Page 1 of Shattered

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Sara

I once dreamed of a life where my happily ever after was waiting for me.Waiting for me to grab on with both hands and hold tight.All of the romance novels I’d ever read bragged such things, tempted me with a reality which simply didn’t exist.

Not for me, at least.

My whole world had been turned upside-down in the blink of an eye.I racked my brain to try and figure out what I’d done to deserve Fate’s cruel hand, but I’d come up blank.

I was a good person.

I didn’t deserve to be thrown to the wolves.

Knowing there were many other people who had worse problems than me, I did my best to summon the strength needed to push through each and every day.

I was alive.

I was healthy.

I had good friends.

My dream of owning my own business came to fruition.

Those were the statements I repeated over and over to myself.My own positive mantra.But no matter how many times the words ran through my head, they never brought me any solace.

I did my absolute best to put on a strong front at work, not wanting Matt or Katherine to bombard me with questions.They both knew there was some sort of falling out between Alek and me, but thankfully, they were satisfied with the measly scraps I threw their way.

The explanation I gave was that we were simply not seeing each other anymore.I saw the look in Katherine’s eyes when I’d told her.It was the ‘I told you so’ look but thankfully she never said the words out loud.

Matt, on the other hand, didn’t believe me when I’d told him I was okay with not seeing Alek.The dead giveaway was when he placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed, the compassionate look in his eyes undoing any resolve I’d been able to hold on to.

I bawled.

No holds barred.

Bawled.

Matt wrapped me in his warm embrace and told me he wouldtake care ofAlek.All I had to do was say the word.While I appreciated the gesture, I merely shook my head and tried my best to smile.

The one time Alek showed up at Full Bloom to try and talk to me was the only time I asked Matt to interfere.I couldn’t bear to look at the man, let alone hear his voice.

I wasn’t strong enough yet.

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An entire month passed since I last laid eyes on the man who devastated my entire world, ripping away any sense of security I was lucky enough to have built back up since moving to Seattle.

Falling for Alek Devera was a blessing and a curse. He’d made me trust in someone again, crushing the walls I’d built up to protect myself, making me feel alive again after so many years of simply drifting through life.He forced his way into my world, and I was powerless to stop him.

While he was a little over-the-top sometimes, his need to protect me made me feel wanted.He made me feel special.When I was attacked at Carlson’s, he swooped in out of nowhere and rescued me from the drunk asshole who attacked me in the hallway.He insisted on having an alarm system installed in our apartment because he felt my safety was the number one priority.Hell, he even bought me a brand new car because he hated the thought of me being without a safe mode of transportation.

Safe. Safe. Safe.

I heard the word spewed from Alek’s lips more times than I could remember.

Too bad he couldn’t save me from my broken heart.

He’d called me so many times I lost count.When he couldn’t get me on the phone, he tried Alexa.Thankfully, she never gave me the phone, although there were times the look on her face told me she wished I’d let him explain.

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