Chapter 11

Twelve years ago

Michelle stood in front of the kitchen stove, spatula in hand, flipping bacon and eggs, placing thick slices of toast in the toaster. She loved cooking, especially breakfast because she knew it was Alex’s favorite meal of the day. Michelle pulled out two plates from the cupboard, placing them on the breakfast table. She hummed softly, a smile on her face. Soon enough she would be cooking for three. She placed a hand over her belly, gently caressing her lower abdomen. She and Alex had been trying to conceive for almost two years, and finally six weeks ago their prayers had been answered.

Alex strode into the kitchen, the delicious aroma making his mouth water. He walked up behind Michelle, sliding his arms around her waist, lowering his head to kiss the back of her neck.

“Hello, gorgeous,” he said softly. She turned to face Alex, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Good morning, darling,” she said lovingly, nuzzling her face in the crook of his shoulder, smelling soap and aftershave.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I feel fine. More than fine, actually.” She smiled at Alex, appreciating his concern. Ever since she became pregnant Alex had become very concerned about her overall health and well-being. He begged her to slow down, telling her that she needed to conserve her energy. He felt that she did too much, was too active. Michelle insisted that she felt fine, and was not going to take to the bed unless she absolutely had to.

They sat down at the table, Alex pouring them each a glass of orange juice. They chatted easily, happily, while they ate breakfast. They had been married for five years, and with each passing year their love grew stronger and stronger. And now with a baby on the way, their life together was complete. Wedded bliss.

Alex and Michelle met while at Cambridge University, both in their last year of college. He was studying Mathematics, she was studying English Literature. They bonded over a shared love of books, eighties music, and indie films. They were soon inseparable.

After graduation, they married in a church outside of London, a small gathering of friends and family. Alex was offered a job working for the British Government at the Ministry of Defence, while Michelle got a job teaching second grade. Alex’s work was very demanding. He worked long hours, with Michelle sometimes not knowing when he would be home. There were also a lot of phone calls in the middle of the night. This worried Michelle, especially in the beginning, but grew accustomed to their way of life, and she didn’t ask questions. Alex did not talk about his work much, saying he preferred to keep work at work.

“I’ve got to go, my love,” Alex said while putting on his jacket. He took one last sip of his orange juice, bending down to kiss Michelle goodbye. “I’ll try to be home in good time.”

Since finding out she was pregnant, she had given up her teaching job, with both she and Alex agreeing that it would be best for her to stay at home during her pregnancy.

“Okay, darling. I’ll be going out later, I’ve got a few errands to run,” Michelle said, giving Alex a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Ok, but go easy, don’t try to do too much.”

“I won’t, darling. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Alex closes the door behind him, a quick look over his shoulder, smiling at Michelle as he climbs into his car.

Michelle cleans up the kitchen, takes a quick shower, and dresses. She decides to take her bicycle out today. She hops on her blue pastel colored bike, happy to be outside on such a beautiful, sunny day. It was Friday, the day of the week she usually goes out. She makes her rounds, first stopping at the bank, then picking up a bouquet of fresh flowers. She parks her bike outside the grocery store, her last stop of the day. Michelle gets what she needs, and returns to her bicycle, placing her items in the basket attached to the front. She begins her journey home, taking her time.

Michelle peddles on, just another block before reaching home. Suddenly, her ears are filled with the blaring sound of a horn. She immediately looks left, in the direction of the offending noise. All Michelle can see is the massive front-end of a Mack truck. She hears the sound of screeching brakes. Desperately, she tries to maneuver the bike out of the truck’s way, but it’s too late.

Michelle lies on the street, her body in shock, blood trickling down the side of her face. She whispers, “My baby…..”

All light fades away and there is nothing but darkness.

* * *

Alex sat at his desk, staring blankly at the computer screen. It had been six months since Michelle’s death. Alex thought about her every second of every day. He mourned the loss of their unborn child. He was consumed with guilt and anger. Things were not getting better. In fact, they were only getting worse. He was finding it more and more difficult to concentrate at work. At times the grief was so overwhelming, so suffocating, he thought he would go insane. Alex’s supervisor encouraged him to take a leave of absence, but he would not do it. Alex thought that would only give him too much empty time on his hands.

His guilt gnawed at him constantly. He played the morning over and over in his mind, questioning what he had missed, what he could have done differently. Alex thought he had always done the right thing, the safe thing, by keeping the truth from Michelle. Now he realized what a huge mistake he had made.

A formal investigation was done officially stating the cause of death was accidental. Alex knew better. Unofficially, it was no accident. In his world there were no accidents. No incidents, no coincidences. Everything was planned and plotted and executed. And this was no different.

Alex knew they were after him. This was their modus operandi - first take out the target’s family, one by one, then the target. Since Alex had no other living relatives, Michelle was their primary concern. Alex, his supervisor, and their team had completed their own, top-secret investigation. Their findings were exactly as they thought. Alex was next.

He lived under a constant death threat for the next five years. He moved from one place to another, never staying anywhere very long. Alex never dined at the same restaurant twice. He never sat with his back to the door. Hidden cameras were installed at every flat he lived in. At times, he would alter his appearance – growing a beard, wearing glasses. A new cell phone every few months. A new car as often as could afford it. Paranoia became his best friend. It had to – it was the only way to stay alive.

After five years, Alex’s supervisor informed him that the death threat had been lifted. The team had located the assassin, captured and executed him along with his three accomplices. The team was confident that Alex’s life was no longer in danger. Alex wasn’t so sure.

He decided to leave it all behind. Alex knew it was the right decision for him. He needed a new life, needed to start over. Alex did everything he could to forget his past. He went underground – no address, no phone number, no credit cards. He travelled all over the world, using a fake passport, with a fake name and numerous fake ID cards that the government had so kindly given him before he quit.

After a couple of years of drifting, he pulled himself together. Alex decided to start his own luxury hotel real-estate development company. He had always had an interest in buildings, and in building things. The process of building something new helped Alex rebuild a new life for himself. It became his version of therapy. Alex had been fearless in his former work and had rediscovered that part of his character. Hard work, fearless risk taking and rising property values had turned him into a billionaire. Alex had worked relentlessly from the start, and with the help of an array of outside investors, the business became extremely successful, with luxury hotels across the globe, and Alex sitting atop a massive empire.

His grief for Michelle had subsided over the years, and he had tried to move on. He attempted to date, but found it was too time-consuming and emotionally exhausting for him. The women he met seemed to always want more from him than what he could give. Quick, no-strings-attached sex became his usual experience with women. He wanted to give and receive physical pleasure, but once it was over, he wanted nothing more.

Over time, he developed a reputation – Playboy Mogul. Alex liked his reputation. It made life easier in a lot of ways. Women knew what they were getting when they got involved with him – a fantastic fuck and a quick goodbye. It was better that way. Safer for him and anyone he got involved with. Some women thought they could change him, that all he needed was a good woman. They were wrong. He’d had a good woman – Michelle – and no one could replace her.

And that was exactly how Alex operated – until Katherine. He didn’t know what it was about her that was different. He just knew that she was unlike all the others. For the first time since Michelle, he considered a real relationship. At first, Alex thought it was just a passing fancy and nothing more. But the more time he spent with Katherine the more he knew he felt something for her.

His feelings for Katherine scared him. Developing feelings for someone was not something Alex had experienced since Michelle. And his past was something he didn’t know how to explain. Or even if he needed to. It had been seven years. He had long since quit. He knew that his past could still find its way into his present. But, so far, it had not. Alex planned to keep it that way.