For a second, Elena's heart stopped beating, the tears drying up. And her mind went wild. Who was this? Was it an intruder? Why would anyone want to break into her apartment? Surely Harry wouldn't let anyone in-

A semblance of sanity returned to her when she saw a familiar shadow. She had a hard time keeping from hitting herself on the forehead. Of course it had to be Harry. Who else would it be?

Relieved, she flashed him a smile when he walked to the side of the bed she was facing. The side that was not facing the door which was why she had been alarmed when she'd felt the hand. It was rare that she had anyone in the apartment. So much so that she had forgotten about Harry.

Happy that no murderer was planning to do away with her, she created some space for Harry when he indicated whether he could sit down. Her bed creaked ominously but she ignored it. Although it was comical to watch Harry's eyes widen. When he saw that she was watching him, all emotion were removed from his face. Disappointed, she waited for him to talk. He was silent for a while, appearing as if he was looking for something to say.

"Look, I'm sorry for forgetting about forgetting but you have to understand that I'm a busy man,"he said, repeating what he had said earlier. Elena felt her eyes begin to fill again but refused to allow them to fall. She was not going to cry over this "busy" man. Not anymore. Especially if he was going to be so busy. Refusing to look at him, her eyes were fixed on a spot on the wall. "Sometimes things crop up and I'll have to stay back. It's not that I want to. It's just parts and parcel of my position. Please tell me you understand."

Anger flared, her hurt and dismay adding fuel to make it flare even bigger, she wanted to berate him. Why couldn't he see how bad a precedent he was setting? She knew that she wasn't important to him. The fact that he had spent the day with her after the auction notwithstanding, if he had wanted to pursue something more, he would have gotten in contact with her. Before he had found out of her pregnancy. It was even more damning since he had all her contact information at his fingertips.

But, returning to the situation at hand, if he wasn't able to keep this simple promise, a short fifteen minutes visit to the shop, how was he going to keep his promises to their sons? She was already picturing their disillusionment, their awareness that their daddy's company was more important than them. All the performances, all the games and tournaments. Just like her own childhood. Her heart hurting, her anger forgotten, her brows drew together when she caught a glimpse of him from the side of her eyes.

Unable to look at him any longer, even if it was only at the peripheral of her eyes, she turned to lie on her other side. It took a while, what with the deep dip in the middle and her bump that seemed to have ballooned overnight, but with the help of Harry, she was able to shift. Not bothering to thank him, she just said, "Fine." In her opinion, there was no longer anything else to say.

However, Harry surprised her. She didn't think he would push the issue.

"That doesn't sound reassuring."

Rolling her eyes, she responded irritatedly, "What do you want me to say, Harry? As I've mentioned earlier, I know how busy you are. You make it sound as if I don't know what you have to deal with. But I do. And I also know how you've always made time with all the women you date, however long the relationship lasts. Didn't you push back the Board of Director's meeting a week so that you can take your girlfriend at that time for a trip to Paris?"

"That has no bearing in this conversation,"he sputtered, making her smile slightly. The smile went away the next moment.

"I beg to disagree. This shows just how high I rank in your priorities. And, as an extension of me, the boys as well." She hated how stuffy her voice had gotten. She wanted to show how unaffected she was but the tears were getting the best of her. This was just bringing back so many memories. "A broken promise here, a missed game there, a meeting more important than them, a last minute date and eventually, they'll get the idea."

"It's not going to be like that,"he growled. Elena shrugged nonchalantly.

"Whatever makes you sleep at night. But knowing how your group works, I wouldn't be surprised. And if it's really going to be as bad as I think it'll be, I'd rather just take the child support and spare them the heartache. It'll be easier for everyone,"she finished softly. Already thinking about the lies she'd have to tell, drawing memories from her youthful interactions with her own parents, she was unprepared when Harry pulled her to her back and his face got close to her, his hands pushing on her shoulders, as if making sure she wouldn't move. Stunned, she just blinked up at him.

"Let me say this again, I will never pick work over the boys. They, and by extension you, are my highest priority. If you guys need me, I'll be there,"he said through gritted teeth. His eyes felt like they were boring into her, as if he wanted to drill into her essence his words. But as much as she wanted to believe him, she couldn't help but let out a huff of disbelief.

"With your track record, I have to say that I have better chance believing a pathological liar."

"What track record?"he demanded, his dark eyes darkening to almost black. She hesitated. If she said anything, it made her sound bitter. But if she didn't, she won't have a leg to stand on.

"Let's start with me-"

"Let's not. It just sounds like you're projecting your anger with me onto the boys." His hands tightened around her shoulder, making it ache slightly but she didn't care. Her anger with him flared to new heights.

"Projecting my anger? You think I'm using the boys as an excuse? You think I don't care about the boys and their future-"

"This one incident won't affect how I'll be with them. Don't you think I know how important they are? How important you are? Why else would I be here, suffering through your accusations?"

"I don't know. Self-flagellation?" Suddenly feeling so tired, she pushed against his shoulders. "Can we talk about this another day? I can't do this right now." Seeing the anger drain out of his eyes only to be replaced by hurt and sadness, Elena felt her heart soften. She wanted to comfort him but also didn't want to set herself up for failure. Her heart was already aching from this evening. For the sake of her sons, she needed to become tougher.

"Look, I'm sorry for this evening. I didn't expect to get caught up with work and I'll make sure that this won't happen again. What can I say to make you believe me?"he asked softly, his eyes pleading with her. She was surprised. Having been exposed to similar kind of men from a young age, she had never seen any of them back off or admit to a fault. The fact that he was willing to do so sparked back to life some of her hope. But a huge part of her was still cautious.

And that was the part which prodded her to say, "Nothing."

------@@@------

Harry knew he shouldn't be at work today. He was morose and irritable. And his productivity was in the drain. He'd snapped at Aksa when she'd tried to ask for his signature or transfer a call to him. He was uncommunicative during meetings that he wasn't even paying attention to. And he hadn't even switched on his desktop.

All his attention was on the time.

Last night had decimated a part of him when he realised the implications of what he'd done. Of what he'd lost. That indefinable link between him and Elena was hanging by a thin thread and he didn't know how to save it.

He hadn't been able to say anything to convince her after that truthbomb. He wanted to believe that it was pure stubbornness but the way she had talked about it made it feel personal. As if she had gone through the same thing before. As if she had gone through the same childhood as he had.

Which made him question what he really knew about her. He knew she had a gay brother who she was close to. He knew she loved Pretty Little Liars and Vampire Diaries, going so far as to watch the entire series again when they'd stumbled on a marathon the day after the auction. He had humored her, allowing her to believe that he had been content to watch a bunch of men fight each other. He had always planned to distract her, not wanting to let the opportunity go to waste. His lips lifted up in a smile as he remembered the stunned look on her face when he'd made his move. That had been one of the best days in his life.

And now, he had a feeling that it was the best day in his life.