Survivor: Stumbling Blocks to Stepping Stones

By Stephanie M. Freeman

Betray your marital bed and maybe we’ll let you go.

Agreeing would mean certain death for Susanna. Refusing would only make matters worse. In an age when women were stoned to death for such things, would the truth even matter? Susanna took a stand for what was right. Will it be enough when it’s her word against the pillars of her community?

Betrayal is a bitter pill chased with forgiveness.

The snow was falling, and Stephanie M. Freeman was dying. A brutal attack left her with a lifetime of heartbreak and scars. Trusting others with the unspeakable made her trauma worse. Februarys are hard for her, but a promise kept, and an unlikely group of strangers reminded her of a simple, yet profound truth.

Two women on opposite ends of an ocean of time are travelers on the same path. Is the truth enough to carry them home?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shadowlilly Publications, LLC
• Release date: Mar 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9798985620719

Stephanie M. Freeman

Stephanie M. Freeman-is a preeminent Author whose professional writing career began back in 2012 when her first, Romantic Suspense Novel, Necessary Evil was published by Crimson Romance. Since then, she has explored different writing genres and amassed a loyal group of fans who eagerly await her latest releases. She also received critical acclaim for 2 books written under her pen name, Aracyne Kelly. With numerous bestsellers and multiple five-star reviews of her work, Stephanie M. Freeman continues to push literary boundaries.

Book preview

Survivor: Stumbling Blocks to Stepping Stones

SURVIVOR: STUMBLING BLOCKS TO STEPPING STONES

BOOK 2 OF THE GRATEFUL HEARTS SEREIS

STEPHANIE M. FREEMAN

SHADOWLILLY PUBLICATIONS

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Foreword by Naleighna Kai

I. Susanna

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

II. The Girl Who Lived

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

About Stephanie M. Freeman

40 Days of Pleasure

10 Days of Pleasure

Knight of Bronzeville

Survivor: Stumbling Blocks to Stepping Stones by Stephanie M. Freeman

Copyright ©2022

EBook ISBN: 9798985620719

Paperback ISBN 979-8-9856207-2-6

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Shadowlilly Publications

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, in any manner whatsoever or by any means distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact Stephanie M. Freeman at [e-mail] or at www.stephaniemfreemanauthor.com

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Cover Designed by JL Woodson: www.woodsoncreative studio.com

Interior Designed by Lissa Woodson: www.Naleghnakai.com

Editors: Naleighna Kai, Marie McKenzie, Janice Allen

Betas: D. J. Mitchell, Marie McKenzie, and Janice Allen

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

WE ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS THE COMPANY WE KEEP.

Throughout the substantial edits and ultimate of this book, I had excellent company (and midwives). Thank you Naleighna Kai for all that you do today and every day. Special thanks to J.L Woodson for the awesome book cover! And last but not least, to my Editors and Beta Readers Naleighna Kai, D. J. Mitchell, Marie L. McKenzie, and Janice Allen. Thank you for your sharp eyes, attention to detail and your voracious appetites for reading!

To write is human, to edit is divine

Stephen King

Special thanks to Naleighna Kai for finding me among an ocean of voices and taking the chance each and every day. Thank you for your wisdom and your grace. Thank you for holding on to my dreams and reminding me of the lyrics to the song of my soul when I forget.

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Thank You J. L. Woodson for building a masterpiece for the words falling from my pen.

For Dolores Ann Wilkes Freeman

With every breath I take and every book I write, I’m keeping my word.

For my brother Theodore L. Freeman

Still waters run deep.

For Naleighna Kai

This book would never have been written had it not been for you. Thank you for your patience and persistence and sitting in the darkness with me. Thank you for singing me home.

For Tribe

Some families are birth made. Others are earth made.

You have my heart.

‘If you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far go together.’

~African Proverb

I travel with my tribe. 😊

FOREWORD BY NALEIGHNA KAI

During the time when the world was on pause, the internet brought a solitary soul into my life. She has such a way with words that it brings tears to my eyes.  Her gift of the written and spoken word has made room for her.

A point came in my life where I was going to put the pen down for a year or two. The Creator had other plans. In one month, a series of stories flowed through me that I had never planned to write. One of those stories had a sliver of something that happened when I was twelve, which was proof that I was not meant to stop putting pen to paper. I had somehow tucked that incident into the corner of my memory and left it there with no thought of having it resurface—ever.

In the process of editing, that book landed in the hands of Stephanie M. Freeman, and with it came a life-altering experience for both of us. She called me in tears and said, You’re someone I can tell my story to. 

Though I was aware that something had happened in her life—because she was shrouded in woundedness she wore like a garment—I never thought I would meet someone whose life path matched my journey, pain, and search for healing measure for measure.  Truly, I had been divinely guided by whispers from her mother to take care of my baby.  She had the same experiences and needs to walk in your healing path.

As I stood in the middle of the produce section of Mariano’s, she unburdened her soul and I held space for her. Last year, I only understood a tip of Stephanie’s strength.  This year, her writing tribe celebrated her survival in a dynamic way and took things a step further to help her release and let go of the things that had her bound.  This book, in all her raw vulnerability, is very much a part of that miraculous journey. 

Stephanie is finally ready to tell her truth, her way. You will find great inspiration in the pages of this book, but I also believe you will celebrate her survival. 

—Naleighna Kai,

USA TODAY Bestselling Author

PART 1

SUSANNA

"You are not the darkness you endured.

You are the light that refused to surrender."

― John Mark Green

CHAPTER ONE

She must have asked for it, the woman with the blue head covering said as she passed under the window outside the prison. What woman of stature or morals sends her maids away while she bathes? Why would she go anywhere on her own?

Susanna brought shame to her husband. Another woman dressed in black from head to toe reasoned. A cane or bullwhip will bring her down a notch or two. Banishing her to the outlands is too good for her. Not even the lepers will have her considering what she has done. Then she leaned in closer with a wide grin. Once she is dead, my daughter, Suri will make Joachim forget the likes of her.

Susanna let the tattered curtain fall back into place as she crouched in the corner. She thumped the back of her head against the wall and counted the cracks in the ceiling once more. A bubble of bitter laughter burned at the back of her throat.

You both broke bread with me in my garden just a few short days ago. Now you long to replace me in my husband's bed as crows feast on my flesh. I even assured you that no snakes slithered into my flower garden. I see now that I was mistaken.

She pressed her nose into the rough smock and instantly regretted it. The sandpaper fabric smelled of her surroundings. When it rained, the constant drip awakened the stench of the last person housed there. The odor assaulted her senses, but it also served as a reminder. Someone else had also counted the cracks and their last moments on this side of Zion.

Susanna thought of the soft globe of dough she left on the kitchen table and frowned. Suri or one of the other women would make the bread for Joachim's breakfast. Another hand would fill his water cup and when the sun went down, perhaps the same hands would knead away the ball of tension that always took up residence between his shoulders.

In the gray hours before the sun kissed the clouds, Susanna and Joachim would make love in their lush garden as the pulse of morning ebbed and flowed around them before the world's responsibilities washed in. Would her beloved take his morning walk? Would he feel the weight of her absence at his side or in their marital