Jenna Bradshaw's life looks perfect from the outside-a comfortable home, a successful husband, and two grown children. But beneath the surface, her world is crumbling. Over decades of quiet sacrifices, Jenna has lost herself, her voice drowned out by a loveless marriage, dismissive children, and the judgment of her husband's elitist family. She has become invisible in her own life, a shadow of the hopeful young artist she once was.
When her best friend Sasha tragically dies in a car accident, leaving behind two foster children, Jenna is forced to confront the harsh truths of her existence. While taking on the care of Leah and Dylan, Jenna begins a journey of self-discovery and renewal, reigniting her passion for art and finding strength in her independence. However, her decision to walk away from her marriage is met with resistance from her husband, Troy, and their children, who fail to see the quiet pain she has endured for years.
As Jenna builds a new life, she learns to confront her past, embrace her grief, and reclaim her identity. Along the way, she discovers that resilience lies in allowing herself to be vulnerable and in daring to demand the love and respect she deserves. Will Troy learn his lesson or is this goodbye forever?
Main couple: Hailey and Cole
No cheating. Instalove. Mine. Alpha. Caveman. Presence of OW/OM. Celibate. Besotted hero. Besotted man. Smitten. Happy ending for the main couple. Innocent, cute heroine. Virgin.
Chapters: 20-25 chapters with epilogues. Hailey has been sheltered almost all her life because her mom had feared so much for her safety she never allowed any trips unless it was together with her. She had always warned Hailey about the evil of men and how they could harm young ladies like her. Hailey had feared so much that she decided to never wander outside of the safety of their house and unfortunately, she never made any friends and had never experienced anything either.
People in her city were always widely curious about her life and some boys had actually tried to invite her out on dates, to the horror of her mother. She didn't know what happened to them because her mom didn't accept any invitations and she never talked with any of them either.
Now at 23, tragedy had arrived in her life. Her mom had passed away from a stroke and she had no one to rely on but an untie that mom had said she should seek in case something happened. She needed to travel alone to her mom auntie's home, without any sort of companion. She didn't dare accept anyone who offered to help her because mom had said she should trust just her auntie and anyone else.
She didn't know if bad men would try to snatch her again and her only desire was to find a safe place she could live her pacific life, the way she did when her mom was alive.