Tide and Timber
When her husband publicly credits another woman for saving their historic maritime shipyard, Nora Vance remains silent. But behind her quiet demeanor lies a decorated Coast Guard background, an independent property buyout, and an undeniable trail of truth that unfolds when her twin daughters are born.
Fictional story. Contains themes of marital infidelity, emotional abandonment during childbirth, and financial disputes. No graphic content.Chapter 1: The Lantern on the Pier
I stood under the salt-crusted eaves of the harbor pavilion, my hands cupped over the heavy swell of my eight-month pregnant belly, and listened to my husband hand away my sacrifice to another woman.
Julian Mercer’s voice carried easily across the timber dock, amplified by the brass microphone set up for the evening’s celebration. Beside him, Elena Cross wore a cream-colored cashmere wrap that caught the fading twilight over Puget Sound. She looked luminous, modest, and thoroughly triumphant. She kept her lashes lowered while Julian spoke, but her fingers remained firmly laced around his arm.