Contemporary/MF/Slow Burn/Second Chance/Strong h/Grey-Dark/Abused h not by H Jake would protect Kat with his life, but would he be too late? I couldn’t remember what it was like to be a child. That innocence was stolen from me at the tender age of nine. The one bright spot I had in foster care was Jake. But nothing good ever lasted long. All too soon, he was taken from me, and once more, I found myself treading water to keep from drowning. Then I met Richard. The golden boy who promised me the world but only gave me more of the same terror I’d known growing up. There was only one way to escape my husband’s grasp…run and never look back. So here I was, thirty, alone, and fighting to stand on my own. Would I be able to find the happiness I’d dreamed of, or would Richard find a way to pull me back under? When I met Kate at the age of ten, I knew she was my soulmate and that I wanted to marry her, but my plans were crushed when we were torn apart. Instead, she became the memory that taunted me. At thirty-one, I’d climbed the social media ladder and lived the life that most people envied, yet the happiness I sought eluded me. So, I decided to head home and re-evaluate my life. One chance encounter later, fate had given me a second chance. The moment I saw Kate, I knew I would lay my life down for her. Richard had taken everything from her, and I wanted to be the balm her heart needed to heal. Could I save her without paying the ultimate price, or was Richard’s malice stronger than I ever could’ve imagined?