These first two chapters are more of a pilot than anything. I hope you enjoy; please review if it's possible. This story picks up after the end of the book, though I'm not going to dwell on the things that happen directly after. This first chapter specifically is more background. That's really all for me, fellas. God, I need help.


Rhett kept his word. He returned frequently enough to keep his trips from looking too suspicious. Though there were still whispered around them, they faded with Mrs. Butler.

The woman inhabiting the biggest house in Atlanta was also one of the smallest. It was clear to even the most casual observer that she was unhealthily small. She sent away her meals, electing to sleep instead.

Mammy was downright distraught, but could not get her lamb to so much as nibble a biscuit.

It did not help that Rhett consistently showed up and ignored her.

In fact, those were the days when she paired her starvation with heavy drinking.

The effects on her already fragile health were disastrous.

She was so weak that most days she would not or could not rise out of bed. Most of the time she was ill and exhausted, but she refused to see Doctor Meade. He had been sent for several times, but Scarlett dismissed him before he even got through the door. It was not as if a diagnosis would have changed anything.

The children were terrified of the change in their previously unstoppable mother. They pleaded with their Uncle Rhett to do something, which he always said he would.

He never did.

It wasn't until almost a year into her downward spiral that he spoke to her.

He had cornered her at the bottom of the stairs, forcing her to talk with him.

It had been the first day in two weeks that Scarlett had bothered to rise from her comforting bed and held strong enough to face another trying day.

As he began to caress her cheek, she found herself both incredibly glad for the decision and wishing that she could crawl back into bed and deal with him later.

He continued studying her face and she couldn't help the warm bloom of hope in her chest.

Rhett's hand lightly traced her cheek. His eyes were locked on his hand, studiously avoiding her burning gaze. "Scarlett, please sign the papers. I really am sorry, darling, but now it's time to move on."

She had been wrong. Wrong to think that a man as cruel and unfeeling as Rhett could possibly find it in him to love her again.

She blinked back the tears furiously and opened her mouth to protest only to find that she had no idea what to say.

"Please, honey?"

Exhaustion enveloped her being with those words. Her shoulders dropped with her spirit as she withdrew from him.

"Fine."

The look on her face sent shivers down Rhett's spine. Something frighteningly close to loss and pain stabbed him in the chest as he took her in. He had never wanted to see her like this. Their whole relationship had been marked by obsessive love and overwhelming hatred, but he had never wanted to break her spirit. It was one of the things he admired most about her.

Now, however, broken and empty were the only two words that could accurately describe the woman before him. In an instant, all of the light and life in her eyes had evaporated. He had never seen her posture fall either. She had always held herself impeccably and alluringly. Now she had been reduced to a common being struggling with the weight of the world whereas before she had been an enticing goddess with the passion and drive that drew everyone in, despite how much they hated it.

"Please take the children," she whispered.

"What?"

"They'd be better off with you. They're at Aunt Pitty's right now. Please get them before nightfall. I'll visit them beforehand and then you'll never have to see me again."

Scarlett turned and slowly trudged to the door, each step more difficult than the last to take and each one harder to watch for the man, frozen in shock, standing at the bottom.

The losses in her life swirled around her, sucking the air from her lungs. What was there left for her now? A home that she fought for. One that was inhabited by a bitter sister and her obnoxious children. The house she had built. A mansion haunted by memories, both good and bad. Two children, withdrawn and isolated from her. Children now in Rhett's care. Money. Yes, money. Funds that could take her anywhere she wanted. Where was it that she wanted to go? Well, she could figure it out on the way.


Nothing had been more liberating and soul-crushing than signing those divorce papers. They set her free from the constant battles with Rhett and the miserable way they treated each other. She no longer had to fight for him because he wasn't hers and he never would be again. It stung that she had lost and it nearly ripped her heart out to let him go, but she had to. He was right after all: it was time to let go.

That didn't mean that she wanted to, but what choice did she really have? He would never stop, never allow her peace, until she cut their familial ties and gave him a reprieve from his responsibility for her. No, now she was all on her own. No one left to care for her or hurt her. The first thing she wanted to do was go to Texas.

The land of the outcasts. A place where she could be free from stuck up society and Rhett's influence.

Where would she go next? The possibilities were endless with the sum Rhett had left her. She couldn't even spend it if she tried.

Maybe Paris? No, it would only serve as a bitter reminder of their happier days. England seemed possible. Rhett has really only been there to sell cotton while the South was sinking. But what would her father think of her mixing with the British? Though she paid little attention to what happened in Europe, Scarlett had found it impossible to ignore the trouble brewing between the Irish and the British. But Pa hadn't expressed many opinions on the topic of Britain, so maybe he wouldn't care. Oh, what did it matter? Pa was long dead, no matter how much it hurt her to acknowledge it, and she would not be controlled by anyone, much less a seemingly nonsensical feeling of duty to a ghost.

Texas and then England, Scarlett decided. She would travel to both destinations and she would have a damn good time while doing it.


Her time in San Antonio, Texas, had been a whirlwind of flirting and fun.

She'd dodged all attempts from the locals to uncover her backstory, instead enjoying herself in the moment and capturing the hearts of most of the young men present.

There was one in particular, a man named Joseph Miller, who had fallen head over heels for her. The man was near captivated with her beauty and employed every charm to try to lure her into a relationship.

Scarlett adamantly refused to consider a relationship with the man, though that only drew him closer.

His similarities to Rhett were incredibly evident, however, and Scarlett would not even entertain the idea of them getting acquainted. The last straw came when Joseph had arrived at her hotel with a gift to try and coax his way in. She was not ready for a reminder of the Rhett she had been friends with before and decided that it was a sign that she really should go.

And although the city still held the charm it did on her arrival, Scarlett's mind was made up. Besides, she really did want to visit Britain.

Her time in England was just as much fun, only in a different way. While Texas had been like she was out on her own, dancing with strangers in cozier halls, she was drowned in splendor while visiting Europe.

She had managed to fall in with some of the wealthier lords and ladies who loved to parade around their charming American friend. She attended countless balls, each one more lavish than the last. And while she had to mind her manners, it was nothing like Atlanta. No, the British had their own set of moral codes, but they were refreshing in that they were different. It helped that most overlooked any blunders on account of her being an American.

Eventually, though, she began to miss America. She longed for the Southern accents that had surrounded her all her life and the cuisine that had always been her comfort food.

And so Scarlett reluctantly made her way across the Atlantic again. Her ship was set to dock in Savannah, but she was clueless as to what she should do after. She planned to leave the town as soon as she arrived, but she didn't know where to go. Anywhere with people she could recognize was out of the question.

As the vessel approached Savannah, Scarlett began to dread her future. She still had no idea where to go.

The hour it took to land did not bring her any closer to an answer, and so Scarlett stood at the train station with really no destination in mind.

A voiced called to her over the din.

Despite the bonnet that purposely obscured her face, someone had managed to recognize her slight frame.

And who better than her ex-husband?