Word count : 2115
Warnings : angst, cheating, death, strong language, sad ending.

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"Mr. Brown, I apologise for the disturbance, but I wanted to let you know that I've just finished signing and sending the papers you requested. Am I allowed to go home now?" you asked politely the moment you stepped into your boss's office.

It wasn't like it was late or something like that, quite the opposite actually, but since you and your boyfriend hadn't spent so much time together lately, you thought that it would be nice to go home earlier than usual and surprise him.

"Sure, Mrs. Y/L/N. Thank you for your service and have a good rest of the day." your boss replied as he glanced at you and smiled kindly.

"You too, Mr. Brown. See you tomorrow."

With that, you took your bag and all of your belongings, before heading to your car that was parked outside, just near the building. The time showed that it was almost 3PM and you could already feel your excitement building up with each passing second.

Lately, Tony's been almost as busy as you, always locking himself in his lab and working on some new projects, so that was going to be a good opportunity for him to relax a little bit as well.

A few minutes later, you found yourself entering the house, only to be greeted by an unusual silence however. You were used to hearing Tony's favourite songs playing loudly and entertaining him while he was working, but it looked like it wasn't the case today.

"Welcome home, Miss Y/N." JARVIS' voice could be heard all of a sudden, startling you.

"T-Thanks J." you replied absentmindedly. "Do you know where Tony is? Why is it so quiet in here? Has he left somewhere?"

The AI remained silent for a second, confusing you a little bit. "Umm... JARVIS?" you asked once again, waiting for an answer.

"Mr. Stark is in his lab, ma'am, but I'm afraid he is a little bit... busy."

You scoffed, shaking your head. "When is he not?" you smiled. "I'm gonna talk to him."

"Actually..." the AI stopped you from moving any further, his voice sounding somehow panicked. "I recommend that you do not disturb him, miss."

"Uhm, I don't... I don't understand." you frowned. "JARVIS, is there something you're not telling me?"

For the second time, you received nothing but silence in response, fact that only added to your anxiety. Dropping the bag on the hard floor, you found yourself walking towards your boyfriend's lab, heart beating so much faster than usual.

Is he ok? Is he hurt? Is he having another panick attack? Did he have a nightmare?

Those thoughts were fogging your mind, making it difficult for you to breathe at some point, but you pushed them away, focusing on getting to Tony as soon as possible.

However, your mind went blank the second you heard two familiar voices. You were standing in front of the lab door, which was wide open, your ears focusing on hearing the conversation between Tony and... Pepper.

"Pep, we both know you shouldn't be here. If Y/N finds out about this, she will-"

"Shhh..." the blonde cut him off, placing her finger over Tony's lips, making you gasp in horror. "She won't find out about it. I promise." she spoke quietly and seductively even, her lips a few centimetres apart from your boyfriend's. "I know you missed me as much as I missed you, Tones. Don't even try to deny it."

You watched your beloved carefully, expecting him to push her away and tell her off, but instead, he placed his hands on her hips, pulling her closer and staring at her lips.

Everyone knew about his and Pepper's past relationship. They have splitted up about two years ago, just when Tony built his first suit, because the blonde could not take worrying constantly about him. You knew how much she meant to Tony, but deep down you thought that you have helped him get over her... Looks like you were wrong.

"I did..." the genius whispered back, lifting one of his hands to stroke her cheek. "I missed you so much, Pep."

As soon as the last words left his mouth, he closed any space that was left between the two of them and kissed Pepper with so much force that she almost stumbled back. The girl, of course, kissed him back, her hands finding their way around his neck, while all you did was watch, tears streaming down your face.

You felt as if your heart has been ripped off your chest and practically trampled on. And of course, everything made sense now... He never loved you, no matter how many times he has claimed that he did. After all, you were just a rebound to him and nothing more. He used you in order to try to get over his ex, he made you think that you were his world, the reason he smiled every day, but in fact he never stopped loving her. And that while all you did was help and support him all the time.

How stupid of you be to believe that someone would actually love you for you... How stupid of you to think that the famous and beloved Tony Stark would actually fall for a silly girl like you...

Inhaling deeply, you took a step back, as quietly as possible, before turning around and leaving the lab. You had no-one else. Your parents were dead, you didn't have any friends and now that you found out that the man you loved has just played with your heart, you were all by yourself, which only meant one thing... There was no reason for you to live anymore.

Entering yours and Tony's shared room, you took a pen and a piece of paper, before starting to pour all your thoughts on it. Tears never stopped falling, some of them even wetting the sheet you were writing on, but you didn't care anymore at that point.

As soon as you finished, you placed it on the bed, then left the house silently. You didn't bother to take any of your belongings. After all, you knew you weren't going to need any of them anymore.

Entering the car and starting the engine, you drove away, not even bothering to pay attention to the road. All you could think of were the moments you and Tony shared, the days when you two would cuddle and whisper sweet nothings to each other, the nights when you thought the two of you were making love.

And it hurt... It hurt to know that everything was a lie. As much as you hated to admit that, it was true and you were the only one to blame for being so blind and stupid.

"I'm sorry..." you whispered to yourself, your vision blurry because of the tears that were soaking your face. "I'm sorry I'm never good enough for anyone..."

Sighing, you took your hands off the wheel, your eyes closing and your head resting on the back of the seat. Before you knew it, the car made contact with something hard, crushing and rolling almost immediately at the impact.

At that point, all you could feel was pain as people around you started screaming and calling for an ambulance. Unfortunately, you couldn't hear them anymore. With one last breath, you smiled to yourself, allowing your body to rest. You were finally going home.

~Meanwhile~

Tony and Pepper were still in the lab, making out and taking each other's clothes off. At some point, however, the billionaire seemed to come to his senses, so he pushed girl off, his eyes widening in realisation.

"Oh, God..." he face palmed, his voice wavering. "What have I done? This is not right."

Pepper stared at him confused, trying to approach him, but he pushed her off again. "Look, Pep, I'm sorry, but... You were my past and Y/N is my feature. I understand that you missed me, but if you had truly loved me, you wouldn't have left me in the first place. You left when I needed you the most and Y/N was the one who's helped me find happiness again. I'm sorry, but you need to leave."

"B-But Tony, I..."

"I don't wanna hear it, ok? Leave!" he snapped, cutting her off. "Don't make me repeat myself. I don't need you anymore."

With a scoff, Pepper put her clothes back on, before leaving the house angrily. Tony sighed, rubbing his hands over his face in disappointment. Why did he have to be so stupid? If you were ever going to find out, you'd be so hurt and that was the last thing he wanted.

Trying not to think about it too much, the genius went to his bedroom, throwing himself on the bed and staring at the ceiling.

"Gosh, I'm so fucking stupid..." he cursed to himself once again, turning on one side, only to notice a piece of paper laying next to him.

Frowning in confusion, he got into a sitting position, before taking it into one hand and reading it.

Dear Tony,

By the time you're reading this, I'll probably be gone. I know I should have confronted you, but we all know that I'm too weak so... I'll just say what's on my mind once and for all.
I'd like to start by saying that I'm not mad at you. As crazy as it may sound, I can't find myself to hate you for cheating on me, because I love you too much, I guess. And yes, I know that's stupid of me, but I can't help it.
I should have known since the very beginning that there was nothing special about me though. I should have known I was never going to be as great as Papper. I should have known that you could never love me so... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for thinking that for once someone accepted me, that for once someone loved and cared about me, that for once someone was going to actually stay in my life... I'm sorry for being so blinded by my own love for you to realise that you were just trying to get over someone that you have never stopped loving. I really am...
But do not worry. You can have her. After all, she's the one that owns your heart, right? I promise that, starting from now on, I won't stay in the way of your happiness anymore.
Once again, I'm sorry for not being good enough for you, Tones. And who knows? Maybe some day we'll meet again. Until then, I wish you all the best and I hope you'll receive all the good things in the world.
I love you 3000. Goodbye!

Yours, Y/N

"No..." Tony panicked, standing up. "No, no, no! Oh, my God, t-this can't be happening. JARVIS, call-"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by his own phone that started ringing. Looking at the caller ID, his face brightened up and he breathed out in relief as soon as he saw your name.

"Y/N, baby, you have no idea how-"

"Is this Mr. Tony Stark?" an unfamiliar voice cut him off and the genius frowned, stunned for a second.

"Uhm... Y-yes. That's me. Why?" asked him, anxiously. "Who are you?"

"Mr. Stark, I'm Dr. Lee and I'm calling you from the hospital. I recommend you take a seat before I give you the news."

"Wait, what? W-what news? Why do you have my girlfriend's phone, I-"

"Mr. Stark, calm down and do as I said."

Tony gulped audibly and sat at the edge of the bed, waiting for the stranger to continue.

"I'm sorry to say this, but... I'm afraid your girlfriend, Y/N Y/L/N, has been involved in a car accident a few minutes ago. We tried everything possible, but we couldn't save her. Her heart stopped while we were in the middle of an operation. I'm so sorry for your loss, sir. The other car-"

The doctor kept speaking, but Tony couldn't hear him anymore. His grip on the phone loosened, dropping it on the floor while his body started shaking. He buried his face in between his hands, struggling to breathe as tears made their way down his cheeks.

He couldn't believe it. Y/N, his beloved girlfriend, the one who has brightened his days ever since she came into his life, the one who made him happy again and helped him through thick and thin was now dead and it was all because of a stupid mistake he has made.

Good job, Stark... Good job.