Chapter 1:

Adrian Monk, the brilliant detective, stared at the pink envelope, on which was written in legible letters:

"We invite you to attend our wedding, which will take place next month at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in San Francisco.

Steven Albright and Natalie Teeger"

He read the written text twice and every time he would feel himself trembling, whenever he repeated the word "wedding" in his head. Natalie Teeger, his Natalie, personal assistant, the woman he didn't pay, who was there for him whenever he needed a tissue to wipe his hands, his always resourceful, kind and smiling Natalie decided to marry her longtime boyfriend, Lt. Steven Albright.

She deserved it, he finally admitted to himself, she deserved to has by her side a man who loves her and cares for her, a strong man who knows what he wants in life, who will protect her and give her his support when she needs it.

She must have gotten tired of always being the "stronger" one, of helping him, a fifty-three-year-old man who is capable enough to take care of himself, of putting up with his often mean comments, of working without pay...

She must have gotten tired of being the famous Adrian Monk's mop.

He stood motionless by the door for another minute, until an imperceptible tear fell on the paper, precisely at the word "wedding."

He reached for a tissue, which was always close at hand thanks to Natalie, and wiped his cheek, then carefully rolled up the letter and returned it to the envelope. He was grateful that Natalie had decided to inform him of her wedding like this, although rather surprised, but if she had told him in person, he would not have been able to hide his emotions in front of her.

Emotions...He shook his head and smiled sarcastically...Adrian Monk only had emotions for one person in his life, and that person was his late wife, Trudy Monk. In fact, he also loves her daughter Molly, whom he met three years ago and who has been the only bright spot in his life. However, the people who have helped him the most in life are not Trudy and Molly, but his longtime friend Leland, the well-intentioned but often silly Randy, his nurse Sharona who practically raised him from the dead, and Natalie who has been his pillar for years.

All those people had somehow drifted away from him in the last year. Leland committed to his marriage to T.K. and his sons, and in the meantime he became a grandfather, Randy and Sharona were married in New Jersey where he works as a police captain, and Natalie continued to work for him until Lt. Albright proposed to her.

He shook his head again, realizing why she hadn't come. She couldn't tell him that she had to leave him. She had no strength.

She became attached to him during the years they spent together. Marrying a naval lieutenant meant leaving a job she had held for nearly eight years. How could he be so selfish and so rude to her? How could he think that she would never leave him, when at first he was afraid of it? Most importantly, how could he allow such an attractive, noble and kind woman to walk into his life, change it from the ground up, and then leave him in the hell of his own making.

He knew now that he had made a mistake, but more than anything he knew why he felt so depressed, instead of rejoicing over her happiness. Recently, he finally found the strength to admit to himself that he is hopelessly in love with Natalie Teeger.

He didn't know when it all started. He had always been comfortable in her company, she was the only person who understood him best, but in the last few months he started to feel depressed when he was not next to her, while his heart skipped a beat every time he saw her.

He knew that she was in a relationship with another man and that she loved him, Lt. Albright was an honorable man who had saved his and Natalie's life in that submarine not so long ago, but he could not contain his sadness knowing that she would soon become his wife and that he might never see her again.

He heard the doorbell ring and was jolted out of his gloomy musings. He opened the door without looking through the peephole and was not surprised to see Leland Stottlemeyer.

"Hey buddy, I assumed you were in the apartment. Have you been vacuuming all morning?"

Adrian shook his head and let him into the living room. Leland sat down in the familiar brown leather armchair.

"Will you make me some coffee or will I wait until you clean the kitchen first?"

"Leland, no cleaning," he said glumly. "I'll make you coffee, but please don't mention cleaning."

With that, he went into the kitchen, not realizing that Leland was watching him in shock.

"What happened to my friend, the famous detective Adrian Monk? Did he die and some unknown man take over his body?"

"No, my friend," Adrian said firmly, "he actually came back to life."

"Oh really?" Leland raised an eyebrow. "What could have revived my old friend?"

Adrian soon returned from the kitchen, carrying a large mug and a glass of liqueur.

"For God's sake, what is that?" Leland screamed, pointing at the glass.

"Your drink. I know you like liquor. Serve yourself."

Leland stood up and stared at Adrian in shock.

"Okay, my friend, I'm really worried now! What's going on with you?"

Adrian sat down on the couch and took out an envelope from his pocket and handed it to him.

"Read it."

Leland looked at the envelope and twitched his mustache.

"It's Natalie's wedding invitation. T.K. and I got it too. That's why I came to talk to you."

To Leland's great astonishment, Adrian took a glass from the display case and poured himself some liquor which he then drained to the bottom.

"Man, what are you doing?" he growled. "You don't drink! You hate alcohol!"

"That's right," he hissed. "I hate alcohol, I hate nudity, I hate mess, but I don't hate any of that as much as I love her!"

He said that and then poured himself another drink. It finally came out of him.

Leland sat back down and slowed his breathing.

"What are you talking about, Monk? Who do you love? Trudy? Is today your wedding anniversary?"

He shook his head with a sarcastic smile.

"I love Trudy," he said absently. "I have always loved my wife. I was so dedicated to her memory that no one would believe me if I told them I loved another woman."

"Another woman?" Leland was taken aback. "What are you talking about? Adrian Monk can't love another woman."

Adrian jumped as if scalded and glared at Leland.

"Is that what you all think? That Monk is a crime-solving machine? That he's incapable of feeling love, that he's incapable of feeling physical desire?! Well, my friend, Monk is very much capable of feeling all those emotions, albeit too late . He is able to say that he loves her even though she is about to marry another man, he is able to say that he is a jerk who has not noticed her for years."

"Do you…" Leland suddenly stopped. "Oh my god! You're talking about Natalie! You're in love with Natalie!"

Adrian suddenly started to cry, burying his face in his hands.

"I'm an idiot, Leland," he sobbed. "I only realized that I love her when it became clear to me that she really loves another man. It's not because she's a great assistant, nor because she's always been there for me and believed in me when no one else would. I love her, Leland, so much so that I can't bear the fact that she's about to become someone else's wife. I don't think I'll be able to go to her wedding. I won't be able to bear it."

Saying that, he fell on the couch and rested his head on the pillow. Leland shook his head vigorously and pulled him to a standing position.

"Pull yourself together, Adrian! Natalie loves Lieutenant Albright! Maybe you're tired, too upset, but you can't tell her that, not now!"

"I know that," he whispered. "I'm just a coward and she doesn't deserve to be loved by an idiot like me."

"Monk, listen," Leland said gently, "I understand how you feel, but don't let your emotions get the best of you. I'm sure it's a fleeting feeling. Do you remember when you were in love with that woman who was accused of murder, Leyla Zlatavich?"

Monk nodded, remembering.

"It was a fleeting feeling and after a few days you felt better. It's the same with Natalie. You're sad because she's leaving you and you mixed it up with other emotions, but trust me, everything will be fine. You love Trudy. You waited twelve years to learn the truth about her murder. You never thought of another woman, you never took off your wedding ring. Relax, Monk. It's fleeting."

Adrian looked at him without saying a word, then lowered his head.

"I love Natalie," he repeated softly. "I'll always love Trudy, but this is a different kind of love and I can't pretend it's not like that. I love her as a woman and I feel...", he paused for a moment as if gathering strength for the next words, "I feel an unbearable physical desire. I want her, Leland, in every sense of the word."

Leland rushed to the kitchen in search of a pill that could help Monk. He made a mess in the kitchen, nervously rummaging through the drawer, but Monk didn't seem to care.

"Leland, I don't need any pills, man! I'm fine and I know how I feel perfectly. Why can't you understand that?"

Leland finally decided to sit down and was silent for a long time.

"You can't do this to her, Monk. You are a person she loves and respects, she expects you to be at her wedding and celebrate with her. You can't appear in front of her and tell her you love her. You're going to hurt her!"

"I didn't even plan on that," he frowned. "I can't go to that wedding."

"I think you'll have to," Leland rolled his eyes. "She's expecting you and you'll be there by her side. You'll handle it like a man, Adrian. Promise me that."

He shook him hard when he didn't get an answer. "Promise!"

"I promise," he said morosely.

"Great. Now I can finally tell you why I came." Leland sat back down and leaned back in his chair. "Look, Randy, Sharona and I have been thinking about what to get Natalie. We decided to make a deal with you to get her something that will really mean something to her. What do you think?"

Adrian looked sadly at his hands.

"Whatever you want. Tell me how much money you need and buy whatever you want."

Leland ran a hand over his mustache. "You know her best. What would make her happy the most?"

"She's a modest person, Leland," he said with a smile. "Don't forget she gave up her wealth to marry her husband and later agreed to work for me without pay. I think she just wants to be happy now and for Julie to be happy."

"I know that, but what can we buy her?" Leland asked confused.

"Whatever, my friend. She'll always be happy."

Leland looked at his watch and decided it was time to go. He told Monk that he would let him know when they decided to buy the gift and asked him to keep his promise. Adrian saw him out and closed the door behind him. Then he leaned against them and wept loudly.