Broken Together

By Serenity Everton

Shannon and Harry's marriage has mysteriously fallen apart in so many little moments in the months since their sons have gone away to college, and it will take hard work and a commitment by them both to rescue it and strengthen it. How do two individuals find their way forward together, when they've spent too long breaking themselves apart? Experience romance, anger, passion, pain, and life events with them, witness them reassess all they know and expect, and watch as they try to save their marriage and their love for each other.

This novella is approximately 30,000 words in length, or 58 pages, and is romance. In the romance genre, the story moves forward as the relationship between the main characters develops. Sometimes progress in the relationship of the story is marked by sexual content. In this story, Harry is a dominant man. Harry & Shannon do explore erotic and disciplinary spanking as they seek to redefine their understanding of themselves and each other. If these themes offend you, do not read this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Serenity Everton
• Release date: Feb 24, 2012
• ISBN: 9781482734966

Book preview

Broken Together

SERENITY EVERTON

Broken Together by Serenity Everton.

Copyright © 2012 Serenity Everton ([e-mail])

Published by Serenity Everton.

ISBN: 1482734966

ISBN-13: 978-1482734966 

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, transmitted by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, etc) without the prior permission of the author, above.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

This text was previously published online, with free excerpts still available online at Out of My Mind (http://fiction.kinkyfirehouse.com).

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is considered stolen property. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the author and publisher. The author and publisher received no payment for this stripped book.

ABOUT BROKEN TOGETHER

Shannon and Harry’s marriage has mysteriously fallen apart in so many little moments in the months since their sons have gone away to college, and it will take hard work and a commitment by them both to rescue it and strengthen it. How do two individuals find their way forward together, when they’ve spent too long breaking themselves apart? Experience romance, anger, passion, pain, and life events with them, witness them reassess all they know and expect, and watch as they try to save their marriage and their love for each other.

This novella is approximately 30,000 words in length, or 58 pages, and is romance. In the romance genre, the story moves forward as the relationship between the main characters develops. Sometimes progress in the relationship of the story is marked by sexual content. In this story, Harry is a dominant man. Harry & Shannon do explore erotic and disciplinary spanking as they seek to redefine their understanding of themselves and each other. If these themes offend you, do not read this book.

Sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realize how much they need to fall back together. Sylvia Plath

DEDICATION

This novella was furiously and frantically written after a moment I wondered if I would ever write anything longer than a blog entry again.

The premise is painful and the characters fictional, but it is still possible to think that these souls might be my neighbors, my friends, or even members of my family.

Harry: may you live long and love fiercely.

Shannon: may you fly strong, inside the birdcage or beyond its wiry confines.

Sometimes, my husband lets me stay up late at night even though he’d prefer I did not.

Chris: Thank you, always. I love you.

So many wonderful people followed this story from its very beginning to a point well past its conclusion. I never would have imagined or told this story in full or without their enthusiastic, gracious encouragement and kind words.

Friends:  I am honored by your presence, your voices and your liveliness.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover Page

Copyright Information

About BROKEN TOGETHER

Dedication

Table of Contents

The End and The Beginning

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Epilogue

About the Author & Other Works

THE END AND THE BEGINNING

Shannon was still in the bed. She didn't know what she had done wrong, again, and she was through asking. She'd thrown herself at his feet too many times, only to have him dismiss her.

It might have been simple exhaustion or some physical malady, but if he wouldn't talk to her, how could she know? It'd happened too many times in recent months for her to think nothing of it; they'd laughed and loved and enjoyed each other's comfort during the day, but when it came time for that closeness to pass through the bedroom door, he turned off the light, rolled over and developed a relationship with his pillow.

There had been a time, even nine months earlier, when the opportunity of a quiet hour at home together would have ended in hot, wild sex. Now that the boys were away, the intimacy that had sustained them for years had fallen away.

The truth, Shannon thought miserably, was that she wasn't attractive to him anymore. She was too old, her figure not firm enough. His desire for her, so strong for twenty years, had finally waned. Perhaps the constant barrage of pretty young things he was exposed to at work and elsewhere had finally taken its toll. She knew he saw them, had even watched his eyes follow a pretty black-haired girl's ass in the restaurant last night. She'd never look like that, never again, no matter if she did lose that twenty-five pounds or worked out seven days a week.

Sometime in the middle of the night, she'd awoken. On her side, facing away from him, she'd tried to identify what seemed out of place. He'd been facing away from her, too — that wasn't unusual. But the noise? It had taken her two minutes to work out what it was. The man who'd spent two decades delighting in her was masturbating in the dark, in secret, clearly without wishing her to participate. How many nights now had he told her goodnight and then waited patiently until her breathing slowed and her body relaxed into limpness, only to humiliate her like that?

Shannon hadn't slept after that. He'd gotten out of bed and cleaned himself up, then sighed as he climbed back into the blankets and settled down, not touching her. Definitely not touching her. She'd not slept, of course, but laid in the dark blackness as the foundation of her entire world crumbled like sand within her clenched fists.

She wouldn't — she couldn't — try anymore. Her final attempt to reach him through romance and intimacy were over. Killing her own expectations and hopes would break her heart, but if she didn't? Well, her heart was being crushed under the weight of her disappointment and his rejection anyway.

Silent, so as not to disturb him, she slipped from the bed and shrugged on her robe. Maybe she hadn't done everything she could have over the last few years to keep in shape. Maybe age was exacerbating ––

Shannon stopped herself, the misery welling and the tears forming behind her eyelids. He mustn't see her cry. Not now. Not over this. Not ever again.

The door to the bedroom closed silently behind her, leaving him to himself, snoring.

Shannon locked herself in the downstairs bathroom and cried, large tears dripping down her cheeks until they ran down and wet the old t-shirt of his that she'd worn to bed. How could she go on sharing that bed with him, night after night? She raged inside, the anger palpable in the bright, cold light of the impersonal cell.

Of course, she wouldn't leave him, not unless he asked her to. Such a thing was impossible, for her. But from now on, she'd be different. There would be no pathetic attempts at luring him into intimacy. She'd wear start wearing pajama shorts to bed again; clearly there was no reason for her body to welcome him without barrier. She'd stop suggesting they spend time together.

He'd never see her cry over him again.

If she was wrong, he'd eventually notice.

* * * *

What was she to do, anyway?

Shannon stayed on the sofa in the sunroom, staring blindly out into the backyard. She'd gotten up early and made her way there. He'd once again come to bed hours later than her. She'd woken to him in the shower — unusual for that time of night — and it had taken him an exceptionally long time.

She suspected what he'd been doing, but instead of confronting him and creating a scene at midnight, she'd rolled over and pretended to be soundly asleep when he finally slid into the bed beside her.

He couldn't have taken even a second to look at her, and he was sleeping as far from her as possible. The covers had dipped between them, as if sealing the separation.

Shannon burned with resentment, but it was a state of affairs that seemed to define her nights now, so she had closed her eyes and tried to ignore it.

Of course she hadn't slept well after that. She rarely did these days. After curling up on the sofa with the thick afghan they'd brought back from a magical cruise in Scandinavia, Shannon had slept an hour. It was a weekend morning, so the house remained quiet and still. The coffee pot didn't automatically click on, there was no alarm upstairs. He wasn't showering. Outside, dark clouds lowered, threatening, and soon the rain would beat down on glass around her.

Shannon thought she might be happy for the noise. The silence screamed at her, encouraged her to cry again, reminded her of loss and emptiness. Had it always been this way — had they always been half-empty — and the presence of their two teenage boys just a mask?

She swallowed and pondered, but couldn't believe it. He'd attended to her too solicitously, loved her