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“Ella, sweetheart, are you okay?”
At May’s warm touch against my arm, I dissolved into sobs. I’d done so much to avoid ever seeing this man again, and now, I was transported back to the times he’d come home and taken his frustrations out on me.
I heard Malcolm and his father talking. Arguing, but I couldn’t focus. May’s arms tugged me tighter against her chest, allowing me the time I needed to get myself back under control.
When I pulled back, there was a security guard, two patrol officers, and a few others in the room.
“Ella, love,” Malcolm pulled me into his strong arms. “do ye want to press charges?”
“Yes.”
“Gis—”
“Don’t ye speak her name again!” Malcolm was shaking with anger. I clutched him tighter.
This would be over soon.
A few hours later, we were back in the office, me sitting across from Malcolm, his father, and May, spilling my guts about my past. It was something I knew I couldn’t hide forever, but I’d wanted to. To be a failure at anything, even if it was a dead end, crappy relationship—it hurt. Probably for all the wrong reasons, but I owed it to them and myself to get it all out on the table. The good, the bad, and everything in between.
“What a disgusting waste of human skin.” May made a face.
“Yeah. I know none of it’s my fault, yet—”
“I get it. My first two husbands were awful. Finally, the third time was a charm.”
“And loaded,” Cameron said, chuckling.
“His money has nothing to do with it, and you know it. I swear, you’re asking for me to spike your cognac with something that puts you out of your misery.”
I couldn’t help it, I hid my face in my hands and laughed. Malcolm’s arms came around me as he sat on the couch beside me.
“Ignore them.”
“I do. I mean, it’s a daily threat now. If she meant it, he’d have been gone long ago.”
He leaned in and kissed me softly. “Exactly.” He ran his finger over my sore cheek. “No matter what’s in your past, I want to know it. I don’t see you any differently. Well, I now know just how strong and determined you are. To survive as much as you have—you never have to worry about anything like that happening again.”
“I won’t allow anything like that to happen to me again. I’m worth more than that.”
“Can you say that again, a little louder?” May requested.
I did. Much louder. So loud it drew others’ attention.
That day started a new path for me and Malcolm. A more open, responsive relationship that I’d not trade for anything in the world. He was slowly helping me reprogram myself. I was relearning what it was to be loved and to return that love. I was finally happy in and with my life. For that, I’d forever be grateful that he came into my life.
If you’d have said a year ago, I’d be here, where I am now, I’d have said you were delusional. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong about my future.
With Malcolm by my side, I had all I could ever want or need.
About the Author
Barb is a Carolina girl by right and a Texan by birth. By day she’s a desk jockey for a rural transportation company and a book lover, reading through as many books as she can. At night, though, she turns into her alter ego: a writer—cape optional, depending on her mood.
Her stories are a mix of real-life events, personal experiences, and the craziness of her own imagination and those of her best friends. And when their imaginations blend together, it can be crazy. Barb writes in multiple genres, encounters new adventures, creates new worlds, and has a fantastic time breathing life into new stories, creating something she hopes inspires anyone who reads to fall in love with them as she has.
Barb lives by one little rule: tomorrow is never guaranteed, so make sure you live each day to its fullest.
Visit https://www.authorbarbshuler.com/ for more about Barb and her books.
