Alex Hamilton slid his BMW M8 into his reserved spot in the underground garage of the exclusive fitness club. The car, low-slung and gleaming with black paint, had a predatory grille that seemed to perfectly match the man himself—Alex, or Mr. Hamilton, as most had called him for the better part of the last decade. As the co-founder and managing partner of the ‘Urban Fare’ grocery empire, Alex was, without question, one of the country’s most formidable businessmen.

He had built his empire from the ground up. His father was a civil engineer and his mother a public school teacher, but even back in high school, Alex knew that living paycheck to paycheck wasn’t the life for him. From that moment on, he moved toward his goal with unshakeable resolve.

Alex grabbed his gym bag from the backseat and was about to head into the club when an old woman suddenly blocked his path. She looked worn down by life, clutching a tattered coat around herself despite the mild afternoon.

  • “Young man,” she pleaded, her voice raspy, “could you spare a dollar for some food? I need to feed my granddaughter… we have nothing left.”

Alex frowned, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. Where was the club’s security? Why were panhandlers wandering through a private parking garage?

  • “Ma’am, you need to move,” he said, his tone clipped and dismissive.
  • “Sir, please,” she begged, her voice trembling. “Maybe you have some groceries, anything you could spare.” She reached up to adjust a dark scarf covering her gray hair, and a stray strand fell across her weathered cheek.

And that’s when a jolt, sharp as a lightning strike, shot through Alex. His gaze was locked on her ears. He stared, unable to believe what he was seeing. Peeking out from under the dark scarf were a pair of earrings: tiny, brilliant blue forget-me-nots, set in gold, their centers sparkling with genuine diamonds.

Seeing his intense focus, the old woman quickly tried to pull the scarf down to hide them, but it was too late. Alex grabbed her arm, his grip firm.

  • “Where did you get those earrings? Tell me. Now.”
  • “They’re mine, they’re mine,” she mumbled, trying to pull away from his grasp.
  • “Look, either you tell me everything, or I’m calling the police,” Alex threatened, his voice low and serious. “Those earrings cannot possibly belong to you. Ten years ago, I personally commissioned them from a jeweler for someone very important to me.”

The woman was silent, tears beginning to stream down her wrinkled cheeks.

  • “So, what’s it going to be? A conversation, or a night in a holding cell?” Taking her silence as compliance, Alex opened the passenger door of his car. “Get in. And start talking.”

His reaction was visceral and completely understandable. The story of those earrings was tied to the most painful chapter of his life, because he had never managed to forget the woman he gave them to. He knew, with a certainty that had haunted him for a decade, that Hannah was his one and only true love.

Eleven years earlier, Alex had been a budding entrepreneur with a handful of small grocery stores and ambitions the size of Manhattan. He already had his own condo, a decent car, and enough cash for dates and entertainment. As a tall, well-built brunette with a rugged face and a nice ride, he never had trouble attracting women.

He wasn’t looking for anything serious and usually cycled through girlfriends on a monthly basis. That all changed on a particularly miserable winter day when Alex ended up in an Urgent Care clinic with a broken arm after slipping on some black ice. From the moment he saw the young nurse who was setting his cast, he couldn’t look away.

She was delicate, with skin so fair it was almost translucent, enormous green eyes, and a heavy bun of curly, light-brown hair that seemed to pull back on her small, graceful head. She looked fragile, but her slender fingers moved quickly and skillfully as she worked.

  • “There, all done. You’re good to go.”
  • “You’re my savior,” Alex said, flashing his best smile. “I have to thank you with a proper dinner.”
  • “First of all, your savior is Dr. Miller, who read the x-ray. Maybe you should ask him out?” she replied, a hint of a smile on her lips. Alex laughed.
  • “That’s a good one. And second of all?”
  • “I don’t have time for dinner. I work here, and I’m a student. But… have a good one, and try to be more careful next time.”