Protecting Zoey

Chapter 1: Gathering the Pieces

Mason never thought much about losses throughout his life. He was always the kind of person who just got back up and kept going no matter what. But now, as he sat on the plane headed back home, he could not help but think about all the things he had lost in his life.

First, there was his wife, Linda. Before he thought everything was going all right before he left. As with any couple they had their issues, especially due to the age difference they consistently suffered scrutiny from others including Mason's parents. They felt he was unwise in his relationship decisions, which was putting it lightly.

Their biggest concern was the age difference. Linda was in her late twenties and had a ten-year-old daughter from a high school boyfriend. While this gave his parents great concern Mason pushed these to the side causing an explosive argument and him leaving his family for her and getting married shortly after. At the time he felt this was his best course of action due to the love he felt not only for Linda but her daughter Natalie.

While he believed this with all his heart, sometimes belief is not enough to carry a relationship through when one party has an ulterior motive. It was easy enough for him to think about now flying through the sky hundreds of miles away and having months to think about the past while in Obin.

His thoughts were always brought back to his daughter, Natalie likely the real reason he decided to

marry Linda. She meant the world to him, and he would have done anything for her, even deciding to end his professional career based on a promise to her. But when Linda filed for divorce, she didn't just take his money, she took Natalie from him too.

He hadn't seen or heard from either of them in months, not since he had left on tour in Obin, and it had been tearing him apart inside. Each call sent to voice mail or message left on read sent a pang through his heart until he finally got a call from his best friend explaining what he found out.

Even with everything Mason heard he held onto hope, for whatever reason that Linda would still allow him to see Natalie when he arrived. But in the end, he knew better than to get his hopes up. Linda had made it perfectly clear that she wanted nothing to do with him by ignoring every attempt he made to contact her, and so he was prepared for the worst when he arrived.

But first, he was going to have to figure out a way to survive and see his daughter again. Linda took everything in the divorce which was confusing to him Linda wasn't a lawyer; she was a stay-at-home mom. So how could she have gotten everything? Especially in a case I wasn't even in the country for? I had no ability to speak my side or even see the documents.

Frustration and anger began to wash over him as his thoughts continued to roll back to the pain and anguish Linda had caused him.

Mason's thoughts were finally interrupted by the captain as the plane began its descent into Calia guided in by the towering skyscrapers the plane had to pass through to reach the runway.

He hadn't been back home in months, and now that he finally returned the realization was washing over him. He looked down at the city below as thoughts began to roll through his head.

Starting from nothing, all over again.

He shook his head as he collected his things and prepared to disembark the plane. No matter what happened, he was determined to make things right again. He would get his daughter no matter what it took, but that was going to take time and money that he didn't have the few thousand he was able to get before leaving Obin would only last for so long.

While he wanted to show up at his old home and demand to see Natalie, he was sure Linda had already moved. Garrett had told him the house was empty a few weeks ago and even if he hadn't that would likely make things worse than they need to be. He needed to come up with a plan and he'd need some help first and another source of income.