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“Okay, Kiera. Six months, and then we let this go.”
I tried to smile, but it was forced.
I didn’t know why, considering I was the one who had brought this up, but something inside me had been holding out hope he’d fight me on this. That he’d want to figure out what went wrong, so we could fix it.
But it was clear it was over.
It was obvious he was already done.
I had six months left. Six months to prepare myself for life without the man I thought I’d be with forever.
ONE
Kiera
Eight years ago
There was no wiping the smile off my face.
I was in my happy place.
And even better, I was at what could only be described as a pivotal moment in my life. There were no major decisions that needed to be made, or anything like that. But it was June, I was freshly out of college, having graduated just a week ago, and I was about to embark on my new career next week.
For now, for this week, I was enjoying being at one of my favorite places in the world while doing one of the things I loved most.
I was at Cardinal Beach, a fifteen-mile stretch of beach along the northern shoreline of my home state of North Carolina. I lived in Dogwood, a small town roughly two hours west of Cardinal Beach, and since I’d been away at school for the last four years getting my business degree, I hadn’t had much of an opportunity to come and visit Cardinal Beach.
But I was here now, and I was soaking up every last thing about it. There was something about being here that invigorated me.
How could it not?
It was a bit breezy today, but the sun was warm. With my toes in the sand and the sound of the waves crashing along the shoreline, I was feeling happier than ever.
Of course, having just graduated from college had helped with that, too. Since my budding career was on the horizon, I didn’t think there was anything that could dull my mood.
Dressed in my bikini with a flowy swimsuit kimono, I strolled down the beach, carrying my bucket.
Everything felt perfect, like I was right where I was supposed to be doing precisely what I was doing, so I hadn’t been prepared for what happened next.
I heard a scream, which forced me to look up. Immediately, my eyes went to the water, but I didn’t see anything there that was even remotely concerning. Of course, if someone was in trouble and had just gone under, I wouldn’t have noticed.
So, I looked to my right, and that’s when I saw it.
Or him.
A man was running in my direction, and I could only assume I had missed seeing someone in the water. Oh, God. What if this guy was running into the water to save a small child?
I returned my attention to the water, scanned it again, but still saw nothing. When I looked back at the man, he’d closed the distance between us and was a matter of a few feet away.
It was then I realized he wasn’t focused on a small child in the water on the opposite side of me. His eyes were pinned on me.
My body immediately tensed, and I felt terrified. Was this man going to tackle me to the ground right here on a beach full of people just watching it happen?
I finally understood what it was like to be paralyzed by fear. Everything inside me was screaming at me to run and get away, but the terror and confusion kept me planted to the spot.
And the next thing I knew, the man had essentially collided with me. He hadn’t tackled me to the ground, though. Instead, he wrapped his arms around me in what could only be described as a bear hug.
While my brain and body seemed to be moving in slow motion, everything was happening so fast.
