He was gone almost as soon as the tirade started, leaving me alone for the night to process what he’dsaid. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized I couldn’t stay with him.
That rage—it came from somewhere deep inside of him. And I could tell immediately it was not anisolated incident. A life with Cole Morrison would be decades of navigating land mines that mightmake him explode at any time.
Plus, his words had hit home.
My father had used me as a bargaining chip to settle a dispute between himself and another family,and I couldn’t allow it. I couldn’t be forced into a marriage I didn’t want.
That night was the night I decided to run away.
Cole apologized a few days later. He swore that he’d had too much to drink with dinner and wasupset about something
