Hush in the Storm

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Adventure

Jen,widowed at 31, is jostled in the storm swells of grief. She is kidnapped by a coworker named Tom who says it was her late husband, Robert's, final request to fake her death and hide her in a dark basement so she would not end up as Robert did—sm...

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Untitled Part 1

Start from the beginning

by JulieBCosgrove

Dedicated to

All who hear the hushing roar of pain

in the storms of life. There is hope…and peace.

PART ONE

Death and Life

Widowed at 31, Jen clings to her humdrum job as a buoy against the swells of grief

until a coworker, Tom, kidnaps her and fakes her death

at the request of her late husband…or so Tom says.

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CHAPTER ONE

An eerie thought pressed a clammy hand upon my shoulder. What if all you thought was true never actually was?

Widowed unexpectedly at thirty-one, I naturally longed for what could never be again. Regrets and what-if mantras swirled daily through my mind. I’d learned to push them aside. But this sudden, unsolicited notion surged an icy-hot chill through my body.

My logical side chided me. Don’t be silly, Jen. Of course it was true. The diamond band on my left hand glimmered with proof. Robert had cherished me, married me, spent five loving years with me…that one night didn’t mean a thing.

I shuddered off the question and leaned in to review the balance sheets my boss had emailed.

But the bizarre suggestion whispered once more in the back of my thoughts just loud enough to keep me from concentrating. The numbers on the page became muddled gibberish. I closed my eyes, sucked in a breath, and tried to focus.

People passed my desk and said the same things they always did—

“Hi, Jen. Doing okay?”

“Sure, I’m fine.”

“Hey, Jen. Keeping busy? Best thing, ya know.”

“Yeah.” Always with a forced grin. “Thanks.”

I fiddled with the little gold cross I always wore around my neck, more out of habit than any indication of piety. I hadn’t perched in a pew in years, except for our wedding day and at Robert’s funeral. But after the latest in the series of sympathizers walked away, I seethed a semi-prayer under my breath. “Dear Lord. Please. Why can’t everyone just leave me alone?”