The Keys to Jericho

I thought she was The One. But she was the one who broke me.

In high school, I wanted Katriona Merrick more than my next breath. I dropped hints and flirted like hell with her, but she never took the bait. So, I waited. And waited…

Graduating a year ahead of her, my resentful goodbye, paired with her oblivious farewell, crushed me. How could I be so wrong about her? She tossed me aside without a second thought, making me swear off so-called love forever. Yet, the emptiness and heartbreak have haunted my every second. And every one-night stand.

Flash forward a decade to my temporary return to my hometown. Running into her was a pipedream wrapped into my worst nightmare. When she blindsides me in an unexpected place sporting a changed appearance, bitterness wars with hope. But as an engineer, I’m an expert at building walls of all kinds, and I refuse to be her victim again.

Before I move to Philadelphia for my new job, a huge part of me wants Kat to suffer the pain she’s inflicted on me all these years. Still, when her past accident rules her present, I offer to help her learn how to drive, with a side goal of finally nailing her. It’s a win-win until she reveals the truth about what I thought was reality.

Though her ditching me created this broken, vengeful, and unfeeling monster, I think I’m the one getting schooled. And another broken heart.