Chapter 1 - Fatal Celebration

Alison Fox

I can't believe it! After all this time, it is finally happening! It is official: we are expecting our first baby, and to break the news, I asked my husband, Jackson, to take me out for dinner.

Jackson and I have been trying for three whole years, and it is finally here. My husband, Jackson, is the young CEO and owner of Katz Enterprises. We met during an investment meeting. I was a new entrepreneur looking for funding to expand my business, and somehow, Jackson liked my idea. I guess he liked me better because, after a fairly long courtship, he managed to make it official, and soon we were tying the knot.

Jackson is a billionaire, so I don't have to work, except for the fact that I love to do it. So we merged my company with his, or better say, he bought my company and integrated me as the sole person in charge of the project under the Katz Enterprise umbrella, allowing my idea to thrive and me to continue my dream of being an entrepreneur.

He is such a kind, loving, and good-hearted man that I would have been crazy not to love him. Not to mention he is so good-looking; at 6ft 5 inches, he looks like a model. He keeps in perfect shape; he is usually all serious and in business mode, but he is tender, loving, and hilarious with me.

I am certain he will be the best of fathers… He is almost perfect. The only thing I find odd, and that I haven't been able to figure out, is what happened between him and his twin brother. He never mentions him, nor did he attend our wedding. That part of him is such a mystery, one I hope with time, he will be able to open up to me about.

“Babe, where are you?” I heard his voice, and I beamed. I checked myself in the mirror one last time and answered,

“Here, in our room…” I said and suddenly I heard his footsteps.

“Shouldn't we better stay in and practice baby making?” He wrapped his arms around me, kissing my neck tenderly.

“Mmh… tempting… but I really want to celebrate…” I said, and he sighed,

“Alright, then… Let's go and celebrate whatever you want to celebrate…” He kissed my neck, “After all, every celebration ends in amazing s*x… so who am I to complain?” He chuckled, and I slapped his shoulder playfully.

He offered me his arm and I took it, “By the way, babe… You look beautiful…” He said and I blushed. Yeah, he still has that effect on me.

We drove to the fancy restaurant I had booked and were quickly seated at our table. He was a charmer and ordered a bottle of champagne, not knowing I was pregnant. The waiter poured two glasses, and he toasted.

Since I was pregnant, I mocked, taking a sip, and he squinted his eyes. “Isn't the champagne to your liking?” He noticed,

“Oh, no… the champagne is good… but unfortunately I won't be able to join you drinking it…” I held his hand, and he looked into my eyes. He knew my soul better than anyone, and he looked at me with surprise.

He took a deep breath and asked, “So, what are we celebrating?” He said, and I giggled,

“We are celebrating that I can't drink champagne for now, or even the following 9 to 10 months…” I said, and he didn't understand at first, but when the realization hit him, he beamed.

“Are you certain?” He asked, and I slowly nodded.

“Yes, Jack… we are finally pregnant. I visited the doctor earlier, and it is confirmed barely 5 to 6 weeks…” I said, and he stood up and picked me up, elated. He kissed me, and then, with tears in his eyes, he looked at me,

“You have no idea how happy I am… how happy you make me, and how much I look forward to meeting our little prince or princess…” He said, finishing his lovely sentence with a passionate kiss.

We sat back on our chairs, and he sighed, “I guess that celebratory s*x will be off the table now…” He bit his lower lip, he was deep in thought.

“Says who? Haven't you heard about pregnancy hormones making women particularly horny?” I giggled, and he nodded,

“Better for me.” He laughed.

We had dinner, and Jackson had a bit more champagne. We talked about our future, how we will raise our kid, and how loved he or she is. He expressed his slight fear about messing things up with our baby, especially since he hasn't been able to patch up his relationship with his brother. I wanted to ask about that more, but we jumped back to the nursery, colors, and how he would love to renovate the entire house to have it baby-proofed. He was elated, and I didn't want to ruin things by asking uncomfortable questions, so I just let it be.

We asked the valet to take our car back when we finished dinner. It was pouring… “Jack, are you sure you are fit to drive?” I asked him, and he nodded.

“Yeah, I had just two glasses…” He said, and I climbed into the car.

“Maybe we should stay in a hotel nearby, our place is far away…” I mumbled, and he looked at me,

“At this time of the night? Where am I going to find a suite available?” He sighed, and I rolled my eyes. We just needed a single room. I didn't need anything extravagant.

“Please, Jack?” I said, and he shook his head.

“Still afraid of the rain, babe?” He said, and I bit my lower lip. Ever since I can remember, I have been terrified of thunder and heavy rainpours. A slight drizzle is fine, but this is almost hurricane weather. That is the issue.

“Hold my hand, and let's get out of here.” He said, and I nodded. I closed my eyes, trying to lock the sounds of the rain outside.

We were on the mountain road that led to our place, when I heard the loud noise of a trailer… The car went out of control, “Jackson!” I yelled, our car chasing down, a trailer hitting us full force, and then everything went black.

Jason Katz

My phone rang in the middle of the night. Reluctantly, I untangled myself from Lana. Lana Mckenzie, the famous supermodel, is my on-off girlfriend. Lots of tabloids connect us, and we would have been married if she was not this possessive, toxic control freak. No, she was not the right one...

I grunted and sat on the edge of the bed. The call was disconnected. So it was nothing urgent… until again the phone rang. “Hello…” I answered with a groggy voice.

“Am I speaking with Jason Katz?” A female voice asked,

“Yeah, who is this? You do realize it is past midnight…” I complained, and she sighed.

“I am sorry to disturb you… but your brother Jackson had an accident…” She said, and my entire world spun off its axis.

“Where is he? How bad was it?” I asked, and only then Lana sat on the bed, looking at me with an annoyed expression.

“He is at Regional Memorial Hospital…” The female voice said, “I am sorry, the accident was fatal. He is being kept in the morgue for you to come and recognize his body to make the proper funeral arrangements…” She said,

What, Jack is dead? My brother left me alone in this world? What kind of sick joke is this? My mind was trying to process the information when she spoke again,

“Sir? Are you still there?” She asked, and I sighed,

“Yeah, I am here…” I muttered, “You were listed as their primary contact, so we also need instructions about his wife…” She said,

What? Wife? Jackson got married? When, How? To whom?

“I beg your pardon?” I asked,

“Yes, he and his wife were in a fatal accident; she is being treated and fighting for her life…” The lady informed me, and I closed my eyes.

“I will be on my way…” I said, and then finished the call.

“Who was it?” Lana asked, and I looked at her. My eyes were filled with tears, “Baby?” She pressed,

“My brother, he had an accident… He is dead…” I broke down,

“Oh, then he can wait until tomorrow…” She mumbled and went back to sleep.

Remind me again, What the f**k am I doing with such a woman? “I am leaving…” I said, and she just waved her hand. And just like that, my world shifted once more. Jackson is gone, and we never patched things up…

I sat in my car and looked up at the starry sky… “I am sorry, Jack…” I said, crying my heart out.