"I fall. A fall without sense, purpose, or gravity. A fall because I am too heavy. Because I carry too much darkness for a white world. A black stain in a white sheet. A stain that will fade and can be forgotten but can never be entirely undone."
I was just a teenage girl enjoying myself when, for no reason, fate decided to punish me. Fate stole the sunlight in a solar eclipse and with the loss of visibility, stole my parents by killing them in a car crash caused by their momentary blindness. Fate left me in this mental hospital, to look longingly out over the city with no hope or ambition to do anything with what life it's left for me. But maybe, as the light returns, hope will flood my sterile life and give me back a fragment of the life I once enjoyed, or maybe that life was just a lie. Who knows?
A criminal mastermind makes a bold move against a wealthy client to put himself in a position to retire in comfort. He has no idea what he's up against when a young widow, desperate to make ends meet, sets her eyes on earning the bounty set on his head.
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Newly widowed housewife Melody Scott needs to earn some major cash, fast. When her bright and busy children learn that a priceless ruby bracelet has been stolen and a six-figure reward is being offered, they convince her to try to do what the police, museum security, and the best private investigators have failed to do. Working against them is a notorious thief who has met people from around the world, but who has never once encountered a woman like Melody Scott. When the sweet innocence of the Scott family clashes against criminal forces more dangerous than they ever imagined, Melody is all too aware that a mom's got to do what a mom's got to do to protect her family.
The Widow, Melody Scott is a 2021 Watty Award Winner!
Content Warning: This story does contain depictions of stalking behavior.