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Chapter One

She couldn’t have stopped the tears even if she’d wanted to Seeing their honeye They’d been so happy on the trip to Hawaii Everything had felt right, blissful Two years now and she still didn’t understand how things had gone so wrong

Chloe grabbed a tissue from the box next to the bed and dabbed at her eyes Daer? Just smack Merrick upside his thick skull and force hie? To her!

The eye-opener had coo to the day She’d woken up and rolled over and he’d been gone At work on a Sunday ht on by and her husband was a ghost A shell She’d spent that awful day re everyconclusion She was married in name only

Merrick’s entire life revolved around his business The success of Vaughn’s Business Solutions e would change hi so the knot and hieach other Maybe even talking about having kids She’d deluded herself into believing she could sit his out He’d listened, sure, but then he’d gotten a call on his cell and the discussion had come to an abrupt stop He’d kissed her and promised to talk about it later She’d waited and waited, but later never came

A full thirty days later, here she sat, clutching her resu her husband would spend his Sunday with her instead of with client files Chloe swiped at her eyes and threw the damp tissue across the room It was time to take action No way around it now

She’d used the day to pack and cry When Merrick had hurried out the door right after breakfast, she’d begun s that needed his i to coh already The past several months had proved to be quite an eye opener Merrick would never slon She’d had her wake up call, noas ti the rest of her life without him

Chloe stood and looked around the bedroo it all behind And because she worked at his coet a new job as well Unless by so and talk her out of it

“There you go again,” she muttered “Ever the optimist”

Chloe sighed and tucked the resume into her suitcase, then zipped it shut She wheeled it out to the living room and placed it by the front door Now all she had to do was sit and wait for Merrick

She went to the refrigerator and poured a glass of water Just as she brought it to her lips, she heard the squeaky e door Oh, God, I don’t have the strength!

The fir erratically Chloe set her glass on the counter and watched, waited

Merrick slipped quietly into the kitchen, exhausted as always, a frown ht of her and smiled “Hey, babe,” he whispered as he kissed her on the cheek, “you didn’t have to wait up”

Her sto”

He pushed a hand through his shiny dark hair “Sure, let’s talk in bed, though, I’m beat”

She knew that tone As soon as his head hit the pillow, he’d be out like a light She could forget about a conversation after that because he wouldn’t re

“I’d rather talk now, Merrick”