She had an abortion. Her daughter is taken away from her. She divorced Carter. His mother was killed or committed suicide on the road. He participated in BZ's suicide but did not help him. His career is on the verge of collapse if not already collapsed. She is in the mental health hospital. Maria has lost everything. As Tyler Durden says, from the movie Fight Club: “It is only after losing everything that we are free to do anything (Fight Club CITE). Maria is able to get her life back because she no longer owes anyone anything. A great example of hitting rock bottom and coming back is the success story of JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series. She recalls: "An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, and I was jobless, a single parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless... By any usual standard, I was the greatest failure I knew it" (Gillett). Yet she went on and continued to write Harry Potter and chase her dream and ended up becoming the most successful writer of the modern era. She was focused on her goals. This is a great example for Maria to follow. “In addition to being a good mother, her (JK Rowling) goal was to publish Harry Potter. That's all” (Roberston). Maria's two goals could be to rebuild her life and win over Kate