Chapter 2 Broken

Fate. That was something Michael Cordero had put a lot of faith in once upon a time. He believed that everything happened for a reason. Especially after he met a certain girl.

His love for Jane was always constant for him. It was something he just couldn't seem to get to go away. Even with the way she broke his heart time and time again and went back to Rafael Salano.

The first time it had crushed him. He thought he would never heal from the wounds, but at the same time he still believed deeply in his heart that no matter what they belonged together.

He had said to Xo, "We belong together and I'll never stop believing that." He stayed true to that for many years.

The second time was different. They had been through so much in the last 4 years. It was understandable for her to move on. He had "died." It still devastated him, especially considering who she moved on with.

He grew to accept it. He believed that maybe he was wrong. Their fate was not to be together. They were just stepping stones on their way to a different happily ever after.

So, he moved on to Charlie.

Charlene Rose, or as she went by Charlie. He did fall for her pretty easily. Their banter and bickering soon blossomed into a relationship. Still fresh from the heartbreak, Michael jumped in headfirst wanting to get Jane out of his mind for good.

He didn't expect Charlie to get pregnant the first time they were together, but it happened. "This must be fate," Michael had said. He believed it truly.

Their relationship was sweet in the beginning. They paid attention to what one another needed and they took care of each other. They laughed and loved and enjoyed their time together.

When they went to see Jane one final time to make a deal on the book, Michael's breath caught in his throat at the sight of her.

He knew then that he would always love her. He just did his best to hide that fact from Charlie. She was his partner now. She was his life. Charlie was a bright woman though. It didn't take her long to realize that a piece of his heart still and would always belong to Jane.

Flashforward a year later, they were walking around the store and he caught sight of Jane's new book and smiled that "Jane" smile. This look did not go unnoticed by Charlie.

"Just buy it." Charlie stated shortly brushing past Michael as she headed for the checkout.

He grabbed the book and tossed it in his basket. "I just want to see how it all turned out."

"That's fine." Charlie said giving him a blank look. It wasn't fine. Things had not been fine for them for a while.

Back to before the baby came. Michael had been so happy when they found out they were having a boy. He had visions in his head of teaching him how play sports, how to wrangle a bull, how to a ride a horse and telling him stories of the good old days of being a cop and then a cowboy in Montana.

Again, Michael Cordero felt it was fate. Everything was working out. He was with Charlie and he was happy. He barely ever thought of Jane.

They had had a small wedding. Just close family and friends. It was just as they wanted. Everything was falling into place.

Finally, the day came for little Michael to make his entrance in the world. Charlie went into labor early in the morning and they headed to the hospital.

Everything seemed to be progressing as it should, until it wasn't. Suddenly, the baby's heart rate dropped very low. Alarms were ringing and doctors and nurses swarmed the room booting Michael out into the waiting room. He remembered kissing Charlie quickly assuring her everything would be okay before leaving. Everything had to be okay. This was their fate. This was their happy ending.

Still, he paced anxiously outside for over an hour.

When the nurse came out with tears in her eyes. He knew. And that was the day Michael Cordero stopped believing in fate. He was a broken man from that day on.

Michael and Charlie's marriage dissolved very quickly after that day. They were both so grief stricken. When they should have been leaning on each other, they pulled further away. Michael tried as much as a broken man could, but the more he tried the more she pulled away.

They made it a little over a year after that, but one day Michael woke up to a note telling him goodbye. She'd always love him, but she just couldn't do it anymore. He wasn't surprised. He had been expecting this for months.

They sold the house, signed the divorce papers and bid their farewells to one another for good.

He stayed in Montana for 7 more years before coming back to Miami. He decided to go back to being a cop. A decision he had been going back and forth on since he had gotten his memories back all those years ago.

Back to present day. Michael got back into his vehicle and drove off.

The last person he had expected to see was Jane. He honestly didn't know how to feel. At one point in his life, his heart would have glowed at the sight of her. Now, he just felt numb. Since, the death of their child and his divorce, Michael hadn't been able to feel very many emotions.

He drove back to the station around 1130. Glanced at his phone. He should text her and cancel. This wasn't a good idea.

He picked up his phone and dropped it. It went under the seat. He dug around for it for some time before finally getting ahold of it.

He began to text her and the phone restarted. Michael cursed under his breath and quickly turned the phone back on only to have the battery die. He opened his glove compartment. No phone charger.

He sighed. Guess he was going to lunch. He gathered his stuff and took it into the station before heading to the restaurant him and Jane had agreed on.

Even though, Michael could no longer recognize it, the wheels of fate were turning and he was heading in the direction he was supposed to be.