I cry until my eyes have no more tears, until my body is too spent to shake, and my throat is too dry to wail. It is then that I succumb to the numbness. I let it work its way up my body inch by inch, covering me in its comfortable emptiness. I hang my head back and breathe through my exploding headache.
After my hands have stopped shaking enough for me to grab the wheel, I turn the car on and slowly drive into the moving traffic. I keep my eyes on the road and my mind blank, refusing to let my brain register anything but the movement of the cars around me. Once I make it to the Pierson Mansion, I walk swiftly to my room and start grabbing my clothes off of their hangers. I work emotionless like a robot, as I quickly grab everything I can. I pack all my personal items into two bags and grab the handles to walk out the door.
When I make it to the front door, I turn around to take a look at the house behind me. Tears blur my vision once more, as the weight of the step I am about to take hits me. Once again, I am leaving a house I had come to call my home, for good. The pain searing through my chest at the realization that I’m once more all alone is excruciating, but I don’t allow myself to fall apart here.
I swallow my sobs and straighten my shoulders as I make my way to the car. Even though my entire body is filled with unbearable despair, I choose to hold on to a sliver of hope. A relentless hope that one day I will be able to make a home for myself, one from which I won’t have to escape again. A hope that my loneliness will finally end one day. That there still exist people in this world who are genuine and kind. And a relentless hope that one day, somehow I will find real everlasting love.
“Broken Hearted Girl” by Beyonce
“A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri
“Farewell” by Rihanna
“Me And My Broken Heart” by Rixton
“Arms” by Christina Perri
“One Grain of Sand” by Ron Pope
“Battle Scars” by Lupe Fiasco Guy Sebastian
“Halo” by Beyonce
“Firefly” by Ed Sheeran
“Love You Like I Do” by Jamillions
“You Could Be Happy” by Snow Patrol
“Stay” by Rihanna
“If I Knew” Bruno Mars
“I Won’t Give UP” by Jason Mraz
“Jar of Hearts” by Christina Perri
“Already Gone” by Kelly Clarkson
To my husband who is my rock, who gives me wings to fly, and who is the wind beneath those wings, thank you! Thank you for encouraging me to start writing when I first told you about the stories in my head that just wouldn’t go away. Thank you for patiently listening and providing guidance every step of the way. Thank you for enduring countless hours of taking care of our son, managing the household and going to bed alone, while I was buried in this world of fantasy. Thank you for encouraging me, supporting me in all my decisions and for making all my dreams come true.
To my son, who is the inspiration for everything I do, thank you for being you! To my best friend (you know who you are), thank you for being there for me, encouraging me and supporting me throughout all the years of our friendship and in all the crazy things I’ve done in those years.
To all of the friends I have made in this short period of time in the book world, thank you for being so amazing. When I first embarked on this journey, I was not sure how to approach people who are complete strangers with whom I had no other connection than the world of books. I didn’t know what to expect and was apprehensive of how they might react. But most everyone I have approached in the book world has been extremely kind and sweet. In a few short months, I have made friends with some of the most amazing women I have ever met. These women are friendly, honest, kind-hearted, sweet, and fabulous all around.
To my beta readers, Lee Ching, Bobbi Vaughan, Siobhan Callanan, Eva Pool, and Amber King, thank you for taking a chance on a completely unknown author. Thank you for reading, and thank you for your guidance and for all your encouraging words! I could not have done this without you.
To my editor, Anna Gorman Coy, thank you for being patient with me, thank you for being so thorough and thank you for the fantastic job you have done. To my cover design team, thank you to the beautiful Kaitlin Dolores for posing so flawlessly, thank you to the talented Mandy Hollis for capturing such amazing pictures, and thank you to the person who brought it all together, the amazing Kari Ayasha. To my wonderful formatter, Nadège K. Richards, thank you for doing such an amazing job making the words I put on paper, presentable.
To all the bloggers who have helped me along the way, thank you for everything you do for authors. You may be too many to list here, but you are not forgotten in my mind and my heart. To all my readers, thank you for giving me the honor and opportunity to occupy a corner of your mind for a few hours out of your precious life. It is an honor I do not take lightly. My highest aspiration is to provide you a story that not only allows you to get lost in the pages of the book to escape life, but also inspires you, teaches you something you didn’t know, or at least makes you smile. My deepest hope is that Relentless Hope did that for you. If it did, please consider leaving a review and please keep reading!
Ashley Cassidy is an avid reader with a lifelong passion for writing, who has decided to share her love of writing with the world. Though she reads all genres, her favorite books are romance novels with happy endings.
When she’s not reading or writing, Ashley can be found spending time with her family, enjoying the outdoors, and sipping on a cup of coffee.
You can connect with Ashley, on her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/authorashleycassidy or follow her on Twitter at AshleyCassidyA. You can also visit her website at www.ashleycassidy.com to find out more about her books.
Relentless Hope (Resilient Hearts) Page 24