Synopsis
It was pouring rain the day my brother, Kolton Bennett, was cremated. My husband, Clement Wright, didn’t come. Instead, he stood on a brightly lit stage, accepting an award for rescuing civilians from a raging fire—the same fire where he had failed to save Kolton.
That was the day something inside me finally broke.
After that, I stopped fearing the dangers of Clement’s job. I no longer clutched my phone with my heart in my throat, waiting for a call that he was safe. Clement always said the uniform meant duty—to the public, to strangers, to everyone but me. For that duty, he had left me stranded on dark highways, abandoned me at the altar, forgotten me outside operating rooms… and in the end, my brother paid the price.
A week after Kolton’s death, Clement finally came home.
But he didn’t come alone.
Lenora Schultz—his first love—stood behind him, her eyes red and swollen, though something defiant flickered beneath the tears.
“Mauri, Lena’s staying here for a few days,” he said carefully.
“Maureen, I hope I’m not imposing,” Lenora added softly.
Once, I would have exploded. I would have demanded explanations, fought for my place in my own marriage. But now, there was nothing left in me to burn.
“The guest room is empty,” I said calmly. “Stay there.”
Clement grabbed my wrist, stunned. “You’re not going to ask why? A pipe burst at her apartment, so I—”
I pulled my hand free. “It’s just another mouth to feed. No big deal. Keep her as long as you want.”
Because after losing my brother, I had already lost everything that mattered.
