Prologue*~

I sat next to Dana’s bed side, feeling her grip my hand. I looked over; terrified to see her face, that use to glow with a huge smile on her face, turn pale as she looked forward, too afraid to see the tears in my eyes. Cancer. A leading killer in the world. Dana had fallen ill around the time of Aaliyah’s death. Leukemia was her diagnosis. Of course everyone was devastated. I just couldn’t understand my luck lately. It would never be fine why? Because my life was just fucked up like that. I just shook my head and looked over at the phone as it rang. I slowly turned on the speakerphone button and answered it. “Hello?”

“Justin...”

Dana’s eyes turned to look at me and I looked back at her. The voice. The voice we hadn’t heard in about two years. “It can’t be...” I muttered and looked at the phone in complete shock.

“It’s me...try me if you don’t believe me.”

“Where do you keep the chocolate?”

“In the kitchen, three cabinets away from the door. High up enough that Dana can’t reach it. You know she’s allergic.”

That’s how I knew it was her. Right there on the spot. I picked up the receiver and brought it up to my mouth and left past Dana and out into the hallway. “So you’re telling me that all this time your fucking ass was alive.”

“Justin please let me understand.”

“Why should I? Why should I let you understand? Do you know what you did to me? To our kids?”

“Justin please don’t...” She cried and I could hear her choking in the background and that’s when I became scared.

“And who are you talking to?” I heard the voice and knew who it was. That son of a bitch. “Justin...so you know about your wife...”

“You son of a bitch you took her?”

“Sure did, but that’s ok. Since now you know, she’ll be dead soon enough. Thank you for contributing to your wife’s really death. Goodbye Justin...”

“MATT! Don’t you fucking hang up on me.” But it was too late. I just hoped that I wasn’t too late for her.