Ryanne Rivers is ready for a new beginning. Her ex-husband now lives three hundred miles away, her children are adjusting to their new home life, she has resurrected her dormant career-and a man asked her out on a date! The long nightmare of her abusive marriage and the painful divorce appears to be over. Then her ex-husband Gary finds out she is dating and reverts to his marital behavior-demeaning her, manipulating her, using their two young children against her. Although she revels in her new love for Sebastian, a man who cherishes and supports her, Ryanne is whipsawed between old habits of submission, the need to protect her children, and her gritty newfound strength. But will standing up to Gary this time be a lethal mistake?

A powerful work of literary women's fiction about domestic abuse, divorce, motherhood, resilience, and the terrifying cost of reclaiming your life, this emotionally gripping novel asks: when survival is no longer enough, what does it take to truly be free?