FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM - HER FIRST LOVE

Alexander walked inside, careful not to startle her with his sudden intrusion. With his long legs crossed at the ankles, arms folded across his chest, he stood, leaning against the floor-to-ceiling window sill. He noticed his wife's dress, a white sleeveless, form-fitting, maxi dress with a high slit. It had floral prints in red. 

Alexander's lips twitched in a faint smile as he checked his own attire, a contrast to her white dress. The trousers and shirt he had on were all blacks. He had tossed aside his tie and suit jacket somewhere when he returned home. He was glad that his wife managed to fill colours to his black and grey life with her presence. 

Otherwise, his colourless life would have been boring without her. She glanced at him once, with a fond smile on her lips, a gesture to show him she welcomed his presence. Her gaze went back to the photo album in her lap, and Alexander knew she got lost in her thoughts again. 

His phone vibrated in his pocket with a text message.. He pulled it out to read it. 

Hospital: The patient is fine. 

Even though there are no changes in the patient's progression, all the inner organs function perfectly except for the sleeping brain. 

We are taking care of the patient, and you don't have to worry. 

We'll inform you as soon as we find any improvement. We are trying our best. 

Alexander nodded as if the person on the other side of the phone could see him. With a heavy sigh, he pocketed his phone. 

Glancing once at his wife, he turned around to look out of the glass window. It was the same news he had been receiving for years from the hospital, like from an autoresponder. He was tired of reading the same message, again and again, every day. 

Every time he would expect to read something different, only to get disappointed. His green eyes stung with unshed tears. 

Fat, salty tears rolled down Alexander's cheeks as he pinched his eyelids shut. He desperately hoped to receive that good news he had been waiting for years. He wished the hospital would message him saying the patient woke up. 

He cursed mentally as his doomed past started replaying behind his closed eyelids. He wished he could reverse the time and undo all the sad memories from their lives because he knew the woman sitting a few feet away from him was suffering from the same ugly, cursed past as well. 

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO,

"I know how to defeat Alexander. I know what would make that devil fall to his knees. All I have to do is pull this bloody trigger and let the bullet pierce your heart, Felicity," Johnathan said while Felicity stared in disbelief. She never thought Johnathan would think of killing her. Didn't he declare his undying love for her at every possible chance he got? 

She had a gun in her hand, and she had promised Alexander that she would shoot Johnathan if needed. 

'I can't die. Alexander will never forgive me if I leave him.'

But it was harder than she thought to hurt Johnathan. He was a friend, after all. How could she kill him? She had no other choice left. She would have to kill him or at least hurt him enough to keep herself safe until her husband returns. She couldn't afford to die. 

'I have to survive for my Alexander, for my little girl and my little trouble maker.' 

Felicity blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay. 

She was a brave woman, and she would never let herself seem weak in front of the coward she and Alexander once considered as their friend. She knew she needed to process the situation sensibly. Felicity thought maybe she could distract him enough with her emotional talk until Alexander reached home. 

"You're married, for God's sake, Johnathan," Felicity reminded him, keeping her voice soft and low. Her gaze sharp, measuring his every move. 

"Stop comparing your life to Alexander's at every step. You have your own family, a wife who loves you and a daughter you should protect and love. Let me live my life in peace, John. It's only your obsession to defeat Alexander. You want to have everything he has. You don't love me, John," Felicity said, trying her best to make him understand. 

"Yes, you're right. I want everything Alexander has. I want you because you're Alexander's everything. If I can't have you, neither should he. I was tired of seeing him victorious all the time. Let him know what it feels to lose once, Felicity. I want him to know how I suffered all these years yearning for you," Johnathan said, aiming the gun to her forehead. 

Felicity sighed, she was tired, and the drowsiness was threatening to return. Keeping her gun aimed at him, she slowly crouched down and sat on the floor with her legs crossed. Johnathan watched her while she took a deep breath as if it was difficult to breathe. 

"Don't ruin your life with your own hands, John. If anything happens to me, then Alexander will kill you," she said. The mad man in front of her chuckled maniacally. The more she mentioned Alexander's name, the more he got insane. Johnathan was blinded by hatred then, and without thinking, he pulled the trigger and shot her. 

The bullet pierced her chest, right across her heart, and the blood gushed out, staining her black and sandy brown dress. Felicity couldn't even scream as she was shell-shocked, staring at Alastair's brother with her wide hazel eyes. The shooting pain invaded her senses and pulled her out of her shock. 

Felicity looked down at her chest and gasped at the bullet wound. 

The gun slipped out of her hand as she clutched her chest with her palms, trying to stop the bleeding. But the fatal wound only intensified the pain, compelling her to remove her hands instantly. 

She tried to get up but had no strength to do so. With the help of her hands and legs, she inched backwards until her back touched the wall. Leaning against the hard surface, she hissed, cursing at the horrible pain. 

Alexander's angry face appeared in her thoughts. 

'No, no, I can't die. My Alexander wouldn't survive if I did.' 

"Johnathan, stop this madness. You're better than this," she said, breathing in gasps. Johnathan shook his head. "No, Felicity, I'm not. If I were better, then you would've accepted my marriage proposal when my father suggested it. I could never hold a candle to Alexander in your eyes. But now I'll make sure to ruin his life for good," Johnathan vowed while Felicity struggled to breathe. 

He stole the phone from the dead guard's pocket, and his fingers furiously punched the numbers, calling Rouvin. 

"John, where are you? Are you okay?" Rouvin asked as soon as Johnathan greeted him over the phone. Johnathan was glad that, for once, his friend had decided to drop the title. 

Rouvin informed him that he was close to Alexander and he knew his exact location. That brought an evil grin onto Johnathan's face. He crouched down to Felicity's level to see eye to eye, and his grin grew wider. 

Her knees pulled to her chest, and her hands rested limply around her stomach while Felicity tried hard to stay conscious. Her dress soaked wet with her blood. 

Felicity scoffed at the crazy man in front of her. He had lost all his sanity.

Johnathan narrowed his eyes and glared at the wounded woman sitting on the floor. The anger, the disappointment and the pity in her eyes everything was directed at him all at once. It provoked his anger further. 

"Rouvin, I want you to take your men and attack Alexander as soon as possible. He'll receive the worst news of his life in a while, and I promise you, he won't be able to function after that terrifying news. Kill him if you have to or help the Baresi brothers. Do whatever it takes but bring his daughter to me. Don't disappoint me on this, Rouvin," Johnathan said. 

Once he heard Rouvin promising to do the same, Johnathan disconnected the call and focused his attention on Felicity. 

"My father wants that bastard child dead, Felicity, and I won't fail him in this because you and I both know Alexander wouldn't survive after learning about your death. I told you, I'll defeat him," he said, grinning with satisfaction. Thinking about Alexander finally brought tears to Felicity's eyes, and with that, her determination to stay alive until he came for her doubled. 

"John, one thing Alexander hates the most is betrayal, especially if the backstabber has disguised himself as a friend. Leave before he makes it home, John. You don't have much time. Run for your life, now," she said, warning him. Johnathan laughed bitterly and shook his head in disbelief. 

"Why, Felicity? Why are you still trying to protect me? Don't tell me you still consider me a friend," He asked, dropping his shoulders in defeat, but the jarring sneer told her otherwise. Now it was Felicity's turn to let out that bitter laugh. She shook her head. "No, Johnathan Castellanos, you're not worthy of my friendship. You've lost that honour. I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for Alastair," she clarified before closing her eyes. 

"Leave, Johnathan," she said. Her voice came out in a barely-there whisper as she was on the verge of losing her consciousness.