Never Tear Us Apart (Never Tear Us Apart #1)
Monica Murphy
About the Book
Eight years can disappear in an instant . . .
But their connection runs deeper than ever.
One look at Katie Watts, and Ethan is fifteen again – the boy who risked everything to save a terrified girl from her twisted kidnapper. Now Katie is grown-up – beautiful, composed and telling her story to the world. Ethan was once her guardian angel – and he wants to be sure that she’s still safe.
When they reconnect, it’s as different people – but Ethan wants Katie every bit as much as she wants him. Yet all he can do is savour every moment they’re together until she uncovers who he really is. Because her kidnapper – a convicted serial killer – is also Ethan’s father.
This addictive, spellbinding love story continues in Never Let You Go. And don’t miss Monica Murphy’s passionate One Week Girlfriend series, her sexy Fowler Sister trilogy and her breathtaking Reverie series for more emotionally rich, unforgettable romance.
He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
—Psalm 91:4
Author’s Note
Dear Readers,
This book tackles difficult subject matter, things I’ve been fascinated with for a long time. Since I was young I’ve read many true crime books (Ann Rule is a rock star in that regard and she will be missed), spent endless hours watching Forensic Files and at one point believed the Investigation Discovery channel was made just for me.
I’m fascinated with murderers, specifically serial killers. Why do they do it? Is it a sickness? Do they become so arrogant as they continue with their horrible deeds that they become careless? How do you turn so desperate, so deranged that you kill people for sport? Or that you kidnap children to fulfill some crazed inner need?
I don’t understand it. I don’t think I want to. But I am fascinated. So when I told my editor that I had this idea for an “unconventional romance,” and then proceeded to explain my idea, she didn’t immediately tell me, “You’re sick and twisted and that would be a no.”
Instead, she said, “I love it,” and though maybe this means we’re both sick and twisted, I’m hoping that’s not the case. My goal was to create a couple that shares a very special—and unique—bond that no one else understands. In order to do that, I had to make them both suffer at the hands of the same monster.
This book deals with the rape of a child and I want to make that clear upfront. If this sort of thing disturbs you, please don’t read it. I’m not trying to glamorize this subject and I tried my best to handle it with sensitivity and care. Thanks to the stories written by Elizabeth Smart, Jaycee Dugard, and Michelle Knight, I received insight into what it’s like to be a kidnap victim and survive. These women are so incredibly brave for sharing their stories—they are true heroes in my eyes.
I also want to mention the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. They work very hard to help in the search of missing children and to keep our children safe from harm. For more information, please visit www.missingkids.org.
I hope you enjoy Katherine and Ethan’s story. I hope you understand their struggle and see that though their love may not be conventional, it is true and real and gives them hope in a situation where they believed they were utterly hopeless. Many times as I wrote their story, they broke my heart. These are two people who are so deeply broken when they’re alone, that they only make sense when they’re together.
To me, those are the best kind of love stories.
Monica
The lights are bright and hot and I feel little beads of sweat form along my hairline. I don’t touch my face, though. I might ruin the makeup that someone just spent the last thirty minutes carefully applying, so I dip my head and wring my hands together instead, noting how clammy my palms are, though my fingers are like ice. A fitting contradiction, considering how I feel.
Nervous. Excited. Terrified. I make no sense. What I’m doing makes no sense, especially to my family.
I’m about to go on camera. Ready to tell my story.
Finally.