PRELUDE

A small and modest apartment stood at the edges of a bustling city, overlooking its busy streets and tall elegant buildings. The building's modern architecture was highlighted by it's clean lines and minimalist design, coupled with smooth beige walls and big glass windows.

Its design carried a hidden elegance that made itself known if one took time to appreciate its beauty. From beige walls to soft grey balconies and brown railings, it looked simple yet sophisticated.

It rose to four floors, each no less beautiful than the last. Its entrance had a sleek glass door, with a silver handle that gleamed under the moonlight.

Grass lay out front, casting a green veil over the concrete jungle that lay below, the buildings muted color pallet blending it into it's environment. The immediate vicinity was scattered with buildings of similar design that reflected the quieter and more laid-back pace of life in this part of the city.

The sweet scent of outdoors permeated the air, carried by the evening breeze.

However, despite it's beauty and homely ambience, a young man's life was about to take a dark turn.

The man in question walked under the moonlight in the chill of the night. In one hand, a brown leather briefcase and in the tight grip of the other, a black jacket. The cold didn't bother him anymore as he walked slouched and his mind buried in mounds of thought.

His white shirt flattered in the wind, its edges hanging loose from his grey pants. He appeared exhausted and famished, his loosened tie and unkempt hair testament to a long day at work. Cast by the pale white of the moon, his lonely shadow flowed over the pavement and walls of adjacent buildings.

He dragged his feet, seemingly lacking the energy to walked faster, sleep and fatigue weighing heavy on his eyes. He just wanted to go home.

A frustrated look was etched on his face, his gaze fixated far into the distance, as his mind wandered. If one paid him heed, they would hear him muttering under his breath.

"I had my hopes up for nothing." he said amidst the chain of profanities that escaped his mouth, as he held off a wave of sadness that threatened to overwhelm him. Stress and hopelessness were held at bay by the thought of going home to his girlfriend. It was times like this that he was glad to have her in his life.

She had become the glue to his mosaic life.

His lips curled into a pale smile at this comforting thought as his mind wondered to his past.

He had been orphaned at a young age, deprived off the warmth and love of a family. He did enjoy the luxury of an orphanage, it did not, however, save him from a dull social life. The child's once cheerful demeanor was replaced by introverted tendencies. He became withdrawn, isolation and loneliness festering into depression, his mental health crumbled faster than he could hold it together.

The innocent child transitioned into adulthood a broken man who deluded himself in dreams of a better life.

Despite his bad luck, a ray of light flickered when he got a chance to pursue a degree in law. "This is my break", he had declared before diving head first into a lawyers world fully determined to make a name for himself.

Aloof with aspirations of becoming an established lawyer in the field, he plowed through his studies. Life after his studies turned out to be far cruel. He lacked the necessary resources to turn dream into reality. This did not deter him, he was adamant to bring his dreams to fruition. Rags to riches became his philosophy.

But... years of suffering eroded his philosophy to nothing more than a the hollow shell, shattering even his will to move forward.

It was then that Marie had reached out for reasons unknown to him. This enigma had haunted him for a while until he grew tired of trying to uncover its mystery. He gave in to her advances allowing her to get to his walled up heart, introducing him to the warm feeling love. Igniting embers that grew into a flame which melted his frozen heart. He fell in love.

However, to him, this was as much a curse as it was a blessing.

'what if one day she decides she has had enough?' the question being the progenitor of his skepticism as his emotions wavered.

His mind left the past and lingered in the present, despair weighing once more on his heart. Reminiscing about his life, it always eluded him why Marie not only picked him but also stayed by his side for as long.

'I amounted to nothing back then, and I am even lower now', he said with a deep sigh. "I couldn't even get that damned promotion, for a second time!" He thought in frustration, recalling how much work he had put into fighting for the promotion. Many a times he almost groveled at the feet of the higher ups, taking on cases that even the most qualified lawyers turned down, all in an effort to finally get a win.

'So much effort for nothing... lemons and lemonades huh?'

Nevertheless, he tucked these depressing thoughts at the back of his mind. Correction, he put them aside for the moment only to revisit them later when he wanted to kick himself in the nuts.

The gate to his apartment came into view and he waved at the security guard as he let him in. He had never bothered to remember the guards name, and could not bring himself to ask it every time. It felt impersonal.

The ghastly glow of the moonlight was replaced by the fluorescent light of his apartment building.

And so it was, the disheveled young man made his way into the apartment building and proceeded up the flight of stairs. It was only four stories high so the owner never felt the need for an elevator.

'This stairs are just torture' he thought to himself panting his way up to the fourth floor. 'I hope she cooked.' Approaching the door and fumbling for the key, the dominant thought became his stomach insistent growling. He let himself in shutting the door behind him.

Their house was nothing special.

Immediately someone got in they were met by an open kitchen to their left. Walking straight on, there was the living cum dining room. The room was spacious, fitting three three-seater sofas and an arm chair on the far right corner. A brown table sat dead center in the room. The vibrant mix of brown and grey colors conveyed a sense of luxury and sophistication. They were of course picked out by Marie. To his right a lavishly illuminated hallway opened up leading to his bedroom on the left and opposite an expansive bathroom.

He placed his coat on the coat hanger near the door, promptly walking over to the kitchen which was always his first stop, this routine became almost instinct. A plate of his favorite dish - beef stew with rice and greens lay on the kitchen counter, it's inviting aroma poking at his taste buds.

He promptly made his way to the bedroom, jiggled the door knob and was startled to find the door locked. This was uncharacteristic of Marie, maybe she was just that tired, he assumed and opened. The room was dark, so he flipped the light switch bathing it in the white of the fluorescent light bulb. The room had an odd smell dominating the air, but he didn't pay it much heed.

Their bedroom had the same color accents as the living room, with white thrown in adding to it's beauty. To his right was their bed, it's head headboard against the wall furthest from the door and the closet and dressing table against the left wall. They also had a bedside table that had a few drawers that sat below the window that was on the wall furthest from the door.

Maria was on her side of the bed, and she was up.

"Hey, did I wake you? The bedroom door was locked. Rough day?" He asked, as he leaned in to kiss her then she flinched slightly, almost pulling away. "What, is it the bad breath?" Michael joked, but Marie didn't seem to appreciate the joke or even notice it. Looking at her face, Michael noticed her nervous look. Occasionally, she stole a quick glance to one part of the room. The closet. Michael pulled back further to look her in the eyes, but she didn't respond in kind, looking away almost immediately.

For a second she stole another quick nervous glance to the closet which Michael noticed. He looked from her to the closet. More worried than suspicious, he tried to understand the situation. A terrible thought surfaced, 'maybe someone broke in, that would explain the locked door... I guess?'.

"wait here" he mouthed to her. She appeared to want to hold him back, but the concerned look on his face sealed her lips. 'With how she is acting, I might be right'. Unsure, but wanting to be cautious, he moved closer to the bedside table and opened one of the drawers, eyes glued to the closet. His fingers closed on the butt of a pistol which he pulled out, aiming it at the closet. Tentatively, he moved closer to the closet. As he got closer, a man in his briefs shot out of the closet leaping for Michael and his gun.

He was fast, but not fast enough.

BANG!!

A shot rang through the room accompanied by an ear piercing shriek. The man groaned in pain as he held his left arm over his right arm falling to his knees. He had been shot.

Michael's eyes bore into the intruder with murderous intent, his hand still trembling from the recoil of the gun and his breath heavy and uneven.