Chapter ELEVEN

MEREDITH

“I do.”

That was it. Two little words, then we were married.

No flowers. No rings. No personal vows.

Just a whispered I do from the both of us.

How could two little words have such importance in a person’s life?

I sat across from Josef in the dining room of our hotel suite not paying attention to anything I was eating.

It was delicious. I’m sure it was. I just didn’t taste it.

How could I?

I was a wife now. The reality of it sat squarely on my chest, suffocating me with its irrefutable truth.

I am Josef’s wife.

Years ago, this was exactly what I wanted. To belong to this big, brooding man.

But I didn’t know this Josef.

Over one day, he’d shown me a dozen different sides to him.

He was quiet, demanding, bossy, ruthless, and yet he’d been tender and kind. His behavior contradicted his words, and I felt lost.

I was his wife.

But I was not loved. Not cherished. Not half of the things our vows claimed.