PROLOGUE

It had been an exhausting day at the hospital. All Travis wanted to do was grab something to eat, take a hot shower, and sleep for the next thirty-six hours. His shifts at the hospital were getting longer and longer. He knew it was putting a strain on his marriage, but there was little he could do. Being the new guy meant you got the crappy shifts until your supervisor said otherwise. He’d prove himself and things would get better. They always did. Besides, he couldn’t quit his job. They had twins to raise and a mortgage, which took money the last time he’d checked. No, he needed to weather this storm and hope for the best. Things would settle down and everyone would be happy—he hoped.

Sending up a quick prayer for patience and strength, he unlocked the door and stopped dead in his tracks. Carly was waiting for him. She hadn’t done that since his residency. Dread built in the pit of his stomach the moment he looked into her eyes. She was pissed and he had no idea why. Hadn’t things gotten better over the last couple of months? Lord knows he had been busting his ass to make sure everything ran as smooth as possible. He’d requested a cut in hours and spent more time helping with the kids. To be honest, he’d been doing everything, which was part of the reason he was so damn tired.

What could she possibly be complaining about now? Tired of walking on egg shells, he leveled his wife with a glare of his own. “What’s wrong now?”

“I want a divorce.”

Carly knew her response had caught her soon-to-be ex-husband off guard, but she wasn’t in the mood to play games. She wanted to be free and didn’t care whose body, she had to step over to do it. She was never meant to be a wife, let alone, a mother. The long hours without sleep when one of them was sick had left her with raccoon eyes on more than one occasion. No one understood the amount of work she’d put in every day to maintain her young, vibrant look. Especially, her clueless husband. She needed a man who appreciated her looks and the effort she put into her appearance. She needed a life that didn’t involve a workaholic husband and two snotty-nosed kids.

His wife’s response was like a sucker punch to the gut. He knew they had problems and had even suggested they speak to a marriage counselor, but she was having none of it. Yet, he’d never expected in a million years that she’d ask him for a divorce. They had two children to raise for goodness sakes. The thought of not being with his son and daughter on a daily basis made his heart hurt. He loved his children and would do anything to protect them. Even if it meant protecting them from their own mother. He took in several steady breaths to calm his nerves and to prevent himself from strangling his wife.

“What do you mean you want a divorce?”

“Are you deaf or dumb? I don’t want to be married to you anymore,” she replied through gritted teeth.

“What about the children?”

“What about them? I have no desire to raise two little brats. Let’s face it. I only married you because I was knocked up and desperate to leave that hole in the wall of a small town we lived in. You were my ticket to a better life, but you’ve failed miserably. Now, it’s time for me to move on—without you and the kids.”

Travis had been raised never to hit a woman, but there were times, Carly tempted him to go against his upbringing. “Move on? We’re not trash that you can just throw out at the end of the day, Carly. We’re human beings with feelings and emotions. We’re flesh and blood. How can you be so cold and calculating?”

“Don’t judge me. You have no idea how much I’ve suffered in this marriage.”

“Are you freaking kidding me? You call going to the spa three days a week and shopping at the most expensive stores in town suffering? The amount of money you spend on clothes in a month could feed half the children in a Third World Country. How can you be so selfish?”

“I’m not being selfish. I’m admitting the truth after all these years. One of us needs to. You don’t love me Travis, and to be honest, I don’t love you. I never have. You were a means to an end, and now your services are no longer required.”

“Don’t dismiss me or our children like we’re nothing,” Travis demanded. “We’re not one of your damn cronies that you can boss around anytime you want. We’re your family and it’s time you started acting like it.”

“No, you’re not. I’m in love with someone else and have been for a while now, Travis. You’re so blind, you didn’t even realize that I’ve been sleeping with another man for months. Get a clue already,” Carly exclaimed. She had lost enough sleep over this loser. In fact, she should have done this years ago.

Travis was furious by his wife’s admission of infidelity. Lost in a haze of anger, he hadn’t realized they were now standing toe to toe. “You conniving, manipulative…”

“Careful what you say, dear husband. I’m still the mother of your children,” Carly sneered through gritted teeth. When he stepped back, she knew she’d won. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to finish packing. I’ve wasted enough of my prime years on you and this shaft of a family.”

“You’ll regret this,” Travis said in a defeated voice.

“Not in this lifetime,” Carly replied, as she continued walking up the stairs without a care in the world.

What am I going to tell the twins? Travis thought, as he collapsed in the chair. His mild headache now felt like someone had beat him over the head with a sledgehammer. How had his life gone to shit in a handbasket so fast? It was obvious he had missed all the signs. Now, he had to explain to his children that their mother would no longer be a part of their lives.