I watched from inside the lobby.

A younger version of me would have gone outside.

I would have comforted him.

I would have worried about his feelings.

I would have sacrificed my own peace to manage his emotions.

That woman no longer existed.

I remained exactly where I was.

The officers escorted him away.

The following week my attorney secured a protective order.

For the first time in many years, I felt genuinely free.

8. A Different Kind Of Love

One rainy evening several months later, I called Nathan Brooks.

We had stayed in contact throughout the legal proceedings, though our conversations remained respectful and infrequent.

He answered on the second ring.

“Emily?”

Hearing my name spoken gently almost made me cry.

“I’m sorry for calling so late.”

“You never need to apologize for calling me.”

Then he asked a question nobody had ever asked during my marriage.

Not once.

“Are you safe?”

That was all.

Not where I was.

Not whether I planned to date again.