.

"What are you saying, Danielle? we both know you can't leave me, so stop with the jokes and clean this house. I hate dirty environment," Ronnie said, heading inside. He stopped towards the dining table, his eyes fixed on the tulip flowers.

After looking at it from a distance for a while, he walked closer as if to get a clearer look. He picked up the black box, taking a good look at the content inside.

"Tulips aren't my favorite. As a matter of fact, I am not a flower guy, I just said that because you kept talking about them and this watch.... " Ronnie scoffed.

"If you going to get me a Rolex, why don't you buy directly from the dealer inside of getting me a cheap pre-owned with a broken glass," Ronnie said. He gradually let go of the watch, allowing it to hit the ground, further breaking the glass.

Nancy snickered, "She's cheap, so she ought to get cheap gifts,"

Danielle closed her eyes briefly, trying to calm her feelings down before she opened it. "I already have the divorce papers, so sign it and send it to my lawyer?" Danielle said.

"Your Lawyer.... I didn't know lawyers were cheap to afford these days?" David Heck said, blowing his ciger in the air.

Danielle scoffed. To think David once adored her and dotted on her. Frances and Nancy weren't her biggest fans right from the bringing, so getting those sassy words didn't hurt as much as it does when David says it.

Danielle nodded her head and muttered some words, assuring herself that she was making the right decisions, and with that, she walked out of the house without looking back.

"Oh my Goooood, mum, she left," Nancy said visibly, stunned by Danielle's guts.

"Oh, she would be back. It's not as if she has anywhere to go. Her parents are late, and the only thing they left her is a bank debt and an old house that could fall apart any moment. Trust me, in less than an hour, She would be here groveling and begging you to take her back," Frances boasted. But then an hour passed, almost going to five hours, but she wasn't back.

The plane landed at the European International Airport, Danielle had boarded the plane immediately she left Ronnie house. It was a long five hours flight, which Danielle spent thinking about the directions her life could have taken if she hadn't made that decision of running away from home just to marry Ronnie.

It's been five years, five years she last saw her family or even heard from them. Danielle made sure she severed all the means of communicating her family could use in reaching out to her just because she was in love with a Ronnie and they weren't in support of her love. If only she hadn't run away, she would have saved herself the heartaches she had experienced over the last five years.

"We are here, ma," the airport chauffeur said, snapping Danielle out of thoughts.

Danielle exhaled deeply, looking at the Montrose Villa. It was just as she remembered it. The front door garden was fresh and had butterflies flying around the flowers, and the neighborhood was still calm and quiet. Nothing seemed to have changed.

The main gate password worked much to Danielle's dismay. She thought her parents would have changed it by now, but they didn't.

"Thank you," Danielle alighted from the car. The chauffeur helped unload her luggage from the car trunk before he left.

Danielle stood at the door, wondering if she should leave or press the doorbell. She ran away from home without leaving anything, not even a letter assuring her family that she was okay.

After about thirty minutes, she finally pressed the doorbell, hoping for the best or perhaps the worst to happen.

"Miss Danielle????" Niles, the family butler called, his face filled with suprise and questions.

"Hi Mr Niles," Danielle smiled. The two stood there staring at each other for a while before Danielle broke the awkwardness.

"Erm... can I... Can I come in?" She asked.

"Yes, sure, pardon my manners," Niles said, opening the door for Danielle to enter while he assists her in bringing in her luggage.

"I will go get your parents," Niles excused himself.

Danielle stood at a corner, looking around the house. The exterior might not have changed at all, but the interior changed a big deal. It was almost as if the house now belonged to a new family.

"Dani????" Danielle turned to the sound of that soothing voice. Her eyes meet with that of a middle-aged woman filled with love and compassion.

"Mum, I...." Rute wrapped her in a hug without letting her finish her sentence.

"Oh my gosh, it's so good to have you home, baby," Rute said with a teary voice.

"I'm so sorry, mum, I'm really sorry," Danielle apologized in tears.

"No, baby. I am sorry, I am sorry for not listening to you," Rute stroked her hair gently as the two women cried in each other's arm.

Timothy Montrose, Danielle's father, stood at a corner together with Niles, he had walked in to see his wife and his long lost daughter wrapped in each other's arms, a scene he never thought he would see.

"Save some of the hugs for me," Timothy said. Danielle left Rute's embrace and walked over to him, with tears in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, dad," Danielle said in between the hugs.

"I'm sorry too," Timothy replied, tightening the hug.

"You know what, Niles, call the rest of the family to return home and have the chef prepare all of Danielle's favorite meal, we are having a family dinner today," Rute said excitedly.

"Okay, ma," Niles said with a light bow before he excused himself.