Framed by the Man Who Saved Her

y job at the garage, and a wedding on the horizon. Life in our Mon

the couch, wrapped around a shirtless Billy. She claimed he was just upset, that she w

ng truck nearly killed her. He donated blood directly, becoming her "hero," her

e, whispering about my "dark moods" and "controlling" behavior. Billy, the golden boy, played the vic

got a restraining order against me. My life had completely shattered. But that's when I decided, enough is enough. I was go

ed in Jake Sullivan'

gave one last torque, a

with the back of his arm, leaving

the fluorescent lights and the dista

early. Busin

cée. They were supposed to pick

is stomach. Someth

ad home early. M

sed through. The manager, Henderson, just

un. The air was crisp, carrying the scent

pulled onto the main road, heading towards th

driveway. Sarah's c

icked from the side of the road on his way to work

orch, his boots quiet

doorknob. Unlocked. Strange.

d it ope

as thick, heavy.

led out, his vo

ans

into the l

n he sa

as on t

g a young man.

. His back was to J

ad resting on his shoulder. She was

on her leg, jus

ers dropped from his hand, scat

his eyes. The intima

inst his ribs. A cold

. Her eyes, usually so

ou're ho

was thin

e. He quickly pulled away from Sarah, grabbing

ice was flat, devoid of emotion. He could

her hands flut

like. Billy... Billy was jus

y pulled on, looked down at his

arah. "Comforting him?

t off earlier. He's been havi

es pleaded

ed to Billy, then back to Sarah. He felt a tr

h. "You remember the ac

hter, had been responding to a call. A logging truck had lost contr

there. I was losing so much blood, Jake. They couldn't get a line in fast enough at t

d up. "I owe h

id still wouldn't meet his

It hung in the air between

is young man saving Sarah. But also a deep, gut-wrenching unea

image of them together, so clo

omething. But his Ranger train

r living room. Pictures of them on the mante

ur life. I get that. I'm grateful for

cker of something unreadable i

at the couch, at the space between t

gh him. He was overwhelmed by a storm of emotions:

low. His fiancée, the woman he was

twisted things, made it complicat

w, apparently, a permanent fixtur

. But Jake, trained to spot threats, felt a prickle of warning. There was so

s gut. He tried to push it down. He

e'd witnessed, the ones he'd endured. This felt like a diff

thing, trying to k

rphan. His parents died a few years back. He has no one. After the accident, af

htened. The way she was h

sed on, her voice trembling. "He lost h

e have the spare room. He could stay with us. Just

words hit him like a p

here?" His voice was

He needs support, Jake. We can give him that. Afte

n immense debt. But Jake saw something else. He saw Bil

y guilt and gratitude,

ack, away from

e word w

am too. He saved your life. But him movi

as watching them, his exp

find somewher

ow can you be so heart

to find my fiancée wrapped around another man on our c

ended. "There are boundaries, Sara

, stable life he'd craved after the army, the life

erneath it, a stubborn resolve. She trul

ew this was just the beginn