After tucking Cole into her bed she turned her attention back to the task at hand. She closed the video and maximized the file she’d been working on earlier, her third book. It was the second book about her favorite characters she'd created, Christian and Bailey.

The first book was sent off two months ago with the hope that a publisher would pick it up and sign her. She sent out ten thick envelopes and so far nothing. She pushed the aching in the pit of her stomach aside and focused. She had a game plan and she wouldn’t be distracted. She worked ten to fifteen hours a day on her books. There were eight unfinished books on her laptop that she tended to. She worked with each one until she became stumped then moved on only to come back later. It was relaxing as well as stimulating. Something she hadn’t found in a long time.

They were her life apart from her children. Hell, she was doing this for her children. She didn’t have a job, a car or close friends or relatives. There was no clear way for her to escape this marriage, this life. Her only hope at the moment was a contract for one of her books.

She knew if she ever signed a contract for a book she was out of here. Jeff wouldn’t fight her on the divorce. The only problem she would have would be custody. Although he didn’t show it he did love the kids in his own way. But once she was free she was out of here. She didn’t want to stay in this small New England town where she’d lived her entire life. There were things she deeply loved about New England like its history, many of its tourist attractions and some of its culture, but there were a lot of things she didn’t enjoy like freezing her ass off from late October until early May.

Dana finished writing another chapter in the lives of Christian and Bailey and shut down her computer. The second book was coming along nicely. Her only hope was that someone thought the first one was good. She walked to the bathroom and drew a bath, her favorite and only pastime besides reading.

She settled into the tub with a good book, the latest in her favorite series. It was an addictive series that had her coming back for more. This was the third time she was reading this particular book.

“Dana,” Jeff said, barging into the bathroom. He didn’t bother knocking, hadn’t since her first pregnancy when she'd been forced to spend hours in the tub because of her back problems.

Jeff stopped in front of the tub. She looked up to see he was holding a stack of mail in his hands. “I forgot to give these to you.” He held out the mail. She sighed and placed her book on the side of the tub and took the mail from him.

“Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something,” Jeff started. He looked at her face. He always did no matter what she wore or didn’t. They were long past the point of checking each other out. She had gained a good sixty pounds since they met, her skin was pale and dry, and her hair was dry and brittle. The usual complaints of a stay at home mom or so she'd been told. Jeff had gained a considerable amount of weight as well, but that wasn’t the reason she wasn’t interested in him. She just didn’t like the person he’d become.

“Dana, I’m going to replace my monitor tomorrow. I found a new one, an HD monitor online that will go well with my computer.”

“What’s wrong with the monitor you have, Jeff?” she asked, already dreading his answer; the new one was better. That was the reason for all his spending.

“It’s just outdated now,” he said in a sulky tone.

Dana sighed and sat up. “Jeff, you just bought that monitor six months ago. Where are you getting the money for this?” she asked, knowing their savings account was small and they had a great deal of available credit. He surprised her with his answer.

“I’m going to use the Christmas fund.”

Yeah, she was startled. “You’re going to use the money that I’ve been scrimping together for the past year for your children so you can buy a new monitor you don’t need?”

He scoffed. “It’s my money, Dana. I should be able to spend it how I choose.”

“No,” she said firmly.

Jeff stomped his foot down and pouted the way he did whenever he didn’t get his way. “You’re such a-”

“Bitch?” she finished for him, sounding unamused.

He turned and stormed out of the bathroom, slamming the door, not caring that his two children were sleeping. She placed the mail on the side of the tub and cradled her head in her hands. “Don’t you dare!” she mumbled sternly to herself.

She wouldn’t cry, wouldn’t break down. She had to remain focused. Stay on the plan, she told herself. She nodded and picked up the mail, hoping to distract herself with coupons and outrageous bills.

She sorted through the mail until she came to a thick envelope. The return address was from Rerum Publications. Her hands began to shake. She put the envelope down and took a deep breath preparing for her first rejection letter.

After a long moment she felt prepared. “Don’t cry. Just don’t cry. Take their criticism and use it to make the book better,” she told herself.

Her hands shook as she picked up the thick envelope. She ripped the envelope open and unfolded the thick pile of papers. Her eyes ran over the words as her mind screamed for her to stop.

“Oh my God!” she said. A nervous smile spread over her face. “Oh my God!” They loved her book! So much that they attached an agreement with the acceptance letter promising to send a contract within two days with her first check. They wanted her Christian and Bailey books to turn into a series. They also wanted to talk about the possibility of more books and would send someone out at her convenience to discuss it.

Her free hand went over her mouth to cover her screams of joy. She had never been happier in her entire life. This was their escape, their chance at happiness. Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks.

Jeff picked that moment to open the door. “I’m buying the monitor tomorrow. I don’t care what you say.”

She laughed deeply for a few minutes. He stood there watching her with a confused expression on his face. She forced herself to calm down. “You know what, Jeff. I don’t care.” She ignored him and stared at her letter. There was no way she was telling him about any of this. Well, at least not until after they were officially separated that is.

Chapter 2

One year later….

A piercing noise went off next to his head. Edward reached over with his eyes still closed and felt around for the small, annoying alarm clock. His fingers moved along the top and began hitting buttons at random until peaceful silence enveloped him once again. He rolled over in his large bed and fell back to sleep.

“Hey, sleepy head, time to wake up,” a woman said. Edward groaned and buried his face in his pillow. “I don’t have all day, Edward. Get your butt out of that bed!” Something thick and flat hit him upside his head.

He sat up in bed. “Damn it, Mom! Can’t you let me sleep?”

“It’s two in the afternoon. I told you last night at dinner that I was coming over with scripts. If you don’t want me to handle your contracts anymore you’re more than welcome to go find another lawyer.”

Edward pulled himself out of bed. “Mom, I just stopped shooting a film. You know for a week after I'm done filming that I like to rest.”

She hit him on the head again with a large manila envelope. “Too bad. Get your little butt up. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.” She left the room, leaving him to dress.

He was not looking forward to seeing her in the kitchen. There was no food in the house, the sink was full of dirty dishes and take out containers were everywhere. She was not going to be happy.

After taking a quick shower and pulling a pair of pants on, he walked into the kitchen. Sure enough his mother already had the trash cleared and was washing his dishes.

“Edward, what are you paying that cleaning service for?” she asked. Her light graying brown hair was pulled back into a loose bun. It was somewhat amusing to see his mother clean his kitchen in a thousand dollar suit.

He sat on the counter. “I had to fire them a month ago. I haven’t had a chance to hire a new one.”

She looked up. “Fired? Why didn’t you tell me? You know your sister and I would have come over to help.”