Alexander as scared for his life. Not literally, but he had to deliver some real bad news. He was on his way to see his fiancé, the woman who he thought he loved, but the news he had to tell her was incredibly devastating. It was a one-two punch, followed by a knockout uppercut; and uppercut that would put her in a coma that she would not recover from for a long time. He sat in his car, a Chevy Malibu, and hit his head against the steering wheel, taking deep, soothing breathes. Unfortunately, they didn’t help, but at least he tried something. He was more worried about what her reaction would be, and how big of a scene it was going to make.

Alexander opened up his door and stepped out, his six foot frame covered with a white polo shirt and a pair of khakis. He looked at the restaurant where he was to meet his fiancé Lacey; it was one of the best restaurants in the city. He absently thought about why they were here; it was their two year anniversary, and to be completely honest with himself, he just was not happy.

He checked his watch; it was seven thirty. He had taken extra time, hoping to at least get her irritated to begin with, to make this blow at least a little easier. He had turned off his phone, knowing she would call him a bazillion times, wondering where he was. He gave a helpless sigh, ran a hand through his short, brown hair, and began the long walk to find Lacey. It was going to be a long and tough night.

Lacey sat in the restaurant, at a table for two, and waited for her fiancé. She glanced down at her watch, and saw it was seven-twenty-five. He was late, which was very uncharacteristic of Alex, but it didn’t matter. If he was late, he had a reason. She had tried to call Alex many times, but his phone was off. She smiled to herself as she thought about her fiancé, the man she had wanted for so long, and finally they had gotten together, and it had been the best years of her life. She didn’t know what she would do without Alexander. To her, life wasn’t life without the love of Alexander.

She was watching the door from their small table for two, a bottle of wine on the table and a candle burning in the middle. Finally she saw him open it and walk in. She nearly leapt from her chair and waved at him to get him over.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, motioning him over. She was so excited, she missed the grim expression that flashed across his face for a moment before he hid it with a perfect smile.

"There you are," she said, walking over to him. Alex, as nervous and worried he was, couldn’t help but admire her beauty. She was a gorgeous woman, with a slim figure, and she was wearing a tastefully revealing red dress. She leaned in for a kiss, and Alex gave her a quick peck on the lips, and then he walked her back to the table and sat her down.

"So, what’d you do that caused you to be so late? I called you a few times." she said, her smile still radiating.

"Um, well, I just lost track of time, left late, and got stuck in some traffic," he explained half heartedly. "Sorry for making you wait so long."

"Oh, well, it’s okay honey, don’t worry about it. I ordered for us about five minutes ago, so our food should be here soon. I got your favorite steak, so don’t worry."

Alex sighed, and shook his head. "That’s one of the reasons I have to do this." Lacey’s smile disappeared quickly, her expression incredibly worried.

"What? Alex, what are you talking about? What do you have to do? What reason? What did I do?" Lacey’s voice was climbing rapidly.

"Now, Lacey, keep your voice down. You ordered my dinner for me, like you always do, without even asking me. And I knew you would try and call me, wondering where I was. I turned my phone off to get some privacy."

"What’s wrong with calling my fiancé when he’s late?"

"Lacey, there is nothing wrong with calling a few times. I haven’t even checked my phone, but I bet you called more than a few times," Alex said, grabbing his phone out of his pocket. He turned in on, looked at the screen, and laughed. "Lacey, I have seventeen missed calls, and all of them are from you. That is just not normal. That borders on obsession."

"Obsession? I’m not obsessed, I just LOVE YOU!" she yelled, causing everyone to stop eating and look at them.

"Lacey, please, be quiet! You’re making a scene." Just then the waiter brought out their food, a steak in front of Alexander, and a parmesan chicken in front of Lacey. They had been her countless times, and every time they ordered the same thing. It was just so…boring.

"Let’s just eat our food and talk about this later," she said, picking up her fork.

"No, we’re going to talk about this now," Alex said, crossing his arms. "Lacey, this isn’t working. I want to break off our engagement; I’m sorry, but the things you do DO make me think you’re obsessed. You’re smothering me, and I need some space, and I need someone else."

Lacey had tears in her eyes. "Is there another woman? Are you with some other slut? What does she have that I don’t? I love you Alex!" she was almost screaming again, her eyes were wild, like a starving animal.

Alex just stared at her until she finally calmed somewhat. "Yes, Lacey, there is someone else. We haven’t had sex or anything, but she gives me one thing I need that you can’t seem to give me: privacy. I’m sorry Lacey, but that’s just the way it is."

She didn’t do anything to begin with. She just sat there, tears slowly streaming down her face. She stood up, her arms shaking like she was in an ice storm, her heart obviously shattered. She slowly walked over to Alex, who tensed at the motion. She leaned in close to him.

"I’m sorry you had to do that," she whispered, "but I think I understand. You just can’t handle my love, but that’s okay, I know what I have to do." Alex had a bewildered look on his face, not understanding at all, but suddenly much more confident in his decision. Lacey even smiled at Alex, a smile that completely unnerved him.

Her hand was slowly moving, but Alex could not see it. Her small, petite hand gripped something on the table. Her smile disappeared suddenly.

"You know what they say," Lacey began, "if I can’t have you, NO ONE CAN!" Her hand flew from the table, gripping the steak knife, and she lunged at Alex. He didn’t see it coming, and the knife bit into his skin, slicing into his stomach.

"I love you!" Lacey screamed, over and over, the knife still moving, stabbing him over and over. She got him four or five times before someone finally stopped her, and by then, he was blacking out from the pain and blood loss.

At this point of the conversation, he was completely confident in his decision. He thought back to while he was in his car. He had told himself he was scared for his life, but he wasn’t serious. Maybe next time he would take his intuitions a little more seriously.