Ends Here (Road to Nowhere #2)
M. Robinson
Dedication
Heather Moss & My Betas Thank you for everything you ladies have done!
Yoda I couldn’t have done this without you! I love you!
Betas: Thank you for your feedback and your boo boos. I love you, too!
Boss man: Words cannot describe how much I love you. Thank you for ALWAYS being my best friend. I couldn’t do this without you.
Dad: Thank you for always showing me what hard work is and what it can accomplish. For always telling me that I can do anything I put my mind to.
Mom: Thank you for ALWAYS being there for me no matter what. You are my best friend.
Julissa Rios: I love you and I am proud of you. Thank you for being a pain in my ass and for being my sister. I know you are always there for me when I need you.
Ysabelle & Gianna: Love you my babies.
Rebecca Marie: THANK YOU for an AMAZING cover. I wouldn’t know what to do without you and your fabulous creativity.
Heather Moss: Thank you for everything that you do!! I wouldn’t know what to do without you! You’re. The. Best. PA. Ever!! You’re NEVER leaving me!! XO
Silla Webb: Thank you so much for your edits and formatting! I love it and you!
Erin Noelle: Thank you for everything you do!
Michelle Tan: Best beta ever! Argie Sokoli: I couldn’t do this without you. You’re my chosen person. Tammy McGowan: Thank you for all your support, feedback, and boo boo’s you find! I’m happy I made you cry. Michele Henderson McMullen: LOVE LOVE LOVE you!! Jen Pon, Louisa Rebeka Christine Perales: You always make me smile. Alison Evan-Maxwell: Thank you for coming in last minute and getting it done like a boss. Mary Jo Toth: Your boo-boos are always great! Thank you for everything you do in VIP! Ella Gram: You’re such a sweet and amazing person! Thank you for your kindness. Kimmie Lewis: Your friendship means everything to me. Tricia Bartley: Your comments and voice always make me smile! Kristi Lynn: Thanks for all your honesty and for joining team M. Pam Batchelor: Thanks for all your suggestions. Jenn Hazen: Thank you for everything! Laura Hansen: I. Love. You. Patti Correa: You’re amazing! Thank you for everything! Jennifer Pon: Thank you for all your feedback and suggestions! You’re amazing! Michelle Kubik Follis: Welcome back! I missed you too! Deborah E Shipuleski: Thank you for all your quick honest feedback! Kaye Blanchard: Thank you for wanting to join team M! Beth Morton Conley: Thank you for everything! KR Nadelson: I love you! Bri Partin: Thank you for everything you do! Mary Grzeszak: Thanks for all the military info! You’re amazing! Patti McDaniel Adams: Thanks for all the MC information! You’re awesome! Danielle Stewart: Thanks for coming in late and helping! Mel LuvstooRead: Thank you so much for everything! You helped so much! Lily Garcia: I love you! Allison East: Thank you! Louisa Brandenburger Michelle Chambers, Aidee Cruz, Bernadett Lankovits, Colleen Egger, Sheila Marie, Leeann Kidson Van Rensburg: THANK YOU! Emma Louise: Thank you for the graphics!
ALL MY VIPS!!!
Wander Aguiar: Thank you so much for doing a photo-shoot for me and being amazing. Wander Book Club
Marshall Perrin: Thank you for the amazing cover photo! You make the perfect Creed. Marshall Perrin
To all my author buddies:
Jettie Woodruff: You complete me.
Erin Noelle: I. Love. You!
To all the bloggers: A HUGE THANK YOU for all the love and support you have shown me. I have made some amazing friendships with you that I hold dear to my heart. I know that without you I would be nothing!! I cannot THANK YOU enough!! Special thanks to Like A Boss Book Promotions for hosting my tours!
Last but not least.
YOU.
My readers.
THANK YOU!!
Without you...
I would be nothing..
I watched with stone cold eyes as the shiny white casket was lowered into the earth’s soil. The heavens were weeping right along with me, raindrops seeping into my black jacket.
Burning my core.
Little by little.
Deeper and deeper.
Until darkness surrounded me, until all eyes were only staring at me, I could feel their eagerness, like a noose around my neck. Waiting for me to react, waiting for me to breakdown, just waiting for me to do something.
Anything.
It could have been one minute, two hours, or three days that had passed in front of my swollen eyes. I truthfully couldn’t say how long I’d been standing there. If my puffy eyes and shivering body were any indications, I would have guessed a few hours. Time just seemed to stand still while my whole world shattered all around me.
Piece by piece.
One by one.
Now there would be nothing left of me. Not the girl everyone wanted me to be. Not the girl everyone remembered. The old Mia. All they saw was a hollow shell of a person they used to know, holding onto the hope that she was still somewhere deep inside of me. Not the girl...
Who had ceased to exist.
Except I tried to pretend I wasn't there. I tried to imagine that my life hadn't been changed in a matter of seconds. That my world hadn't been turned upside down in the span of a few hours. That everything I wanted to believe in wasn't truly...
A lie.
Life was about choices...
Good ones.
Bad ones.
It was the butterfly effect. Every action had a reaction. Once something was changed, you couldn’t stop the chain of events following. One simple decision could be the catalyst of chaos.
One minuscule second.
One life-altering moment.
Set the tracks in motion.
It was what made the world go around. It allowed you to see glimpses of what could have been if you made a different choice. There were no do-overs, no matter how much you tried to reach those invisible lines and put them back in order, fixing what was broken. It would tease you, showing you the possibilities of a different outcome, but then it would laugh in your face like a cruel entity telling you it would never be.
Not now.
Not ever.
Except this decision wasn’t my own. I didn't choose this. I didn't want this. I never prayed for this. My worst nightmare became my reality. In the end, it didn’t matter.
Because this decision not only changed me, but my entire future.
It also cost me the love of my life. The person I watched being buried deep into the ground, six feet under, where I would never see them again.
Not one smile.
Not one I love you.
Not one...
Not one...
Not one...
I tightly shut my eyes, listening to the rain pelt the concrete and the ratchet noise of the hoist taking everything away from me. And then, I suddenly felt him behind me.
Everything about him hurt.
His scent, his aura, especially his love for me.
For us.
“I’m sorry. I’m so fuckin’ sorry,” he voiced in a tone that was filled with nothing but pain and remorse. His guilt was so thick, so consuming, I could feel it engulfing me, making it hard to breathe.
Hard to think.
Hard to feel.
Right now, at this moment.
My life ended before it ever even had a chance...