Chapter 1 The late afternoon sun bled across the hardwood floor of the Harper family kitchen, its rays slicing through the blinds of a now half empty house. Evelyn Harper stood at the sink, her hands buried in warm, soapy water, scrubbing a plate with a ferocity that betrayed her turmoil. The sharp clink of porcelain against porcelain was the only sound in a house that had grown hollow, each empty room echoing the absence of the life she’d known. At 36 Evelyn was still a vision—her auburn hair cascaded in loose waves, grazing the tops of her full breasts, which pressed against the delicate cotton of her blouse, the fabric clinging to her curves like a second skin. Her green eyes, once alight with a playful spark, now churned with a tempest of hurt and longing. Two days earlier, her husband, Mark, had shattered her world. No prelude, no explosive argument—just the cold thud of a suitcase hitting the floor and his flat, unapologetic words: “I’ve found someone else, Evelyn. I’m done....