Chapter 1

Nora Evans' husband, Lucas Jameson, had never let go of his first love, Claire Quinn.

The Jameson family had refused to accept Claire, insisting she wasn't the right match for Lucas.

Instead, they searched high and low until they found Nora, someone they deemed more suitable, and pushed her onto Lucas as his wife.

On Christmas Day, Nora brought Lucas along to her parents' house for a holiday dinner.

The family had barely settled around the dining table, their coffee still untouched, when Lucas' phone rang.

The name "Claire" flashed across the screen. The sight of it sent a sharp sting through Nora's chest.

Lucas answered almost instantly. The urgency in his voice carried a tenderness Nora had never once heard directed at her.

Lucas spoke into the phone, his tone soft with concern. "Hey, what's wrong?"

On the other end, Claire's voice came through in broken, hysterical sobs.

"Lucas, my dad found out I've still been talking to you. He called me a shameless homewrecker and said I've disgraced the whole family. He's threatening to kill me. Please, you have to come get me. Please!"

Lucas shot to his feet, grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair, and headed for the door.

Nora's father, Mason, slammed his hand down on the table. He stood and stepped directly in front of Lucas, his chest heaving with fury.

Mason's voice shook with anger. "Where the hell do you think you're going? It's Christmas. You're here visiting your wife's family, and one phone call from that woman is all it takes for you to walk out?"

His face reddened as he pressed on. "You and that homewrecker, carrying on right out in the open. What does my daughter mean to you? Do we even exist in your eyes?"

Lucas stopped in his tracks. The urgency drained from his face, replaced by open contempt.

He let out a cold scoff, not bothering to hide his disdain. "What does your daughter mean to me?"

He sneered, "She's the one you people sold to the Jamesons, remember? You took our money. You rode our coattails. So I'll treat her however I damn well please."

*****

Lucas said, "As for you two, you sold your daughter for a taste of the good life, and now you have the nerve to demand my respect? That's a joke."

Nora sat frozen in place, her whole body going stiff. "Lucas, is that really how you've seen me this whole time?"

She continued, her voice shaking, "Your family came to us first. They said you and I were a good match, that marrying you would help the Jameson family prosper. They begged my mom and dad to let me marry into your family. So how exactly did we sell our daughter?"

"If you know why you married into this family, then you should've known your place. Stop wasting my time with this nonsense." Lucas cut her off, impatience dripping from every word, and his eyes filled with disgust.

He added, "Claire is out there waiting for me to save her, so get out of my way."

Mason's whole body trembled with rage.

He pointed a shaking finger at Lucas and shouted, "You heartless bastard! I'm making my daughter divorce you today, and that's final!"

Lucas laughed as he'd just heard the most ridiculous thing in his life.

"Divorce? You really think you'd go through with that?

"Your family came crawling to us back then, took every handout the Jamesons gave you, moved into a big house, and lived the high life. And now you want to play the victim and talk about divorce? You think I'm stupid?"

He was done talking. He stepped around Mason and headed for the door.

Mason panicked and grabbed Lucas by the arm, gripping it tight. "You're not leaving! You're not walking out that door until we settle this!"

Lucas wrenched his arm free from Mason's grip. "Let go! Claire's waiting for me. If something happens to her, that's on you."

Mason was too old to take that kind of force. He stumbled backward, his body folding under the momentum, and the back of his skull cracked hard against the solid oak cabinet behind him.

Nora's heart stopped.

"Dad!" she screamed and rushed to his side, dropping to her knees to cradle his head.

But the moment her fingers touched the back of his skull, warm blood seeped between them, thick and sticky.

Mason's eyes were shut tight. His brow was creased in pain, and his face had gone white as paper. He wasn't moving.

Nora's voice tore out of her. "Call an ambulance! We need to get my dad to the hospital!"

She tried to lift him, but his unconscious body was dead weight. She couldn't move him, no matter how hard she pulled, and all she could do was sob and beg for help.

Her eyes found Lucas, still standing exactly where he'd been, completely unmoved. Desperation crept into her voice.

"Lucas, look at him. He's bleeding. He's really bleeding. Please, just help me get him to the hospital. I'm begging you!"

But Lucas didn't take a single step.

He scoffed and said, "This is a setup, right? Drop the act, Nora. You and your father always pull this kind of stunt to keep me from seeing Claire. I don't have time to watch you two put on a show."

Nora choked through her tears, her voice cracking. "I'm not faking it! How could I possibly fake something like this with my own father's life?

"He passed out for real, and his head won't stop bleeding. Please, just drive us to the hospital. If we wait any longer, it'll be too late. I'm begging you!"

No matter how much she pleaded, Lucas' expression stayed cold and distant.

He clicked his tongue in irritation, turned on his heel, and started walking toward the door.

Nora threw herself at Lucas and clung to his leg with everything she had. Tears blurred her vision, and her voice cracked with desperation.

She begged, "Lucas, please, save my dad!"

She tightened her grip and cried, "Just drive us to the hospital. If you save him, I'll never get in your way again. You can go find Claire, go wherever you want. I won't stop you. Please, I'm begging you!"

Lucas shoved her off and snapped, "Get off me!"

He was fed up with her clinging to him, so he kicked her away.

Nora hit the ground hard, and her lower back slammed into the leg of a chair. The pain shot through her body, and she gasped.

He snarled, "Your whole family is nothing but liars!"

He didn't look back at Nora sobbing on the floor or Mason lying unconscious. He stormed out of the house and slammed the door behind him.

Tracy, Nora's mother, stepped out of the kitchen and froze. Her legs buckled at the sight, and she nearly collapsed. She rushed to Mason's side and dropped to her knees.

Tracy shook him by the shoulders and screamed, "Mason! Mason, wake up!"

She broke down for a moment, but forced herself to pull it together. Her hands trembled as she pulled out her phone and dialed 911.

But they lived out in the country, miles from the nearest hospital. The ambulance would take at least an hour to reach them.

Tracy wiped her tears and clenched her jaw. "Nora, we can't wait. The ambulance is too slow. Help me get your dad into the car. We're driving him ourselves."

Nora dragged herself up and pushed through the pain. Together, she and Tracy hauled Mason into the back seat of their sedan. It took everything they had.

At the hospital, the doctor took one look at Mason's condition and rushed him straight into the emergency room.

Nora's legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor. Every ounce of strength had drained from her body.

All the fear, the helplessness, and the despair she had buried inside came crashing down at once.

She hugged her knees to her chest and sobbed until she couldn't breathe.