Healing after trauma isn't easy, and moving forward after a toxic marriage can feel almost impossible. The fear of being hurt again drives protecting your heart to the top of your priority list, where the boundary between vulnerability and strength blurs until you can't imagine ever trusting yourself again—let alone anyone else.
The Freedom Series has always been an exploration of what that really looks like behind the scenes. FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM was never just a women's fiction novel about healing after abuse, and STILL FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM goes deeper than the average romance. Christine's story walks boldly and honestly through one of the hardest parts of life after domestic violence: the emotional healing and self-discovery that often feel like drowning, long after you leave.
Learning to trust again is complicated, and Christine's struggle with balancing caution and connection leave her unsure of everything—except Aiden. Cautious but hopeful, she embarks on a journey of strength after heartbreak. A journey of growth after betrayal. A journey that asks whether courage in relationships means closing your heart… or opening it with care.
FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM showed us the death of everything Christine believed. This month, STILL FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM invites you into a resurrection, where the stakes are higher than ever.
This is her freedom story.
I twisted my hands in my lap, strands of my hair whispering against his t-shirt. “I’m ready to move on, partly for myself but also because I’ve felt safe here. The trial’s coming…and I can’t risk him getting out and finding this place, putting the other women in danger. But my stomach’s in knots all the time and my mind has been running circles all afternoon. It needs to happen, but there’s a part of me that…just doesn’t want it. And I’m terrified of being on my own.”
He waited in silence, his arm still around my back, his thumb tracing slow circles at my waist. Finally, he took a deep breath and rested his chin on top of my head. “Are you actually afraid of moving, or are you afraid because taking that step means you’ll have to take other ones?”
“What if it’s both?” When he lifted his chin, I tipped my head to look up, gazing into golden brown eyes shadowed by thick lashes.
The lashes lowered as he examined my face, and I wondered what he was thinking. Before I could ask, he cupped my cheek in his hand and gently set his lips on mine. “You didn’t say which was more.”
“I don’t know which is more.” Complicated as they were, my feelings for Aiden gave me hope. And after everything I’d suffered, I needed that. Torn, I pressed my face to his chest, and as my cheek slid over the dogtags he still wore under his shirt, I hated myself.
“Talk to me, Chris. What’s on your mind?”
The softness in his voice brought tears to my eyes. I pulled away and sat up, turning to face him. Needing to see his eyes, gauge his reactions. “Are we friends, Aiden? Or is this…old time’s sake?”
His mouth fell open and his eyes widened with surprise. “Are you seriously asking me that?”
I crossed my arms, leaning back as he closed his mouth. I couldn’t tell which reaction was more dominant, hurt or anger. “I lied. I do know what I’m most afraid of.”
He closed his eyes, shook his head. “Okay.”
“It’s you.”
He frowned, taking a shaky breath, and as he turned—carefully avoiding me—to straddle the bench, I realized how much I’d gotten used to physical contact with him. I wanted him to reach for my hand like always, but he crossed his arms, only to uncross them and run his hands down his thighs, as if he didn’t know what to do with them. “You’re afraid…of me?” He slid back, increasing the space between us, and I suddenly felt as if those few inches were an infinite chasm.
He wasn’t angry or surprised anymore, but the pain on his face made me scramble for words. “It’s just a lot at once. It’s not that I’m afraid of you, or even that I don’t trust you.” I raised a hand when he opened his mouth, and he clamped it shut, arching his brows. “It’s that I don’t trust myself or my choices anymore. Am I feeling this way because I’m ready to move on, or because it’s you? What if I’m not as ready as I’d like to be, or you think you still have the same feelings but it’s nostalgia? I can’t risk having my heart broken again. Not now.” He was still frowning, looking everywhere but at me. “And you didn’t answer my question either.”
Now his eyes darted to my face. “Which one?”
“Are we still friends? Or is this remnants of old feelings? Unfinished business?”
He held my gaze, a slow smile softening his mouth as he took my hands. “We are not friends.” I moved to pull away, but he tightened his grip. “We will never be friends.” My eyes filled with tears and I pulled harder, but he didn’t let go. “We will always, always be more, Christine. And while there are remnants of old feelings, I doubt this business between us will ever be finished.”
As the words sank in, I stopped struggling and he loosened his grip on my hands. I stared down at our fingers, blurred by a film of tears, struggling to control emotions that clogged my throat and robbed me of words. My hands were shaking, my heart was pounding—and still, my skin warmed as joy flooded my bloodstream. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
*****
Several scenes from this series are drawn from or inspired by real events in my life, and because of those experiences, overcoming a fear of love was especially challenging for me. Poor partner choices left me with complicated feelings about love, and for many years I saw emotional safety in romance as akin to fairy tales—cute, but not entirely believable.
Writing Christine's story gave me space to sit in the tension, on the battleground where fear and hope coexist. It gave me room to explore the idea that there is love after survival. More than that, it taught me the power of setting emotional boundaries. Of reclaiming your voice. Of rediscovering yourself after trauma. And I think that's why personal growth through pain has become the core of my brand.
Because sometimes, choosing love after heartbreak means learning to choose yourself first. Sometimes the best second chance love story is the one you share only with you.
STILL FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM releases this month, and I hope you're just as excited about it as I am. I hope it touches your heart. I hope it nurtures your compassion. And if you've ever struggled to heal after domestic abuse, I hope Christine reminds you to...
If you've ever thought, "Aw, dang, I meant to read that!"—same. That's why I'm pulling everything into a once-a-week roundup you can actually find right in your email inbox. I'll include links to recent blog posts and social media, and you might even find occasional surprises or giveaways!
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