A lot of people get pushed around and take it - it's safer than confrontation. But Teale was finding too much was being taken away from her - her once seemingly secure life was a sham - and it was all beginning to cost her dearly... something had to be done - but the answers were hidden in a veil of lies... She began searching, in hidden places, for someone she'd lost, a long time ago...

"Susan Crossman is a breakthrough writer who probes deep into the psyche of her readers, taking them on a journey of self discovery... that is both intensely personal and revealing... "
- Michael B Davie, author, The Late Man


"The murder of women by their intimate partners occurs on a daily basis in America. And every day, you can also find thousands of women and their children living in emergency shelters and safe houses to escape domestic violence... As someone who has never been in an abusive relationship, I was intrigued by the dynamic of abuse. What would make a woman choose to involve herself with a man who appears to despise her? I began to ask such questions while working for a women's shelter where I met some amazing women who shared their stories with me... This has been a sad but enlightening journey. But out of all of those fascinating and heart-breaking pieces of tragedy I was able to weave together the purely fictional story of Teale's escape from abuse to freedom... It is my hope that this fictional story leads to a deeper understanding of a very real problem that causes untold pain to women every day."
- Susan Crossman