Chapter 12 Critical Point
A Month Later - Isabella/Chris's House
Chris had been home a month. Lots of Chris's friends and family had come to visit with him. Zak and Chris's relationship had improved. They were almost like they used to be. Isabella wished that she could say the same about her and Chris. Other than sex, he didn't seem interested in her at all. After the first time that they'd had sex, he told her that she was the best he'd ever had. She supposed that she should be impressed by it, but she wasn't. It just made her feel empty.
They'd talk about everything else just like old times. She could even say that they were friends, 'friends with benefits' that's what they were.
Chris's doctors told him that it appeared that the memory loss was permanent. That had really hurt Isabella. It didn't seem to bother Chris at all. His therapy was progressing well. He was using a cane to walk. Eventually, he wouldn't have to use a cane, but he'd always have a limp.
He didn't want to talk about their past. The only past that he was interested in was about the movies that he had produced and about Zak.
The studio was putting pressure on her to make another movie. She had asked Chris to work with her, but he said no. She didn't want to work with another producer, but he was giving her no choice. As much as she didn't want to admit it, they had reached a critical point in their marriage - it was either time for it to move to the next level or time to end it. She couldn't go on living in this limbo.
Chris had managed to walk into the living room.
"How's your leg doing?" Isabella asked him.
"Good", Chris says as he hobbles around the room.
"Listen, we need to talk", Isabella says.
"Sure", Chris says as he sits down.
"I'm tired of living like this", Isabella says.
"Like what?"
"That we're friends having sex. I want more. I need more. I deserve more", Isabella says.
"Is this your way of telling me that you'd like more sex?", Chris asks her.
"No! I want our relationship to move to the next level"
"The next level?" Chris asks.
"I want it to be the way it used to be - I want us to be a family again. I want to go for long walks with you in the park, have a nice dinner, have long conversations, and write music with you again. I want our old life back", Isabella says.
"It will never be the way it used to be. I'm not the guy that you fell in love with. This is me 3 years before I met you. In my mind, I'm 42 years old and not 60. Things are different", Chris says.
"What's that supposed to mean? You only want me for a friend and for sex? Well, any woman out there could perform those duties for you" Isabella says.
"So, what are you saying?", Chris says.
"If you're not ready to move to the next level, I want a divorce!" Isabella says.
"Maybe it's best that I move out", Chris says.
"Yes, I think it would be best", Isabella says.
Chris's House
After that argument, Chris moved back into his house. He had decided to try dating again, but those women weren't Isabella. In the meantime, she had started making a movie with another producer. They had agreed to share custody of Zak. Chris was starting to look for new projects to work on.
Isabella's House
Isabella hears a knock at the door and it's Tina.
"Hey, you made me a promise. Remember? You and Chris were going to make beautiful movies together!" Tina says.
"The only thing that he wants me for is sex. He's not interested in me or working with me", Isabella tells her.
"Well, I think that I need to go have a talk with Mr. Smith", Tina says as Zak comes into the room.
"Tina, this is our son Zak. Zak this is a friend of your dad's - Tina", Isabella says as she introduces them. Zak knows that he has just met an ally.
Chris's House
Tina has arrived at Chris's house.
"So, Chris what's the problem with you and Isabella? She thinks that you just want her for some kind of sex goddess", Tina says.
"I don't want to enter a serious relationship with her or anyone", Chris says.
"You're afraid of falling in love with her, aren't you?" Tina says.
Chris slumps his shoulders and says "Yes, I'm afraid. I'm not the guy she fell in love with. What if I don't meet her expectations? What if she doesn't love the real me?", Chris says.
"Then, for me to do everything that I did for her, must mean that I really, really loved her. A love like that scares me", Chris says.
"Don't you want a woman to love you like Isabella did?"
"That's the problem, what if she doesn't love the real me like that? How am I supposed to fight myself?", Chris asks.
"You're such a coward! Are you a man or a mouse? You need to have faith in her love and your love for her. You guys fell in love once, how hard can it be to fall in love again?" Tina asks.
"I'm a man. I guess I don't have much to lose. I really miss waking up with her by my side, I miss her cooking, and lots of other little things about her", Chris says.
"If this were a mission, what would be the first thing that you'd need to know to complete it?"
"The objective. Once I knew the objective, I'd do research and then I'd come up with a plan", Chris says.
"Well, the objective is to get her to fall in love with you. Find out everything about her - that's easy MI5 has a file on her and you. She's done tons of interviews, so there's lots of footage about you guys. The most important thing is the music - listen to your music", Tina says.
"Tina that sounds like a plan! I've got my old journals and I'll read through them. Hopefully, they'll have information on Isabella that I can use against her", Chris says. This is the best Chris has felt since he woke up from his injuries. That night, Chris began his research and began to form a plan of attack to win back his wife. Unknown to him, someone else was planning to help him...
Isabella's House - Next Day
"Zak, where are you?", Isabella says. She runs all over the house looking for him. When she doesn't find him, she goes outside - no luck.
She thinks that he ran away from her and went to his dad. Ever since she had kicked his dad out, he'd been real mad at her. He'd even been quite insolent to her. That wasn't in his character to act that way.
So, she calls Chris. "Chris, is Zak with you?", Isabella asks.
"No, he's not. Why?", Chris asks her.
"He's not here. I can't find him. Can't you use your tracking device to find him?", Isabella asks.
"I have a hand-held remote. I'll go get it", Chris says. Chris goes to get it and turns it on - nothing.
"That's weird, he's not on the grid", Chris says.
"What does that mean?", Isabella asks.
"He's either removed the tracking device or he's more than 1000 km away from us", Chris says.
"Do you think he's been kidnapped?", Isabella asks.
"I'm going to hang up the phone and call the MI5 detail that's assigned to Zak. I'll call you right back!" Chris says. He's really worried that something has happened to Zak. Chris calls them and no answer, so he calls Isabella back.
"I called them and no answer. I'm going to come over and look around the house. In the meantime, look for a note that he may have left behind or anything that looks out of place", Chris frantically rushes over to Isabella's house. By now, both Isabella and Chris are worried and are wondering what has happened to their little boy?