Ashley's Bend

Copyright © 2014 by Cassy Roop All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

This book is intended for mature audiences only.

ISBN-13: 978-1499322842

ISBN-10: 1499322844

Cover Art By: Marisa Shor

Cover Me Darling

https://www.facebook.com/covermedarling

Edited By: Anna Coy

This book is dedicated to a wonderful group of ladies. This book would not have been possible if it weren’t for their support, love and friendships. Amber, Annalisa, Savannah, Delisa, Ashley, Alissa, Casey, Ashley, Tara, Kay and Rachael: Each and every one of you hold a special place in my heart. I have my spork ready at all times for you! I love you my IndiePendents!

If you asked me what my life would look like when I was twenty five years old, I would have said happily married to my high school sweetheart, white picket fence, and the standard two point five children. I would have told you about my amazing house and being able to stay at home with my children to be their first influence in life. My husband would be wonderful, charming, caring and a God in the bedroom.

Instead, I will tell you the truth. My life is not the picturesque fantasy of the image I had in mind. My real life is lonely, desolate and secluded. It is cold, unemotional. My heart and my soul have fallen into a dark, calamitous despair; a despair so deep I fear I may never fight my way back out to the gleaming rays of untainted happiness again. I have betrayed everyone who has loved me. I have ruined a man who had given up everything for me; given up demons that held strongly to his heart, refusing to let him love.

The only thing true about my fantasy was that I did marry my high school sweetheart. As I look back, I can remember a time when I was fortunate to have happiness and love in my life. Meeting Jared my sophomore year of high school was one of the best moments of my life. I was instantly in love with the herculean athlete that he was. His sandy blonde hair and crystal blue eyes had any girl wanting to fall and worship at his feet. Jared was charming and charismatic with a witty sense of humor, and oh my God, was he ever sexy. I was greedy with a desire to be his girl. When he finally asked me out after several weeks of shameless flirting, I was ecstatic.

We dated for the remainder of our high school careers, and on the night of our graduation he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I did not hesitate to tell him yes. My parents were more than thrilled. Yes, we were young, but everyone married young in our small country town of Sylva, North Carolina. It was like the Mayberry of North Carolina, small, quaint, and full of southern hospitality. It was every girl’s fantasy to find a husband and start a family. I thought I had all of this when I found Jared. My life could not have been any happier.

Jared and I were married the summer after our high school graduation. He was accepted to Northwestern University in Chicago, and we moved there just one month later. Since tuition and living expenses were expensive, we decided that, for the time being, my college career would be put on hold while Jared sought to obtain his law degree. I started working odd jobs; sometimes two just for us to make ends meet. It was at one of my odd jobs as a waitress at Clarke's Diner that I met Kelly Harris. With her bouncy red curls and exuberant lively attitude we quickly became friends. With Jared away at school most days or with his study groups, it left me alone quite often. So when I was not at home or working, I was with Kelly.

The first few years of our marriage were genuinely happy. Although we did not get to spend much time together, the times that we did were that much more enjoyable. Deciding to put off a family, until Jared received his degree, seemed like a logical thing to do. Still, I could not help but feel the pangs of wanting to be a mother.

Jared finally received his law degree and passed the bar exam about eight months ago. He was lucky to get a job working at Kettleman and Lawson, a very prestigious law firm in Chicago. It was when everything was actually looking up for him, that everything with us began to deflate.

Being the new guy at the firm, Jared had to work a lot of hours to prove himself to the partners. He began having to work a lot of nights and weekends, and I was certain now that he was established with the firm, I would be able to start focusing on a career of my own. I was tired of working entry level jobs and waitressing. Not that there was anything wrong with those occupations, I just wanted to do something that I loved, and I loved to paint. I had always wanted to be an art teacher. I wanted to help people bring color into our world through their own unique creative expression. When I approached Jared with the idea of starting my career, it ended in a huge fight.

Everything brought on a fight. He accused me of being ungrateful, unsupportive and jealous of his newfound success. I accused him of being cold and distant. It had gotten so bad at one point we even resorted to ignoring each other. We could be in the same room, but we might as well have been miles apart. After seven years of marriage, it was what our relationship had resorted to.

Looking back, I remember how the course of events has changed my life so completely…