Second Book: Sarange Rising.

Paris.

"Jessie, I'm home!"

"Keep your god damn voice down, the kids are sleeping!" Jessica replied, walking out of the kitchen to meet her partner. The burning sticks in the fireplace along with a few low branches which were crushing on the windows were the only sounds that were filling her cabin.

Sam looked at her and a soft chuckle escaped his lips. While Jessica was trying to find something on him that would prove with whom he was till now, he looked at the fireplace and threw his head down, scratching his short beard, he sighed.

"Where were you?" Finally, Jessica asked, without moving away from her spot.

"Out" he replied and locked his eyes with hers.

"Out... what is that mean? Where exactly?"

"What difference would it make if I told you where exactly was I?"

"You're right... then with whom?"

"Jesus..." he sighed and fell on the sofa behind them, taking off his boots and throwing them to the side. "I'm not in a mood for a fight"

"I think we need to talk"

"No, I don't think we need to..." he replied, this time he placed his feet on the small table across them.

"Sam..."

No reply came from him, he continued looking at her until: "Why don't you go upstairs, I'll come in a while"

"Sam we can't continue like this... I can't"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm done... I can't live like this anymore"

"What about our kids?"

"They're old enough to understand"

"But I can't understand"

"What exactly Sam?"

"What's gotten into you?"

"We'll talk about it in the morning"

"No!" Sam shouted and stood up, "I wanna know why you said it," he shouted again while walking towards his woman.

Jessica hollered back, "Because that's how I feel! I'm not in love with you and if we continue living like this I'm gonna flip out! You are driving me crazy! Can't you see it? I'm not myself anymore!" Sam looked down, unable to talk, he gave Jessica a minute to calm herself down. "I think we're done" she finally said, calmer this time.

"But I love you..."

"No, Sam, you don't. You got used to it, is all"

"Is there someone else?"

"Jesus... I'm telling you all this and that's what you think? That I'm cheating on you?"

"Is there?"

"No."

"Then give us another try... everyone deserves a second chance"

"We had our second chance the first time you cheated on me, our third chance when you did it again and our fourth when you hit me..." Jessica said and leaned her head back on the wall, tears filled her eyes as she was trying really hard to hide her feelings but invalid. Sam's innocent look on his face was making her even angrier.

"If you weren't in love with me, you wouldn't be crying," he said, taking a step closer to her.

"I'm not crying because I'm sad, I'm crying because I'm so mad at you that I wanna put your head in the wall"