Prologue

Kelly hugged her knees tighter to her chest and gazed absently at the waves lapping gently at the shore. It was twilight; the muted pinks and oranges of the sunset smeared the horizon as the hazy orb descended lazily towards the sea. The beach was deserted, save for a few screeching seagulls. The last of the lifeguards had left hours ago, and the few families who had remained to eat dinner on the beach or fly kites had departed too. Kelly was alone.

Which was fine by her. She felt alone. She raked a hand through the sand, rolling the grains between her fingers.

The beach had always been her sanctuary. It was a comfort; she had fond memories of the years she spent in the beautiful beachside apartment, and years later, she was still drawn back to the same spot just outside the place she had called home for such a long time in her younger days. She glanced over her shoulder and spotted the blue awnings of the building, shadowed in the approaching dusk. She wondered who was living there now.

"Thought I'd find you here," a voice interrupted her solitude. Kelly looked up and managed a wry smile.

"I wasn't trying to hide. I figured you'd come," she replied softly. Brandon lowered himself to the sand, crouching beside her as he pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.

"Well, to be fair, I could have waited for you to come home, but I had picked up dinner. We'll heat it up," he offered. Kelly nodded. "So, what brought you here tonight?" She sighed and snuck her hand inside the pocket of her jacket. Her fingers closed around the slender object and withdrew it, holding it out for Brandon to inspect. His eyes met hers, brows raised in curiosity as he took the stick from her and studied it intently. When he met her eyes again, they were flooded with tears, her lower lip trembling. He slipped the stick inside his front pocket and wrapped his arms around his wife protectively.

"I thought it was finally going to happen this time, Brandon," she whispered. "I waited for that second line to appear in the window. I waited, and waited. And it never showed." Tears slipped down her cheeks. "And when it didn't…I just lost it. This was the only place I wanted to be."

"Kelly, you can't keep doing this to yourself," he chided. "Maybe we're trying too hard. You remember what Dr. Wilkinson said…"

"They all just tell you what you want to hear," she interrupted. "They're not in our position."

"No, but they see hundreds of couples who are," he pointed out. "Maybe it's finally time for us to take the next step. We knew this wasn't going to just happen, Kel."

"I know," she whispered again. "I just didn't think it would hurt this badly."