As Houston sipped his coffee, he felt the warmth go through his chest. The coffee shop was filled with people who wanted their morning dose of caffeine. Houston smiled at Alex while she spoke about her future goals. He could see the passion in her eyes; she enjoyed being a photographer. She loved helping people create long-lasting memories and knowing that she was going after what she loved was a sight to see. Houston had known Alex for the past six years, and he finally married her a week ago. They had just come back from their honeymoon in Mexico.

“Babe, I’m so happy to be with you!” Alex said.

“Me too.” Houston raised his coffee to his mouth and continued to listen to her. He could sense the excitement in her voice when she spoke. He was grateful for Alex. She came at an important time in his life since he lost his parents due to a house fire. Alex was a breath of fresh air.

“Honey, did you want any more coffee?” Alex asked.

“No, I’m just excited to hear you speak.” Houston smiled and reached for her hand. As soon as he touched her soft brown skin, a bullet flew through the window, shattering the glass, landing directly in her skull. Her body fell limp onto the table with her eyes wide open creating a bloody river.

Houston instantly went numb, replaying all the terrible moments that led to this one. On their wedding day, the biggest day of their life, someone poured red wine on her wedding dress. Looking back, this was their sign that the universe didn’t want them to be together, but they ignored it. That day felt like a burden.

Jumping back to reality he noticed her hair was drenched from the blood. The room was chaotic. He saw people running frantically out of the coffee shop. Call 911! He touched her face, and the heat from her body dissipated. He tried to lift her from the table, but she quickly fell from gravity. It was becoming real. Her soul had vanished from the earth. His eyes became an ocean. His heart fell to hell. This can’t be real. "Alex, come back to me. Come back, honey." He shook her softly, then harder with each teardrop.

He felt someone put a hand on his shoulder, “Sir, I need you to step away.” He turned, and it was the paramedics. He had hope again. The puddle of blood was now surrounding their feet.

“Time of death 2:00 pm.”

Houston stood up. “Wait. There has to be something you can do?”

“We’re sorry for your loss.”

“No. No! NO! Please.” They hugged him, and he fell to the floor in desperation.

Hard Beginnings

He inserted the key into the door but hesitated since they never had time to unpack. Houston didn’t want to face what could’ve been. His memories reminded him of her expressing a desire to hang all their wedding photos on the walls. Alex was beautiful. Her eyes were gray, and her hair was sandy brown. Her freckles were his favorite beauty mark. He leaned on the wall. Why me. Why did I have to go through this?

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He started not to answer. Houston was a mess. He didn’t want to see anyone, but he knew he would eventually have to talk about what happened.

“Hi, this is Detective Johnson. I have a few questions and I wonder if I could come in for a second.” Houston nodded.

“Okay. Let’s start from the beginning. What is the first memory you have after being at the coffee table?”

Houston rubbed his forehead. “Um. We were drinking coffee and the next thing I knew; she fell on the table.”

“Okay, what else?”

“I was in shock. I can’t seem to remember anything else. It happened so fast. I just...I don’t know.” The flashbacks of her death made a knot in his throat.

“We are very sorry for your loss. We just want to find out all the details so we can find the killer.” Houston nodded.

“Was there anyone who didn’t like you? Were there any major events that recently transpired?”

Houston wiped his nose with his sleeve. “No, but we got married a week ago.”

“Did anyone show up unexpectedly?”

“No. Well, actually. I remember my ex-girlfriend possibly showing up. I’m not sure. She wasn’t seated during the ceremony, but I do recall seeing a glimpse of her once everyone walked to the dance floor.

“Okay, if you have any more memories, or if anything pops up, let us know.

“Will do.”

He opened the door to let them out. Houston wanted nothing more than to heal from his brokenness. He thought it wouldn’t hurt this badly, but it did.

Loathing New Love

A couple of months ago, his ex-girlfriend, Judy couldn’t stand the fact that Houston wanted to find love with someone after only being broken up for a year. She loathed him finding someone new. Judy stayed up hours being glued to his social media accounts. She watched Alex's accounts as well. I hate her. That was Judy’s man. She despised them showing any type of affection together. That was supposed to be her.

Judy and Houston had the “perfect” relationship. Things got uneasy when Houston laid eyes on Alex eight years ago at one of their family friends’ social events. Alex's body type was curvy, she had a thickness to her. She was a brilliant photographer who had always achieved her goals in life and never seemed to lack anything but time. Either it was given to her, or she earned it. Earned it. That’s what Judy lacked. Judy accomplished nothing. She didn’t graduate college, get her GED, or express any interest in doing anything life-changing. She was a nobody in the eyes of Houston. Houston offered to help her get her GED, but she only cared about being married. He wanted to have kids with her, but he didn’t want his offspring to become lazy or unmotivated.

Houston was a doctor. He grew up believing that he would change the world, and he has countless times. Houston is the top surgeon in his state. He always believed that creating a healthy, successful life was important.

Un-welcomed Texts

Houston received a text from an unknown number. “Hey, I heard about what happened on the news. Let me know if you need anything. —Love Judy.”

The End of Life

Two months prior to Houston’s wedding, Judy was watching Alex walk on the sidewalk. She needed to be nosey. Her job was to find out everything she could on Alex. What is she up to? Alex never went without her camera since everything felt like it needed to be remembered, but this time, it wasn’t around her neck.

Judy knew Alex's patterns and crossing Lexington’s Street was never her routine. Where is she going? Usually, around this time, she would take a break from walking and head into the coffee shop to grab some coffee, but she didn’t. Alex walked near a blue building and looked at the sign “End of Life–No Pressure.” Judy couldn’t believe that Alex had walked into an abortion clinic. Before the door closed, she snapped a photo of her and parked her car on the side of the street, awaiting her next move.

Thoughts of Alex

I can’t believe I’ve made this decision. I never imagined myself here. She knew that telling Houston that she was pregnant would bring him so much joy. He would be thrilled to know that even though he had recently experienced burying his parents, life was still being created. But she wasn’t ready. Her dreams had just begun, and to put everything on hold would be unimaginable since Alex already had a life of waiting.

She waited six years to get married, even though her goal was to be married by 28. She waited ten years to be adopted. College was a waste of seven years, even though she had no interest in becoming a lawyer. Her parents forced her to have a career since taking photographs didn’t equate to a “real job.” Her time to start her own journey was now. So here she was, on top of a cold steel table, getting ready to abort her only child. She closed her eyes and told herself she would never speak of her secret but allow her next child to come into the world.

Judy saw Alex leaving. She followed her to her house and decided that Alex's secret needed to be told.

Chaos

That day, Judy wasn’t the only one watching Alex. She always presented herself honestly, but during the same day Alex went to get an abortion, Houston didn’t feel as if everything was okay. Alex told him she was going for a walk and that she would be gone for some time. He presented a healthy space for them to talk, but now there was no avail. Why was she lying?

He continued to ask multiple times if everything was okay, but he knew something was off. Ever since their first date, Alex said that she would be honest since, in her previous relationships, she was a pathological liar. Even her vows expressed her love, honesty, and compassion for Houston. This time was supposed to be different, but the look in her eyes told a different story. He knew from previous relationships that things would not be perfect, but he promised he would give his all.

Alex took a pregnancy test, and even though she threw it away, she took a photo of it and placed it in the bottom dresser drawer, later to be found by Houston. Let’s not jump to conclusions. He knew deep down inside that Alex would eventually tell him and that his patience was required. But what perfect moment was she waiting for? His emotions seemed to flip-flop. Was it a secret? Was she ashamed? This was becoming depressing since he had recently lost his parents. He didn’t have anyone at the wedding and now there was life inside her womb, but she wasn’t sharing her big surprise.

“Hey Houston, I have some important news to share with you ASAP. I’m on my way.”

The text from Judy aggravated Houston. He didn’t feel like being bothered by whatever she was dealing with.

The doorbell rang and he rolled his eyes. He told Judy to come in and she expressed his love for him. She even tried to kiss him.

“Judy, is there anything else I can help you with? You said it was important,” Houston eased back. “

“Well, I didn’t want to share this, but I feel like I owe it to you, at least.”

Houston’s eyebrows raised. “Okay, what is it?”

“Did Alex ever mention throwing up or not feeling well?”

It was confirmed; the photo was hers. But how would she know? Still being hesitant, he said, “No. Why?”

Judy unlocked her phone and pulled up the photo. He saw Alex in her usual black coat walking into the abortion clinic. But why wouldn’t she tell me? Judy touched his arm to console him, but he quickly jerked away.

“You have to leave.”

“But I thought you would have more to say?”

“I do, now leave.”

“I know this must be hard.”

“Judy! Get out!” His voice ceased any thoughts of her trying to steer him in a certain direction. He wanted his space. Judy turned around and let herself out. I can’t believe that my life is falling apart. My parents, and now my child?

Revealing the Secret

Houston called Detective Johnson.

The doorbell rang. “Hey Houston, you said you had more information?”

“Yes. I do.”

Houston walked to the table while Johnson sat on the couch. “Okay. What’s going on?”

Houston sat down in front of him with his head hung down, “I thought I was done killing people.”

Detective Johnson stared into his eyes. “Who did you kill?”

“The question is, why did I kill?”

“Why did you?”

“I hate liars. Simple as that.”

“But just because you hate liars doesn’t give you the reason to kill.”

“It does when you love someone. Ever had someone that you love lie to you?”

“I lie to my wife from time to time.”

“About what?”

“Being a detective when I’m a murderer just like you.” The silence in the room was heavy.

“Who did you kill?”

“I killed my wife. Alex lied to me, and so did my parents.”

“So, you killed them too?”

“Yes.”

“But you were with her in the coffee shop when a bullet flew through the window.”

“I placed a gun on the second floor of the apartment building across the street. And I set a timer for ten minutes. Once I realized she aborted our only child, I couldn’t let that slide. I had to kill her. But after seeing her blood overflow on the floor, I knew I made a mistake.”

“Some mistakes can’t be corrected.”