A New Life Ch. 01

A few moments later, she entered the kitchen wearing a robe. Her eyes were red, and it was obvious she had been crying once again.

I got up and tried to hug her but she pushed me away. The look of sorrow in her eyes broke my heart. I finally found some courage and asked, "Ashley, can we talk?"

She pulled a chair out from the table and sat down. Ashley just stared at the far wall. After a couple of minutes of total silence, she stood and walked over to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. Her eyes were bulging with tears.

"Jim, I have a confession." She paused to collect her thoughts. "I was married right after college to a man who abused me and took advantage of me every day. I was a total wreck but finally found the courage to leave him. He's consistently refused to give me a divorce and we're technically still married. I moved to Georgia and started over the best I could. At least I had experience in real estate and found a job right away. I'm renting this townhouse and all the furniture and furnishings in it. I'm even renting the car and trying everyday to stay ahead of the bill collectors. I know this isn't what I represented to you and I'm very sorry."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I really like you and I want to be totally honest with you."

I took her hand and said, "Let's go back to bed and talk."

The End of Chapter 1