Sometime I hate you Rob... so much...

 Through some cosmic intervention, a sad or bad or mad story will get tweaked prior to the final turn of the plot. Just as you're getting ready to nurse your regrets, an X-factor or wild card will appear, transforming the meaning of a series of puzzling events. This may not generate a perfectly happy ending, but it will at least result in an interesting and redemptive climax. What is the precise nature of that X-factor or wild card? Perhaps a big secret will be revealed or some missing evidence will arrive or a mental block will crumble. And it's likely that you will have an epiphany abut how valuable your problem has actually been.