BROKEN HOPE (Broken Redemption Book 2)

Chapter 5

Emilia

As I sit in my living room staring at the collage of family photographs that adorn the walls, I can't stop thinking of the future that's no longer promised to me. The future where Creed and I would dedicate ourselves to raising happy, healthy girls. Together, we were supposed to watch them grow up. Graduate from school. Get married. Bring our grandbabies into the world. Then there are the family vacations we were supposed to take. The quiet moments spent at home as a family of four, sprinkled among holidays and family traditions, the girls will never get to experience.

That's all gone now. The life we planned snuffed out of existence with the stroke of a pen like it never mattered. As if it wasn't everything I'd ever wanted. Signing those papers did more than put an end to my marriage. They left me gutted. My hopes for the future were scooped out and replaced by this empty black hole in the center of my being. Now I see nothing but a dark void that shadows all the tomorrows headed our way. I've never felt more lost. More alone. More empty than I do right now.

How could he do this? He was there from the start. He helped build every part of this life. He was so taken aback when we found our dream home, he dropped to one knee and proposed. He carried me over the threshold after the wedding, whispering his vows and sweet promises of forever.

I still remember the tears in his eyes when they handed him our firstborn daughter, and he realized for the first time he was a father. He loved me. He loved our girls. Of that, I have no doubt, no matter how hard he's tried to convince me otherwise. It's why I can't rationalize what happened to the man I married to turn him into the stranger I left behind in that old hunting cabin.

"You okay?" Lucas asks as he takes a seat on the other end of my cream-colored couch. His hair is still wet from the shower, making it look darker than its usual golden brown. "What? What's that look for?" he asks, tapping his foot against mine playfully.

"Your hair..." I fake a smile, making certain it reaches my eyes. I've had years of practice perfecting this very smile. It's all the reassurance most people need to move on, which keeps them from seeing the sadness that sticks to me like sludge that won't wash off.

"What's wrong with it?" The way he runs a hand through it is adorable and reminds me of the uncertain 17-year-old boy I once knew.

"Nothing. It's been a long time since I've seen your hair wet. You always had the most beautiful ringlets."

When he looks away sheepishly, I'm reminded of everything he did for us today. As difficult as it was to have my marriage implode in front of him, I'm glad he was there. His presence helped ground me. He kept me focused on what needed to be done and provided the framework to help me feel safe. It's because of him and the choices he put before me that I left the cabin feeling like I had some semblance of control over what happened.

The unfortunate effect of him being there is that now he'll stick around out of some sense of obligation. Especially given the adoption papers he signed, even as their purpose was only a means to an end. A way to separate Creed from the girls so they'd be safe. Knowing Lucas as I do, leaving town after the adoption fiasco will prove difficult for him. He's a man of conviction. Someone who holds himself to a strict code of always doing what is right.

"Thanks for today." When I notice he's about to brush me off, I press on. "No, please. Let me get this out."

"Okay then, go on," he smirks, though the way he averts his gaze speaks to how uncomfortable this conversation is making him.

"Thank you. I can't tell you how much it meant to have your support today. The way you stepped up for me and the girls, I'll never be able to repay you."