Bianca Montgomery sat in the boat house alone at the early hour of six in the morning. The sun was beginning to rise signaling the start of a beautiful early autumn day. A cool breeze floated by and she shivered and pulled her thin sweater closer. She knew she had just been sitting, staring at the water, for goodness knew how long. She looked at her watch for the exact duration. She'd been sitting in the same spot, thinking the same things for three hours now. She hoped her mother wasn't worried but she had been sleeping when Bianca snuck out. The thought of her mother bought a very familiar question into her mind. The thing she had been thinking about was asking her mother if she could go to boarding school. School was starting soon, another year in Pine Valley was almost unthinkable. But maybe she could enjoy herself, in another place, with a new start. She didn't want to leave Laura but she knew she had to, Laura had Leo, her 'faithful' husband, she didn't need her. She thought with a twinge of bitterness and tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly brushed them away, she had thought she had cried out all of the tears that were inside of her an hour ago but obviously they replenished quickly.
Laura was in her thoughts all of the time and Bianca hated it. Laura had always loved Leo and Bianca hated that fact. But when she thought about how happy he made Laura she felt guilty that she was jealous, maybe she was wrong about Leo, maybe he truly loved Laura, or thought he could.
She stood up and winced as her stiff muscles sent pain through her body. She looked up at the rising sun and thought about a new beginning, one that she was determined to have.

Bianca took a deep breath and knocked on the Du Pre's door. It had been hours since she had been at the boat house and it was now almost sunset but she felt no better. The door was answered by Leo himself.
"Hey Bianca, look I have to leave, tell Laura I'll be back later," he said pushing past her and out of the door.
Bianca could see something was wrong because his eyes were red and he looked upset. She sat her bag down by the door and called out Laura's name but there was no answer. Bianca closed the door and started to travel through the house when she heard muffled sounds. She knocked on one of the closed doors. "Laura, are you in there? Are you okay?" asked Bianca, worried that whatever had upset Leo had also upset Laura too and possibly made her have a relapse, or another episode like she had had a few days ago.
The sounds continued but there was no answer to her call. She hesitantly turned the door knob and peaked in, she knew Laura was mad at her, for her words about Leo not exactly loving her but she had to make sure she was alright. Laura was curled up on the bed crying. Bianca hesitantly walked deeper into the room but Laura didn't look up. She walked over to the bed and sat down while she put a comforting hand on Laura's bare back. "Laura, please say something, are you okay?"
Laura sat up and wrapped her arms around Bianca sobbing. "He-he d-doesn't really l-love me. Leo doesn't l-love me, you were right, the w-whole time," she wailed.
"Shhhh. It's going to be okay Laura, just calm down," said Bianca soothingly as she pulled a tissue from her pocket. Bianca gently pushed Laura off of her shoulder and then took her wet cheek in her palm and wiped away a tear with her thumb while she looked into her friends blue tearful eyes. "It's going to be okay," she repeated while wiping away Laura's tears with the tissue.
"I'm so sorry for not believing you," said Laura tearfully.
"It's okay, I had no right-"
"You had every right, you knew Leo didn't love me but I wouldn't listen."
"It's all forgotten, do you need anything? Do you want me to call Brooke?"
"No. But it is time to take my meds, could-could you go get them from the kitchen."
"Sure," said Bianca smiling comfortingly as she got up and went to the kitchen.

Laura put her head in her hands and closed her eyes. She couldn't believe Leo didn't love her like he said he had. The name Leo brought fresh tears to her eyes. "How could I be so stupid?" she asked herself as she sat back down on the bed.
Bianca came back in with a glass of water and her pills and Laura was blown away that the brunette had forgiven her so easily.
"Thanks, Bianca," said Laura as she was handed her medication. She just looked at the pills, trying to get her thoughts together, one minute she had been sure Leo loved her and the next minute it had been doubts, that was how their whole marriage had been, short as it was.
"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Bianca asked sitting next to her.
"I'm finally seeing everything clearly, I don't know why it took me this long, I was so stupid."
"Don't say that, you are not."
"But I am, Bianca. I mean first Leo is fit and ready to marry Greenlee and then they break up, because she wanted to, and then a week later he's proclaiming his love to me and I'm dying. I must have a big sign on my head that says gullible."
"Laura, you were in love and Leo loves you--."
"But not in that way, Bianca. He still loves Greenlee."
"Well did he say that?" Bianca asked stubbornly, she hoped it was all a misunderstanding, for Laura's sake.
"Not in so many words. Today when I looked at him you should of see his face, he looked like he wanted to be a million miles away from me," Laura said and tears welled up in her eyes and threatened to fall at anytime. "Then I saw him and Greenlee talking, right outside of the door and the way he looked at her---it was with such passion…love. He's never looked at me like that."
Bianca handed her a tissue. "Laura, Leo has feelings for you," said Bianca softly.
"If he did then how come he doesn't want to make love to me again? I tried so hard to make him happy but he just wanted to be with her."
Bianca closed her eyes, for her own tears now threatened to fall, Leo and Laura had actually made love, not that she hadn't expected it, they were newlyweds but the confirmation hurt… a lot, so she tried to ignore the pain that clutched her heart.
"I asked him if he wanted to be here with me, he said yes but his eyes told me everything, he regrets marrying me, I know it, he thought I was going to die, that's why he married me, it had nothing to do with love, he's in love with Greenlee."
"Laura I'm sure that's not--."
"It's true, he married me out of pity. He thought I was dying and wanted to make me happy by making me think he loved me but it was all a lie, he's still head over feet with Greenlee Smythe. I can't compete with her anymore, I want an annulment."
"Laura, are you sure?"
"Yeah, Bianca, I am. He doesn't love me and I can't be in this marriage if there is no love."
"Maybe you just need marriage counseling to get through this, so you can see how much this marriage could work."
"How do you do it, Bianca?"
"Do what?" asked Bianca.
"How do you go from one day telling me you have feelings for me and then the next supporting my marriage with everything you have. How can you be so unselfish?" asked Laura.
"I want you to be happy, Laura, that's all that matters, when you care for someone you try everything you can to help them, I'm your friend and I'm going to support and help you no matter what," said Bianca tearfully, "That's just the way things are."
"I couldn't ask for a better friend," said Laura in tears as she hugged her. "I don't deserve you as a friend, I've been so selfish. I'm sorry."
"Laura I admit I've been hurt by your relationship with Leo but I pushed it aside so you could be happy and you were, but I will do anything to help you now."
"Do you think you could get Jackson to come see me tomorrow?"
"Yeah, sure," said Bianca running her hand through her hair nervously. "Do you want me to stay with you tonight, I could sleep on the couch."
"No, I just want to be alone."
"Okay, call me anytime, if you need to talk or anything," she said standing up.
"Bianca, just remember that I've always loved you as a friend and no matter what I always will."
Bianca smiled, "Same here."
When she was sure Bianca had left Laura threw her pills across the room and then layed down on the bed, she hated Greenlee Smythe.