Prologue

Twenty Years Ago

It was all too much.Not in a bad way but really, just too much. She was only twenty-three years old. No one finds their forever at twenty-three. Right? She hadn't even finished college yet!

Plenty of people marry their college sweetheart.

The thought had barely crossed her mind before she pushed it back.

And plenty of people end up divorced.

Great. Now she was arguing with herself. If she was being completely honest, what Raelynn Sutherland was about to do was the last thing she wanted to do. It needed to be done, however. She couldn't stay here. If she stayed, she'd give in. She'd cave and let him run her life.

Because you love him running your life!

She'd end up giving over complete control before she could blink. Healthy relationships weren't meant to be this way, right? They weren't meant to involve rules, punishments, playtime, and submitting to complete and total care. They weren't.

Raelynn battled with herself, continuing to stuff clothes into an old, ratty suitcase as quickly as she could. The last thing she wanted was to end up like her mother. She didn't want to marry her college sweetheart and become a housewife totally dependent on her husband for everything. Raelynn definitely didn't want to be forty-five and alone with no clue how to care for herself.

That's not what your relationship with him is.

But wasn't it? Raelynn tried shoving her stuffed sloth, Sami, into the case but he wouldn't fit. Without hesitation, she grabbed a wad of clothes at random and tossed them aside. Nothing in that wad was more important than Sami. No way could she leave her friend behind. Soon he'd be the only friend she had.

Raelynn took one last look around her studio apartment. There was a mess of her things still lying about, but none of them would fit in her tiny car. She barely had room for this one last suitcase. Checking her watch, Raelynn noticed it was after midnight. She'd have to get moving if she was going to put some distance between herself and Montana by the time Les showed up in the morning to help her pack.

She made one final circle, saying goodbye to the apartment that had been her home–as run down as it was–since her eighteenth birthday. She wheeled her suitcase into the hall, calmly locked the door, then headed to her car, playing with the purple heart-shaped gem on her necklace as nerves settled in.

He'll never forgive me.