"I'm leaving you, Harvey."

As she walked away from him the words rang in his head. He couldn't move, he just stood there, completely speechless, clenching his jaw to stop the tears that were about to roll down his cheeks. He couldn't believe what had just happened, Donna was walking away from him, and it looked like she was moving in slow motion, and that was when it happened.

For the first time in years, he felt his chest tighten as he watched another woman walk away from him; first his mother, now Donna, the person he trusted most, and the person who he had sworn would never leave him.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there for afterwards, but eventually he knew he had to go home, so he did. Not even bothering to call Ray, he walked through the dark streets of New York aimlessly to his apartment. His mind was a whirl with questions, but he could come up with no answers. He wandered about until he couldn't think anymore, and he instead began to look at the city around him.

The buildings towered above him, and the lights shone brightly. Cars zoomed past even at this time of night, and every now and then, a couple would walk past holding hands. He knew that he and Donna weren't that, in fact they were as close as two people can possibly be without being that, but part of him wanted to know if they could be. Right before she said she was leaving, she had told him that she loved him. The man didn't know how to clear his head, and since he was only working himself into more of a state, he eventually found his way back to his apartment.

When he got up there, he just sat down on the couch and stared at the cactus on the coffee table. The man didn't know what he was thinking, or what he was going to do, but eventually he must have fallen asleep because he woke up the next morning still in his shirt with his tie loosely hanging around his neck. His neck ached from how he had slept, and as he sat up groggily, he saw the semi-full tumbler of whiskey he had poured himself the night before.

He wanted more than anything to just sit there and pretend that she didn't leave him, but that wouldn't change anything, so he got changed and left to run and clear his mind. He had to go into the office today and knew people would ask questions if he showed up in his current state of mind. Normally when he went running, he would go at a reasonable speed, just enough to work up a sweat and show off to some people on the sidewalk, but never enough to leave him lying on the ground panting. Today however, he pushed himself until he couldn't go any further at which point he decided it would be best to return to his condo and take a shower.

As soon as he walked through the door, he collapsed onto the bed, but after he caught his breath he realised that, despite how exhausted it had made him, his jog had somewhat relaxed him by getting his mind off of it. Whenever he ran to get rid of stress, he always overdid it, but he didn't care at this point, he just wanted to go in and get the day over with. He got in the shower a few minuted later to wash the sweat off of his body, but when he was under the water, he saw the tremor. This had happened since he was younger, him refusing to show emotion and allowing it to be eat him up inside, but it had been fine, mostly, up until now. He let the hot water run over his body, and that was when he noticed it, he watched his hand shake for a few seconds before holding it with the other, shaking his head and dismissing it as he finished washing himself.

When he got to the firm, he was about to go into his office, when he saw Donna at her desk. His heart almost burst out of his chest from happiness as he considered that she had changed her mind. But when he walked past, she placed a piece of paper in his hand - her notice. Clutching it, he walked slowly into his office, but before he could even sit down, his body slumped into the chair and the piece of paper slowly drifted onto his desk as he lost grip on it, a wrinkle from where he had held it so tightly before. As he sat there, his chest felt as though it was getting tighter and tighter, but he took a deep breath and composed himself, determined not to let this get out of control.

She was going to change her mind. She had to change her mind.

He had managed to convince himself that she wasn't going to work for Louis, and the even if she did, it wouldn't last long. His money was on it being just over a week at most before she was back where she belonged.

Lost in thought, he hadn't noticed her standing by the door with another piece of paper.

"Here's a list of replacements. I've given you two weeks notice, and in that time I'll help you find someone - I'm not gonna leave you high and dry."

Her words didn't make sense to him. The idea of her leaving him was unfathomable, but it had never even crossed his mind that he would have to hire someone else, that when he looked out of his door, it wouldn't be her bright red hair that he saw, but would instead be some stranger's.

"Don't bother. I don't need two weeks. If you wanna leave, just leave."

That was how he left it, his vision going so blurry now that he didn't see her wipe away a tear as she walked out of his office absolutely dumbfounded by what he had just said. He wasn't thinking straight, of course he didn't want her to go, but this was the way he thought would be best - a quick fix if you will. The sooner he ripped off the band-aid the better. But that didn't stop the pain he felt in his chest when he next looked out of his door to see her desk empty. There was nothing, no evidence that she had ever been there, and he already missed her.