Olivia Graham was twenty-two when she started a whirlwind romance with charismatic Jakob overseas.
By age twenty-five, Liv was back home and checking off the widowed box on paperwork. With zero plans, Olivia and beloved dog Snuggles find themselves...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
My tears are still coming as I get home. "Chris ruins everything," I rant to myself.
I'm distracted as I think about Chris and Jake and my life as I get out of my car.
I look up to see that my house is dark.
Too dark.
My headlights shine a spotlight on the garage door, and I backpedal because I am certain I see a shadowed figure.
My heart thundering, I get back into the car at breakneck speed with trembling hands, and swiftly lock myself in and fumble my phone out of my purse.
"Sean?"
"Hi, sweetheart," he says kindly. I haven't seen him in a couple of days and I'm thankful for his ability to placate me.
"Um," my voice cracks. "I just got home. I might be making a big deal out of nothing, but I'm nervous about going inside..."
"Oh, okay. Would you like me to drop by?" He asks casually.
"Please."
His tone is as gentle as a violin playing Schubert's Ave Maria. "I'm less than five minutes away. Do you need me to stay on the phone?"
"No, please just hurry," I implore. I hang up, nervously wringing my hands.
I consider calling Chris. I press his name and let it ring out a few times, then hang up. My heart races as I wait for Sean. He lives roughly two miles away but I am unsure how quick he will get here. I scream bloody murder when Sean knocks on the passenger side window, and I roll it down. "Sorry, honey," he apologizes.
I offer him a weak smile. "Can you please get in?"
Sean leans over the console as he enters the car, immediately brushing my hair back from my face. "Are you okay?"
"I'm sorry," I gasp, as he holds his palm to my face. "I thought I saw a person near my garage."
"I don't mind at all. Why don't I just go check it out? Roll up the window. Stay in the car," he orders. He jogs back to his car and walks to the garage with a flashlight.
After a couple of minutes, he gives me a brilliant smile and a wave to come out. I meet him near the front of my car.
"Everything's fine," he reassures me. "Why don't we go inside, and I'll double-check that, and we can let your dog out?"
I let out a long breath as I stand at the front door, fumbling to get my keys, Sean standing behind me.
Sean wraps his arms around my waist from behind me, holding me tightly. "Liv, you're shaking. Do you want me to do that?"
Usually, I'd fancy myself tougher than this. I may be petite, but I have a lot of muscle. I grew up doing martial arts under the watchful eye of my family.
