More than two decades ago, she was mine. Then I lost her heart, but not her friendship.



Now Tessa's husband, one of the greatest men I ever knew, is gone, having sacrificed his life for their daughter. And my wife is a cheating whore, but I won't let her run off into the sunset with her senator just yet. She still has a few more months to be a mother to our son before he graduates.



But Tessa . . . I know her. She wants to show her grown children that she's okay—hell, she always pretended to be alright when she wasn't—that even after a devastating loss, life can go on.



Watching her grieve silently was something I did in the past, but I won't do it again.



Never again.



Because I fear if I can't get her to truly grieve, we all might lose her. And I can't live in a world without Tessa.



Contains mature themes.